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Similarities Between Frederick Douglass And Things Fall Apart

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In the Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass and Things Fall Apart the protagonists, Frederick Douglass and Okonkwo, share commonalities regardless of the obvious difference in writing styles and genres of the books. Fredrick Douglass was a slave who escaped to freedom and wrote an autobiography, while Okonkwo is a clan leader in Umuofia in a fictitious novel. Their life experiences provided the motivation to achieve their aspirations as well as established the notion of manhood. The motivation of both of these men to improve their future began at a young age and further developed through their maturation. Fredrick Douglass was born into slavery, and he future was quite bleak. It entailed many beatings, working until exhaustion, and oppression. …show more content…

Gradually Fredrick Douglass began to regain his power from the white man and assert his “manhood” from the moment he “seized Covey hard by the throat” (Douglass, 62). His subservience to his slave masters was “solely because [they] had the power to compel [him]” (Douglass, 85) to obey. He uses catharsis, through song such as “A Parody”, to address the actions of the slaveholders. Douglass’s idea of manhood is the literal word itself. Manhood is being treated as a human of mankind. Okonkwo, however, equates manhood to brute force and anger. Anything else was considered to be characteristic of a woman. It is this idea of manliness that pushes Nwoye into the hands of the missionaries. Okonkwo “wanted Nwoye to grow into a tough young man” and although Nwoye at times acted as if he was annoyed with the tasks the women would ask of him, “nothing pleased Nwoye now more than to be sent for by his mother or another of his father's wives” (Achebe, 36). Due to the outcome of his fierce and warrior-like actions resulting the life that he desired, Okonkwo contributes these qualities to that of man because these are the traits that distinguish him from his father. So, in both books the importance of manhood is displayed, but the main characters have a different point of view to what manhood actually

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Fredrick Douglass was extremely determined to escape from slavery. On the outside he was rebellious, but he didn 't show his desire to escape until the opportune moment to escape showed itself, then his determination to escape showed. In consequence of this, it shows that Fredrick was tremendously determined to escape, if he only marginally desired to be free from the seemingly unbreakable bonds of slavery then he would have attempted a shoddy escape from slavery as soon as possible without any careful consideration of risks. Instead, Douglass was careful and precise carefully assessing the best moment to make his run, which shows that the one thing he wanted more than anything in the world was to escape from slavery.

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Fredrick Douglass was an American abolitionist who proved to be an inspirational person by overcoming the obstacles he faced and obtaining an education and eventually his freedom. He showed that through his persistence that you can achieve your goals. Douglass was able to become an inspiration to many of his fellow slaves as well as future generations who read his work. Douglas became an inspiration though pursuing an education although only learning the basics, finding ways to learn from other and ultimately teaching himself.

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802 Words | 4 Pages

Okonkwo constantly struggled to create the same masculine character in Nwoye that he made for himself and constantly found a reflection of his effeminate father, Unoka, in Nwoye. Chapter two describes the relationship between Okonkwo and Nwoye in Nwoye’s youth. “Okonkwo’s first son, Nwoye, was then twelve years old but was already causing his father great anxiety for his incipient laziness... He sought to correct him by constant nagging and beating” (13-14). Okonkwo’s efforts to change Nwoye’s resemblance of Unoka were causing their relationship to be pushed apart because of Okonkwo’s violence and Nwoye’s resistance.

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Frederick Douglass was born into slavery in 1818. Douglass wrote “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, Written by Himself” in 1845. This narrative was written to inform readers how the lives of slaves were, and the harsh treatment they experienced. Within the narrative we see how the slave system was corrupted. It was clear throughout the narrative that there were specific perpetrators, victims, and bystanders within the slave system.

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Confidence Begins with Determination In the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Douglass himself talks about the endurance he had to go through being a slave and the determination he had to break free and earn the education he wanted. Throughout the story, Douglass explains what he had to go through between the hunger and getting beaten living a life of a slave. Douglass says that it would be a blessing, rather than a curse. From the beginning to the end, Douglass had not been a different person when he went through slavery.

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807 Words | 4 Pages

Frederick Douglass was a brave and determined slave who overcame many obstacles and hardships throughout his life. Without parents or much family, he moved frequently to different plantations acquiring many different jobs like cooking or cleaning and hard work on the fields. Frederick didn 't have it easy. Some of his different slave owners were very cruel and weren 't afraid to punish a slave who didn’t complete their job or task.

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507 Words | 3 Pages

Frederick Douglass was brave and tenacious abolitionist. He put himself at risk by continuing his attempt to abolish slavery while there were numerous consequences and dangers with the task. For example, if he were caught by his old slave holder, he would have been tortured or executed. He did not let others keep him down and persistently strived for freedom of slaves. Also, as Deborah stated, he was taught to read and write by some youngsters.

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203 Words | 1 Pages

In his narrative, Frederick Douglass explained the concept of manhood by emphasizing on how one should be acknowledge with their own identities and have their own possession of clothes, shelter, and foods as well as privileges that God has given them. Manhood is an important measurement for Douglass because every man discovers, have desires, and develop passions whenever a man looks into himself or by a mirror of reflection. Throughout his journey as a slave, Douglass observed and experiment the cruciality of mankind when one has the power to take control of their subjects. From Mrs. Auld’s amazing lessons, education has helped him not only able to read and write but also understand the reasons behind slavery existence (Douglass, pg 22-23).

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Douglass tells about his own childhood and how his father might have been a slaveholder. He explains

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In life, humans have many different traits that describes themself. In the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, by Frederick Douglass shows life a slave in the nineteenth century. In the story, Douglass brings us back in time to show his experiences of the hypocrisy of human nature. Disputes with Douglass and his masters are seen throughout the story showing both the good and bad traits of human nature. American literature of the nineteenth century reveals that human nature embodies contrasting traits such as love and cruelty through the uses of literary devices.

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The legendary abolitionist and orator Frederick Douglass was one of the most important social reformers of the nineteenth century. Being born into slavery on a Maryland Eastern Shore plantation to his mother, Harriet Bailey, and a white man, most likely Douglass’s first master was the starting point of his rise against the enslavement of African-Americans. Nearly 200 years after Douglass’s birth and 122 years after his death, The social activist’s name and accomplishments continue to inspire the progression of African-American youth in modern society. Through his ability to overcome obstacles, his strive for a better life through education, and his success despite humble beginnings, Frederick Douglass’s aspirations stretched his influence through

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1037 Words | 5 Pages

Okonkwo embraced the ideals of masculinity championed by his tribe in Umuofia, but he eventually took it too far. When the community around Okonkwo changes because of the arrival of Christianity and Europeans, he struggles to accommodate himself with different

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973 Words | 4 Pages

The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass is Frederick Douglass’s autobiography in which Douglass goes into detail about growing up as a slave and then escaping for a better life. During the early-to-mid 1800s, the period that this book was written, African-American slaves were no more than workers for their masters. Frederick Douglass recounts not only his personal life experiences but also the experiences of his fellow slaves during the period. This book was aimed at abolitionists, so he makes a point to portray the slaves as actual living people, not the inhuman beings that they are treated as. In Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, slaves are inhumanly represented by their owners and Frederick Douglass shines a positive light

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1673 Words | 7 Pages

The power of education is a main theme within A Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. Douglass 's experiences lead him to recognize its great power and to believe that education is a key in our life. It has the power to open all doors while providing us with several opportunities. Education makes the difference; it expands the human mind since the more we know the more enlightened we are. It makes us free and it avoid us to be enslaved, too.

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Okonkwo In literature, there are many characters that stand out and show that they have a variety of qualities about them. In Chinua Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo is one character that presents character traits from both the negative and positive sides of him. Okonkwo is portrayed to be a warrior who wanted to become somebody strong and looked up to, but also possesses less favorable qualities. He, however, does not let any one trait dictate his whole personality; he is written to be a well-rounded character.

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