After reading both “Self Reliance,” by Ralph Waldo Emerson and “The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave,” by Frederick Douglass, one might notice a trend in what both writers regard as the key to happiness or self-fulfillment. Emerson and Douglass both imply that acquiring knowledge is what people should strive for throughout their lives. However, their perceptions on the kind of knowledge should be attained is where their ideas diverge; Emerson is the one that encourages one to develop the soul whereas with Douglass, it is the mind. One of the primary issues that Emerson tried to convey was that one must follow what they believe is true for themselves and not listen to what other people think. He states, “It is easy in the world to live after the world’s opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps perfect sweetness the independence of solitude(Emerson 151).” One of the definitions of the word “world” is “human society.” The word “opinion” means “a view, judgment, or appraisal formed in the mind about a particular matter.” By putting these words together, Emerson is implying that the “world’s opinion” is the general point of view accepted by most of society. Emerson also uses the word, “solitude” which means, “the quality or state of being alone or remote from society.” By also using the word “solitude” in this sentence, he shows a contrast between the majority (society), and the individual. What Emerson suggests is that if one can live in a world full of people who think a certain way because they were taught to believe that way, but still hold your own ground and follow what you believe, you are a great person. Douglass also believes in following what is true for oneself despite what people around him think. This is evident when he says, “But I should be false to the earliest sentiments of my soul, if I suppressed the opinion. I prefer to be true to myself, even at the hazard of incurring the ridicule of others, rather than to be false, and incur my own abhorrence (Douglass 75).” The word “true” means “being that which is the case rather than what is manifest or assumed,” and the word “false” means “inconsistent with the facts.” Douglass uses both of these words to convey the fact that he would rather believe his own thoughts and suffer the wrat... ... middle of paper ... ... and unhappy (Douglass 78).” Learning how to read was as big a step towards freedom for Douglass as it was back. It made him aware of the circumstances but it also made him realize how difficult it would be for him to ever find himself a free man. However, knowledge overpowers ignorance in the sense that his masters could never take his ability to read away from him and because Douglass now knew his condition, he knew that he deserved a better life. Both Emerson and Douglass had a huge impact on those who read their work. Their messages were both similar and different in their own ways. Emerson pushed the idea of unification with God through the soul while Douglass stood behind the development of the mind with the ability to read. However, both Emerson and Douglass were for non-conformity and individualism. They were very much concerned with the growth of the individual, whether it be in mind or through the soul. Works Cited Douglass, Frederick. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave. New York: Penguin Group, 1982. Emerson, Ralph Waldo. Selections from Ralph Waldo Emerson. USA: Riverside Editions, 1957.
Douglass and Thoreau both felt as though the government as well as society turned a blind eye to the mistreatment of human beings, especially during slavery. He saw freedom being celebrated, but it just reminded him of how so many were willing to continue on not dealing with all of the wrong that had taken place. Regardless of what he saw before him, he refused to forget. Douglass felt that “to forget them, to pass lightly over their wrongs, and to chime in with the popular theme, would be treason most scandalous and shocking,”. Instead, he chose to deal with the subject of American Slavery, in which he brought out the idea of individuals supporting what was wrong rather than what was
While knowledge can open many doors for success, it can also put a lock on various ones for people who don’t have an opportunity to practice it. This is portrayed in an essay by Frederick Douglass named Learning to Read and Write. It portrays the hardships he faced and the toll it took on him. Frederick Douglass was a slave who was born in Talbot County Maryland and then became a server for a family in Baltimore. He also became an active participant in the abolitionist movement in 1838. Michael Scot’s response toward Frederick Douglass was that gaining knowledge was more of a dissatisfaction rather than a worthy accomplishment for the reason that education made him realize he had no other option to his condition. For Frederick Douglass, learning
Literacy plays an important part in helping Douglass achieve his freedom. Learning to read and write enlightened his mind to the injustice of slavery; it kindled in his heart longings for liberty. Douglass’s skills proved instrumental in his attempts to escape and afterwards in his mission as a spokesman against slavery. Douglass was motivated to learn how to read by hearing his master condemn the education of slaves. Mr. Auld declared that education would “spoil” him and “forever unfit him to be a slave” (2054).
The people feel as though both the authors are a threat to society. Douglass was judged because he was not white and he was a slave he was stripped of his rights because how he appeared to everyone around him. In the passage Douglass mentions “From this time I was most narrowly watched. If I was in a separate room any considerable length of time, I was sure to be suspected of having a book, and was at once called to give a bank account of myself” (144). Douglass came to conclusions that there was nothing he can do to change what the ones around him think of him and that he would always have restrictions such as not being allowed to read.
One day, Douglass eavesdrops on him and Mrs. Auld’s conversation. Mr. Auld persuades her that reading “could do him (Douglass) no good, but a great deal of harm.” (page 39) This antithesis along with the rest of his statement makes Douglass come to the realization that literacy is equated with not only individual consciousness but also freedom. From that day on, Douglass makes it his goal to learn as much as he can, eventually learning how to write,
Many people take for grant of the freedom we have, but Douglass shows that having freedom means having the ability to control one’s own destiny. Douglass was a slave who like any other slaves cannot be educated. Douglass finds this out by accident when he overhears the reasons why it was illegal for them to get education- it because the white slave owners did not want slaves to gain knowledge as it will bring disorder and rebel against slavery. As a result of this finding, Douglass seeks out his own education. One of his methods of learning how to read is by exchanging foods for learning to read. During the slavery, poverty also affected all different people, so Douglass would give breads to poor children and for exchange teach Douglass some words. For Douglass learning meant punishments or even death, but he takes the risk and did all he can to gain knowledge because this is the only way he can be free. He demonstrates to people that education is powerful and the way one can truly be self-governed. Douglass story is a reminder to always appreciate education and to take the most out of learning because in the end no one can take away what’s in our
Learning and knowledge make all the difference in the world, as Frederick Douglass proves by changing himself from another man's slave to a widely respected writer. A person is not necessarily what others label him; the self is completely independent, and through learning can move proverbial mountains. The main focus of this essay is on the lives of the American Slaves, and their treatment by their masters. The brutality brought upon the slaves by their holders was cruel, and almost sadistic. These examples will cite how the nature of Douglass's thoughts and the level of his understanding changed, and his method of proving the evilness of slavery went from visual descriptions of brutality to more philosophical arguments about its wrongness.
Gaining mental emancipation also made him a man. He had the power of knowledge and yet he didn't know the impact of being literate. He wasn't ready to have his world open right in front of him. Being able to read opened Douglass' eyes to what slavery really was. "He got the bold denunciation of slavery, and a powerful vindication of human rights."*(278) He saw things that he would have never seen if he had remained ignorant. He saw all the horrors and sadness of his life as a slave. He wasn't quite ready for the harsh realities that he was then exposed to. He felt that his master, Master Hugh, was right. Douglass learning to read brought him the discontentment, torment and anguish that Master Hugh said would follow if a slave learned how to read.* (279) The visions that Douglass saw was really affecting him. He saw things he never saw before. Dou...
In Self-Reliance, Emerson delves into the notion that people are occupied with the need to please members of society. This will not help them reach their goal of self-reliance because they are fully dependent on getting the support from societies’ other members. This is detrimental to one’s personal pursuit of their individual goals because of their fear of being criticized or “misunderstood”. He clarifies by saying, “Is it so bad, then, to be misunderstood? Pythagoras was misunderstood, and Socrates...
Frederick Douglass had such a desire to learn when his Mistress started to teach him “give him an inch and he’ll take an ell”. The more he read, the more he was realizing that there was a better life for him. He would read and learn about human rights and it just gave him more of a desire to learn. Then the more he read the information he was receiving got him angry. He just hated his Master more and more each day. He started to hate his own existence. It did not take long for him to just turn all the frustrations around and use it to his advantage. “I consoled myself with the hope that I should one day find a good chance.” The desire and the frustration turned into his inspiration for making a change in his life. Fre...
He had long fought to learn to read and was so excited and eager to do so, he never expected the circumstances of this to be as dehumanizing as they were. He regretted learning to read because it brought him nothing but desperation, he learned his awful truth and that of his fellow slaves. "It had given me a view of my wretched condition, without the remedy." (Douglass, 24) The truth was that the more he learned the more he became aggravated, he knew there was not much he could do. It brought his moral down along with many other feelings, even a slave like Frederick had learned the awful feeling of
Even though Douglass didn’t study any rhetoric he was able to use it in a very effective way to provoke readers emotions. Because of the use of pathos Douglass also inspires readers with his motivation. His motivation was about becoming free from slavery one day. However, it inspired me as a reader to not give up, even if you have a rough day, or problem.
Emerson promotes the ideal concept of self-reliance throughout his article to persuade his readers to have faith in their ability and nature; as he writes, “The power which resides in him is new in nature, and none but he knows what that is which he can do, nor does he know until he has tried” (par.2). Even though being independent in action and thought is critical, there are numerous factors hindering its existence and progression in each person. They are society, conformity, consistency, fear of judgments, religion, arts, or property. By unwisely learning and imitating others’ works and opinions, a man loses his identity and self-confidence to the hands of norms. A man starts to lose his stand and tend to find a place where he can live under stable conditions; he is afraid of change; he is afraid of being different. Of all the thoughts that Emerson expresses in his paper, the most valuable point is how he promotes individualism and convinces people not to be afraid of being
In Frederick Douglass’ Narrative, Christianity is a prominent feature of both slave and slave-owners’ lives. However, Douglass highlights the discrepancies between the religions of these two groups, finding the Christianity of slave holders to be false, malicious and hypocritical. Though he makes clear he is not irreligious himself, Douglass condemns the insincere ideology of slave owning America.
During the mid-nineteenth century, slavery was still practiced around most of the places in America. Frederick Douglass describes slavery according to ante-bellum African American in his “The Slave Narrative”. It is focused on the slave’s personal experiences who had fled from slavery and sheltered for safety in the northern states. Douglass is successful in describing his sufferings and pain in first person narrative, when he was a slave, in a very realistic and depicting manner. Emerson however has his key work on individuality by emphasizing the significance of thinking for oneself instead of modestly accepting other people's concepts. In most of his literature, he indorses individual involvement and experience over the understanding and informations gained from other sources he has expressed the view that a person who scorns individual insight and chooses to count on others' opinions lacks the innovative power necessary for strong and bold individuality. He believed that this behavior doesn’t give birth to a new idea but, makes a person believe and follow the way somebody else has intuited. The two pieces of literature converges by concluding at a point where they both agree on the characteristic of self-reliance. The theme of self-reliance can be closely captured in the actual life of Douglass during his slavery. Although they use different supportive objects, the points made by Emerson on self-reliance can be related to the real life of Douglass during his slavery. The choices were very limited to Douglass for obtaining the required experience when he was held in captivity, which is described in Self-Reliance by Emerson.