Compare And Contrast John Newman And Frederick Douglass

Picture this going through life without the ability to read or write. Without these abilities, it is impossible for a person to be a functioning member of society. In addition, imagine that someone is purposely limiting your knowledge to keep a leash on your independence. Not only is an American slave raised without skills in literacy, he cannot be taught to read unless someone breaks the law. In Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, the reader is given a detailed explanation of why slave masters keep their slaves ignorant and the effects such a strategy has on the slaves’ lives. In his autobiography, Douglass describes how the knowledge he obtains has substantial positive and negative effects on his psyche. He is given renewed passion and hope for freedom while struggling with the burden of enlightenment of his situation. Ultimately, however, education shapes his fate, and he achieves freedom and prominence as an advocate for abolition.

Frederick Douglass the most successful abolitionist who changed America’s views of slavery through his writings and actions. Frederick Douglass had many achievements throughout his life. His Life as a slave had a great impact on his writings. His great oratory skills left the largest impact on Civil War time period literature. All in all he was the best black speaker and writer ever.

Frederick Douglass and Sherman Alexie both grew up in different times and environments. Frederick Douglass was born in 1818 and was raised on a plantation as

Frederick Douglass and President Abraham Lincoln were the two most influential men during the Civil War. Both had their struggles in life; Lincoln born into a poor white family in Kentucky and Frederick Douglass born as a slave in Maryland.

What enlightens me about Douglass was his drive for education. He taught me while reading this Primary Source that despite what kind of obstacle that may try to come up against your success, if you believe in what you are fighting for, there is nothing that can stand in your way of accomplishing your goals. Over time I have often struggled with understanding college math. So many times I have wanted to give up but despite this feeling of agony, I chose to keep pushing myself to stay in the class because I am inspired by the life of Frederick Douglass that my goals will soon come to pass.

Just like Sojourner Truth, Frederick Douglass already stood out from the rest of his fellow slaves at a height of 6’4. Frederick Douglass ability to read and write is unbelievable feat by itself but his persuasion with his words was powerful and influential. His demeanor commanded everyone’s attention and when he spoke all eyes were on Douglass. His willingness to show other slaves how to read and write is only part of his determination that is shown. Escaping from slavery and providing for his family shows great determination and pride within himself. His knowledge about slavery, the analogy used in speeches made Frederick Douglass one of the most important figures in history.

Literacy was Douglass's first step on the road to his freedom, and that of his fellow African slaves. In addition, Douglas knew less about the slavery unfairness, until after finding the book The Columbian Orator, which was explaining the cases against slavery. He was angered by what he learnt about this book, and what the masters have done to the slaves. The book made him think that slavery was his fate, and there was no escape from it.

Malcom X once said, “Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.” This quotation means that education is an important thing, and we should prepare for our future. Fredrick Douglass and Malcom X are two different men who write similar aspects. Fredrick Douglass is a slave, and Malcom X is a criminal, both were deprived of obtaining a higher sense of education. They are two activists who grew up to realize the importance of an education, in reading and writing. In Frederick Douglas’s essay “Learning to Read and Write” and Malcolm’s “Learning to Read” one can compare and contrast the analysis both essays.

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 of escape and afterwards in his mission as a spokesman against slavery.

Throughout the history of slavery in the United States, it was common practice not only for slaveholders to neglect to teach their slaves to read or write, but also for them to outright forbid literacy among slaves. This was done in order to limit the slaves knowledge and modes of communication, making it more difficult for them to learn about the abolitionist movement or for for them to share their situation with the world outside of slavery. Like many other slaves, Frederick Douglass was not allowed to learn to read or write. In his autobiography; “The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass”, Douglass retells how he managed to become literate in a time where most African Americans were forbidden from literacy, and how this knowledge allowed him to eventually escape slavery.

Frederick Douglass effectively persuades his audience to show the crucial need for learning to read and write and to inform how slavery was a true

Once both became literate, it had an immediate impact on their lives. Both discuss the importance it had on every aspect of their being. In Fredrick Douglass’ “Learning to Read,” Douglass states, “The reading of these documents enabled me to utter my thoughts, and to meet the arguments brought forward to sustain slavery; but while they relieved me of one difficulty, they brought on another even more painful than the one of which I was relieved. The more I read, the more I was led to abhor and detest my enslavers” (128) which proves the reality Douglass faced when he learned of the oppression his people were facing. Learning to read and write helped him understand slavery, abolition, and oppression therefore pushing him to want to gain knowledge, become educated, and fight for his civil rights. Literacy is ultimately is what helped Douglass escape slavery. Once he escaped, Douglass was able to communicate with the world, through his writing, to spread the truth in order to affect public opinion about the oppression at hand. In Malcolm X’s “A Homemade Education,” he also makes it clear that reading and writing made a significant impact on his life. He states “My homemade education gave me, with every additional book that I read, a little bit more sensitivity to the

Born into a life of slavery, Frederick Douglass overcame a boatload of obstacles in his very accomplished life. While a slave he was able to learn how to read and write, which was the most significant accomplishment in his life. This was significant, not only because it was forbidden for a slave to read due to the slaveholders wanting to keep them ignorant to preserve slavery, but because it was the starting point for Frederick to think more freely and more profound. Frederick Douglass then taught other slaves how to read and write because he believed and taught “Once you learn to read you will be forever free” (Frederick Douglass). This man was an astonishing individual who

Fighting through slavery, and challenging the norms was their mission. They didn’t have the formal education that we have in our modern days. Abraham Lincoln for instance he was born in the “Slaveholding” state of Kentucky (1809). His father “Thomas Lincoln” was not very literate, but on the contrast he was a talented carpenter and Farmer. His mother had died when he was at the age of nine. He didn’t had formal education, his education and very limited. He had enjoyed reading novels that served him very well in his political career. On the contrast Frederick Douglass was born into slavery, had also went through hardship trying to break the chains of slavery and rising up into a new era, Douglass got separated from his mother when he was just an infant, He had ran to Maryland where he also met other infants. He lived with his maternal grandmother “Betty Baily”, and again the slavery hit and he was separated form his grandmother at the age of seven. When Douglass was at a very young age when he was fighting to obtain and education under the shadow of

In the essay “from Knowledge Its Own End”, John Henry Newman stated the true education from his perspective by dividing knowledge into two parts, and believed that people should pursue for knowledge itself instead of a realistic purpose. He asserted that “knowledge is capable of being its own end” [32] and “the cultivation of knowledge is for physical enjoyment” [33]. He used Cicero’s viewpoint to support his idea as well, which stated that as soon as escaping from the pressure of reality was the happiness of knowledge. In addition, he sharply separated knowledge into “useful” and “liberal”, and contrasted them. Liberal knowledge was to pursue for its own sake, while useful knowledge was sort of commercial and purposeful. Newman concluded by