HGTA1102BLOG

In the excerpt “Learning to Read and Write” by Fredrick Douglas, from his Autobiography " Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass"  (1845)  he explores how he learned to read and write despite all that was against him during his time as a slave. Douglas talks about actual events that happened throughout his life that taught him how to read and write. His purpose was to show how cruel slaves were treated by denying them education in order to convince people to go against slavery.   His audience was that of white slave owners who he hoped that one day would understand the cruelty of slavery and change their way of thinking. I am delighted by this text and the inspiration it brings. Although I do not know what it exactly felt like to be a slave and trying to attain education, I often imagine. I believe that slaves should not have been denied their will to read or write, but even with it being denied Douglass still found ways to learn. The text indicates how Fr...

              In the persuasive speech “Aint I a woman” (1851), Sojourner Truth entails on the rights women should have to be deemed equal in comparison to the rights of men. Truth uses her personal experiences to convey that woman are capable of doing anything a man can do. The purpose of “Aint I a woman” was to persuade others in order to reach the goal of men and women being treated equally and allowed equal rights. The intended audience was the attendees of the women’s rights convention in Akron, Ohio. I really enjoyed the speech giving by Truth, it gave me a sense of how difficult it was for women during that time frame. In Truth’s speech I particularly enjoyed the way she countered the arguments of the men at the conference. The argument that stood out the most was when she explained all the things that she was expected to do in her life that were looked at as duties for men. She...