Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass Analysis

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.

In the “narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass an American slave written by himself” Frederick reveled to audience the time he was living as a slave and the moments of brutal treats for example psychological, emotional and physical abuses. He was suffering terrible moments during his 20 years as a slave in the twentieth century. In addition, he describes in his own words the strategies he used to escape from the slave holders and to be free.

In the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, written by Frederick Douglass, he tells his own personal story about what it was like to live as a slave. While living through the horrors of slavery, Douglass manages to educate himself, by teaching himself to read with the help of few. As Douglass matures, life only gets harder. However, his education brings him hope. Not only does Douglass read of abolition, giving him hope, he also learns the importance of his education. Frederick Douglass discovers that education is the key to the freedom of his people through realizing the inevitable power gap is created by ignorance.

However, Douglass tells us that through pseudoscience and the prevention of slaves from learning how to read and write gave the white slave-owners tangible evidence for their findings. Douglass continues saying that the inability of slaves to read and write made them dependent on their owners. Slave-owners understood that if slaves became educated, that would be the first step to dissent (Douglass 20). By controlling the slave’s education, they were able to control what the rest of America knew about slavery. Until slaves like Frederick Douglass came around, the common northerner had little to no idea what slaves actually went through.

In "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass", Frederick uses his trials and tribulations to show that mental strength can overcome physical abuse while also showing us how faith is something that one must have to stay true to one’s self. “I was covered with blood. My hair was all clotted with dust and blood. I supposed that I looked like a man that had escaped from a lion’s den” (54). Fredrick Douglass once said reading and writing is the most important, most basic, and the most meaningful way to grasp an understanding of life and express yourself.

Pathos: emotion/value, a way of convincing an audience of an argument by an emotional response

The theme of individual versus society has been featured in many pieces of literature over time. This conflict can be described as an individual’s struggle against the confines of their culture or society. The individual wrestles with either upholding society’s rules or breaking them. The conflict of the individual versus society is included in Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass. In his memoir, Douglass, who was a slave at the time, learned how to read and write. This was deviant from society in that period because slaves were not allowed to read and write. This conflict also appears in real life situations, such as the women’s suffrage movement or the Civil Rights Movement. Members of these movements did things that deviated from societal norms at the time. The theme of the individual versus society is presented as an individual deviating from society’s ideals.

The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass was an autobiography published in 1845. This story is from an outspoken past slave about the injustices of slavery to African Americans. As it is an autobiography he describes his own experience and what he witnessed as a slave. Author, Frederick Douglass, uses rhetorical and literary devices to prove his point that slavery was an injustice and a cruel act to place upon anyone.

Why did slave owners want to block out education from a slave's life? The sources share important reasons. To start off slaves with an education may try to plot an escape. And a slave who can read can use a map to plan his or her escape. Also with an education, it may put the wrong ideas in a slave's mind. Such as, filling up with inspiration, and teaching others what they shouldn't know. They also want to prevent it because it leads to knowledge. If they learn to read and write, then they have an education. When they put it towards reality it becomes knowledge. In the play the slave owner even mentions that knowledge makes a worker unfit to be a slave. If a slave was smart they would realize that having knowledge was the path to freedom. The slave owners may have known about the consequences after a slave has an education, but they can't always be in control. Sometimes things slip out from under.

Patrick Henry once said, “give me liberty, or give me death.” In the eyes of Frederick Douglass and countless others enslaved, this took on a much deeper meaning to them. “It was doubtful liberty at most, and almost certain death is we failed.” [51] Frederick Douglass was one of the most commonly known slaves to have existed. Slavery has been around since the 1700s, but the subject of slavery is controversial because it not only includes information written from former slaves, but information acquired from historians. The question that has with stood the test of time is, “are these encounters that have been written out, exaggerated or the whole truth and nothing but the truth?” In the early 1800’s Frederick Douglass was born in Tuckahoe, Maryland, and grew up on Colonial Edward Lloyd’s plantation. Children would be separated from their mothers before they were twelve months in age-Frederick too was separated from his mother. As a result of entering slave-hood at an early age, he did not know his birthdate (like most slaves). Frederick Douglass’s account on slavery could be seen as biased as a result of first hand experiences with being held as a slave. Although, Douglass is able to be direct our thoughts to these experiences in such a light, you feel as if you are witnessing it happen right before you. Because of Douglass’s quest for freedom, his daring attitude, and determination to learn, he shows us the way through American Slavery in his eyes. Douglass provides

“Th-th-the dog wa-was very big.” the black student read as the classroom snickered. “Dequan can’t read” another student yelled out and the fifth grade class filled with laughter. This is what happens in black community public schools every day. Instead failing these black students that can’t read simple words in the fifth grade, teachers pass them along all the way through high school. “It is unlawful as well as unsafe, to teach a slave to read” (Douglass). The educational system wants black students to know little to nothing their whole lives. Schools are set up to have as many black students in jail by the time they are eighteen as possible. One out of every four black students will pass through the correctional system, and at least two out of every three black students will be dropouts (Barber). We live in an America that does not want black people running or even knowing how to run the country. Education was made for white students to run America it and still is.

Frederick Douglass, a former american slave born in Maryland, begins his narrative with a reflective tone which forces the reader to think about the grim reality of the situation. “I have no accurate knowledge of my age,” such a common ability is usually not thought about as a great privilege. The “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass” gives an insightful view on the dehumanization of slaves. Frederick Douglass makes an effective argument against the slavery through his use of various and descriptive anecdotes, expressive colorful imagery, and emotional appeals to pathos in order to connect with his readers by rhetorical appeals and devices.

In addition, there were many rules and regulations that hindered slave’s education. Each state came up with their own laws to stand against slave literacy. For instance, Goodell claims in his book, American Slave Code, in 1800s South Carolina passed an act that prohibited the slaves to participate any congregation of mental instructions with other slaves, mestizos, and freed slaves. It was unlawful for everyone who involved with would receive a federal punishment. The whole idea behind this prohibition was to keep the slaves away from starting a revolt if they got the chance to meet with other slaves and white people who supported abolishing slavery. Slaveholders and people who made these laws to confine the cognition and mental ability of

As a child, I learned how to read and write. I would trade bread with fellow white classmates in return of a lesson. Anything with words, I read. My fortune doesn’t compare to many slaves I know. Slavery leaves a slave content and benighted. Education is critical because if a slave is set free, the likelihood of him being to operate as a normal citizen is rare; He would be futile because he would only have the knowledge of what his master implanted within him. What is at lost of a man being knowledgeable? Are you afraid he will detect the wrongdoing? Will he use this knowledge against you? Do you not want him to recognize that enslavement is an obvious

The Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass can be referred to as a memoir and writing about the abolitionist movement of the life of a former slave, Fredrick Douglass. It is a highly regarded as the most famous piece of writing done by a former slave. Fredrick Douglass (1818-1895) was a social reformer, statesman, orator and writer in the United States. Douglass believed in the equality of every individual of different races, gender or immigrants.