ipl-logo

Rhetorical Analysis Essay On Frederick Douglass

723 Words3 Pages

Frederick Douglass Rhetorical Analysis Essay In the book the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, written by Frederick Douglass readers are given a walk through of his life dating back to when he was a slave up until the point when he became a free man. Throughout the novel, one of the primary things Douglass attributes his freedom to is education. “Literacy [was his] ticket to freedom from the enslavement of his mind and body.” Learning to read gave Douglas an incentive to seek his freedom. Douglass was only able to comprehend the magnitude of his situation by learning how to read. “It had given me a view of my wretched condition,”(61) Douglass stated when speaking about learning to read. To give someone a view refers to allowing …show more content…

Unlawful means that it is against the law. Things that are against the law are usually bad and unfavorable. Readers can infer that the only reason that teaching a slave to read was unlawful is because illiteracy keeps the slaves in chains. It keeps them tapered down and controllable. If a slave was to be taught how to read, she or he would start taking in new ideas (such as freedom). The person will be able to decipher that they do not need to continue living in their current situation. When someone has a decent education, they can think outside of what they know. In Douglass case, when he read the book The Columbian Orator he learned that freedom is a possibility. By furthering his education he learned that freedom is attainable. His mind became filled with ideas and his physical self became motivated to reach his goal of attaining freedom. Using his case as as example, it becomes clear that if slaves are taught to read, they will want more than they have. They will seek freedom, thus dismantling slavery because the entire point of slavery was to keep the slaves bonded so that there entire family tree will only know one thing (that one thing being slavery). It is clear that outlawing teaching a slave to read shows the significance of literacy because when Douglass learned how to read, his ways of thinking changed and his situation disgusted him to the point of thinking of committing

Show More
Related

  • Examples Of Struggles In Frederick Douglass

    668 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Struggles Of Frederick Douglass As a young man Frederick Douglass was struck with the inability to read nor write these troubles dawned on him due to his state of slavery. Frederick Douglass was born a slave, a slave will not read, a slave will not write, and a slave is not a human, these thoughts were planted in the head of his white owners cursing him to inequality and illiteracy. Imagine never being able to write a love letter or read a funny note, imagine never being able to put your ideas on paper and making them permanent. Frederick Douglass had a great mind, one that was chained up and held back by the slavery and illiteracy his forced lifestyle brought along.

    Read More

  • How Did Frederick Douglass Lose His Education

    1225 Words  | 5 Pages

    By doing this, he unknowingly teaches Douglass about the power of education. “Whilst I was saddened by the thought of losing the aid of my kind mistress, I was gladdened by the invaluable instruction which, by the merest accident, I had gained from my master.” Through this rejection, he cultivated the drive to teach himself to read and write. As his learning expanded, Douglass became conscious of the evils of slavery and of the existence of the abolitionist movement. He knew that while his awareness of the world around him could bring incredible sorrow, it could also give him power over his enslavers who preferred he remained uneducated and in the dark.

    Read More

  • Why Did Frederick Douglass Become Literate

    1062 Words  | 5 Pages

    Douglass was so determined to become literate that he learned in so many unorthodox ways that it made him a better thinker, reader, and writer. As a child Douglass got his hands on The Columbian Orator, which instilled an influx of ideas in his mind. Although with the spark the Columbian Orator arisen, Douglass wasn’t able to do much with it because he was unable to create a coherent answer or response to the questions and ideas he had. With the arrival of these thoughts also brought along heartache. He was a prisoner to his own mind, when he learned to read he got a rude awakening by being aware of his situation as a slave.

    Read More

  • How Did Frederick Douglass Experience Of Writing

    405 Words  | 2 Pages

    At this point in time, Frederick Douglass can now use his literacy to teach others and eventually gain freedom for all. He composes a Sunday school to enlighten his, “loved fellow-slaves how to read” (Douglass 90). Clearly, with more and more slaves learning skills like reading, it leads them to understand the need for revolt just like Douglass learned. This education helped jumpstart the discontinuation of

    Read More

  • Frederick Douglass Ambition

    324 Words  | 2 Pages

    A theme that is found in the novel “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave” is that being educated is essential for freedom and liberty. In the novel, Douglass shares his experience as a former slave and how he became free. However, if it weren’t for his ambition to learn how to read and write, Douglass may not have accomplished his goal to be a free slave. When Douglass went to live with Mr. Auld, his wife, Mrs. Auld, “kindly commenced to teach [him] the A, B, C” and “how to spell words”. Unfortunately, Mr. Auld discovered what was going on and apprised his wife about how perilous teaching a slave was and said, “if you teach that nigger how to read, there would be no keeping him” and that he “would become unfit for

    Read More

  • What Is The Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass Hardships

    905 Words  | 4 Pages

    Douglass overheard what he said and knew that if he ever wanted to be a freeman that can rely on himself he will need to learn how to read and write. Douglass taught himself some reading and writing and also learned lots of it from young boys in the city. If Douglass never learned how to read or write he would have always been a slave. This shows us Americans, that if we want to succeed in life we got to be committed to our education and should always no matter what try to only rely on ourselves that is the key to self

    Read More

  • Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass Argumentative Essay

    502 Words  | 3 Pages

    The slaveholders were to believe that slavery was a natural state of being. Therefore, the whites were meant to be smarter than the blacks so they could keep power. They had to keep slaves from learning to read or write, which was a difficult task. In Douglass’ case he had several methods of learning. The first method of learning Douglass came to was one of the mistress’ from his master’s house.

    Read More

  • Frederick Douglass Narrative Essay

    521 Words  | 3 Pages

    At this time in America, it was “unlawful, as well as unsafe to teach a slave to read” (20). Mr. Auld ridiculed his wife for beginning to educate her slave, and told her “If you give a nigger an inch, he will take an ell. A nigger should know nothing but to obey his master—to do as he is told to do. Learning will spoil the best nigger in the world” (20). Education, the ability to read and write, would make Douglass “forever unfit to be a slave” and would only add to his ability to reach the freedom he realized is out there in the world he is living in.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Frederick Douglass And Sandra Cisneros

    793 Words  | 4 Pages

    Knowledge is key Describe what both reading and writing means to authors. All authors read and write about something that resembles their past, or even about someone that inspires them. Frederick Douglass, Malcolm X, and Sandra Cisneros are all amazing writers, but what does reading and writing actually mean to them? Frederick douglass wrote a lot about his life and how hard it was for him to learn how to read and write.

    Read More

  • Comparing Fredrick Douglass Learning To Read And Write

    1408 Words  | 6 Pages

    Douglass said reading persistently expanded his mind, but as a result the knowledge tortured him internally, so internally he did not want the knowledge anymore. In the essay Douglass said reading one of the speeches from the “Columbian Orator” told him that the capability of truth won over the inner feeling of the oppressor. Also with the knowledge he gained from the speeches he read was the elimination and discouragement of bondage, and the questioning of if slavery is right or wrong and went against human rights. Douglass, now knowing the truth about slavery and being able to argue against it, felt that slavery was unspeakable. Douglass grew his knowledge, not just because his was hurt by the truth, but at the same time grew anger toward the oppressors that put him in his situation.

    Read More

  • Frederick Douglass Importance Of Education

    836 Words  | 4 Pages

    Human slavery requires ignorance, just as an individual’s freedom, from oppression, requires knowledge attained by education. To maintain order and control over slaves, slavery demands ignorant slaves; thus, keeping slaves ignorant prevents slaves from recognizing the empowering value of education and education’s ability to liberate slaves from the effects of ignorance. Frederick Douglass’s pursuit of education helped him discover the dark, hidden truths of slavery in his article, “How I Learned to Read and Write.” Thus, the pursuit of education inspires a desire for freedom. The desire to learn generates determination and motivation.

    Read More

  • Essay Comparing Frederick Douglass And Harriet Jacobs

    486 Words  | 2 Pages

    Douglass for example emphasized the importance of education for slaves. Douglass is a first had observer of the strategy of slave owners to keep their slaves ignorant. By keeping slave uneducated they are unable to express the horrible things that happen to them to the world. Hugh Auld forces his wife to stop teaching Douglass to read (auld stopping teaching quote) , so Douglass teaches himself. For him learning to read was a major turning point in his quest for freedom and it enabled him to put out his book, which would inspire many to turn against slavery.

    Read More

  • Essay On Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass

    973 Words  | 4 Pages

    Because of this, he successfully creates a contrast between what the slave owners think of and treat the slaves and how they are. Douglass says that slave’s minds were “starved by their cruel masters”(Douglass, 48) and that “they had been shut up in mental darkness” (Douglass, 48) and through education, something that they were deprived of, Frederick Douglass is able to open their minds and allow them to flourish into the complex people that they are. By showing a willingness to learn to read and write, the slaves prove that they were much more than what was forced upon them by their masters.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Learning To Read And Write Frederick Douglass

    560 Words  | 3 Pages

    Although Frederick Douglass was not expected to be literate, he taught himself how because he believed that education should be for everyone, not just a few privileged children. Frederick Douglass was a slave for life in the southern United States before the Civil War. He had no regular teacher because, at that time, most slave owners did not believe that their slaves should be taught to read and write. White slave owners thought that if slaves knew how to read, they would go against their owners and fight against slavery.

    Read More

  • Frederick Douglass As A Representative Of Self-Made Men Summary

    839 Words  | 4 Pages

    Chapter 3 Douglass as a Representative of Self-made Men 3.1. Becoming literal In the nineteenth century America, slave owners did not allow slaves neither to learn reading or writing. Thus, Douglass, being a slave, was not allowed to learn reading or writing as well. His literacy came once by incident, then as a result of his persistence and continuous work to learn it.

    Read More

More about Rhetorical Analysis Essay On Frederick Douglass

Open Document