Compare And Contrast Learning To Read And Write By Frederick Douglass

757 Words4 Pages

Rahul Patel
Dr. Fiorelli
UCWR 110, Sec. 023
5 February 2016

Many people discuss factors that help or hurt their writing. Whether its learning from others or being stopped from writing and publishing. In Frederick Douglass’s “Learning to Read and Write”, he talks about how he was owned by the Hugh family and how he was taught by Mrs. Hugh. But at the same time she tried to hold Douglass back from learning to read and write. Also in Virginia Woolf’s “What If Shakespeare Had Had a Sister?”, she explains what it would be like if Shakespeare had a sister of equal talent. Would she be treated the same way as him? She is disappointed to find out that women aren’t found anywhere in literature. I believe that both essay’s share the theme of desire/talent. …show more content…

Hugh. But things suddenly changed, Mrs. Hugh would start to help him, but then would stop helping him immediately. Douglass really wanted to learn how to read and write, so he would take a book with him when he went to run errands. There he would ask the white children to teach him how to read and write. In the process of learning, he comes across a book called “The Columbian Orator”. Through this he learns how slaves negotiated with their masters so that they can be free. Douglass realizes that he needs to do the same so that he can become a great writer. He continues to learn from the children and then he finally succeeds at reading and

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