Education in Fredrick Douglass - 1886 Words

Nicole Blount Voices of America English Literature 229.1 February 28, 2011 The Irony of Education in â€Å"Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass† The power of education in â€Å"Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass† is one of the most important themes in the entire work, but it is not a theme with a consistent meaning. Although Frederick Douglass understands that the only path to freedom, both for himself and fellow slaves, is through learning to read, write, and have an educational base to build on, he is at the same time disgusted with education because it causes him to understand the full extent of the horrors of slavery. At one point, he states, â€Å"It [education] opened my eyes to the horrible pit, but offered no ladder upon†¦show more content†¦It proved to be true and is played out as Douglass finally acts out violently. It is by far in the best interest of the slave owner to keep the slaves ignorant of concepts of freedom or education because it might not only make them wistful, and thoughtful, but by proxy, less useful to them as slaves. In order to keep slavery as a stable institution, it wa s important for many of the slave owners in the text to make educating a slave something that could be punished. Well-meaning slave owners were heavily criticized for assisting a slave in his or her education and the fact that it was illegal to teach a slave to read indicates the danger the white slave-owning establishment sees as inherent to education. In other words, by their fierce protection of the practices of education, the slave owners were admitting that through education there is some kind of freedom, some way of circumventing their absolute power. Frederick Douglass became 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. Overall, he was the best black speaker and writer ever. Illiteracy was an instrumental tool used to deprive slaves in an attempt to keep them ignorant and manageable duringShow MoreRelatedFrederick Douglass : The Greatest Gift Of Education998 Words   |  4 Pages Drawing upon Fredrick Douglass experience Fredrick Douglass had received the greatest gift of education overcoming these harsh obstacles with the true meaning of grit. As a slave Fredrick Douglass was not supposed to learn due to the fact that he wasn’t seen as a human. From his drive to learn Fredrick Douglass found out how this world is supposed to be for instance on how one person should treat another. Even from learning Fredrick Douglass still had the perception that he wasRead MoreFrederick Douglass : A Fugitive Slave And A Free Man1192 Words   |  5 PagesFredrick Douglass (1818-1945), both a fugitive slave and a free man, was one of the most courageous and influential leaders of the abolitionist movement. His narrative, published in 1845, illustrates his childhood and early manhood experiences as a salve, as well as his escape to the North and find of freedom. Within his narrative entitled â€Å"The Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass,† Douglass argues that in order to achieve physical freedom, a slave must seek knowledge and an education. InRead MoreHarriet Tubman And Frederick Douglass Essay1421 Words   |  6 PagesComparing Harriet Tubman and Fredrick Douglass Harriet Tubman and Fredrick Douglass are renowned African America civil rights figures who escaped from slavery. 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Hard work and determinationRead MoreThe Life Of Frederick Douglass s The Narrative Of The Life Of Fredrick Douglass 983 Words   |  4 Pagesin the United States many slaves like Fredrick Douglass had to escape to fight for freedom. To become abolitionists. To expose the terror and cruelties that he faced from his owners and overseers as a slave wrote in the â€Å"Narrative of the life of Fredrick Douglass.† ​Being a slave was difficult from the beginning. In the case of Fredrick Douglass he was a product of unwanted love. He was born into slavery with no record or â€Å"accurate knowledge of age.†(Douglass) He was the son of Harriet Bailey, whoRead MoreSlave And Citizen : The Life Of Frederick Douglass Essay923 Words   |  4 PagesCarter Britton December 5, 2016 HIUS 221 – 005 Dr. Jones ‘Slave and Citizen: The Life of Frederick Douglass’ In this book Fredrick Douglass finds shows himself growing up as a slave in Baltimore, Maryland. He eventually escapes from his master and becomes a run away slave as he flees to the north. Douglass however is most popularly known for his pressure on the supreme court to obtain equal rights for African American citizens. He made huge advances in civil rights for his fellowRead MoreFrederick Douglass And Malcolm X Essay1237 Words   |  5 Pagesknowledge through learning. This topic is important because based on a study conducted by the U.S Department of Education and the National Institution of Literacy, 32 million adults in the U.S are still unable to read and write and African Americans are expected to make up nearly half of that amount. In both Fredrick Douglass’ â€Å"Learning to Read† and Malcolm X’s â€Å"A Homemade Education,† common themes regarding literacy and freedom are identified and both reflect why literacy is so important. TheRead More Analysis Of Fredrick Douglass s If There Is No Struggle 1395 Words   |  6 PagesGrant Todd Mr. Sotak English 9 23 May, 2016 Activism within Fredrick Douglass â€Å"If there is no struggle, there is no progression,† is what Fredrick Douglass said during his speech at Canandaigua, New York During an event celebrating West Indian Emancipation Day (blackpast.org). This is saying that struggles and hardships need to happen to get anything accomplished. A lot of people today view Fredrick Douglass as a civil rights activist because the things he has achieved and the way he has positivelyRead MoreSocial And Social Impacts Of Slavery By Fredrick Douglass997 Words   |  4 PagesIn this book, Fredrick Douglass gives his own perspective of slavery and how it was being a slave. He describes different circumstances that involve social, economical, cultural and religious impacts due to slavery. At the beginning of the story Fredrick describes social impacts on how the slaves were forbidden to learn how to read and write. The slave-owners would explain how it would harm the slaves if they had any form of education. When the young slaves grew older, the slaveholders seemed toRead MoreThe Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass Essay1001 Words   |  5 Pages The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass details the oppression Fredrick Douglass went through before his escape to freedom. In his narratives, Douglass offers the readers with fast hand information of the pain, brutality, and humiliation of the slaves. He points out the cruelty of this institution on both the perpetrator, and the victims. As a slave, Fredrick Douglass witnessed the brutalization of the blacks whose only crime was to be born of the wrong color. He narrates of the pain,