Outside knowledge and self-knowledge, while similar, have some differences which set them apart. Outside knowledge can be defined as things you come to know or understand by experiences you have, such as traveling, reading, observing what goes on around you, seeing how others treat you and communicating with others. Outside knowledge influences your self-knowledge, that is, the things you “know” or believe about yourself, such as your character, your values, who you are as a person and how you see yourself fitting in the world. Sometimes, outside knowledge and self-knowledge are complementary. Other times, there is tension between what you learn about the external world as you go through life and what you believe to be true about yourself and
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In the poem he explains that, even though his skin is black, his “soul is white” (Songs of Innocence The Little Black Boy). This shows that, throughout all of the racial inequalities present, the boy understands that in the eyes of God, he will be accepted in the afterlife even though his skin is not white. This is an example of self-knowledge because the boy was able to come to realize that he was different through his experience of sitting with the white boy and other life …show more content…
It is not until he became literate that he gained the power and freedom of the written word; his pen later became the fighting fist that he used to punch a hole through the existing opinions on slavery and African Americans in general. Douglass was born into slavery, which makes his self-knowledge and outside knowledge different from that of other slaves, such as Equiano, who were introduced into slavery later in life. Events in Douglass’ life helped to shape the way he thought, and he was definitely an abolitionist through and through. While his works were mainly political in nature, there are many references to religion and Christianity. Douglass asserts that someone who is a slave owner cannot also be a Christian, as the two are contrary to each other and conflict with each other morally. His conviction went against common practices of the time, and show that he had a strong sense of
In the poem he explains that, even though his skin is black, his “soul is white” (Songs of Innocence The Little Black Boy). This shows that, throughout all of the racial inequalities present, the boy understands that in the eyes of God, he will be accepted in the afterlife even though his skin is not white. This is an example of self-knowledge because the boy was able to come to realize that he was different through his experience of sitting with the white boy and other life …show more content…
It is not until he became literate that he gained the power and freedom of the written word; his pen later became the fighting fist that he used to punch a hole through the existing opinions on slavery and African Americans in general. Douglass was born into slavery, which makes his self-knowledge and outside knowledge different from that of other slaves, such as Equiano, who were introduced into slavery later in life. Events in Douglass’ life helped to shape the way he thought, and he was definitely an abolitionist through and through. While his works were mainly political in nature, there are many references to religion and Christianity. Douglass asserts that someone who is a slave owner cannot also be a Christian, as the two are contrary to each other and conflict with each other morally. His conviction went against common practices of the time, and show that he had a strong sense of