Frederick Douglass and

Martin Luther King Jr.

English 103
  Douglass’s narrative is an accessible document
that needs little preparation or background.
Among the fascinating aspects of the excerpt
presented here are the portraits of people, slave
and free, who are part of Douglass’s life. He

Frederick
records very carefully their views and attitudes
and reveals his own as he writes. Douglass was a
Douglass fair-minded man, active in movements toward
freedom and justice for many people. He died just
after attending a meeting on women’s suffrage on
Feb. 20, 1895. During his life he was sometimes
criticized for marrying a white woman in 1884,
after his first wife died.
  Are Douglass’s views about the power of learning
still persuasive today? If so, how? If not, how? In
other words, can a modern-day reader feel
inspired by this piece? If not, why would one not
be?

Class work
Discussion:  Can it still be advantageous for people to deny
others the right to an education, and do all
Douglass oppressed people feel that education is a key to
freedom?
 Is education a key to achieving justice? Explain
why or why not.
  King concerns himself with the issue of ends and
means. He felt that the means could taint the
desired ends. He emulated Gandhi—who insisted
on passive resistance and whose methods freed
Martin an entire nation.

Luther King  King remained nonviolent despite repeated acts

and threats of violence against him.
Jr.  How does King’s letter transcend time and still be
relatable for today?