Frederick Douglass and Malcolm X
Frederick Douglass obtained his ability to read under unconventional circumstances, enslaved and without freedom. Before being able to read, he couldn’t really question the position he was in. It was not until he started reading and educating himself that he started to think outside the box and for become “enlightened” according to the definition of Immanuel Kant; who defines enlightenment as “the emergence from the self-incurred minority.” Frederick Douglass writes: “The more I read, the more I was led to abhor and detest slavery, and my enslavers… As I writhed under the sting and torment of this knowledge, I almost envied my fellow slaves their stupid contentment. This knowledge opened my eyes to the horrible pit, and revealed the teeth of the frightful dragon that was ready to pounce upon me” (My Bondage and My Freedom ch. XI).
Similarly, Malcolm X was under oppressive circumstances when he started an education that would allow him to reach a similar enlightenment like that of Frederick Douglass. Similar to Douglass, Malcolm X started off with little reading and writing capabilities. However, they both also had the strong desire to learn. For Malcolm, reading was his escape from jail and it helped him pass the time. As he describes it “from then until I left prison, in every free moment I had, if I was not reading in the library, I was reading on my bunk” (3). Reading allowed him to build his vocabulary and allow him access to books which would then help open his eyes to the atrocities of slavery. It allowed him to be able to finally reach a higher level of thinking and eventually become a leader in the African-American community. Both of these men, had humble beginnings when it comes to their education. With little resources like Frederick Douglass, Malcolm X was able to pursue an education which would then lead to a form of enlightenment which benefits and helps the “black man” (Malcolm X 6).
The Path Towards, But Not To, Freedom
Within Earnest J. Gaines’ novel A Lesson Before Dying, education was emphasized to be a source of hope and possibility to make a difference for the colored race. Grant, a teacher who has obtained a higher education, demonstrates an alternate tier in which he stands when compared with his equals. Upon leaving for the university, his aunt assured him that it was unnecessary for him to come through the back door of Henri Pichot’s house where the family served for the whites anymore (Gaines 18). Through these words, Grant’s aunt is portraying the notion that with an education, Grant will no longer be the same as those who stay back in the fields and can finally move on from the restrictions of a colored man. Education has granted him the ticket towards the freedom many others didn’t have the access to and the opportunities of. As Grant explains it, he was “too educated for [his white master] Henri Pichot” and so “he [Pichot] had no use for [him] at all anymore (Gaines 21). But even so, education is only a path towards, but not to, freedom and as described in the novel, “…it’ll take more than five and a half months to wipe away—peel—scrape away the blanket of ignorance that has been plastered and replastered over those brains in the past three hundred years…” because skin tone is binding and it will always serve as the root to discrimination and inferiority for colored men (Gaines 64).
In an alternate scenario, Emma’s somewhat indirect but similarly direct persistence to have Grant help her greatly exceeds just giving Jefferson back his innocence and is instead, an offensive move to defend their race. Emma states that she is not “begging for his life no more” but all she wants is for Jefferson to die a man (Gaines 22). This makes it clear that she is certain that no matter what evidence or truth arises, Jefferson is guilty regardless and nothing would reverse the predetermined verdict. The emphasis Emma tries to make that Jefferson is not a hog is essential to how colored men would be treated after Jefferson’s execution. It is apparent that she is trying to take the initial step to stand up for justice and the race of her people. If she successfully proves that Jefferson is not a hog but instead a man, colored men will essentially be treated more or less differently than before because they’ve made it clear that they are no longer going to remain submissive to the white race and is daring to speak up and have a stand in their position. Just like many other causes and movements, it always takes one courageous change to make a universal difference, and in this novel, Jefferson’s transformation from a hog to a man, is that ultimate turning point to a new chapter in the history of race.
Brainstorming Exercise #2
Order, Morals, and Rebellion
Morals: Morals and the attainment of moral perfection acted as driving forces in the young like of Benjamin Franklin, and although him and Tom Sawyer were similar in their energy and creativity, their moral compasses were not very similar. Tom Sawyer lied, sometimes for the greater good (in Becky’s case), and othertimes for his own personal gain.
Order: Tom Sawyer did not partake in any form of order or organization. Both his thinking and his actions defied rule and regulation, while Benjamin Franklin attributes all of his success to having an orderly, mindful life. Tom Sawyer did not respect order, or the personification of order found in his teacher and other adults.
The argument to be made is that every young person is different, and education cannot be standardized to suit just one. Some people hail order and rule, while others completely reject them. It seems that the American education system caters to the attitudes of pupils like Ben Franklin. For example, an ordered day, every day/schedules/etc while reflecting on a set of rules and virtues made him an extremely successful man, while teachings of the same manner didn’t do as much for Tom Sawyer.
Brainstorming Exercise # 2 – Moral Man
One’s Own Way of Learning
Self-Education Clustering/Mapping/Webbing
Limited Potential
Describe it:
After being created by Victor Frankenstein, the monster is abandoned by him. The latter then makes the journey to become educated enough to be able to communicate his thoughts and have the intended audience understand them. After learning how to read and write, the monster finds three books in a bag in the woods and takes them to read. These readings change him and have allowed him to understand the circumstances that surround his existence. The books make him realize that he is different from humans and has been exiled by them for this reason. The books give him a lot to think about, but they also affect him negatively, causing him to believe that humans will only outcast him and regard him with disgust.
Trace it:
The monster’s body is made up of several stitched together body parts. These parts come from corpses, making the monster’s appearance truly gruesome and disgusting to look at. Even Victor Frankenstein, the very creator of the monster, is revolted by the sight of the latter, and runs away in fear. The monster, after searching for another sign of life, finds an old man in a hut who shrieks and also retreats at the sight of the monster. The monster continues to a village, where more people flee due to his frightening appearance. Even though he wants to talk to these people and understand why no one wants to approach him, he cannot do so due to lacking knowledge of the human language. So he makes a resolve to educate himself, learning how to read and write by watching the family next door. Eventually he finds the books in the woods and reads them, understanding his situation and himself through the text.
Map it:
This negative impact brought upon by books relates to a theory from Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “The American Scholar” that argues that books limit the mind. While books are beneficial to one’s education, just as how the monster learns to understand his difference from humans because of the books from the woods, they do place constraints on the mind. Instead of thinking beyond thoughts that have already been thought, books plant preconceived thoughts by others into an individual’s mind. Because the monster relates so much to John Milton’s Paradise Lost and the character of Satan, he fails to think much beyond the thoughts the epic poem has given him. Exiled and looked down upon just like Satan, he sees humans as incapable of seeing him as anything more than a monster. Therefore, he decides to “hate them who abhor [him]” and becomes firm in never seeing humans in a positive light (Shelley 103). The monster could have looked past his newfound hate for humans if he had not been so influenced by the books, and in this way, he is held back from his full potential. He has become so overwhelmed with the ideas the books have presented him that he cannot think for himself and understand that not all humans will be disgusted by him.
Malcolm X and Bach
| Describe It | Malcolm X was an African-American activist, but before that his life was a journey full of obstacles. He was a person with ambition who learned and educated himself while in jail through the use of the dictionary and his own unique ways of learning. He ended up in jail due to selling drugs on the streets in New York and he wanted to make a change and help the blacks, but he realized that he wasn’t educated and didn’t have the skills to translate his message and ideas to the crowd because he was illiterate. This is what encouraged him to learn and educate himself. |
| Trace It | Malcolm X was a black who didn’t get the opportunity to go to school and learn due to racism. He was discouraged by his white teacher that it wasn’t “realistic” for a black to become a lawyer. This had a huge impact on him that he dropped out of school, but not for long. He didn’t go to school and neither finished it, but he educated himself through the use of the dictionary while in jail. The brutality and unfair treatment of blacks pushed Malcolm to educate himself so that he could help bring a change and that’s what he did. His education brought him respect and he was able to fulfill his goal to a certain extent because he was shot so wasn’t able to finish it. |
| Map It | This relates to Frankenstein because even Frankenstein had to learn on his own just like Malcolm X, but Malcolm used the dictionary and Frankenstein used his experiences. They both weren’t taught anything from another person, but by themselves. This is also related to Bach because Bach said school wasn’t for everyone, but he he also said that when you need something you will work for it and that is related to Malcolm X. He really wanted to help the black community, but due to his lack of knowledge he wasn’t able to and since he really was determined to help them he learned on his own to help the society. |