Identity and Society- Benjamin Franklin and Frederick Douglass
UGC211-
Both of these men, in both of these pieces of writing often struggle with their identity and the place they have within society. Franklin a man of many talents and expertise who had trouble fitting into the identity that society had for him but rather wanted his own identity and saw himself almost above society at the time. Douglass a self-educated African American man who also struggled with the stereotypes portrait on him by society, who would not conform to society at the time but rather diverge and become a very well respected social reformer and abolitionist. Society at the time of Douglass which is set between his birth in 1818 till publication in …show more content…
Both pieces of writing from Franklin and from Douglass were composed of life events and their personal encounters with hardships and how they overcame their hardships. Eventually in the end, both of them ultimately gained great success. These biographic writings are both success stories of two people that overcame a difficult society to thrive and became great, important figures in society. The society Franklin comes from is definitely far different from that of Douglass but both of these men have strong views on their society and both want to improve it for the better of everyone. Douglass focuses on the abolishment of slavery and equality for his people while Franklin wants to improve society through his teachings and inventions. From the time Douglass was free he wanted to help his people and began speaking and writing about his time as a slave. He was not happy about how society saw his people and he would work all his life to try and change that. Douglass is exceptional at describing in detail the disturbing things slaves were put through so that we can visualize the demeaning nature of slavery. “We were all ranked together at the valuation. Men and women, old and young, married and single, were ranked with horses, sheep, and swine. There were horses and men, cattle and women, pigs and children, all holding the same rank in the scale of being, and were all subjected to the same narrow examination… …show more content…
One about a white male and his path from lower-middle class Boston to being one of the most important people of the 18th century. The other an African American man that tells his story from the hardships of being a slave and his journey to become a free man and a very important abolitionist in the 19th century. Both of these great men have strong identities and because of that they weren’t satisfied with the way society was and so they worked hard all their lives to improve society. Franklin and Douglass both changed the world for the better and helped shape the world we live in today through their teachings and discoveries. These two pieces of writing and these two men will always be an important part of the history of America and will be remember