Study Document
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass an American Slave Book Report
Pages:2 (669 words)
Sources:1
Document Type:Book Report
Document:#20427140
Narrative on the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave
In his autobiography, The Narrative on the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, Frederick Douglass presents a poignant and evocative view of life as a slave in antebellum America. Among the points made by Douglass was that education would set him free and that the "peculiar institution" was detrimental to whites and blacks. This paper provides a review of Douglass's autobiography to examine these issues more thoroughly, followed by a summary of the research in the conclusion.
In Chapter II, Douglass expresses his belief that education will set him free. By what does he mean by this? Is this essentially an optimistic view? If he could visit us today, do you think he would still hold this view?
Being illiterate in a land of the literate must have been a daunting experience for an individual of Douglass's intellect, and the inability to read and write affected him profoundly. It was only by chance and subterfuge that Douglass was able to learn to read and write and he equates the experience to being shut "within the circle," cut off from learning everything that was important to him and other slaves. In this regard, Douglass laments, "I did not, when a slave, understand the deep meaning of those rude and apparently incoherent songs. I was myself within the circle; so that I neither saw nor heard as those without might see and hear" (chapter 2). Despite the arduous life circumstances described by Douglass in chapter II, this view is basically positive because it reflects hope for the future.
If Douglass could visit America today, he would be pleased to learn that despite popular perceptions to the contrary, "There are approximately 395,443 more black men in college than in prison. Approximately 1,236,443 black men are enrolled in institutions of higher education" (Toldson & Morton 2).
Several times in his Narrative, Douglass expresses his view that slavery is bad for both whites and blacks. In what ways…
Sample Source(s) Used
Works Cited
Douglass, Frederick. A Narrative on the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave.
American Literature. [online] available: http://www.americanliterature.com/author/
Frederick-douglass/book/a-narrative-on-the-life-of-frederick-douglass-an-american-slave/summary.
Toldson, Ivory and Morton, Janks. 2011, Winter. "A Million Reasons There're More Black Men
Related Documents
Study Document
Narrative of Frederick Douglas, American Slave Numerous
Narrative of Frederick Douglas, American Slave Numerous authors have written accounts of the horrors of slavery. Some of the most convincing of these accounts were written by actual slaves themselves, a fact which is readily underscored by an analysis of Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave. However, there is a principle point of distinction between Douglass' work and that of other accounts of the iniquities of slavery,
Study Document
Narrative of Frederick Douglass
Narrative of Frederick Douglass Slavery is perhaps one of the most common forms of human justice in the history of the world. Although the phenomenon has existed for centuries, across many cultures, a particularly brutal form of the phenomenon was perpetrated in the United States before its abolition. It is, however, a testament to the human spirit that some, like Frederick Douglass, had the inner will and drive to escape overwhelming
Study Document
Frederick Douglass Former Slave, Abolitionist, Civil Rights
Frederick Douglass Former slave, abolitionist, civil rights advocate Emancipation Enlistment of black soldiers Fair Wages for black soldiers Equal treatment POWs Awards / recognition Frederick Douglass Former slave, abolitionist, civil rights advocate Most high school history classes teach only that Frederick Douglass was a freed slave who helped free others. While he was instrumental in the Underground Railroad and the emancipation of slaves, he was also a major civil rights advocate. He fought for their freedom, the equal treatment of
Study Document
Frederick Douglass Inequality of Circumstances:
Through luck and hard work, Douglass was able to gain something of an education, but his experience, like his release from bondage before Emancipation, he stated was hardly the norm. Equality and freedom needed to be extended to all Black Americans. Sojourner Truth's speech "Ain't I a Woman?" chronicles the seemingly endless catalogue of hardships she endured as a female slave, without any self-pity. Although a member of the supposedly
Study Document
Equiano Douglas the Narratives of Frederick Douglass
Equiano Douglas The narratives of Frederick Douglass and Thomas Equiano both offer insight into the African and African-American experiences prior to the Civil War. While both Douglass and Equiano can both easily be classified as abolitionists, their approach to abolitionism and political activism via literature differs significantly. One of the main reasons why Douglass and Equiano differ in their approach is that they wrote during completely different time periods: Equiano nearly
Study Document
Frederick Douglass the Role of
Douglass in the form of intellectual revolt. All of these incidents of violence which took place when Frederick Douglass was struggling to become a man free of the bondage of slavery and the inherent dangers that come with it, clearly indicate that the life of a slave during the early to mid-1800's was filled with brutality, murder and death, almost always at the hands of white slave owners and their