Question

Read the short excerpt from "Up from Slavery" by Booker T. Washington.

So far as I can now recall, the first knowledge that I got of the fact that we were slaves, and that freedom of the slaves was being discussed, was early one morning before day, when I was awakened by my mother kneeling over her children and fervently praying that Lincoln and his armies might be successful, and that one day she and her children might be free. In this connection I have never been able to understand how the slaves throughout the South, completely ignorant as were the masses so far as books or newspapers were concerned, were able to keep themselves so accurately and completely informed about the great National questions that were agitating the country. From the time that Garrison, Lovejoy, and others began to agitate for freedom, the slaves throughout the South kept in close touch with the progress of the movement. Though I was a mere child during the preparation for the Civil War and during the war itself, I now recall the many late-at-night whispered discussions that I heard my mother and the other slaves on the plantation indulge in. These discussions showed that they understood the situation, and that they kept themselves informed of events by what was termed the "grape-vine" telegraph.

Write both a summary and a paraphrase of the text.

Answer 1

Summary:

The narrator, Booker T. Washington, recalls being awakened by his mother praying for Lincoln's success and the freedom of her and her children. Despite being illiterate and having no access to books or newspapers, slaves throughout the South were able to stay informed about the movements for freedom led by Garrison and Lovejoy through the "grapevine telegraph," or informal communication networks.

Paraphrase:

Booker T. Washington remembers being awakened by his mother praying for Lincoln's victory and the freedom of slaves. Despite being uneducated and lacking access to information, slaves across the South managed to stay informed about the movements for freedom through informal communication networks.

Step-by-step explanation: