At the beginning of Frederick Douglass's Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass,
Douglass faces racial segregation, especially in education. Douglass isn't allowed basic information, like who his father could be, because he is born a slave. Observing a lifetime of wrongdoings, Frederick Douglas writes his life story from the perspective of a self-taught slave as an argument to all of those who support slavery, his argument is that slavery is wrong. Frederick Douglass makes his argument compelling by exposing the means of knowing; and revealing education as the great equalizer; in the absence of education and knowledge enslavement is fostered while to enslave, its unnatural tendencies require instruction.
Throughout Narrative of the Life …show more content…
Every slave is given the same thing, reducing their individuality to nothing from material standpoint. To them a little more food than is usually allowed, or clothes that fit, or somewhere to sleep that isn't cold would make them boundlessly unequal to their peers, but in an extremely positive manner. They don't have anything they deserve and as such, they have a twisted perspective on what is good and what they truly need, knowledge. Since they aren't providing for themselves, education becomes an unachievable, unnecessary feat for them, they are only trying to survive every day, week, and year. But when a slave becomes a free man and when they receive the chance to engage with a world of opportunities equal to all, they gain an opportunity to provide for themselves and for their families. They can attempt to do anything they put their mind to, and, like Douglass, as free people, they can redefine themselves as independent people. Naturally, as Douglass starts his life as a freeman, he finds employment and starts providing for himself, in his own words, "I was my own master" (68). He is not someone else's property, but rather his own man, made possible by his intelligence. He knows how to work and …show more content…
As Douglass adjusts to his new life in Baltimore, Mrs. Auld, who was originally a kind woman, began teaching Douglass to which Mr. Auld responded violently, he "forbade Mrs. Auld to instruct me further, telling her, among other things, that it was unlawful, as well as unsafe, to teach a slave to read" (20). Mr. Auld believes, and correctly so, that "'learning would spoil the best nigger in the world'"(20) but Mrs. Auld only knows what makes one a human, knowledge, and she was ignorantly acting within those limits according to Mr. Auld. Upon learning how to be an effective slave owner, Mrs. Auld vehemently tries to abide by these guidelines preventing any knowledge from leaking into Douglass's conscious. Mrs. Auld was able to soon recognize the dangers that knowledge could have on a slave and on one occasion told by Douglass "I had her rush at me with a face made all up, and snatch from me a newspaper, in a manner that fully revealed her apprehension"(22). Once Mrs. Auld learns how to be a slave owner, she betrays her natural disposition of being a caretaker. She is exceeding kind towards all until she encounters slavery, and even after she is still very kind towards those who she can't call her property. All that is required to make a slave owner is a slight readjustment of their own
Douglass faces racial segregation, especially in education. Douglass isn't allowed basic information, like who his father could be, because he is born a slave. Observing a lifetime of wrongdoings, Frederick Douglas writes his life story from the perspective of a self-taught slave as an argument to all of those who support slavery, his argument is that slavery is wrong. Frederick Douglass makes his argument compelling by exposing the means of knowing; and revealing education as the great equalizer; in the absence of education and knowledge enslavement is fostered while to enslave, its unnatural tendencies require instruction.
Throughout Narrative of the Life …show more content…
Every slave is given the same thing, reducing their individuality to nothing from material standpoint. To them a little more food than is usually allowed, or clothes that fit, or somewhere to sleep that isn't cold would make them boundlessly unequal to their peers, but in an extremely positive manner. They don't have anything they deserve and as such, they have a twisted perspective on what is good and what they truly need, knowledge. Since they aren't providing for themselves, education becomes an unachievable, unnecessary feat for them, they are only trying to survive every day, week, and year. But when a slave becomes a free man and when they receive the chance to engage with a world of opportunities equal to all, they gain an opportunity to provide for themselves and for their families. They can attempt to do anything they put their mind to, and, like Douglass, as free people, they can redefine themselves as independent people. Naturally, as Douglass starts his life as a freeman, he finds employment and starts providing for himself, in his own words, "I was my own master" (68). He is not someone else's property, but rather his own man, made possible by his intelligence. He knows how to work and …show more content…
As Douglass adjusts to his new life in Baltimore, Mrs. Auld, who was originally a kind woman, began teaching Douglass to which Mr. Auld responded violently, he "forbade Mrs. Auld to instruct me further, telling her, among other things, that it was unlawful, as well as unsafe, to teach a slave to read" (20). Mr. Auld believes, and correctly so, that "'learning would spoil the best nigger in the world'"(20) but Mrs. Auld only knows what makes one a human, knowledge, and she was ignorantly acting within those limits according to Mr. Auld. Upon learning how to be an effective slave owner, Mrs. Auld vehemently tries to abide by these guidelines preventing any knowledge from leaking into Douglass's conscious. Mrs. Auld was able to soon recognize the dangers that knowledge could have on a slave and on one occasion told by Douglass "I had her rush at me with a face made all up, and snatch from me a newspaper, in a manner that fully revealed her apprehension"(22). Once Mrs. Auld learns how to be a slave owner, she betrays her natural disposition of being a caretaker. She is exceeding kind towards all until she encounters slavery, and even after she is still very kind towards those who she can't call her property. All that is required to make a slave owner is a slight readjustment of their own