Frederick Douglass Face Of Adversity Analysis

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9.15.12 Pd. 5 AP Lang Frederick Douglass in the Face of Adversity In the book, the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, written by Frederick Douglass, many points come across displaying the evils and hardships of slavery. There are many situations in Frederick’s life where he has had to overcome hardships and live on. A truth Douglass reveals is that when people are put in the face of adversity, one must yearn to become more knowledgeable in order to overcome such adversity. This quest for knowledge becomes ever stronger over time. Douglass’ has encountered many such situations, and has strived to surpass his hardships. When Douglass goes to live with the Aulds, he comes across a very strange predicament he is not used to. He…show more content…
He had a thirst for knowledge. He had despised slavery and wished to become literate of the white men he had seen. He found it unfair that certain men did not have the privilege to read and write while others did. Douglass decided that after hearing Mr. Auld speak about slaves and how they should not be taught, he knew what he had to do. He had the quest for knowledge. “Though conscious of the difficulty of learning without a teacher, I set out with high hope, and a fixed purpose, at whatever cost of trouble, to learn how to read” (Douglass 37). He uses methods such as repetition where he expresses his craving for education. “What he dreaded, that I mist desired. What he most loved, that I most gated, That which to him was a great evil, o be carefully shunned, was to me a great good, to be diligently sought.; and the argument which he so warmly urged, against my learning to read, only served to inspire me with a desire and determination to learn.” All in all, Douglass has expressed a truth that there is never really an end to the thirst for knowledge. There will only ever be more of a yearning for it, especially in the face of adversity. Douglass was placed in a situation where he had to overcome an obstacle, and to do so he needed to receive the education he deserved by any
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