Masculinity Slavery in the United States and Douglass Pg

Gloria Kissiedu World Literature 207 29 November 2011 Masculinity Things Fall Apart was written in the 1890s, when whites went to Nigeria. The novel shows the clash between the white s and the culture of the Igbo people. The novel is about a man named Okonkwo, and his growth for respect, fortune and power which in the end leads to his expected death. His great power did not come to an end because of colonization, but rather his downfall was his obsession with masculinity. The narrative of Frederick Douglass also defines masculinity. The narrative of Frederick Douglass took place in America. During slavery, Frederick Douglass was limited to plantation work because blacks were not seen as being capable to achieve more in life but that†¦show more content†¦Likewise, Frederick Douglas was born in February 1818. â€Å"At the age of ten or eleven, Douglass is sent to live in Baltimore with Hugh and Sophia Auld. Douglass overhears a conversation between them and comes to understand that whites maintain power over black slaves by keeping them une ducated. Douglass resolves to educate himself and escape from slavery. Douglass struggles to free himself, mentally and physically, from slavery†. During this time, African Americans were very limited to do anything. All he wanted was freedom from slavery so he can feel like a man. Douglas was an abolitionist who was dedicated to learn. He was motivated to teach himself how to read and write because he did not want to be a slave for the rest of his life. Frederick Douglass was driven to succeed. Frederick Douglass was a slave at one point but gained his freedom through his education. He says, â€Å"What he most dreaded, that I most desired† (Douglass pg 19). Douglass knew his master did not want him to learn how to read and write, yet he was thirsty and attempted to better himself. Frederick Douglass is a man who had a lot of potential. Frederick Douglass saw the cultural differences between blacks and whites, yet he still focused on his goals and motivated himself. Ev en though Douglas knew that whites had the mentality that â€Å"They were better than blacks,† he still focused on his goals. Frederick Douglas never looked down on education