A Brief Biography of Frederick Douglass

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“There are three keys to life, believe in yourself, take advantage of every opportunity and use the power of spoken and written language to effect positive change for yourself and society (IUPUI, N.P.)."Heard from the mouth of Frederick Douglass himself, he embraced these three “rules” which allowed his work to be superior from other authors of his time. Frederick could relate to the realist point of view because up until the age of 20 he was a slave, alone on a plantation. This period of literature began in 1860 and ended around 1910. Frederick was at the peak of his writing when this movement occurred, being only in his mid-forties; he was a fresh, energetic author who was not shy about expressing his opinion. Douglass endured a brutal life as he was born into slavery, a major disadvantage, which challenged him to transform not only his own life but the lives of others so that they would not have to experience the torturous life as a slave. Douglass was betrayed by his family as they dropped him off at a plantation because they could not take care of him (PBS N.P.). His brutal life as a slave was compounded by the fact that his parents only gave him one thing in life, a white master. This tragic event allowed Douglass to put immense passion and emotion into his writing. He was not only writing to degrade the slave ridden society but to make a name for himself because he had no family to rely upon. His contributions to literature were immeasurable as he wrote from a perspective that had never been investigated. He added to the Southern culture accurate events that happened and the true life of a slave that historians later picked up. He taught himself how to read and write so his form was completely unique and personal (D... ... middle of paper ... ...lass.org/douglass_bio.html A+E Television Networks,. "Bio of the Month Frederick Douglass." LLC. 1996. Web. 21 May 2014. . Fremarjo Enterprises, Inc, comp. "A Short Biography of Frederick Douglass." Fremarjo Enterprises, Inc. Frederick Douglass Leadership Institute Programs on Race Relations and Gender Equity, 1997. Web. 20 May 2014. "Douglass Biography." IU School of Liberal Arts. Web. 21 May 2014. . "People & Events Frederick Douglass 1818 - 1895." WGBH | PBS Online. 1998. Web. 21 May 2014. . "Frederick Douglass." Rochester Regional Library Council. 2000. Web. 21 May 2014. .

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