Douglass and Resilience – AJ

Part A:

When reading Fredrick Douglass ” Learning To Read” autobiography he showed a lot of persistence in learning the skill to read. Fredrick went through many trials to even be able to learn. He used the environment he was in, he practiced writing the letters he saw others write, he used his masters book that he takes notes in, etc. But paragraph 4 was conspicuous to me, because that’s where he really started to take initiative to really learn the skill of reading. For instance “The plan which I adopted, and the one by which I was most successful, was that of making friends of all the little white boys whom I met in
the street. As many of these as I could, I converted into teachers. With
their kindly aid, obtained at different times and in different places, I finally succeeded in learning to read. When I was sent of errands, I always
took my book with me, and by going one part of my errand quickly, I
found time to get a lesson before my return. I used also to carry bread
with me, enough of which was always in the house, and to which I was
always welcome; for I was much better off in this regard than many of
the poor white children in our neighborhood. This bread I used to bestow upon the hungry little urchins, who, in return, would give me that
more valuable bread of knowledge.”

Fredrick adopted a plan to learn to read, he decided to make friends with all the white boys around him that he met in the street and decided to turn them into teachers without them knowing. So on his errands he would bring his book and bread to offer to the poor white kids around him and they offered him bread in knowledge.

Part B:

The same way Fredrick experienced strong obstacles to learn to read is the same way I experienced obstacles in English. I used to have a difficult time reading, I used to despise reading because it was extremely boring to me. Like the feeling of having to sit down and read paragraphs on paragraphs was just draining, made feel very relaxed and sleepy. What really, illuminated that to me was when I had to take those state test for each subject, Math and ELA, but I knew I wasn’t going to be able to make it all the way through school until college feeling that way about reading. Then my parents put fear in my heart by saying that if I keep acting like that towards reading I wouldn’t become smart. So that’s when I knew, I had to figure a way to make reading more likeable.

So after brainstorming for some time, I developed a strategy to make reading somewhat more appealing. When it came to having to read at home for homework or doing daily readings for class readings, I decided since I like music, I would play certain type of beats/songs before or while I read so I can get in the mood for the long reading. Think of it like an energy drink or drinking coffee in the morning cause you didn’t sleep, you drink those things to have energy to do another activity or to take care of your work right? Same concept, the music I would listen too would be somewhat hype but chill, to put me in that good happy mood, because once I’m in that mood I’m flowing through my work brain is activated and intrigued in whatever I’m doing. When it comes down to me, I learned that in whatever I’m doing I have to be in a comfortable atmosphere.