disposition in society. In the, "Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave",

Douglass overcomes many barriers to learn how to read and write. In, "The Discovery of what it

means to be American", Baldwin goes on a philosophical journey to better understand himself and

come to terms with his color. The organization in both essays are quite similar, both authors

present an up-lifting experience and reflect on it. Although both Baldwin and Douglass used

education, the obstacles they overcame to obtain their knowledge were quite different.

"The Discovery of what it means to be American " by James Baldwin, and "The Narrative

of the life of Frederick Douglass, an American slave", by Frederick Douglass, are similar essays

because learning played a key factor in their lives. Douglass discovered his quest for knowledge

when he learned the alphabet. He states of this, "The first step had been taken. Mistress in

teaching me the alphabet, had given me the inch, and no precaution could prevent me from taking

the ell" (p.104). Douglass was a slave in a relatively rich slave family, and he was thus able to

was caught with a newspaper, book, or any other learning materials. In conclusion, Baldwin and

as how started to learn how to read at the shipyard or how he traded his bread for knowledge

thought process in Europe, that allowed him to better understand the world around him. He

He states, "This bread I used to bestow upon the hungry little urchins, who, in return, would give

explore a more open-minded culture in Europe. He states, "it is no wonder, in the meantime, that

shouldn't be a mark of shame. Through Baldwin's journeys in Europe he came to the conclusion

to Bessie Smith in America, (In the same way for years I never touched watermelon), but in

Education played a key factor in both Baldwin and Douglass' lives. Even though the

from the poor white children. Both Douglass and Baldwin explain a crucial point in their lives

abroad to expand his intellectual thought. Because of the racism in America, Baldwin left to

Baldwin also stresses the need for self-enlightenment. Baldwin left America because he

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 862
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)