Learning To Read And Write

By Frederick Douglass

In the extract "Learning to Read and Write," Frederick Douglass tells the intended audience about his experiences as a slave living in his master's house and how he went through many trials to learn to read and write. In this excerpt, Frederick Douglass uses imagery, contrast, pathos, ethos, logos, an empathic tone, certain verb choice, and metaphors to inform African Americans of how crucial it is to learn how to read and write and to inform an audience of caucasian Americans of the wrongdoings that slavery has brought about. Frederick Douglass is often persuasive using pathos to get across to the intended audiences.

Frederick Douglass had specific audiences that he wanted to either relate to or to get across a point to. African Americanpeople that had endured slavery were an intended audience because Frederick Douglass states things such as "Thus, after a long, tedious effort for years. I finally succeeded in learning how to read and write" and "I was compelled to resort to various stratagems". Those sentences by Frederick Douglass show that it was not an easy time for him and the levels or trials that he went through to be someone who was not illiterate. Frederick Douglass never once was one to give up on the need to learn to read and write, so that shows that Frederick Douglass thought that it was important for the African American people to be as well educated as the caucasian Americans were. The caucasian Americans were Frederick's intended audience because of Frederick's use of contrast throughout the extract. Frederick tells how his mistress had changed on him from being a helpful, loving, and nice woman to an evil spirited, bitter brute...show more content...

Frederick Douglass effectively persuades his audience to show the crucial need for learning to read and write and to inform how slavery was a true

Fredrick Douglass's "Learning to Read and Write", gives readers insight into the struggles of being a slave with intelligence, but more importantly into his experience. In his essay, Douglass shows how he fought to obtain knowledge; however, a reading of his story will reveal that what he learned changed him for the better. Michael Scott, a former EOF student read the story and believed that Douglass's intelligence was a destructive and to a certain degree pointless. Contrary to Scott's statement, Douglass's knowledge wasn't more of a curse than a blessing. Being a slave was everyone's curse. Douglass went into depression because he hadn't had the same experience as other slaves and finally felt what it was really like to be a slave when he was punished for his knowledge. However just because his knowledge is what got him into trouble doesn't necessarily make him, being an intelligent slave; a curse nor does it mean that he had absolutely no alternatives to his condition. In fact, he above most other slaves had the upper hand when it came to creating his own alternative. Douglass's intelligence helped him become autodidactic, manipulate situations to benefit him, and develop an ambition to become free. As individuals we all get to make our own decisions so when the mistress stopped teaching Douglass; it was Douglass's dedication to his education that drove him to teach himself what she would not. The mistress made a conscious decision to teach Douglass the alphabet. She had Get

The ability to read, although taken for granted in society, is something that ignites hope into ordinary lives. An education provides worthwhile knowledge, but it is irreplaceable facilitator for freedom and independence. Having the skills to read and write lead way to independence, one no longer has to solely rely on others. Reading inspires; it creates opportunities and adventures to embark on. The wonderful benefits that come directly through reading and writing, change lives. Unfortunately, not everyone is blessed with the same opportunities of having an education and being instructed to read and write. Fredrick Douglass, author of "Learning to Read and Write.", was once a slave and had the privilege snatched away from him. But, he had a passion as well as a desire to be educated. Douglass did not let the binds of slavery disable him from learning. ...show more content...

The mistress of his masters house had begun to instruct him, but shortly after starting, she became polluted by the prejudices of other whites and ceased teaching. Douglass had just been brought into a new world, having an education opened him up to a far different world; a world where you mean something, where what you say actually holds value. A world no longer defining people by their skin color, but rather their minds. A world of whimsy and possibility. Where someone could be independent, no longer having to serve anyone other than themselves. To his dismay, he was denied these privileges. The white folk were wholeheartedly against anything that would help a slave improve his or her life. The masters needed to dominate the slaves; who were just seen as a piece of Get

Frederick Doulgass's essay "Learning to read and write" goes on to talk about slavery, and explains how he pursued his yearning to read and write efficiently despite his slave owners mission to keep Douglass from being literate. In his essay Douglass illustrates pathos when talking about the emotions he had during his youth when he was a slave. He presents himself in an authority to which he has the write to be literate because even being a slave, he is human. Frederick Douglass explains how slave owners kept the abolition of slavery from their minds by excluding them from education and keeping them ignorant.

Doulgass felt unworthy at times of existing because he has been enlightened by his reading and had realized his condition just as he says " It opened my eyes in to the horrible pit, but no ladder upon which to get out." He spoke of his emotions later in the essay with " I often found myself of regretting my own existence, and wishing myself dead;" Douglass values the ability to read and write with a full understanding, even though his slave owners didn't allow him to do so. He believed that he would forever remain a slave, unlike the white children." I wished I could be as free as they would be when they got to be men."...show more content...

" Nothing seemed to make her more angry than to see me with a newspaper. She seemed to think that here laid the danger." Douglass felt as though he has the right to be literate just like non slave members of society. Douglass has ethos because of the fact that he was a slave and went on to be an accomplished writer and abolitionist