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The process of literacy as communal involvement in the narratives of Frederick Douglass.

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From: African American Review
Date: 19940922
Author:Royer, Daniel J.

Frederick Douglass' two autobiographies, which have been the focus of debates about the impacts of slaves acquiring literacy, should be analyzed with the awareness that literacy was a tool for social involvement for Douglass. Several critics have seen Douglass' literacy acquisition as evidence of his imbibing of white culture. However, Douglass' narratives make it evident that for him language was a way of attaining self-awareness and communicating that awareness to his community.

Harvey Graff has argued convincingly that faith in the grand promises of literacy has, more often than not, ...

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