I am a firm believer in the power of education. As humans, we should be open to new insights and never stop learning. Literacy is the essential foundation for true knowledge and wisdom. The skill of reading and writing exposes one to the outside world and provides all humans the opportunity for advancement. As English majors at Saint Louis University, a place where “knowledge touches lives,” we have the privileged opportunity to analyze important pieces of literature, such as the slave narratives, and learn from our great ancestors, as a form of self-advancement.
For American slaves, knowledge was not only power, but also the ticket to freedom. For example, Literacy, and other knowledgeable skills, allowed Olaudah Equiano to eventually purchase his own freedom. Literacy also enabled Frederick Douglas to escape from his southern master and plantation. Most notably, these slaves were able to record their own narratives, providing future generations the opportunity to learn from past mistakes.
Through his life narrative published in 1791, Equiano provides an early American slave perspective. Captured at the age of 11, Equiano had the unique advantage of experiencing and understanding the concept of freedom previous to his enslavement. Unlike other slaves, Equiano acquires vital life-skills which enable him to survive his captivity and eventually record his own narrative. Driven by curiosity, Equiano used every opportunity of his travels to learn from his masters and superiors. Since most of his life was spent at sea, he was able to acquire important seafaring skills. In addition, he embraced the opportunity to attend school in London. In Chapter IV of his narrative, Equiano notes, “I had long wished to be able to read and write; and for this purpose I took every opportunity to gain instruction. When I went to London with my master, I had soon an opportunity of improving myself (through schooling), which I gladly embraced” (689). Through hard work and the ability to manage ships, Equiano earns and saves a small amount of money, from which he is eventually able to purchase his own freedom.
Contrary to Equiano, Frederick Douglas was born into slavery and had no previous concept of freedom. However, that did not stop him from advancing himself beyond the cruelties of slavery. After learning the alphabet from his kind mistress, Douglas cunningly continues to become completely literate in hopes of escaping captivity. “From that moment, I understood the pathway from slavery to freedom,” Douglas declares. “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” (2086). While completing errands for his master, Douglas made friends with poor, hungry white boys. In exchange for bread, these boys taught Douglas how to read. “This bread I used to bestow upon the hungry little urchins, who, in return, would give me that more valuable bread of knowledge,” Douglas describes (2088). Douglas then uses this “valuable knowledge” to plan and successfully escape from his master.
Through self-taught and self-motivated literacy, slaves such as Equiano and Douglas were not only able to improve themselves, but were also able to spread their knowledge and experience by recording narratives. In turn, their knowledge and stories gives us, as future students, the opportunity to better ourselves by learning from the mistakes and triumphs of history.
We should remember how Douglas eloquently described the significance of his literacy. “From that moment, I understood the pathway from slavery to freedom” (2086).
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
"In turn, their knowledge and stories gives us, as future students, the opportunity to better ourselves by learning from the mistakes and triumphs of history." I really liked the way you closed this entry, and found it rather insightful. Not only do their stories give us the opportunity to better ourselves, they also remove any excuse we could have not to. If Douglass and Equiano were able to gain wisdom and education despite facing such enormous obstacles in their way, there is NO reason that we students here at SLU should not also be able to continue our education both in the classroom and in the real world.
I like the fact that you tie our education system here with the simplicity of learning to read and write. For many students, school is a heavy burden-- financially, psychologically taxing, etc. I know I struggle daily to keep a positive outlook on my education, but when we really think about the gift that education is, it becomes so much more important. These brave men risked their lives to learn to read and write...
things we were given at the age of six or seven. It's amazing to me.
I also like how you relate the true power of education, at least in comparison to how slaves like Equiano and Douglass truly needed it. In our day and age, it's an unfortunate fact that a vast majority of us take education for granted; for most of us in college, we view it as the "next logical step" in a world where most have some degree of education. For the slaves, however, they were lucky to learn a minuscule bit of English, if even that. Of course, the motivations behind it could not be more different, but on a whole, more people should be aware of the true power of English and education as a whole, just like Equiano and Douglass did.
“Knowledge was not only power, but also the ticket to freedom. Literacy also enabled Frederick Douglas to escape.” You are right! Equiano and Douglass made me think of this quote from Dr. King Jr. “Nobody can make a slave out of you if you don’t think like a slave.” Equiano and Douglass teach us a lot about slavery, but they also teach us a lot about themselves. We can thank them for their narratives because in this way be understand history from the experience of the slaves.
When I was reading Equiano and Douglas I couldn't help but think of my time working in a housing project in New Orleans. There, many of the African Americans are passed through school without even knowing how to read. They would come to me at age 23 and we would have to start with the alphabet and work up to first-grade readers. I would ask: what grade did you make it to? They would say: twelve. I have to say that I saw there that a lack of education is true slavery.
Post a Comment