“How ‘The Birth of a Nation’ Silences Black Women” relates to many of the women that are portrayed in “The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass”. The film aims to bring to light the nature of rape during slavery and how this fueled Nat Turner’S revolution. It also takes into account that even though Nat Turner may have been the hero, black women weren’t allowed to voice their mistreatments. Frederick Douglass wrote about both white women and of black women and how they differed greatly but also how eerily similar their struggles were. Douglass wrote about the slave master’s wife that had taught him how to read. Once her husband found out, he immediately told her to stop and she would suffer the consequences had she continued. Women were treated as inferior to men regardless of their race during slavery and couldn’t do anything about it. Douglass also wrote about his birth mother and how he was separated from her to ensure his inability to form an attachment to a woman. He wrote about the slaves being used as mere tools for procreation. Douglass also wrote about the hardening effects slavery had a white woman’s soul. They would start out as gentle and caring individuals but would turn into cold-hearted women because they were forced to be evil. Women were treated unjustly and forced to conform to the rules of men. Women were the victims of cruelty and Douglass was aware of this unjust treatment. And in many aspects women are still subjugated to the pressures of men.

Blake’s Tyger most closely resembles the creature Victor Frankenstein made. The Tyger is this massive, powerful, fearsome creature that Blake suggests only an immortal being could have made. “What immortal hand or eye/Could frame thy fearful symmetry?” (Tyger) Frankenstein’ creature was also massive and definitely invoked fear into others. How could a Lamb, so gentle and meek resemble this gargantuan figure? (He is meek and he is mild/He became a little child…” (Lamb). Frankenstein’s creature had pale yellow skin, black lips, black hair, and was ugly. “…no mortal could support the horror of that countenance.” (V I. Ch IV) The Lamb is white, fluffy, and childlike which is the opposite of the monstrous creature. Blake’s Tyger invokes terror into people “What the anvil?/what dread grasp, Dare its deadly terrors clasp!” (Tyger). Frankenstein’s creature was larger than the average man which gave him the ability to have superior strength just like the Tyger. The Tyger is a beautiful creature but deadly nonetheless. Just as Frankenstein’s creature retains the beauty of life, the creature is also incredibly powerful.

It is an important aspect of human nature to tell stories to pass on knowledge or some type of understanding. Storytelling started with the idea of passing on history and as we became more developed, so did our stories. We questioned our existence and the existence of other matters and how it all webbed together. Sometimes we had to create the stories because we didn’t know the truth. And sometimes we created the stories because people understood the metaphors more than they understood the facts. Before the discoveries in space, the sky was something fantastic and the stars were more than just burning gas. As Amini points out, these stars, with lines drawn between them, were given names and attributes. These stars sparked curiosity because there was no way that these stars were just bright lights. Even without knowing about the biological nature of stars, people understood that they were necessary and served a purpose. People knew that everything is happening simultaneously and equally important. Stories of fiction help to convey our perceptions of what is important. When we hear stories of fiction we connect the meanings into our own lives. This helps us to bring shape to our ever-meandering paths. Descartes understood that we have to process information to exist. By telling stories, we are able to process information and make connections between fiction and reality. It is important that we tell stories because it enhances our knowledge. Stories enhance our ideas of reality. Stories are what make us human.

The Enlightenment was the transition of human thought away from the accepted norms of the church. People started to make decisions regarding their own ways of living. They understood the importance of morals, which religion provided, but they also understood the need to live without the church at the center of their lives. This period of higher thinking initiated the advancement of the underprivileged and underrepresented across all societies. Across the globe the literacy rates increased, economies improved, health improved, and nearly every other aspect of human life also improved. Women were no longer seen as just child bearers and inferior to men but they could finally lead enriching lives. Children were being included into literature which was nearly nonexistent prior to this era. And this can all be attributed to their challenging of the crowd. These thinkers had the idea to “…call to the attention of the deceptiveness and the possible misuse of social norms as well as to their necessity”. They posed the question of the purpose of life and arrived at the ideas of existentialism.

Descartes also brought his existence into question. In a series of questions and answers, he realized his existence was codependent on all living things but also, that his perception of reality is what makes him exist. His famous quote “I think, therefore I am” means that the ability to process information qualifies as existence. Whether the information is true, fictitious, tangible, or imagined, everyone may have different perceptions but it is still one reality that we all contribute to.