Freddick Summary Paper

Zhixing Xiong

Social Science 306

Prof. Ellen Howell

10/19/10

Frederick Douglass Essay

After reading through chapter seven of the book, “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass”, I am deeply impressed by the Mr. Douglass’s life experience of learning to read and write. As a reader, I not only sympathize with the slave history in America, but also I nobly admire the way Mr. Douglass learned how to read and write throughout his childhood. As a graduate student today, I feel lucky to have the opportunities to obtain higher education and expect to find a stable job after graduation. In comparison to Mr. Douglass’s path of learning, my path of learning does not contain nearly one tenth of barriers that Mr. Douglass had faced before.

During the seven years of living with Master Hugh’s family, Mr. Douglass’s mistress taught him how to read. Then, his mistress stopped. She became extremely vigilant and prevented his further education advancement. During Mr. Douglass’s life, the process of learning to read and write made him often feel learning was more like a suffering than a blessing. When Mr. Douglass was about twelve years old, he had a chance to read the book entitled “The Columbian Orator”. The content of that book fully changed Mr. Douglass’s view in many perspectives. The book gave him a new moral stand point that slavery was wrong and should be abolished. Also, the book helped him better understand his current position and relationship with his enslavers. At last, the book led him to a new goal in life. Because of his new goal...