Fredrick Douglass: Positives And Negatives Of His Education

Fredrick Douglass: Positives and Negatives of His Education During the times of slavery, teaching an African American how to read or write was extremely disapproved, and even against the law. Although it was so, many slaves found ways to educate themselves and learn the skills of reading and writing. In the book, The Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass, education is a tremendous underlying theme. Douglass notes many references as to how he himself learned to read and write. He explains how learning brought many positive and negative implications for him. Douglass first learned how to read and write near the middle of his time as an enslaved man. One of his past mistresses, Mrs. Auld, taught him the basics of spelling and the ABCs. From that moment, Fredrick craved to learn, and sought out to read and write. After overhearing an argument between Mrs. Auld and her husband, scolding her for

Some were so bad that it would leave his back raw and bloody for days. Even though he went through countless beatings he stayed courageous and stayed focused on his goal of escaping to freedom. This appeals to pathos because even though he knows the consequences of educating himself and eventually escaping, he ignores them and continues to push for freedom courageously. Shortly after escaping, Douglass went to many different meetings and spoke on the behalf of the abolition of slavery. He was eventually recognized as an avid supporter and speaker of abolition. This appeals to ethos because Douglass has lived through slavery and can speak firsthand about what really happens. He has proven a credible source because he can explain, in immense detail, the events that took place. He provides accurate dates from his life as a slave. This appeals to logos because Douglass explains his situations with as much detail as possible, and uses accurate accounts of dates, settings, facts, and