Power Of Knowledge In The Narrative Of Frederick Douglass

In The Narrative of Frederick Douglass, Douglass wants readers to understand how the power of knowledge was key to overcoming the terrible tribulations of slavery. Countless of times Douglass thought acquiesce was the only was he was going to make it though slavery alive. Instead the thought of freedom was overpowering. With the use of imagery, symbolism, and situational irony, he shines light on his unimaginably, gruesome, dehumanizing experience as a slave; allowing readers to undergo his journey to becoming educated with him.

As Douglass begins his journey to becoming literate, he first had to encounter a situation that emphasis the importance of being able to read as a slave. When he became vigilant of slaveholders resistance on a slave's education , he knew that knowledge was beyond powerful for slaves. With the use of imagery, readers gather the image of Douglass being caught reading, “ I have had her rush at me with a face made all up of fury, and snatched from e a newspaper…”( …show more content…
He began to learn how to read by giving bread to poor boys who in return gave him bread. This bread was the bread of knowledge, “ ...who, in return, would give me that more valuable bread of knowledge.” (Douglass 44). In this quote Douglass uses bread as a symbol of knowledge. When someone is hungry, they are able to fill their needs by eating bread. Bread is symbolic because in order to continue his journey to freedom, Douglass had to be feed. Just like bread is needed to keep living, so is knowledge and those who didn't have the bread of knowledge were lost. With the use of this symbolic rhetoric device readers are able to understand how important the ability to read was important to not only Douglass but to all slaves. This relates to the purpose of the book because it shows readers that being able to read was a key part in taking the step further in becoming