Learning To Read Frederick Douglass Literary Analysis

The Truth of Enlightenment

In Learning to Read by Frederick Douglass, he states that “Learning to read had been a curse rather than a blessing” (230). The connotation of the word curse gives people the feeling that reading torments a person and never leaves them alone. For such a strong word to be used, it seems as if knowledge can physically and emotionally bring pain to people that did not expect its effects. Reading itself is a form of enlightenment that pushes people toward a valuable education and consideration of the world around them. Unfortunately, some people may not acknowledge that there are several reasons to why enlightenment is worthwhile. Although enlightenment is considered painful by authors of important texts, it should be

When someone realizes the truth in a horrifying situation, they will feel pain because their perspectives have rapidly changed. In the case of Plato’s allegory, he states that, “If he is compelled to look straight at the light, will he not have a pain in his eyes which will make him turn away to take refuge in the objects of vision which he can see, and which he will conceive to be in reality clearer” (587). When the prisoner looks straight at the sun, he instantly looks away because it is everything that he does not believe. For him, it proves that all his previous values and beliefs are invalid because of such a tremendous change. The pain is symbolized through his rejection of the truth because they dispute everything he knew. Accepting his former life was easier and less painful because there is a sense of comfort in familiarity. Yet, going back to the cave is more damaging because the prisoner does not intend to discover if there is anything that can change his current situation. The prisoner will stay oblivious to the injustice of being locked up in a dark cave with only shadows to see as a reality. People may criticize that the prisoner will never feel pain if he does not understand the situation he is in, but it does not remove the fact that he is still in a dark cave with other people that do not know there is a large world

Yet, the opportunities that a person face will either be physical or mental. In the Allegory of the Cave by Plato, a prisoner is exposed to the luminous light of the sun and accepts what he believes it symbolizes. Plato declares, “He will then proceed to argue that this is he who gives the season and the years, and is the guardian of all that is in the visible world, and in a certain way the cause of all things which he and his fellows have been accustomed to be hold? Clearly, he said, he would first see the sun and then reason about him” (Plato 588). When the prisoner had the ability to contemplate the sun, they created purposes that the sun could have. By becoming enlightened with the light of the sun, the prisoner created an opportunity to understand the world they are living in. Enlightenment also opened several choices for the prisoner to choose: such as learning more, teaching others about what they saw, or choosing to stay in the dark. Furthermore, the chance to follow any opportunity is important for the prisoner because it can develop their mental capacity and elevate their chances of creating personal paths. Through the pain of having changed their perspective, the prisoner opened to other ways of thinking that can cause them to experience situations