What Are The Similarities Between Washington And Frederick Douglass

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Unit 3 WATCH Video Paragraph: " Frederick Douglass and his writing are important today because Douglass helped bring about tremendous changes, many of which are seen in today’s society. For example, Douglass brought support to the Union Army, fought for women’s rights, and advocated for the rights of Black people. Now, many decades after the Union Army won, both women and Black people have more rights, and there is no doubt that Douglass’s words were a contributing factor in the social attitudes surrounding both of these civil rights issues. Douglass delivered a strong written representation of life as a slave and as a free man during his lifetime. These accounts are important to read and listen to today because they provide direct context …show more content…

What are two similarities and what are two differences in each of the accounts? In Frederick Douglass’s account, he chooses to provide a direct narration of his early childhood. Booker T. Washington does the same in his narrative piece. The similarities continue when both authors reveal that they do not know their age nor who their white fathers were. As Douglass states, “I have no accurate knowledge of my age, never having seen any authentic record containing it” (Douglass 1). However, Douglass spends a considerable amount of time highlighting how cruel his owner was, while Washington states that his hardship was environmental-based and, “not because my owners were especially cruel, for they were not.” (Washington 2). In another contrast, Douglass focuses on how strongly slaves desired to be free, while Washington notes that when slaves were declared free, there were some who did not know what to do and continued to want to support their owners. Douglass’s account also shares similarities with W.E.B. Du Bois’ writing. For example, both authors choose to place emphasis on the power and necessity of education. As noted in our …show more content…

Furthermore, both men utilize direct quotes throughout their writing, providing structure. That said, Douglass’s piece is also very different from Du Bois’. Douglass’s piece is intimate and focuses on his own experiences, and while Du Bois’ account contains elements of this as well, his piece is incredibly comprehensive, and he chooses not only to comment on his own experiences, but the experiences of others as well. Furthermore, Du Bois’ writing is extremely beautiful and eloquent, and while Douglass writes well, he does not use the same flowery, nearly poetic language as Du Bois. In line with this, Du Bois also uses metaphors to help guide his writing. On the other hand, Washington relies on clear, detailed descriptions to carry his piece. Another difference between Du Bois’ account and Washington’s lies in their perception of the roles and abilities of free Black men. For example, Du Bois encourages people not to box individuals into trade/artisan labels, reminding his readers that, “the final product of our

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