Frederick Douglass 's Life Of Knowledge And Education

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 was very fortunate to have learned how to read. In his time if you were a slave and had no education you couldn’t escape to freedom. Frederick Douglass’s key to education was his mistress (155). At first she was very nice and was giving him the education he needed and wanted but then from the influence of her husband she became rotten and denied him the right to his education “My mistress, who had kindly commenced to instruct me, had in compliance with the advice and direction of her husband no, not only ceased to instruct, but had set her face against my being instructed by anyone else” (155). But then he was fortunate enough to get some boys around where he lived to continue teaching him “The plan which I adopted, and the one by which I was most successful, was that of making friends of all the little white boys whom I met in the street. As many of these I could I could, I converted into teachers,

Douglass lived in the slave times. It was illegal to a slave to read and write. Any slave caught reading or writing would be severely punished or even killed. Slave owners felt that if they learn they will soon rebel and start to fight back. Douglass even grew up not even knowing his own age. His master’s wife is what

The power of education was also a key argument in “The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass”, but it was not an argument with a consistent meaning. Although Frederick Douglass believes that the only way to freedom for him and his fellow slaves, is through learning how to build on. At the same time Douglass is disgusted with education because it lets him know and fully understand the extent and horrors of slavery. Later, he finds out that while the conditions are slightly better there is still a great deal of injustice. He then begins to think getting his education could be his way to liberty and freedom and though he endeavors to learn much as he can, he starts to doubt whether he is correct or not. He then state “I would at times feel that learning to read had been a curse rather than a blessing. It had given me a view of my wretched condition, without the remedy. It opened my eyes to the horrible pit, but to no ladder upon which to get out” (47). In the end, these elements of freedom-becoming educated-led to his last act of rebellion, which he thought would bring him freedom. H e engages in a fight with his master. He can no longer stand his new sense of education and knowledge. He states “This battle with Mr.

People who are literate break their goals down and do little by little at time until they accomplish their goal. Douglass persistently fought for equal rights to combat slavery and women suffrage. He inspired many activist around the world to fight for equal rights. Through the power of literacy, he overcame great obstacles to gain his freedom and the freedom of others. Obstacles did not hinder him in any way. He help numerous people of his time even in the present time he still inspires civil rights activist. Literacy is an important tool to open your to a new way of think as in Douglass’s case. Douglass once said, “I didn’t know I was an slave until I found out I couldn’t do the things I wanted” (Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick

Going through the certain struggles that black people had to endure makes us value freedom even more. Douglass learns how to read and write in a world that discriminated skin colors. Through Douglass's journey, he shows how he started learning through his mistress until she realized that by instructing him, she was giving him power. Of course his master had tried to stop Mr. Douglass from reading and writing but it was too late. It was very fascinating the consequences that he had of his education.

The first step in her downward course was in her ceasing to instruct me ” (101). As Frederick Douglass learned to read and write he kept discovering more about the world around him. It was like a veil was removed from his eyes and this made him angry. He emphasizes that “The more I read, the more I was led to abhor and detest my enslavers. I could regard them in no other light than a band of successful robbers, who had left their homes, and gone to Africa, and stolen from us our homes, and in a strange land reduced us to slavery. I loathed them as being the meanest as well as the most wicked of men” and continues saying that “I would at times feel that learning to read had been a curse rather than a blessing. It had given me a view of my wretched condition, without the remedy. It opened my eyes to the horrible pit, but to no ladder upon which to get out”(103). Douglass is clearly

Much less, his envy for his fellow slaves indicates to us the effects that learning had on him. For example Douglass wrote: “I would at times feel like that learning to read had been a curse rather than a blessing. It had given me a view of my wretched condition, without the remedy” (146). Being that he is the only educated slave among all the other slaves in his household, Douglass’s thoughts were only present in his mind and he wasn’t able to express any of them to a white man, or even to his mister and mistress. Thus, Douglass was stuck in his own circle of thoughts which made him wish if he was a totally different person. For instance, He wrote a lot about situations where he tried to talk to some fellows on bailey’s ship-yard about slavery and tell them how lucky they are to be free, but then as soon as he starts arguing with them about why he doesn’t have the right to be free they seem to be troubled with him and his words; Which eventually made Douglass so upset that he wished to be just as stupid as all the other salves happy with their lives not knowing what’s going on. His Knowledge and awarnace opened many roads for him that are filled with obstacles and challenges that he will never be able to overcome. Living like a salve while not being a slave at the same

Throughout The Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass slavery was used in a way to make the lives of slaves miserable and for the masters to benefit from the free labor. According to Frederick Douglass there were awful situations that he encountered while being a slave. The slave owners knew that if the slaves were literate, their attitudes towards slavery would change. Frederick Douglass was an example of how literacy changed the mindset of a slave and in this story he gives examples of how he displayed the change. He did not know who his father was and had only seen his mother a few times. Literacy was the driving factor of slavery, which kept the slaves ignorant.

Frederick Douglass was born in Tuckahoe, which is located in the Talbot county of Maryland. He had no knowledge of his age. In fact, a large portion of the slaves did not. Frederick was not allowed to question the master concerning his age. The masters like to keep the slaves as ignorant as possible. The lack of knowledge he possessed was a source of unhappiness throughout his childhood. Frederick took note that white children knew their ages, but was not sure why he wasn't allowed the same privilege. The nearest estimate he possessed was made as a result of hearing his master state that he was about seventeen years old in the year of 1835.

Frederick Douglass was born “in Tuckahoe, near Hillsborough, and about twelve miles from Easton, in Talbot county, Maryland.” He did not know about his age because slave-owners and slave-masters did not want the slaves to know about their age. But it is estimated that he was born around 1818 as he said, “I come to this, from hearing my master say, some time during 1835, I was about seventeen years old.” His mother was Harriet Bailey who was daughter of colored Isaac and Betsey Bailey. Douglass’s dad was a white man. It was doubted that his master is his dad but he was not sure about that. He was taken away from his mom when his memory had not started recording yet and when he was still a baby as it was “a common custom, in the part of

The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass an American Slave, is an incredible story of one man’s struggle to become free from the bonds of slavery. While experiencing his hardships and celebrate his triumphs along the way, the story saddens you with the cruelty of humans but leaves you joyous at the outcome. Written as proof that a well-educated black man was indeed a slave and that even with a life riddled with trials and tribulations you can rise above and succeeded in obtaining your dream.

In his autobiography, The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Frederick Douglass describes in detail the hardships and unjust acts that were imposed upon African American slaves. In the narrative, Douglass communicates that reading and writing are the fundamental keys to obtaining freedom, understanding, and becoming self-aware. Most slaves were illiterate and had limited knowledge of the injustices that they faced. Douglass’ intelligence was significant due to the fact that he realized much about the world that his fellow slaves did not. Douglass asserts his argument by explaining in detail what privations him and other slaves around him faced. Through the use of ethical, pathetic, and logical appeals, Douglass argues that literacy is one of the few abilities that can break the barrier of ignorance. His argument is significant due to the fact that it communicates the concept that education is a step towards liberation from oppression and prejudices. Furthermore, Douglass proposes change for society and racism in his era and for future generations.

“Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe.” This was an influential quote by Frederick Douglass, who was a former slave, an abolitionist, and a famous, writer, who was a very instrumental figure in the lives of many Americans. This quote demonstrates the struggles that slaves had to endure before, during, and even after being freed. Throughout Frederick Douglass’ autobiography, he reveals the struggle of obtaining an education as a slave. Today, this is still an issue, but for people who are inflicted by poverty.

When Douglass moved to Baltimore his mistress started to teach him, but she was quickly told to stop by her husband because knowledge would make Douglass “no longer fit to be a slave”. Douglass then realizes what he was just given and he says, “From that moment, I understood the pathway from slavery to freedom.”