Education In The Narrative Of Frederick Douglass

Education played a big role in Frederick’s life. Douglass had this great idea where he believed that having an education would help him survive the slave world. As he begins his narrative he introduces himself as a former slave and the son of a white master. He sees how even though he is son to a white male, he is still seen as a slave, uneducated and ignorant. Douglass mentions his narrative that at this point of life he really has no accurate account of his real age.

Slavery not only affected the slaves but also the slave owners and the non-slave owners. Freedom is never just handed but it is worked for. Hard work sometimes isn’t enough due to the lack of perceptive of individuals. Racism is big during this time. Whites have most of the power which is used in the most negative way to put down slaves but they can also be considered as victims in society.

On the other hand, Frederick Douglass in his autobiography, The Narrative Life of Frederick Douglass, recounts his life story and how essential freedom is to him and fellow slaves. By telling first hand accounts about slavery, Douglass shows how unfounded Fitzhugh’s narrative is. Fitzhugh spins a biased narrative that speaks of how well-cared-for the slaves are, how nurturing slave masters are to their slaves, and how slaves are almost never physically abused. Maybe Transition? Slaves were often given the bare minimum of food and

“While 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.” quoted Frederick Douglass. In that moment of the scene that 's where the role of literacy began. Once literacy is exposed to the slaves, they would become unmanageable for the slaveholders to handle. Slaves would then realize that the key to their freedom is literacy. Why is teaching slaves how to read and write is such a problem that slaveholders fear it?

The most uninformed knew at most that the institution was “necessary” for the economic sustainability of the South. The most informed citizens who were not directly involved in the slave trade knew of its cruelty but never saw what occurred inside of the trade houses and on the plantations. In Chapter XXX, the narrator alludes to this in her description of the slave warehouse when she says, “in these days men have learned the art of sinning expertly and genteelly, so as not to shock the eyes and senses of respectable society” (Norton 867). Stowe concedes that not every member of the South is at fault for these continued atrocities. In fact, she argues that one of the main reasons slavery still exists is because slave traders have become experts in hiding the appalling parts of slavery and, in some cases, treat their slaves well.

Frederick Douglass was born a slave in rural Talbot County and he served a family in Baltimore. After escaping to the North in 1838, he settled in Bedford, Massachusetts, where he became active in the abolitionist movement. His mistress was kind she taught him the letters of Alphabet and she always instruct him and one day she changed and suddenly stopped teaching him because of the inequality of the people. A form of EOF student stated “For Douglass, gaining knowledge was more of a curse than a blessing because, as a slave, education made him aware that he had absolutely no alternatives to his condition.” I disagree because education is important, he could help other slaves, and he could break off from the black stereotype. Education is important in our lives.

Slavery coincides with ignorance, just as education coincides with freedom. Slavery relies on ignorance to maintain order and control over slaves; thus, preventing slaves from recognizing the empowerment of education, and the ability it possesses to equip them in the pursuit of freedom. Frederick Douglass’s pursuit of education helps him discover the hidden truths of slavery in his article, “How I Learned to Read and Write.” Thus, Douglass’s pursuit of education inspires his desire for freedom. The desire to learn generates determination and motivation. While still a young slave, Douglass’s master forbids his wife from continuing to teach Douglass the alphabet because it did not align with the common worldview that educated slaves had no value to their masters.

• Hugh Auld: A boat developer in Baltimore. Douglass depicts him as a voracious slave expert who abused Douglass as a day laborer. Hugh restricted Douglass from figuring out how to peruse in light of the fact that he felt an educated slave was a perilous one. • Sophia Auld: The spouse of Hugh Auld. At to begin with, she was exceedingly kind to Douglass, yet owning slaves tainted her and in the long run drove her to regard him as minor

These writings provide a better understanding to how slaves were treated, and how it contradicts the Bible. A majority of those who were in slavery were there by force or birth. Many believe that slavery was only in America, and the only slaves were Africans, but this is false thinking. Slavery has occurred within every nation and every race has been a slave at one time. Booker T. Washington gives the best

Skilled slaves were more elite than house slaves. Since skilled slaves needed tools and spare parts they were able to travel which gave them a sense of freedom this frightened masters. Urban masters allowed slaves to purchase their freedom over a term of years. Urban slaves who bought their freedom typically continued to work in what they did as slaves. White southerners felt that African Americans would not give their full potential in labor unless they were threatened with beatings.