Journal entry- Frederick Douglass

Frederick Douglass was a slave staying at one of the whites’ houses, Hugh Auld’s, in which learning was not allowed as it was seen as a way to empower the blacks and make them turn against their owners. However, he went against all odds to ensure that he acquired education through risks which would have cost his life. One of the ways was using the local boys to learn how to read by giving them small gifts. During that era, it was likely that these whites would report him to their parents which would take stern action against him (Richardson, Morgan & Fleener, 2012). However, he risked this and held writing competitions with the boys thus enabled him to learn how to write alphabets.

It can be noted that while in jail, he used a dictionary to list all the letters in the alphabet as well as words which he would later learn their meanings. Under normal circumstances, it is really heard to learn in a school setting yet he taught himself and was able to learn to write and read too (Richardson, Morgan & Fleener, 2012). Further, it has been seen that he used Auld’s old papers and scripts to scribble some writings. He also wrote on barks of trees, leaves and any other odd stuff that he could lay his hands on to necessitate his learning experience.

His boldness enabled him to achieve more than people in a formal setting are able to do. His determination has inspired many young people who feel that they should be pushed in order to learn. His ability to go against the slave owners and meet his goals has taught many lessons that people should remain resilient as long as they don’t infringe other peoples’ rights (Richardson, Morgan & Fleener, 2012). It is important to understand the reasons for carrying certain duties so that these remain the driving force that keep him focused.

References

Richardson, J. S., Morgan, R. F., & Fleener, C. E. (2012). Reading to learn in the content areas. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.