The Slavery Of Learning In The Narrative Life Of Frederick Douglass

The Slavery of Learning In the novel The Narrative Life of Frederick Douglass, the author Frederick Douglass has made numerous points throughout the novel, involving the desire to learn and to expand his knowledge. As the novel continues he has the belief that the knowledge that he has come to gain is a curse. One of the quotes Douglass mentions is “The way to enslave someone is to keep them from all learning.” (Douglass 43)But knowledge is something that one can choose to accept and decline, and knowledge comes throughout life whether it is from a book or experience. By taking away knowledge some may say it slavery but, the meaning of slavery is, “A condition compared to that of a slave in respect of exhausting labor or restricted freedom.” (Dictionary) By restricting knowledge it is considered slavery but to completely restrict knowledge is almost impossible.

By restricting someone of knowledge, it is a loss of their identity, but the consideration of the overwhelming body labor is far worse. The exhausting labor is physically and mentally demanding. It includes long hours; little to none breaks of rest, and the beatings that tend to follow. In the moments of lack of knowledge can have a hefty toll on the mental mind. Knowledge is a privilege of having, and as the age increases the wisdom or knowledge increases. Even with the burden of the remembrance of the pain and suffering that has come to pass throughout one’s life time. “in the enjoyment of freedom and the happiness of home, writing this Narrative, been confined in the galling chains of slavery.” (Douglass 47) To those in the past and even today knowledge is a requirement to survive in the world and to have an uncountable amount of