Question

20. Read the following excerpt from The Story of My Life by Helen Keller.

The morning after my teacher came she led me into her room and gave me a doll. The little blind children at the Perkins Institution had sent it and Laura Bridgman had dressed it, but I did not know this until afterward. When I had played with it a little while, Miss Sullivan slowly spelled into my hand the word "d-o-1-." I was at once interested in this finger play and tried to imitate it. When I finally succeeded in making the letters correctly I was flushed with childish pleasure and pride. Running downstairs to my mother I held up my hand and made the letters for doll. I did not know that I was spelling a word or even that words existed; I was simply making my fingers go in monkey-like imitation. In the days that followed I learned to spell in this uncomprehending way a great many words, among them pin, hat, cup and a few verbs like sit, stand and walk. But my teacher had been with me several weeks before I understood that everything has a name. I left the well-house eager to learn. Everything had a name, and each name gave birth to a new thought. As we returned to the house every object which I touched seemed to quiver with life. That was because I saw everything with the strange, new sight that had come to me.

Read the following excerpt from Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass, by Fredrick Douglass.
The plan which I adopted, and the one by which I was most successful, was that of making friends of all the little white boys whom I met in the street. As many of these as I could, I converted into teachers. With their kindly aid, obtained at different times and in different places, I finally succeeded in learning to read. When I was sent of errands, I always took my book with me, and by doing one part of my errand quickly, I found time to get a lesson before my return. I used also to carry bread with me, enough of which was always in the house, and to which I was always welcome; for I was much better off in this regard than many of the poor white children in our neighborhood. This bread I used to bestow upon the hungry little urchins, who, in return, would give me that more valuable bread of knowledge. I am strongly tempted to give the names of two or three of those little boys, as a testimonial of the gratitude and affection I bear them; but prudence forbids;-not that it would injure me, but it might embarrass them; for it is almost an unpardonable offence to teach slaves to read in this Christian Country.

Using the excerpts from the Story of My Life by Helen Keller and Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, compare and contrast the themes presented by the authors.​

Answer 1

Both Frederick Douglass's Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, and Helen Keller's The Story of My Life were written to help their respective authors learn to read and write while overcoming significant personal challenges. Both writers want to learn and grow, which is the main reason they want to study.

Both narrators overcame hardships. Helen and Frederick learned despite challenges. Both themes also vary. Helen Keller was blind and deaf like Frederick Douglass. Frederick is discouraged from learning, while Helen isn't. Frederick always wanted to read and write, but Helen didn't at first. Helen had one tutor. Frederick was well-educated. When Frederick's mistress stopped teaching him, he learned from anybody who would. Helen traced words on her hands. Frederick read aloud using letter sounds. Both verses show that anybody may read, write, or learn a language, even in sad times. Both narrators overcome hurdles and achieve their aims, despite their differences.

Step-by-step explanation:

This is only my opinion; feel free to alter it as you see fit.