Summery to Learning to Read and Write by Frederick Douglass Fredrick Douglass’s was a slave whom only desire was to learn to read and write. Being a slave, this proved to be a challenge but also an opportunity at the same time. Finding every little opportunity to practice his writing and reading, he would find himself being mistreated. Douglass explains, ”I have had her [His mistress] rush at me with a face made all up of fury, and snatch from me a newspaper, in a manner that relieved her apprehension”(Learning Read Write Douglass 1). Douglass many times was shut down and robbed of the opportunity to write and read, he would later hind himself making teachers of his own by asking and challenging white men write better than him. By him doing …show more content…
Fredrick, although his circumstances, strived to read books and write with any opportunity presented. This, I found rather intriguing, with all odds against him he often finds an opportunity to learn, even as a child he would take time from the errands he was sent to do as a slave and learn. Very inspiring story, kind of makes me feel like I’m taking a lot for granted and not doing a lot in my full potential. Although he was weary about the two Irish man he kept what they said to heart and at the end “I” think he managed to escape, since his story is out one can only assume he published this essay because all went well. And since Douglass learned to read and write we as readers can only think or assume he escaped. He kept reading books and his mindset quickly changed and he knew too much to the point he saw it as a curse. It’s sad the hopelessness Douglass experienced in being a slave. Goes to show Intelligence can literally take you places, and Douglass demonstrated this very well in his essay. Very interesting essay, very interesting were the two past essays and both have made me want to read. I myself never have read an entire book in my life feel as if I’m doing many things wrong, both Richard Rodriguez and Fredrick Douglass had to overcome their struggles and even with hopelessness or not having support both men find a
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).
Literature is written in many ways and styles. During his time, Frederick Douglass’s works and speeches attracted many people’s attention. With the amount of works and speeches Douglass has given, it has influenced many others writers to express themselves more freely. Though Douglass lived a rigorous childhood, he still made it the best that he could, with the guidance and teaching of one of his slave owner’s wife he was able to read and write, thus allowing him to share his life stories and experiences. Douglass’s work today still remain of great impact and influence, allowing us to understand the reality of slavery, and thus inspiring many others to come out and share for others to understand.
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,
Douglass believes that the United States constitution should permit African-Americans to become full participants in the American dream. “Learning to Read and Write” is an excerpt from his autobiography Narrative of the life of Fredric Douglass, an American Slave (1845). Throughout the text, knowledge can be interpreted as a blessing rather than a curse as it is knowledge that led to Douglass' eventual freedom thus refuting Scott's claim that he had absolutely no alternatives to his condition. Douglass finds himself still eager to hear about slavery and every time they talk about slavery he hears the word abolition.
Fredrick Douglas is a well known figure in the abolishment movement through his narrative “Learning to Read and Write,” Douglas shares his own personal journey of how he learns to read and write. His organization helps the reader get a better grasp of the stages in his life; his innocence, his epiphany, his loathing and finally his determination. Through the use of syntax and diction, metaphors and the use of irony, he portrays the thoughts that went through his mind as a slave.
The tone established in the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass is unusual in that from the beginning to the end the focus has been shifted. In the beginning of the narrative Douglass seems to fulfill every stereotypical slavery theme. He is a young black slave who at first cannot read and is very naïve in understanding his situation. As a child put into slavery Douglass does not have the knowledge to know about his surroundings and the world outside of slavery. In Douglass’ narrative the tone is first set as that of an observer, however finishing with his own personal accounts.
In life there will always be someone who says it cannot be done, but that does not always stop an individual from achieving his or her goals in life. Frederick Douglass wrote the article of his life experience, “Learning to Read and Write.” Douglass explains the struggles he went through as a slave just to learn to read and write. During this time period slaves were not taught how to read and write; therefore, he had to do this on his own. Douglass fought a battle of breaking through the ideas that a slave should not and could not be educated. Today many people fight a similar battle to achieve their goals. Many just give in to society as many slaves did in the past. In life people are not always given the opportunities that allow them to advance
Throughout the reading, of the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, there are several themes that comes up from. One important theme is the power that man will have by literacy. Frederick, in his narrative, had the belief that education is the pathway to freedom. He believed that becoming a literate is the most powerful way to prove we are human, not sub human as the white society described black people. Literacy helped him to change his position in the master/slave relationship and moved him to become a free man.
According to the New York City writing project at Lehman College ,“... Reading, writing and thinking are interrelated activities that contribute to the student’s success in school, college, the community and the workplace.” Reading and writing and thinking are associated with each other and can actually help people reach success through the power of reflection. Reflection is being able to think of our past and present experience and really analyze how we can become better. Reflection also allows one to better understand what is going on around us. Frederick Douglass and Amy Tan’s literacy and language allowed them to achieve success through reflection. Frederick Douglass was a slave that learned how to read and write even besides the
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
In his self-titled chronicle, "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave", the author presents his audience with a memorable description of his resourcefulness in how he learned to write. His determination to shake off the bonds of illiteracy imposed by his slaveholders created in him the ability to conquer obstacles that held many slaves back. His mastery of the basic steps of the written language would one day play a central role in his success as a free man. The way these skills were acquired teaches us not only of his willpower, but also of his ingenuity as well. The outcome of his efforts culminated in an inimitable slave-narrative, as well as a career as one of the most famous abolitionists that this country would ever know.
In the essay “Learning to Read and Write,” Frederick Douglass illustrates how he successfully overcome the tremendous difficulties to become literate. He also explains the injustice between slavers and slaveholders. Douglass believes that education is the key to freedom for slavers. Similarly, many of us regard education as the path to achieve a career from a job.
As a relatively young man, Frederick Douglass discovers, in his Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, that learning to read and write can be his path to freedom. Upon discovering that...
The Narrative of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass is written to have people place their feet in the shoes of Frederick Douglass and try to understand the experience he went through as a slave. Douglass writes this piece of literature with strong wording to get his point across. He is not trying to point out the unpleasant parts of history, but to make people face the truth. He wants readers to realize that slavery is brutalizing and dehumanizing, that a slave is able to become a man, and that some slaves, like himself, have intellectual ability. These points are commonly presented through the words of Douglass because of his diction.