Frederick Douglas' Literacy Skills

Paper Summary:

The paper examines the major theories of literacy to support the thesis that literacy can be used as a tool to separate and subjugate lower social classes of society. The paper focuses on the story of Frederick Douglas and explains how he learned to read and write. The paper explains how blacks were intentionally denied the tools of literacy that they needed to break free of the stereotypes and social status of inferiority. The paper concludes that Douglas' work is a culturally relevant way of writing history that provides us with a deeper understanding of what it meant to be a slave in early America.

Outline:
Douglas and the Slave's Perspective
Defining the Strategies that Douglas used to Read and Write
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"Theories differ on how people learn to read and write. The connection between reading and writing is one of the most debated topics in literary circles. However, the debate over this topic pales to the debate over the relationship between culture and literacy. Major theorists are divided into two groups of thought on this topic. The first argues that literacy is necessary for the advancement of culture and society. The other argues that literacy is independent of society and that they have little influence on each other."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Akinnaso, F. Linguistic Unification and Language Rights. Applied Linguistics. 1994. Vol. 15. No. 2, pp. 139-168.
• Brandt, Deborah. "Remembering Writing, Remembering Reading." CCC 45.4 (1994): 459-479.
• Cattau, D. Harvey Graff argues for a clearer view of our sentimental notions. June 13, 1995. The Dallas Morning News. http://people.cohums.ohio- state.edu/graff40/outgrowingmyths.html Accessed May 29, 2008.
• Douglas, Frederick. Learning to Read and Write. Online. http://www.gibbsmagazine.com/learning%20to%20read.htm Accessed May 29, 2008.
• Scribner, Sylvia, and Cole, Michael. The psychology of literacy. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.1981.

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