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Frederick Douglass Learning To Write Essay

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What do Stephen King, Frederick Douglass, Allegra Goodman, and Sherman Alexie have in common? Well, apart from being successful and talented authors, one can say that their unique perspectives in writing can bring them together. Being a student, reading, and writing is one of the most critical, abilities to help you own your road to academic success. There are many ways of learning to write, whether it’s practicing online, writing constantly to get used to it, or maybe even something as simple as practicing how fluent you can write. Yet, In this piece, I will be discussing and using textual evidence that I hope will better improve and open up a new writer’s mind to the topic. With my experiences with learning to write so far, this essay will …show more content…

In his excerpt (Learning to Read and Write) Douglass explains his background growing up as a child slave desiring to learn how to read and write. Douglass was first taught how to read by his former Mistress (The wife of his owner) but their friendly bond did not last long. Though the lady had a kind heart it was believed that teaching slaves (essentially giving them knowledge) was a dangerous thing for them to have, According to (“Learning to Read and Write”- Frederick, Douglass/ pg. 1082 para. 1) “She was an apt woman; and a little experience soon demonstrated, to her satisfaction, that education and slavery were incompatible with each other.” This change of events led Douglass to use his resources and what he had in his hands to help him find a way to learn, somehow, from whoever. In the same paragraph as the last quote Frederick Douglass explains “The plan which I adopted, and the one by which I was most successful, was that of making friends of all the little white boys whom I met in the street…” followed by, “I used also to carry bread with me,... This bread I used to bestow upon the hungry little urchins, who, in return, would give me that more valuable bread of knowledge.” By using his own life experiences and implementing them into a short story Douglass can impact people with the fact that reading and writing can be a way of expressing how you feel and your pain. In a way, it’s like a tool you can use to express …show more content…

Reading to write - socrates.acadiau.ca. Reading to write, from http://socrates.acadiau.ca/courses/engl/rcunningham/1406_21-22/txts/King_reading_to_write.pdf

Fredrick Douglass, (n.d.). Learning to Read and Write, from http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/webpub/english/bedguide8e/Public%20Domain%20Readings/Douglass%20Learning%20to%20Read%20and%20Write.pdf

Allegra Goodman, (2008, August 13). So, you want to be a writer? The New York Times, from https://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/13/opinion/13iht-edgoodman.4.15244232.html

Alexie Sherman, (n.d.). Essay Alexie Superman and Me - University of missouri–St. Louis. Superman and Me, from

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