Discussion Questions

Both of this week’s discussion questions concern Frederick Douglass’ Narrative of the Life, preparatory to Friday section discussions.

1. What textual instances can be compared between Douglass’ Narrative and David Walker’s Appeal of some sixteen years earlier? One text is an autobiography and the other is a polemic on the conditions of African American life. Genre differences aside, however, these two texts bear the marks of a deeply formative anger concerning slavery, white supremacy, and the systematic oppression of African Americans. Can you identify commonalities between these two texts?

2. For Douglass, literacy is a key response to slavery. After reading chapters 7 (HA 1841-1843) and 10 (HA 1859-60, 1862), discuss Douglass’ understanding of reading and writing as both consciousness-creating and as a practical tool of freedom. How does surreptitious literacy provide psychological self-defense for Douglass?