Frederick Douglass Hardships

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What happens when people choose to take a chance? People take chances, big or small, on a daily basis. To get to where you are now, you have to take many different chances. One of the biggest opportunities I’ve ever taken was getting contacts. Getting contacts affected my life tremendously, it was like opening my eyes for the first time. In “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass,” one of the biggest opportunities the main character, Frederick Douglass, took was learning how to read and write. He decides to do this after realizing that learning how to read and write would open the doors to his freedom. In “A Kenyan Teen Discovery,” the main character takes a risk trying to save his livestock. Finally, “Mother to Son” isn’t about one specific …show more content…

Douglass lived with his slave family for seven years, during that time he had to use various tactics, each riskier than before, to successfully run away. Douglass decides to tell the Irish men that he was a slave. In the text, he reveals “the Irishman seemed to be deeply affected by the statement”. He said to the other that it was a pity that a little fellow like myself should be a slave for life. He said it was a shame to hold me. They both advised me to run away to the north; that I should find friends there, and that I should be free.” He had a way to run away, but instead decided not to because of the obstacles surrounding his potential escape. He could have taken that risk, but what if he did and the Irishmen ended up catching him? Although he decided not to take that chance, it ended up working in his favor because, in 1838 he succeeded in escaping. People dehumanize slaves, so imagine how Douglass felt after realizing his knowledge could help him gain his freedom. Taking this risk affected his life in a good way because he became a freeman, although he could have escaped earlier if he had listened to the Irishmen, but imagine if he did and had gotten caught? He would have gotten caught and would never have the chance to become a freeman