Narrative of Frederick Douglas

Frederick Douglass was born in 1818, and died in 1895. He was known for being a great orator, writer, and statesman. He grew up as a slave as a child, but later escaped, and became a leader in the abolitionist movement. (understanding cultural point of view – odyssey video)

Cultural Point of View: the cultural perspective people develop, alluding to a way of life defined by their behavior, values, thoughts, and beliefs actually against the law for a slave to learn to read. born a slave and knew no other life than that of being owned by a master who had control over what he did each day, what he ate, whether or not he would learn to read, or whether he might be sold to a new owner. Slaves were accustomed to obeying the laws and doing what they were told. If they did not, they faced severe punishment. Imagine living in such a culture where nothing is taken for granted, compared with the one in which you live now, where your freedom is at the core of your cultural point of view the one change that disturbed him more than any other was when his mistress would no longer teach him to read.

Did his mistress come from the same cultural point of view Our culture shapes our perception of the world, which also includes our beliefs, thoughts, and values. His mistress had been Douglass’s slave owner since he was a young boy, yet she was also a slave owner’s wife women did not work outside the home, and they were expected to manage the home and take care of the children. expected to respect her husband’s wishes, whether she agreed with him or not dealt with many of the daily problems with the slaves and may also have become very attached to them expected to obey the laws of the land.

Shortly after teaching him to read, his mistress was instructed by her husband to stop teaching Douglass immediately. She resisted for a period of time, but eventually did stop and even forbid him from reading at all. By using the dramatic mental imagery of her “shutting him into mental darkness”, which he claimed took some “exercise in irresponsible power” on her part, we can see how much she struggled with this decision. She eventually succumbed to her husband’s wishes for fear of the effects of treating a slave “like a human” Was she just as much as a slave as he was?

Slavery proved as injurious to her as it did to me Slavery proved as injurious to her as it did to me. When I went there, she was a pious, warm, and tender-hearted woman. There was no sorrow of suffering for which she had not a tear. … Slavery soon proved its ability to divest her of these heavenly qualities. Is Douglass the only one affected by slavery? Oppression: people are mistreated or exploited, and it's supported by the culture in terms, laws, expectations, and behaviors. Douglass was oppressed and unable to learn to read unless he was willing to betray the laws, the culture, and the oppressor, which he eventually did. His mistress was also oppressed, yet she was also Douglass’s oppressor since she was his slave owner’s wife. How was her choice in handling the oppression different from Douglass’s?

Douglass’ versus his mistress’ choices Douglass persisted through teaching himself to read and write by seeking out boys in the nearby neighborhood as teachers. His mistress chose to abide by the law and her husband’s wishes, but according to Douglass, this eventually had an affect on her character. When our culture does not align with our personal values and beliefs, conflicts often arise We know what his mistress may have thought to because of his unique style - the choice and variety of words an author uses in order to communicate effectively to the reader

Douglass and Narrative Sequencing (o video)

Point of view – First person narrative Personal Perspective thoughts, dreams, and intentions. Makes it very personal and heart felt Reader can empathize and understand an author’s different experience (o video)