What is your personal response to this chapter from Douglass’ autobiography? Please write with  enough length and detail to develop your thoughts, and refer to specific details and parts of his writing. In your response, or after it, consider these ideas, what does this say about literacy? Slavery? Can it relate to 2022 America?
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Knowledge was viewed as a dangerous tool for slaves to have in the south, slaves understanding their entitled rights as humans and the crime slave owners have committed for centuries would be the end of slavery with support from activists and reformers. Frederick Douglass speaks on his experience as a young boy attempting to learn how to read and write in a setting where he has been refused the right. The absolute magnitudes of struggles he goes through to educate himself keeps me at a loss of words, due to his mistress not allowing him to learn how to read or write, he had to resort to using the pavement and board fences as a paper and a lump of chalk as his pen, while also using the boys in his neighborhood to teach him how to write. The understanding of his position sends him into a spiral of wishing he couldn’t comprehend the systematic disadvantage the white man put him in which speaks for the power of knowledge and how it not only is a strength but can lead you to form a endless amount of ideas and be a downfall. These are only some of the examples of hurdles he had to overcome which show the importance of literacy not only in the 1800’s but now also. It applies to current times because we live in a world where not everyone has the same opportunities possibly due to discrimination or financial disadvantages, the struggles I go through might not be the same as the ones you go through, and these challenges can lead to life altering events which set us off our educational journey or life in general. The right to education is vital to everyone’s existence and should not be shunned due to discrimination, and if someone believes otherwise it only shows how unfair the system truly is if all it takes to be against it, is understanding it.
Good points, Christopher. Is education still a dangerous tool today? To whom, and why? I think it is, and I think that relates to the relatively poor and unequal education system in the US (compared to other wealthy and not so wealthy countries). Is education for US children who live in poor neighborhoods equal to public education of kids who live in wealthy neighborhoods? What’s up with that? Does it relate to your point about slave times in any way? Or am I overstating the inequity?
Education is very much still a dangerous tool today, I completely agree that the education system is unequal as you mentioned, lower income areas do not have the same educational opportunities as wealthy areas. What makes this inequality is funding to schools in lower income areas compared to higher, due to the difference in taxes of the neighborhood. Where education as a dangerous tool comes into play is if hypothetically these poor neighborhoods got access to the same education and opportunities you would receive in a higher funded school, in the future there would be more voices from families who lived in poor neighborhoods who are able to change the unjust system we have in place, this is dangerous for the wealthier families who want to keep others down so they have life better. I think it does relate to the point I made before about slaves, ignoring race, if you look at the argument I made before it is a group trying to keep another group down using the power they already have, substituting race for class you can see it is the same situation.
While I was reading this chapter from Douglass’ Autobiography, I had mixed feelings. In the beginning, was I very surprised a white woman would be treating slaves so kindly. She was the mistress of Douglass who was lovingly helping all kinds of slaves indeed. “She had bread for the hungry, clothes for the naked, and comfort for every mourner that came within her reach”. She did all those kinds of acts but seeing Douglass hold a newspaper was more dangerous than seeing them suffer. This chapter made me feel grateful for the things we have today but empathetic for the slaves. Douglass had to go through dangerous acts to just get some letters copied or a hold of a book. One of the things he would do is copy letters or writing from the Board dance, Brick walla, and pavement. When Douglass was able to read a little and read about the history of how slaves became under the hands of white people, He was devastated. He viewed literacy as a “curse rather than a blessing”. This is very heartbreaking because literacy is supposed to give you empowerment and identification but that wasn’t the case for Douglass. After knowing the history he wished to not be part of this world anymore. Even though, he felt this way he was still curious to know more about reading and writing. He wondered what the word abolition which led him to get more and more curious. At first, literacy got his hopes down but he eventually got the courage to be interested in literacy again. This shows that the more knowledge you have the more you will be able to defend and express yourself. 2022 is very different than the time of Douglass’s, Literacy is much more easier now. The ability to learn and get knowledge is very handy. Some people don’t take advantage of the resources they have nowadays. However, this Chapter of Douglass made me less ignorant of things I’m curious about.
Good points, Kawthar. Ignorance is bliss is an old saying. Is it true for us today in 2023? Is there a connection between literacy, education, and bettering our society today, just as in the 1800s? Are we using our literacy and communication skills to meet the responsibilities and challenges of our times? Most people are not Frederick Douglass or Malcom X, but are we doing what we can, using our ability to learn and communicate to its best advantage for all of us? Why or why not? Big question, but maybe you have some ideas.
I think somehow people still ignore having common sense even though we have more resources to get information. However, Everyone nowadays has some type of knowledge on things they care about but forget to understand others too so they could have connections or just be simply aware. There is a connection between literacy, education, and bettering our society today, just as in the 1800s. We have better educational resources and the ability for everyone to get their thoughts shared. Not everyone uses their ability to learn and communicate to its best advantage for all of us because some people have knowledge but won’t apply it.
This is beautifully written. I can say the same that reading the chapter on Douglas made me want to explore my curiosity. I often find myself looking up the most random things. That is medical information, theories on many topics, news on every topic I can think of, etc. But there have been times where I didn’t explore my curiosity and even though I’m not going into any medical field or becoming a theorist, I love to learn new things cause not only will you have amazing conversations in life but you never know when something you read in a book or online will come in handy.
^ there have been times where I didn’t explore my curiosity because in had thought that those things weren’t important to know about.
I also had the same feeling in the beginning. I was more confused about why the Mistress was treating him kindly until Douglass went deeper into the scene and showed her true colors.
It’s unimaginable how much Fredrick had to struggle to get an education. He took advantage of every opportunity he had and used that time to learn even if it was just a few minutes. While running errands or taking care of the house, he was on a mission to better understand the world he was living in and become the best version of himself. It’s crazy to me how a little boy holding a news paper is more dangerous than people living in poverty. They definitely knew knowledge holds great power. The ability to nourish your mind and develop a sense of purpose is something everyone should strive to have, but enslaved people didn’t have the choice to want these things. The choice of being ignorant was made for them. They were kept from shining bright and when Fredrick had regretted learning about slavery it made me feel sad because for a moment his light went out. We should never be afraid of knowing too much or too little. There is no limit to the knowledge we can consume. This says about literacy and slavery that education was dangerous and in a way it’s still dangerous now but not for the reason it was then. Today we are fortunate to have access to all sorts of information and it can be dangerous depending on how you decide to use your knowledge. I hope it’s used to find a sense of purpose and make goals for yourself because we are able to do that. We can follow any career path if we work hard and work with passion. I think the only way to be successful in life is to get an education. There are a lot of people that gave succeeded without going to school but even they had to learn what they do today.
“There are a lot of people that have succeeded without going to school but even they had to learn what they do today”.
I definitely agree with you on that, It reminds me of how college is not for everyone. Everyone makes it seem like you will only be successful in life if you go to college but college is not made for everyone even if they want to. There are other options to success nowadays even without this greater level of education. Also, the main reason college is not for everyone is how expensive it is.
I agree with what you said about how it all depends on how you use your knowledge. Knowledge is very powerful and depending on how you use it, it can improve or make your life worse.
I think it is a powerful story about the trials that Frederick Douglas had to endure to gain knowledge and learn to read whilst being a young slave. At first i was confused when his mistress suddenly became violent and cruel, originally an empathetic kind-hearted woman, but this shows that the norms of society have a great influence on people. Because it was of the ordinary and pressured to treat slaves not like humans, her mistress gave in to that idea fearing that she was not like the other slave owners. Surrounding yourself around people who share these dangerous ideals can transform your perception. However, this did not stop Frederick. She opened the door to a greater curiosity about reading and writing. His persistence in learning is strong throughout the chapter as he used situations to benefit himself and others, such as trading bread to poor white children so they could teach him. When Frederick says, “I was now about twelve years old, and the thought of being a slave for life began to bear heavily upon my heart. Just about this time I got hold of a book…” reminds me of the previous text we read about Jose Olivarez and how he turned to reading while struggling with his identity. With that book, Frederick developed a new perspective on slavery that opened his mind, but he had no hope of living this fantasy of being free. This goes to show that literacy is powerful. Back then the more knowledge one has, the more you are feared by those who want to control you. Slave owners maintained their control over slaves by limiting their knowledge and ability to read and write. Relating to the US now, the government hides things from the general population, which is how they remain in control, we can’t fight what we don’t know.
The struggle people had to go through for some education back then was unbelievable. They had to take advantage of every little thing that came across them, even if it meant stirring words or letters that were left on a tree to mark something. But why stop someone from getting an education? Well, back then, slaves were not allowed to be educated because slaveholders were afraid their slaves were going to acquire the knowledge necessary to escape. But that didn’t stop them from finding ways to learn how to read and write, and to be able to communicate with each other. Like Frederick found a way to identify the different parts of timber they were using at the shipyard. Or when repeatedly writing down Master Thomas’s words to a point where he had a similar handwriting as Master Thomas, and at the end, Frederick learned how to write. Nowadays with the amount of technology it is almost impossible to not have these skills. There are apps, TV shows, and many other ways for a person to learn how to read and write. And everyone should know how to read and write, those are essential skills to know, not only to communicate but to persuade and educate.
This reading reminds me of a statue I learned about of a man lifting the veil of ignorance from another man’s head. It clearly shows how knowledge is power and with it you can understand and interpret the world around you, as well as finding your place within it. Ignorance on the other hand blinds you to your place in the world. To see but not understand would leave anyone powerless to stop an atrocity or aid a fellow man. Douglass clearly understood this, but the more knowledge he gains the more aware he becomes of his current circumstances and the hardship he will have to endure to free himself. “I envied my fellow-slaves for their stupidity. I have often wished myself a beast. I preferred the condition of the meanest reptile to my own. Anything, no matter what, to get rid of thinking!”. Once you are freed of ignorance you begin to question the established order and learn what you have and what you could have. With easy access to books and literature came new ideas and breakaways from the established system founded on the ignorance of the many. The recent mass banning of books in schools across the United States is meant to prevent the status quo from being challenged. Politicians and the people in power wish to stem the propagation of new ideas and beliefs as it would erode their power which was built upon old ideas. Schools are forbidden from teaching history or criticality because it causes people to question.
After reading this chapter of Frederick Douglass’ Autobiography, I realized how important knowledge has always been. Growing up, Douglass had an extremely hard time gaining knowledge to the point when he was able to become more knowledgeable, it was scary for him. He was a slave who lived in Master Hugh’s family for seven years and struggled to learn how to read and write. He was under the control of his Mistress who surprisingly at first was extremely nice and a “tender-hearted woman”. As stated in the Autobiography, “When I went there, she was a pious, warm, and tender-hearted woman. There was no sorrow or suffering for which she had not a tear. She had bread for the hungry, clothes for the naked, and comfort for every mourner that came within her reach.” Reading this at first confused me because I didn’t expect him to be treated with respect and kindness by a slaveholder. It was not until slavery influenced her to take advantage of her power and made it her goal to ruin Douglass’ life. Her kindness turned into hate and treated him horribly. She made sure that his life would be as miserable as it could be by not only treating him badly but also taking away his right to knowledge. This made him fight harder to gain knowledge and advance his literacy. He tried learning from the boys in his neighborhood and used every opportunity he had to read or write. After reading this part of the chapter I realized how much power knowledge holds. Slaves were extremely limited or not allowed to gain knowledge because of how much it could help them to escape or possibly overpower them. If slaves like Douglass could have had access to knowledge, they could have changed their lives for the better, and since slaveholders/masters knew that, they made sure it didn’t happen. It was extremely difficult for Douglass to gain knowledge but the weight of him knowing that he could be a slave forever encouraged him harder but when he finally learned how to read and write, it troubled him. He learned about the real history of slaves and the “Power vindication of human rights.” It was very painful for Douglass to learn about the history and condition of slaves for which he quotes “I would at times feel that learning to read had been a curse rather than a blessing.”​​ This made me think about how knowledge can be very impactful on a person’s life. It is very important today and although we may not notice it, without knowledge we would struggle similar to how Douglass did. Knowledge has always been a necessity regardless of the period and advancing our literacy can help us succeed in life. Reading this chapter of Douglass’ autobiography made me realize how knowledge is important in my life and we would be nothing without it.