The Importance of Knowledge in Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass

In this book, Frederick Douglass describes both his journey of slavery and significance or importance of knowledge versus ignorance. Frederick Douglass, a born slave, tells not only his life events and experiences in this book but also takes his readers into the mind of a child who is trying to understand what it means to be a slave. The response of critics was in words like “vivid” and “shocking” for the book, ‘Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass.’

It is because Douglass wrote this innovative book at the time when people never thought of slavery as an odd or wrong thing.

He through symbolism speaks of the cruelty he endured and of the suffering; he faces due to his rebellious behavior. He also speaks of the suffering of women around. Additionally, of how the ‘intensity of slavery’ varied between city and countryside. Douglass wrote this book under the belief that a person can only be kept as a slave if he chose to be ignorant.

He further mentions, how the power corrupts people, he is pointing towards his owner’s wife.

He explains this concept by mentioning all his previous and pertaining life experiences regarding the significance of knowledge and freedom. He lived a miserable life only until the time when he remained ignorant of education. As soon as he opened himself for acknowledgment of education, nothing proved to enough to lock him or his spirit. Though he was regarded, as a ‘Free Slave,’ but it was, his freedom and acquisition of knowledge that helped put ‘free’ before ‘slave’.

Get quality help now

writer-Charlotte

Verified

Proficient in: Human Rights

4.7 (348)

“ Amazing as always, gave her a week to finish a big assignment and came through way ahead of time. ”

+84 relevant experts are online

Hire writer

It also depicted the fact that though his body been embedded or circled with chains, his spirit was free owing to the knowledge he possessed.

As the most significant symbolic passage is considered the one, in which Douglass is very moved and affected by the sight of ‘white sails’ from the window. After being inhumanely whipped and beaten by Covey (referred, as ‘breaker of slaves’ in the book and Douglass was sent to him because of being unmanageable by his original master). On the sight of white sales, Douglass described himself to be swiftly encouraged despite completely covered in wounds and bloody scars. A possible reason for this motivation appears to be the hope of freedom that he perceived from the color and shiny appearance of white sails.

Douglass has also employed the tools of symbolism and allegory to talk about the suffering of women during that time in 19th century. At various parts in the book like the beating accident of Aunt Hester in Chapter 1 and the person in neighborhood whipping and beating his slave Henrietta in Chapter 6 symbolizes the condition of women during that time as a whole. Along with these facts, the rape of female slaves by their masters being a common and usual thing is described in the very start of the book. All of this explains the underlying reasons and conditions of rebelling of Douglass against the unjust norms of society.

As the symbolism continues in the reading, there is a significant difference in traditional patterns of slavery in the city as compared to the country. Douglass mentions himself lucky for the same reason as because of being young he spent more time out of plantation and then was sent to Baltimore where people took much more care of their slaves for their social image. Douglass has shown himself as the rebellion of not only social norms, traditions, and unfair rules but also superstitious religious beliefs and values. For example, when Sandy (fellow slave) handed out a root from the forest for the sake of protection from whipping, it was not worth believing for Douglass.

Unlike other slaves, Douglass grew with the progression of his age and continuously strived to acquire the light of knowledge regardless of his circumstances. It is also an important fact that nature also helped him in hidden ways like first being placed in household work rather than the plantation, then sent to city and was treated better than others treat and then given the path of knowledge to understand the difference between right and wrong. Although the wife of Hugh Auld stopped teaching him once she was brainwashed by her husband and other fellow slave-owners, she provided the most authentic way of freedom to Douglass.

Douglass expresses his emotions and describes his efforts to prove his central argument of the significance of knowledge and freedom. He tells variously in his book that despite cruelty and inhumanness of the situations he experienced, he did not give up the spirit of liberty inside him. Moreover, he also gives his readers the symbolic representation of natural help and assistance during his life. Like the symbolic representation of freedom at the glance of ‘white sails’ expresses that Douglass was chosen by nature for this great work.

He perceived freedom because, despite unjust surroundings and happenings, his spirit was alive. However, he also explains the continuous struggle and untiring effort he had to do to separate the clinging stain of slavery from his identity and personality. A person who had suffered so much would have given up when associated with the term of ‘free slave’ even after living as a free man. However, Douglass neither gave up nor forgot his cause of life until the end of his life. It is apparent from the fact that when this book released, he was only 27 years old.

This ongoing discussion also throws light on the issue of justice for blacks in comparison with whites, as this was a major problem during that period. During the 19th century, the prejudice and bias system was unquestioned and did everything it wanted by snubbing the rights and authorities of blacks in every way possible. Douglass advocated equal justice and rights, as well as citizenship, for blacks. He exhibited and opened a new window into the situation of discrimination that his community faced, and had to go through.

Douglass in chapter 7, paragraph speaks of Mrs. Auld as “Slavery proved as injurious to her as it did to me. When I went there, she was a pious, warm, and tenderhearted woman. There was no sorrow or suffering for which she had not a tear … gave way to one of tiger-like fierceness.” He speaks of how power corrupted his owner’s wife. She used to be a kind- hearted person and what happened to her was sad. She lost all the compassion for others and turned into a stone cold tigress who is full of hatred and brutality.

He was not only an active speaker of the abolitionist cause of that time but also worked hard in all possible ways to spread awareness and end slavery. He wanted to educate those who had spirit buried in their souls ready to get out and do wonders. Douglass writes “After apologizing for his ignorance, and reminding the audience that slavery was a poor school for the human intellect and heart, he proceeded to narrate some of the facts in his own history as a slave, and in the course of his speech gave utterance to many noble thoughts and thrilling reflections.” He did all the possible measures for himself and his black community to make them free and independent with the acquisition of all rights they deserved.

There is a huge lesson for us in what Douglass accomplished despite being a slave; it teaches us our role to contribute to our society. There might not be human slaves in our country but a huge population is slave to ignorance. We must do all in our power to spread knowledge, education and make people aware of their rights. Spreading the knowledge is our social, moral and ethical responsibility and we must strive hard to overcome any obstacles stopping us from doing so.