In the autobiography, “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas: An American Slave,” Douglas shared his experiences as a slave and the life altering changes that came his way. Frederick Douglas was a former slave who went on to become a famous orator, U. S. minister, and a leader of his people. He, like many blacks, faced the hardships of prejudice and hatred. As a slave he was treated brutally and recalls being treated like an animal because he was “fed cornmeal mush that was placed in a trough, to which they were called, like so many pigs.”He was an admirable man for learning how to read and write despite the fact that it was illegal at the time.
Courage and strength were two of his most predominant qualities because he risked his life to escape life in captivity. However, the irony in his story is that his owner gave him his ticket to freedom by teaching him how to read and write. Most slave owners beat their slaves when they found out that they became educated. Frederick wanted his freedom so bad that he was willing to risk everything to get it. I admire him for knowing what he wanted and going after it with every intention of succeeding. Most motivation comes when someone tells you not to do something because you are going to do it anyway.
When I am doing anything, sports, schoolwork, or even something frivolous, and someone tells me that I can’t do it, I am going to kill myself proving them wrong. This fire from within is fueled. For Frederick Douglas, reading and writing was his barrier and not only did he overcome all odds and learn, but he went beyond just learning and became and speaker, a writer, and an inspirational leader. He was so well spoken that people didn’t believe he really wrote some of the things that he did. He was a humble man who wasn’t afraid to ask for help along the way and reached his goal after much abuse and detriment.
The Research paper on Ralph Waldo Emerson and Frederick Douglas in Relation to Self-Reliance
... ed. New York: McGraw-Hill. 2009. Print. Douglass, Frederick. “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas.” Perkins and Perkins 17541792. Emerson, Ralph Waldo. “Self ... bards and sages” (Emerson 1334). Frederick Douglass’s first “gleam of light” was in the songs the slaves sang on the way to ... revealed to him he also later instructed other slaves how to read and write. He knew it wasn’t going to be easy ...
