Narrative Life of Frederick Douglass

1. Narrative Life of Frederick Douglass Socratic Seminar

2. Circle Discussion Guidelines • *Someone begins the discussion by posing a question, expressing an opinion, or reading a passage to the group. • * Other members will jump in and make comments to support, defend or assert their point of view. • * You must listen to the conversations of others so questions and answers will not be reiterated. • * Your grade will be based on the quality and frequency of your responses as well as your speaker courtesy. • * This is a discussion of your peers. I will be sitting outside the circle. Talk and respond to your peers. Do not look to me for response, validation, or verification of points. • * Speakers will not interrupt or dominate conversation. All students will be on task, actively listening, and actively taking notes. • * You are graded on a scale ranging from minor to strongest comments

3. Comment Levels • +: A comment that is especially profound, thoughtful or supportive; a unique was of thinking or new perspective • :A comment of an approved level of thought and support • - : A comment of a low level that mostly reiterates previous comments or relies on surface level analysis.

4. Socratic Seminar ?’s • How does education lead to self-reliance? • How does experience form character? • What is the effect of conformity?

5. Motifs & Key Ideas • Dehumanization and man’s cruelty to his fellow man • Freedom • Man’s will to survive • The hypocrisy and injustice of slavery • Enlightenment and Education • Irony • Religion: False Christianity vs. Authentic Christianity

6. Key Ideas, continued: • Protest Literature • (An argument against slavery) • Achieving Selfhood (coming of age) • Imagery, Literary Devices and Tone. • Rhetorical Devices (antithesis, duality, sentimentality), • The Importance of literacy to the concept of freedom • Douglass as a bridge between Black and White society

7. Discussion Questions: • Justice for slaves (and all men of color) is different from justice for whites. • No one can be enslaved if she or he has the ability to read, write, and think. • The way to enslave someone is to keep them from all learning. • Slaves were treated no better than, sometimes worse than, livestock.

8. Discussion Questions, continued • By encouraging depravity men come to learn to hate freedom. • The Christianity of the slaveholders is hypocritical and used to justify their actions. • White men fear that men of color will steal their jobs if they are educated and learn how to perform the job.

9. In Wendell Phillip’s letter to Frederick Douglass, he states that the most abominable aspect of slavery is the “blighting death which gathers over [the slave’s] soul.” Paraphrase these words, and provide two specific examples of this from the text.

10. Wendell Phillips states that Frederick Douglass is a truthful, candid, sincere writer who, when there was something positive to note about a slaveholder or slavery, noted it. Provide an example of his doing this in the narrative.

11. Allusions: Chapter 1 • Children of Ham – Genesis 9:20-27 20 Noah, a man of the soil, proceeded [a] to plant a vineyard. 21 When he drank some of its wine, he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent. 22 Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father's nakedness and told his two brothers outside. 23 But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it across their shoulders; then they walked in backward and covered their father's nakedness. Their faces were turned the other way so that they would not see their father's nakedness. 24 When Noah awoke from his wine and found out what his youngest son had done to him, 25 he said,        "Cursed be Canaan!        The lowest of slaves        will he be to his brothers." 26 He also said,        "Blessed be the LORD, the God of Shem!        May Canaan be the slave of Shem. [b] 27 May God extend the territory of Japheth [c] ;        may Japheth live in the tents of Shem,        and may Canaan be his [d] slave."

12. Allusions: Chapter 3 • Job – from The Bible • In the Qur'an Job is known as Ayyūb (Arabic: أيوب ) and is considered a prophet in Islam. In the Arabic language the name Ayyūb is symbolic of the virtue of patience, though it does not mean patience in itself. He is mentioned in several passages in the Qur'an. • In Palestinian folk tradition Ayyub's place of trial is, a village outside the town of Al Majdal (now Ashkelon). It was there God rewarded him with a fountain of youth that removed whatever illnesses he had, and gave him back his youth. The town of Al-Joura was a place of annual festivities (4 days in all) when people of many faiths gathered and bathed in a natural spring. • In Turkey, Job is known as Eyüp. It is believed that Job and Elias were buried at Eyyup Nebi, There is also a tomb of Job outside the city of Salalah in Oman.

13. Allusions: Chapter 10 • Hamlet – “To be or not to be” Act III, scene i • To be, or not to be: that is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And by opposing end them? To die: to sleep; No more; and by a sleep to say we end The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks That flesh is heir to, 'tis a consummation Devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep; To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub; • Patrick Henry – “Speech to the Virginia Convention” 1775 • Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!

14. Early in Chapter 10, Douglass uses an analogy of sailboats to convey his feelings. Discuss what emotions and ideas he is trying to express.

15. Allusions: Chapter 11 • Sparta All that Sparta was was war: against those it conquered, against its own people--indeed, against all mankind. "The system had to be ungracious in order to protect itself," Will Durant concluded of Sparta, "a breath from that excluded world of freedom, luxury, letters, and arts might topple over this strange and artificial society." • Matthew 25:35 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' 37"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' 40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

16. Throughout the novel, Douglass makes several important points over and over. Review the narrative and discuss two of his main points. Discuss what he is saying and how he accomplishes his objective.