Answer:
The speakers of the poems "Mother to Son" and "Learning to Read" and Frederick Douglass in his autobiography all faced significant risks to make a success of their lives. The mother in "Mother to Son" and Douglass were both born into slavery and faced physical violence and emotional abuse from their oppressors. In "Learning to Read," the speaker faced ridicule from his fellow slaves for wanting to learn how to read. Despite these challenges, all three individuals found ways to educate themselves and gain knowledge.
In "Mother to Son," the language and descriptions are used to convey the difficulty of the speaker's journey. The mother describes her life as "tacks, splinters, boards torn up," emphasizing the pain and obstacles she has faced. Similarly, Douglass uses vivid descriptions of the violence and brutality he witnessed as a slave to convey the horrors of slavery. In contrast, "Learning to Read" uses more straightforward language, but the speaker's determination to learn is evident in his words.
All three texts stress the importance of education in achieving success. The mother in "Mother to Son" encourages her son to keep climbing the stairs, even when they are broken and difficult to ascend. This metaphor represents the importance of perseverance and determination in adversity. Similarly, Douglass emphasizes the transformative power of education in his autobiography. He states that reading allowed him to understand his oppression and fight for his freedom.
The use of language, descriptions, and events in these texts highlights the importance of education and the risks individuals must take to gain knowledge. Despite the obstacles they faced, the speakers in these texts refused to be held back by their circumstances and used education as a means of achieving success. These texts serve as a reminder of the power of education to transform lives and empower individuals to overcome adversity.