Compare And Contrast Mother Tongue And Frederick Douglass
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Comparing Douglas and Tan’s Languages
Learning to read and write is something that people in the United States often take for granted. We start learning to read as soon as we get into school; some of us even start before that. Amy Tan’s Mother Tongue has some great points about how society sees those who do not speak perfect English. Her story makes the reader think and gets the reader to really focus on her story. The downfall is that her timeline is choppy and that can make the story very difficult to follow. Frederick Douglass’ Learning to Read and Write is a fantastic story as well. The timeline of this piece is smooth and easy to follow along with. Douglass talked the most about how much time and effort he put into learning to read and write. While they both discussed difficulties with learning the English language, Douglass did a better job at creating a picture for the reader so they could really understanding how he felt while trapped by his slave owner. Frederick Douglass was born in Maryland in 1817 where he was brought up a slave. He lived in his slave owner’s home for seven years and…show more content… Amy Tan’s, “Mother Tongue” is also a very well written story, but it does not have the complexity and interesting factors that it needs to really “wow” the reader. The way Douglass introduces the story by telling the reader about learning the alphabet from the mistress of Master Hugh and makes you believe that learning to read and write is going to be a positive aspect in his life. But after learning the word “abolition” he realizes what a sad life he is truly living. At twelve, this is a big struggle to him because he has no way of escaping the life he has right now. The fact that learning English could actually be a negative aspect in someone’s life is so interesting to read about and it makes the reader get truly invested in Douglass’ life as a