Overcoming Adversity In The Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass

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Adversity can be defined as a state or instance of serious or continued difficulty or misfortune. Many things in life can bring one adversity, however some are faced with more adversity in their lives than others. Overcoming this adversity can be one of the most difficult things that a person encounters, and at times, it may consume them. People attempt to persevere through adversity in many different ways. One of the most effective ways is to keep pushing through and to never give up. If one loses sight of what is driving them to persevere through adversity, it will swallow them up with no remorse. Staying mentally tough and focused on an end goal is how people not only persevere, but thrive through adversity. In The Glass Castle, Jeannette …show more content…

In this narrative, Douglass, after very many obstacles are conquered, eventually overcomes the ultimate hardship of all time; slavery. At the time this narrative was written (1845), slavery was a common practice in the south, and it was nearly unheard of to escape its grueling jaws. One of Douglass’s first memories was seeing his aunt being tied up and beaten until the warmth of her own blood dripping down her back became pools of dried up blood at her feet. The screams he heard that day were unforgettable, and forever branded in his ears. This eventually led to his own beatings, in the same manner. At an early age, Douglass realized that he could no longer live this way, and decided to do something about it. His perseverance came in baby steps: first learning to read, next to acquire allies, and finally to make his move and never look back. If Douglass were to forget his end goal in any of this chaos, it is likely that he would have became swallowed up in adversity and let it consume him until he had completely lost his will to escape, or even live. However, keeping his end goal in mind, he was brilliant with his delicate moves to escape the sink hole that is

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