Education & Identity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Education & Identity - Essay utilizationDouglass account Frederick Douglass is a prime example of this theory. He was born into thraldom and lived through his early feel serving his Master. His story revolves around the hunt for freedom and is engulfed in the concept of cultivation affecting his lore of his own life. Since he started life as a slave, living to serve another was a average for him and while his Mistress treated him with utter c ar in the beginning, she soon became careful of his thirst for knowledge. It is mayhap this thirst for knowledge that is equally influential in altering a persons percept as without it, one may not pursue pedagogics and knowledge in the first place. Thus, Douglass was taught the beginnings of education by his new mistress Mrs. Auld. She later became extremely cautious of teaching him anything else or him learning anything else himself Mistress, in teaching me the alphabet, had given me the inch, and no precaution could prevent me from ta king the ell. (Douglass). What this implies is that the educated elite were also wary of the power of education and it was not such a peculiar phenomenon. Ever since he learnt the alphabet, and realized that any further progress in education was scorned upon, he became all the more wary of getting knowledge and went to extreme lengths to learn to subscribe and write. His efforts show his inclination and dedication to the task. His shrewdness gave way to several(prenominal) ingenious ways in the pursuit of education. He would employ several friends in the street and suffer his errands quicker than expected in order to save time for gaining knowledge through them. He started excogitate over things he did not ponder over before, questioning his right to be free and wherefore it was so difficult to attain You will be free as soon as you are twenty-one, but I am a slave for life Have not I as good a right to be free as you have? (Douglass). At times this newfound thinking became a m easure of pain as well, and would douse him in anguish whenever the question of slavery would arise in discussion. As his ability to scan improved, so did his taste for newer books. He eventually read a book entitled The Columbian Orator which became the epitome of his changing perception. The story was very corresponding to his own wherein a slave who wished to be free from his master ran away thrice only to be returned to him. Eventually, after an intellectual discussion between him and the master, the slave is discharged of all duties at the masters discretion. Of course, this sparked a growing urge within Douglass to be free himself. Notice how it incited a new get under ones skin inside of him to be free from anyone elses possession rather than simply nurturing his old desire to read and write. While the old desire still persisted, the new feelings and emotions as a result of perceived education transpired within him superficially to overtake his old inclinations to read and write. Thus, it had a dual effect. This can be judged from the position that he describes himself as a chattel earlier but later grows in feelings and emotions as a direct result of the knowledge he acquires, completely opposite to the description of a chattel. His perception was no longer the same regarding slavery. It did not just stop there. Once the perception changed, so did his desires in life. This revealing came as soon as he understood the meaning of abolition which,