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The work of Frederick Douglass
Frederick douglass william wells brown
The impact of the institution of slavery
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In the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass and Between the World and Me, the authors, Frederick Douglass and Ta- Nehisi Coates, develop the idea of the constant presence of racism and how our society can overcome it with the power of education. Douglass believed that education and self-improvement were incredibly important. The worst thing about slavery, in his mind, is that it prevents self-improvement through education. He works towards becoming free by expanding his knowledge through reading. He still has to physically escape, but it's his education that gives him the strength to make it happen. Douglass shows how white slaveholders kept their slaves ignorant. At this time, many people believed that slavery was natural. They believed
He believed that the ability to read makes a slave “unmanageable” and “discontented” (2054). Douglass discovered that the “white man’s power to enslave the black man” (2054) was in his literacy and education. As long as the slaves are ignorant, they will be resigned to their fate. However, if the slaves are educated, they would understand that they are as fully human as the white men and realize the unfairness of their treatment. Education is like a forbidden fruit to the slave; therefore, the slave owners guard against this knowledge of good and evil.
Frederick Douglass's Narrative, first published in 1845, is an enlightening and incendiary text. Born into slavery, Douglass became the preeminent spokesman for his people during his life; his narrative is an unparalleled account of the inhumane effects of slavery and Douglass's own triumph over it. His use of vivid language depicts violence against slaves, his personal insights into the dynamics between slaves and slaveholders, and his naming of specific persons and places made his book an indictment against a society that continued to accept slavery as a social and economic institution. Like Douglass, Harriet Jacobs was born into slavery, and in 1853 she published Letter from a Fugitive Slave, now recognized as one of the most comprehensive antebellum slave narratives written by an African-American woman. Jacobs's account broke the silence on the exploitation of African American female slaves.
Fredrick Douglas is a well known figure in the abolishment movement through his narrative “Learning to Read and Write,” Douglas shares his own personal journey of how he learns to read and write. His organization helps the reader get a better grasp of the stages in his life; his innocence, his epiphany, his loathing and finally his determination. Through the use of syntax and diction, metaphors and the use of irony, he portrays the thoughts that went through his mind as a slave.
When first introduced to Douglass and his story, we find him to be a young slave boy filled with information about those around him. Not only does he speak from the view point of an observer, but he speaks of many typical stereotypes in the slave life. At this point in his life, Frederick is inexperienced and knows nothing of the pleasures of things such as reading, writing, or even the rights everyone should be entitled to. Douglass knowing hardly anything of his family, their whereabouts, or his background, seems to be equivalent to the many other slaves at the time. As a child Frederick Douglass sees the injustices around him and observes them, yet as the story continues we begin to see a change.
Throughout the reading, of the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, there are several themes that comes up from. One important theme is the power that man will have by literacy. Frederick, in his narrative, had the belief that education is the pathway to freedom. He believed that becoming a literate is the most powerful way to prove we are human, not sub human as the white society described black people. Literacy helped him to change his position in the master/slave relationship and moved him to become a free man.
In this final research analysis, I will be doing a comparison between the “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass” and the “Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson” to show how both Douglass and Rowlandson use a great deal of person strength and faith in God to endure their life and ultimately gain their freedom.
In the middle of chapter seven, Douglass portrayed his adolescent self as a resourceful boy with a strong desire to learn how to write. His previously kind mistress, Mrs. Auld, no longer supported furthering his education and for this, Douglass had to sneak around in order to become literate. The little, hungry, white boys on the streets of Baltimore served as Douglass’ main source of education at the time. Douglass would carry bread on him while he ran errands for the Aulds and when he encountered possible teachers, he would “bestow [it] upon the hungry litter urchins, who, in return, would give [him] that more valuable bread of knowledge” (Chap. 7; 53). Douglass used this clever pun to compare the importance of knowledge for an uneducated
According to the New York City writing project at Lehman College ,“... Reading, writing and thinking are interrelated activities that contribute to the student’s success in school, college, the community and the workplace.” Reading and writing and thinking are associated with each other and can actually help people reach success through the power of reflection. Reflection is being able to think of our past and present experience and really analyze how we can become better. Reflection also allows one to better understand what is going on around us. Frederick Douglass and Amy Tan’s literacy and language allowed them to achieve success through reflection. Frederick Douglass was a slave that learned how to read and write even besides the
Slave narratives were one of the first forms of African- American literature. The narratives were written with the intent to inform those who weren’t aware of the hardships of slavery about how badly slaves were being treated. The people who wrote these narratives experienced slavery first hand, and wanted to elicit the help of abolitionists to bring an end to it. Most slave narratives were not widely publicized and often got overlooked as the years went by; however, some were highly regarded and paved the way for many writers of African descent today.
There is an old Korean maxim that reads, “Give the disease and offer the remedy”, when directly translated to English. This axiom is used in instances when someone or something seems to be duplicitous as it seems to beneficial on the surface level, but it actually is not. This idiom matches Douglass’s education because education is generally considered to be a means of personal development, but as Douglass learned to read, he became increasingly aware of his state and the presence of abolitionists and anti-slavery movements. Douglass mentions, “I was broken in body, soul, and spirit” in reaction to slavery (126). This quote explicitly shows how the horrid reality that was unveiled for Douglass through education mentally and emotionally affected him as he experienced the dichotomy of motivation for freedom and the dread of slavery. When Douglass is handed over to Covey, freedom seem to play against him as the work and violence he experienced under the new master exhausted him to an extent where he spent his leisure time solely for resting. Remarkably though, Douglass manages to confront Covey with a fight that lasts for nearly two hours, which ultimately resulted in Covey no longer touching Douglass. His valiant fight against Covey shows Douglass’s drive to be liberated from bondage, which most likely sprung from his education. This is where the irony of the proverb arises; education, until this point, left Douglass wretched and downhearted, but now it is the primary factor behind his will to fight for his freedom.
In his self-titled chronicle, "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave", the author presents his audience with a memorable description of his resourcefulness in how he learned to write. His determination to shake off the bonds of illiteracy imposed by his slaveholders created in him the ability to conquer obstacles that held many slaves back. His mastery of the basic steps of the written language would one day play a central role in his success as a free man. The way these skills were acquired teaches us not only of his willpower, but also of his ingenuity as well. The outcome of his efforts culminated in an inimitable slave-narrative, as well as a career as one of the most famous abolitionists that this country would ever know.
In sum, all of these key arguments exist in “The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass” because of the institution of slavery and its resulting lack of freedom that was used to defend it. This text’s arguments could all be gathered together under the common element of inequality and how it affected the practical, social, and even spiritual lives of the slaves.
The significant of education in “Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass” is the most important theme in the entire passage. Frederick Douglass understands that the only way to freedom, for him and also other slaves, is through learning to read, write, and also have an education. Education helps Frederick to understand things that slowly will destroy his mind, and heart at the same time. Understanding the full extent of the horrors of slavery can be devastating to a person who has just set mind on morals, and values. In the passage Frederick says, “It opened my eyes to the horrible pit, but offered no ladder upon which to get out” (Douglass 61). Using this quote as your guide, the reader can examine the meaning and importance of education with slavery time, and modern day.
The Narrative of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass is written to have people place their feet in the shoes of Frederick Douglass and try to understand the experience he went through as a slave. Douglass writes this piece of literature with strong wording to get his point across. He is not trying to point out the unpleasant parts of history, but to make people face the truth. He wants readers to realize that slavery is brutalizing and dehumanizing, that a slave is able to become a man, and that some slaves, like himself, have intellectual ability. These points are commonly presented through the words of Douglass because of his diction.
Yesterday Class was very helpful for me, because I was really confused with everything, since we were the end of the semester, and I was actually glad I came, because I was struggling with my lesson planning and I had now idea how to even began, but after the class it was clear for me, and I am glad we did one lesson plan the in class.