The ancient Greek philosopher Plato had strong views on important topics in history. One of the more important views he had, he transcribed into his Allegory of the Cave. The Allegory of the Cave brings in many different processes that one must undertake in order to reach true enlightenment. Numerous people have conformed to the allegory, but one slave experienced a process in his attempt to learn to read and write that matched closely with what the allegory described. This person was Frederick Douglass, who wrote a short book about the trials he had to overcome in order to reach his education level. This book, Learning to Read and Write, dialogues the life of the slave, but the excerpt this essay is based from demonstrates Douglass’s determination
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Plato hypothesized that the prisoner must undergo a rugged ascent to be able to see the light. Using the lens of Plato to examine Frederick Douglass’s experiences, one witnesses a drastically different experience. Douglass was temporarily liberated from the chains, but his mistress attempts to put him back in these metaphorical chains by preventing him from learning. Rather than being forcibly dragged up the rough incline, Douglass must overcome the difficult task by himself. He tried “making friends of all the little white boys whom I [Douglass] met in the street. As many of these as I [Douglass] could, I [Douglass] converted into teachers” (Douglass 164). Once his mistress taught him the alphabet, he was given the necessary information to continue his ascent independently. In Plato’s allegory, the prisoner experiences a rough and painful ascent up a steep staircase. Douglass sees a similar difficulty level within his experiences. He determined a way to learn using his own intuition. While he was not forcibly dragged to knowledge, seeking it out willingly, he still experienced the painful ascent to this knowledge. He forced himself to learn from whatever means were necessary. This was made especially difficult by Douglass’s lack of access to books, the conventional way to gain knowledge. Soon after his mistress stopped teaching him, he was narrowly watched. If he were to be in another room, “I [he] was suspected of having a book and was at once to give an account of myself [himself]” (Douglass 164). He had to go about learning in secret, which made his quest for knowledge far more cumbersome. If he was caught reading or attempting to learn, he would be beaten. His pain and suffering were certainly present upon his climb to enlightenment. Despite the lack of the liberator that Plato suggested is necessary to pull the prisoner towards the light, Douglass managed to claw his way out
Plato hypothesized that the prisoner must undergo a rugged ascent to be able to see the light. Using the lens of Plato to examine Frederick Douglass’s experiences, one witnesses a drastically different experience. Douglass was temporarily liberated from the chains, but his mistress attempts to put him back in these metaphorical chains by preventing him from learning. Rather than being forcibly dragged up the rough incline, Douglass must overcome the difficult task by himself. He tried “making friends of all the little white boys whom I [Douglass] met in the street. As many of these as I [Douglass] could, I [Douglass] converted into teachers” (Douglass 164). Once his mistress taught him the alphabet, he was given the necessary information to continue his ascent independently. In Plato’s allegory, the prisoner experiences a rough and painful ascent up a steep staircase. Douglass sees a similar difficulty level within his experiences. He determined a way to learn using his own intuition. While he was not forcibly dragged to knowledge, seeking it out willingly, he still experienced the painful ascent to this knowledge. He forced himself to learn from whatever means were necessary. This was made especially difficult by Douglass’s lack of access to books, the conventional way to gain knowledge. Soon after his mistress stopped teaching him, he was narrowly watched. If he were to be in another room, “I [he] was suspected of having a book and was at once to give an account of myself [himself]” (Douglass 164). He had to go about learning in secret, which made his quest for knowledge far more cumbersome. If he was caught reading or attempting to learn, he would be beaten. His pain and suffering were certainly present upon his climb to enlightenment. Despite the lack of the liberator that Plato suggested is necessary to pull the prisoner towards the light, Douglass managed to claw his way out