frederick douglas assignment #4 to be graded

While reading the narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass many thoughts and feelings went through my head. Feelings of sorrow, joy, and disbelief. The one thing that caught my attention and kept it throughout, was Douglass's drive to learn how to read and write. Mrs. Auld one of Douglass's mistresses taught him his A B C's first, then assisted him in learning to spell words with three or four letters. Once Mr. Auld finds out he forbade his wife teaching and tells her "that it is unlawful, as well as unsafe, to teach a slave to read". " A nigger should know nothing but to obey his master - to do as he is told to do. Learning would spoil the best nigger in the world". This statement made Douglass mad and from that point on it made him want to learn to read. I think this was the inspiration for him not to give up. Douglass knew that this was a key to his freedom. " To wit, the white man's power to enslave the black man." I believe he also understood that knowledge is power. After being forbade to teach Douglass his mistress started to understand what her husband was saying " the evil consequences of giving instruction", she began to change from a kind woman with a tender heart to a woman with a heart of stone. This did not detour Douglass from wanting to learn. " Though conscious of the difficulty of learning without a teacher, I set out with high hope, and a fixed purpose, at what ever cost of trouble, to learn how to read".
Douglass had came up with many different ways to use the world and people around him to further his own education of reading and writing. He would read newspapers, befriend little white boys who he met in the streets and learned from them. " The plan which I adopted, and the one by which I was most successful, was that of making friends of all the little white boys whom I met in the street. As many of these as I could, I converted into teachers." While running errands he would take his book with him hoping to finish his errands so he could get a lesson in before he returned home. Douglass would also take bread from the house to trade for knowledge with less fortunate white children in the neighborhood. Douglass was very smart when it came to learning how to read without an instructor, and was just as clever when it came to learning how to write. Imagine if all slaves had been given this knowledge.

Harriet Jacobs revised for the last time!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love reading real life stories , but they make me so sad. While reading "Incidents in the life of a slave girl" by Harriet Jacobs, a number of things stood out to me. The first thing was how slave mothers were wet nurses for their mistresses: "She became an indispensable personage in the household, officiating in all capacities, from cook and wet nurse to seamstress."(pg 2012) You would think the mother of a new born child would not want this. The slaves were considered property, not different from a cow or a pig. Would you let a pig feed your child? My point is: Some slave owners thought slaves as property and treated them poorly, but would trust them to feed their child.
The next thing that caught my attention was how Jacobs avoided being raped by her master. At a young age Mr.Flint let her know that he wanted to have sex with her. But I now entered on my fifteenth year - a sad epoch in the life of a slave girl. My master began to whisper foul words in my ear."(pg2017) He constantly watched her, followed her, made nasty comments to her, and harassed her. Being a married man he had to sneak around and do these unjust things, but his wife who was quickly suspicious.
Jacobs had a few tricks of her own to deal with his slick ways. She stayed in the sight of other people during the day. Jacobs slept in a room with her great aunt at night where she felt safe. At one point Dr.Flint comes up with an idea to have his youngest child sleep in the room with him so he could have a reason for a nurse to sleep in the room as well, namely Jacobs. That only made Mrs. Flint question his actions more, eventually question Jacobs herself who comes clean to what Mr.Flint has been trying to do. Mrs.Flint promises to protect her from Mr.Flint, but Jacobs does not believe her because she understands that she is the object of her jealousy. Mrs. Flint does change the sleeping arrangements and Jacobs is saved for the time being by luck, her smart wits, or cleverness.
The next thing that caught my attention was how Jacobs Still had compassion for Mrs.Flint even though she was not nice to her: "As I went on with my account her color changed frequently, she wept and sometimes groaned. She spoke in tones so sad that I was touched by her grief." (pg2018) I don't think I would have felt any compassion for a person like Mrs. Flint. I would have told her what happened with a smirk on my face coming to the same conclusion as Jacobs, "But she had no compassion for the poor victim of her husband's perfidy. She pitied herself as a martyr; but she was incapable of feeling for the condition of shame and misery in which her unfortunate, helpless slave was placed." (pg 2018)
How can you have pity for some one who has none for you?

ON my dear grandchild Simon Bradstreet, who died on 16 November, 1669, being but a month, and one day old

In the poem "On my dear grandchild Simon Bradstreet," by Anne Bradstreet she describes her feelings upon her grandchild's death. We know that the child dies, possibly in his sleep because it is in the full title of the poem as well as the first two lines of the poem referencing death. ".... but gone, and fall'n asleep,". The child died at a young age and the Bradstreets only got to know him for a short time, ( " Acquaintance short...") but were still very sad when he passed away (" Yet parting caused us weep). Bradstreet has also lost other grandchildren. She compares the children to flowers and compares there contrast in age by how far along the flower has bloomed. " Three flowers, two scarcely blown, the last I' th' bud,..). She believes in God and believes that he has cut the childrends lives short, and says "yet is he good". Almost questioning. She believes it was Gods will but wants to question why but is wise not to question the higher power. (Such was his will, but why, let's not dispute, with humble hearts and mouths put in the dust,...). I believe Bradstrret was saying there may be things you want to question but you do not question God's will. Instead praise him," let's say he is merciful and just." The last few lines of the poem are saying the Lord will return and make up for all that she has suffered. The poem ends with Bradstreet telling the soul of the child to go be with his sisters in Heaven where there is never ending joy and he will be among the blessed.

ben franklin

Ben Franklin was an interesting man, he was responsible for so many things. At the age of twelve Franklin published his first works, by the time he was 16 he was working for his brothers newspaper. Franklin was also the writer of the Almanack, as well as discovering lighting. Franklin was the only American to sign the four documents that created the republic. The declaration of Independence, the treaty of alliance with France, the treaty of peace with England, and the constitution. He was considered the father of his country.
When reading the autobiography of Ben Franklin I found it to be somewhat hard to understand, but not as bad as John Edwards. The first thing that stood out to me was when he is writing to his son, he basically says he would live his life over if he had to, but he uses so many words to say it. He could have just got straight to the point. The second thing that stood out to me was the way he followed his ancestors. It was amazing to see how he went far back as records would let him go in the town of Ecton. There he found account of his fathers birth. He plans to keep this going as he writes memoirs to his son of his life and events.
Ben Franklin had many brothers and sisters, his father was married twice. We had a discussion in class about Franklin's relationship with his father. I don't think they had a bad relationship, I think his father was being protective of him in a way. He wanted to find him the right trade to get into, and he didn't want Ben to do something that would bring him no financial stability. While reading this story there was times when it seemed as if his father was not being supportive of him, for instance on page 346 ( I dislik'd the trade and had a strong inclination for the sea; but my father declar'd against it...). His father worried about his safety and well being.

explicating my poem

The poem I chose to read out loud was "On my dear child Simon Bradstreet". The first two lines of this poem is saying that the child died at a young age, possibly in his sleep. The writer of the poem is saying that they only knew him for a short time, meaning he only lived a short time, but when he passed they were very sad. They meaning the family members. The third sentence in the poem on page 152 says, " Three flowers, two scarcely blown, the last I' th' bud,". In this part the narrator is saying that she had three children, two barely grown, and the third never had a chance to grow. All which have past on. The next line is saying that god cut her flowers down, meaning the children, "yet he is good". That part of the poem sounds like a bit of sarcasm, "yet he is good as if almost asking a question. With all this badness before him lets be quiet, it was gods will , the narrator asks why as to question the lords doing. Then it says "let's be mute", as if she is taking back her questioning the higher authority. In the next part of the poem the writer is saying there may be things you want to question but you do not question god 's will ( "with humble hearts and mouths put into the dirt"). He is merciful and just, he will make up for all that they have lost, and she will be able to smile again. At the end of the poem she is telling the soul of the child to go rest with his sisters, where there is never ending joy and he will be among the blest.

john edwards

So far I am finding this story very difficult to understand. I do get the point that he feels some kind of emotional attachment to god. When he is reading or thinking of god's words he is happy. John does mention one point in his life when he had kind of lost his delight. "But in process of time, my convictions and affections wore off; and I entirely lost all those affections and delights and left off secret prayer, at least as to any constant performance of it, and returned like a dog to his vomit, and went on in the ways of sin." I think everyone at one point or another go down another road only to find there way back to the one they left.

wikipedia on poe

The author I am choosing to write my paper on is Edgar Alan Poe. When I went to the wikipedia website here were some things I found interesting. Poe was believed to be part of the American Romantic movement. Poe is distinguished for his short story's, and the beginning of science - fiction genre, as well as mystery- fiction. He was the first renowned writer to try and make a living off of writing. Poe started his career with a collection of poems he wrote while in the military. He lied to get into the military he said he was 22 when in fact he was 18. After that he worked for literary journals which had him often relocating, but he became known for having his own style of literary criticism. Poe married his 13 yr old cousin! Poe was a great writer but had many hardships throughout his career. When he died in 1849 at age 40, his cause of death was unknown. Something else I found interesting under wikipedia under see also was, Edgar Poe and music, and coupled cousins!