Frederick Douglass Thesis

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The Heroic Slave
Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey (also known as the famous Frederick Douglass) was an intelligent African American slave in the 1800’s. Even though slavery was quite common during this time, Frederick stood out like a diamond in a pile of rocks. Unlike other slaves, he taught himself how to read and write on his free time, despite the fact that he could be severely punished. Most slaves thought this harsh labor was inhumane and cruel, yet did nothing about it. However Douglass took it as a life lesson and used it to fight for his freedom. After being held as a slave, Frederick’s world turned upside down. Slavery led him to become an passionate abolitionist, successful writer and an independent human being. Frederick Douglass’s abnormal life pushed him to educate himself and it also influenced his writing during this time period. This will be proved by examples from scholarly articles and the novel Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass.
Having a slave in 1818 was like having a new Prada bag in Beverly Hills, everyone had one. And like a new Prada bag first being taken out of the box (shiny and brand new, ready to be destroyed), Douglass was brought into this world. Frederick Douglass was born in Talbot County, Maryland. He grew up knowing that his biological mother was Harriet Bailey, but the identity of his father remained unknown. Slave owners did not bother to tell the slaves such things because they did not want their families to remain together, they rather them have no one. Douglass’s mother, Harriet Bailey, was forced to separate from her son who was an infant at the time. As a young boy, Douglass did not know his birth name; he went by the name Frederick. With that being said, Douglass was nev...

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... child. Writing and reading brought Douglass joy and remained to bring him joy even when deceased. Douglass’s insane life may have left him a few scars and terrible memories, but it also molded him in to the magnificent person he had become which was a successful writer, passionate abolitionists and a knowledgeable gentleman.
Fredrick Douglass lived a life of sorrow, pain and cruelty. Yet, as a fine gentleman that he was, he managed to find the joy in his childhood. He remembered the marvelous memories he encountered when he was taught how to read and write and that’s what kept him going. Writing changed his life for the better. It encouraged him to keep on doing what he loved even if he was constantly being put down and discouraged. The love for writing saved Douglass from slavery. Even if Douglass passed on, his writing remains and continues to be legendary.

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