FACULTY OF EDUCATION AND LANGUAGE

SEPTEMBER 2012

HBEL3403

TEACHING OF LITERATURE

MATRICULATION NO : 760422125359003

IDENTITY CARD NO. : 760422-12-5359

TELEPHONE NO. : 0107836486

E-MAIL : adulbah@yahoo.com.my

LEARNING CENTRE : INSTITUT PERGURUAN GAYA

HBEL3403

CONTENTS PAGES

1. Introduction 2

2. Section A

Question (i) 3

Question (ii) 4

3. Section B

Question (i) 5

Question (ii) 6

4. Section C

Question (i) 7

Question (ii) 8

5. Conclusion 9

6. Reference 10

7. Attachments 11-14

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HBEL3403

INTRODUCTION

Frederick Douglass’s Slave narrative in Appendix 1 is readily accessible to Form Five

students. It is short, easy to read and understand, and filled with warmth and wisdom in

addition it present a vivid picture of a horrifying period of America history during the

slavery era. Students may read or watch about the institution of slavery from other

sources, some of which attempt to show the cruel inhumanity of many slave owners, but

no books allows students to see and feel the fear, pain and hate. Frederick Douglass’s

narrative in 2 pages appendix given of his life as a slave lets readers feel the fear he has

as a small child separated from his mother, allows the students to experience with him the

pain inflicted by undeserved whippings and weakness caused by too little food and too

much physical exertion, and helps the students understand not only the hate of the slave

for the master but the sickness of hate that allowed human beings to keep other human

beings as chattel.

Throughout the 2 pages appendix, Fredericks Douglass makes several important

points over and over again. He is emphasizing the focus of his story in the beginning of

his story about slavery, the situation, the society, the hypocrisy, and also pointed out

about the discrimination in the culture of the whites in Southern America.

To teach the form five students the critical issue of this short appendix, they

should do the analysis to find the Culture Aspects and the themes that move the story

from one point to another without loosing the focus he want to put up with. To help the

students find the culture and themes for discussion, teacher should do the analyzing first

and prepared the answer for the students to discuss and think about. After that, it is the

job for the teacher to help the students to overcome the difficulties of understanding the

culture and themes by providing activities for them to do to help them focus on the story.

As stated above, to help the form five students, analyzing have been done by the teacher

and the results are stated in Section A, Section B and Section C as followed.

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HBEL3403SECTION A

(i) Identify and describe ONE cultural aspect in the short story that you want Form

Five students to be able to recognize and understand.

One of the cultural aspects that can be identifying in the story of Narrative of the Life of

Frederick Douglass an American Slave is Education. Through the early chapter of the

story we can see how the prohibitions against education show that education is

incompatible for slaves in the eyes of the slaves and their master. Early in his

introduction, he told us how the educations made him a lot different than the white boys.

For the white boys, they could remember their birthday and knew their age as they could

track the date. However, for him, he can only guessing his age after he heard his master

said it somehow at the age of 17. It can be seen through his words,

“ I have no accurate knowledge of my age, never having seen any authentic record

containing it. By far the larger part of the slaves know as little of their ages as horses

know of theirs, and it is the wish of most masters within my knowledge to keep their

slaves hence ignorant. I do not remember to have ever met a slave who could tell of his

birthday. They seldom come nearer to it than planting-time, harvest time, cherry-time,

spring-time, or fall-time. A want of information concerning my own was a source of

unhappiness to me even during childhood. The white children could tell their ages. I

could not tell why I ought to be deprived of the same privilege.”

From the quotation above, we could understand that it was a culture for the whites to

educate their children in early age but for the slaves it was forbidden for them to be

literate to make them stay with their master without thinking of freedom. Without

educations, their master can control their mental and even physical freedom. Instead,

whatever knowledge has been attained might just fester in the slave’s mind and make him

or her unhappier with the conditions and treatment than before. This was the first glimpse

of intentional ignorance of slaves’ plays an important role in Frederick understands of the

system. So it is important for the form five students to understand the education as an

important culture imposed at the early introduction of the autobiography.

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HBEL3403ii) Identify and discuss ONE theme of the short story that you want these students to

understand.

In his autobiography, Frederick Douglass highlighted Slavery as his main theme to tell

his story. He was telling how horrific slavery was through his writing. At the beginning

of the book, Douglass is a slave in both body and mind. The first epiphany is Douglass’s

realization about what slavery is. He’s born a slave on Colonel Llyod’s plantation, but as

a child he’s mostly spared the worst kinds of suffering. He sees his Aunt Hester get

beaten, for example, but he’s too young to be whipped himself. Instead, he suffers

without really knowing it. He never knows his father and only meets his mother a handful

of times before she dies. Then he isn’t allowed to go to her funeral. But he doesn’t really

know for a long time that this isn’t normal.

The slavery brutalized blacks, subjecting them to debilitating, murderous

violence; to rape; to the splitting up of families (another crimes against nature); to

denying them education and self-improvement; and to the exploitation of their labor and

denying them access to their natural right to property. Blacks’ slaves were not happy

Sambas benefiting from the largess of kind, gentile white masters as they were brutalized

against all justice and reason. Neither were they lacking in agency or self-respect, nor

were they, for all intensive purposes socially and morally dead, subjected to natal

alienation. So his first turning point is sort of simplistic, but also important: realizing that

he is a slave and all that that entails. It can be seen through his words,

“My master was a cruel man, hardened by a long life of slaveholding. He would at

times seem to take great pleasure in whipping a slave. I have often been awakened at

the dawn of day by the most heart-rending shrieks of an own aunt of mine, whom he

used to whip. No words, no tears, no prayers, from his victim, seemed to move his iron

heart from its purpose. The louder she screamed, the harder he whipped. I remember

the first time I ever witnesses this horrible exhibition. I was quite a child, but I well

remember it. I never shall forget it.”

Through this quotation, the students will understand slavery as the theme which the

writer wants to tell and to feel the horrificness of slavery they have to endure all their

lives.

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HBEL3403SECTION B

(i) The cultural aspect you have mentioned in Section A. Why would students

have problems? Justify your answer

In section A, we have mentioned “education” as a culture aspect that can be found in the

Story. Although it is easy for a teacher to understand it as an important culture aspect in

the story, but it will be harder for the students to look at it as the culture aspect as it is not

stated clearly in the story. Only by reading the story and understand the words and its

meaning will they find education as the culture amongst the people involved in the story.

In the story he merely pointing out the fact that he did not know the details of his

background is a structurally vital part of the narrative since it defines an early and

formative example of inequality, but Douglass takes this observation one step further by

remarking upon the differences between the white and black children. Instead of merely

accepting this difference, he is keenly aware of the inequality of even the most minor

details.By highlighting the situations; the students can do the thinking and discussing the

differences between the white children and the slaves’ children. With this, they will see

how the educations will free a man minds and thinking about the inequality between the

white children and the slaves children. While the whites are free to learn and make use

the knowledge for a better life, the slaves are forbidden to educate themselves as they are

the property of their master and to do so, they will stay with their master and never cross

their mind that the way they are treated as lowly as an animal, are inhuman.

The students also should understand that the culture of educate children and

slavery are incompatible with each other. By seeing the differences he is suffering not

only because he is a slave, but because he finally understand his condition in early age.

Students can overcome the problem to understand the culture aspect by discussing his

words.

” . By far the larger part of the slaves knows as little of their ages as horses know of

theirs and it is the wish of most masters within my knowledge to keep their slaves hence

ignorant…”

“…The white children could tell their ages. I could not tell why I ought to be deprived of

the same privilege..”

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HBEL3403(i) The theme you have mentioned in Section A. Why would students have problems?

Justify your answer.

One of the most explicit themes of the Narrative is the oppressive effect of

institutionalized racism in the form of slavery in the southern United States. At an early

of his story, Douglass provides striking examples of how slaves are brutalized, mentally

and physically, by the slaveholding system. His narrative provides numerous examples

that add up to a powerful indictment of dehumanizing effects of slavery. These include

the physical abuse of woman, as in the treatment of Douglass’s Aunt Hester, and the

separation of families just as happened with his mother. Although it is stated clearly for

the student to understand the cruelty and shown the horrific of slavery, there will be a

question arises from them on how he can write the narrative freely as a slave.

Thus, he is talking about slavery and their fate. Students will be thinking on how

he can become literate when it is a culture for the law of slavery to forbidden education

amongst the slave. As what has been said by Louisa Gauge, South Carolina, “ No

child, white people never teach colored people nothing, but to be good to dey Master

and Mistress. What learning dey would get in dem days, dey been get it at night.

Taught demselves.” Of course, by reading only two pages of the story, it will be difficult

for the students to make the connection between education, slavery and their loyalty to

the slaveholders although they were tortured beyond imagination and how he got his

freedom from slavery. All of these will make the imaginations of the students widen

without concrete facts on what's going on in the story.

So it is important for the teacher to guide them by giving them information about slavery

and tell them the history of slavery in America. With this, they will understand the reason

of the writer telling about his early life as a slave and what makes him want people to feel

what they have been feel about slavery through the eyes of the slave rather than hearing

from the white people. Thus, students will see the connections between the slavery and

the important of education as in what he said, “ A want of information concerning my

own was a source of unhappiness to me even during childhood. The white children

could tell their ages. I could not tell why I ought to be deprived of the same privilege.”

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HBEL3403SECTION C

Design ONE activity you would use while teaching this short story that would help

students understand

i. The cultural aspect you have mentioned in Section A.

To help the students to understand the culture aspects of education in the story through

the 2 pages of appendix given, this activity is prepared to help them expand their thinking

skills to understand the culture of the society the narrator used to live with. This activity

involved an Expository Reading plan that links education to freedom. The focus is to link

the connections between the Narratives with today situation. That education is akin to

freedom through social justice, social reconciliation and social transformation.

The material that can be used to help the students are:

1. The Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass

2. Expository guided reading Template

To conduct the activity, The student will read The Narrative of Frederick Douglass, and

learn the basic fundamentals of Expository Reading. The student will engage in

meaningful dialogue discussion about the Human Rights identified in the Douglass story.

Then they are required to discuss about the Human Rights and the Culture aspects of

Educations which is a must for the white children but is forbidden for the slaves children

to get education.

They also have to discuss the consequence if the society change they culture by giving

the opportunity for the slaves to become literate. Lastly they should complete templates

for developing his literary responses.

(refer to attachments for the sample templets)

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HBEL3403(i) The theme you have mentioned in Section A.

For this question, students will do a play to enact the story in appendix 1. Teacher will

divided students into groups according to the characters in the story. One of the student

will be a narrator and the rest of them will be the characters that acts throughout the

reading.

Students are able to understand the horrific of slavery and the reason for slavery

as the critical theme of his story by doing so. They also can feel the feeling of becoming a

slave throughout the play. To evaluate their understanding of his experience and the first

chapter of his story, students then will have to answer questions regarding of the

experience they have from the play and try to connect them with Frederick Douglass

story.

Discussion then will be opened to the students to give their opinion considering

the theme of the story. After that, they will write an explanatory paragraph using their

understanding of the theme and emotion expressed in the selection to present their

opinions about what Douglass is trying to explain to the audience. Teacher might afford

students the opportunity to revise their paragraphs after participating in classroom play

and discussion or receiving teacher feedback, allowing them to refashion both their

understanding of the text and their expressions of the understanding.

With these activities, students will overcome the difficulties in understanding the

theme of the story and at the same time feel the pain that the slave endure under their

masters. It then will open their heart to be more humanize to other people. With this,

the objective of Frederick Douglass writing is successful in touching others heart to see

that even the coloured people are human and should be treated equally in society. The

cost of freedom is too high for the slaves, so students will begin to appreciate their well

being and appreciate that they are given an opportunity to study and become literate.

( refer the attachments for the templates 2)

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HBEL3403CONCLUSION

Trough the 2 pages of appendix 1 discussion on Frederick Douglass story of slavery, we

could make a conclusion that without reading the whole story, it is hard for the form five

students to do the analysis without guiding. Although we can see the theme or culture

aspects arises from the first word, but we also need quotation to help us supporting the

ideas so we are not going to wander around trying to understand the story.

However, after the analysis have been done we cam make a conclusion from the

story as a whole that the victim of cultural slavery, for the most part, is completely

unaware of his bonds, and entertains no aspiration for release. There are no smoldering

coals of desire for cultural freedom in his heart which may be fanned into a blazing

indignation that would burst forth also liberating activity.

So it is presume that the students reached their conclusion as what have been

stated above.

(2,742 words)

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HBEL3403REFERENCES

Major Themes in “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass”

http://www.articlemyriad.com/themes-narrative-life-frederick-douglass/

From Courage to Freedom: Frederick Douglass's 1845 Autobiography (3 Lessons)

http://edsitement.neh.gov/curriculum-unit/courage-freedom-frederick-douglasss-

1845-autobiography#sect-preparation

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave Thesis Statements and

Important Quotes

http://www.paperstarter.com/narrative.htm

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave: Written by Himself

http://docsouth.unc.edu/neh/douglass/douglass.html

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass Lesson Plans

http://www.webenglishteacher.com/douglass.html

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave: Written by Himself: E-

Notes

http://www.enotes.com/narrative-life-criticism/narrative-life-frederick-douglass-

an-american

Lesson Unit Plan :The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass

http://urbandreams.ousd.k12.ca.us/lessonplans/frederickdouglass/lp00.html

Frederick Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass an American Slave,

Written by Himself - Grade 8

http://emadams.unc.edu/Cultural-Slavery-or-Freedom

The Slave Experience: Education, Arts and Culture

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/slavery/experience/education/spotlight.html

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HBEL3403ATTACHMENTS 1

Student Name ______________

Date ______________________

Frederick Douglass

(Expository Reading Guide)

Appendix 1 Summary (use the following when appropriate):

1. Who: (Major Character[s])

______________________________________________________

2. What (Plot):

_______________________________________________________

3. When (Time Frame):

______________________________________________________

4. Where (Setting):

_______________________________________________________

5. How (Theme [s]):

_______________________________________________________

6. Summarize Appendix 1:

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HBEL3403

________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________

Discuss the following:

Author’s purpose: _________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

Vocabulary: Write five vocabulary (unknown) words from the chapter,

and use a dictionary and thesaurus to define the words.

Word Dictionary Definition Thesaurus Definition

1) ________________ __________________ _________________

2) ________________ __________________ _________________

3) ________________ __________________ _________________

4) ________________ __________________ _________________

5) ________________ __________________ _________________

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HBEL3403ATTACHMENTS 2

Student Name ______________

Date ______________________

Frederick Douglass

(Evaluation questions Guide)

Appendix 2: activity 1

1. Why does Douglass have no knowledge of his birth date?

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

2. What is Douglass’s probable father’s name?

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

3. What event does Douglass connect with his introduction to the horrors of slavery?

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

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HBEL3403Appendix 1 : Activity 2

Student name:

Date :

Frederick Douglass (Explanatory paragraph)

In what ways the slaveholders are like robbers? Find and explore the structure of

the sentence that gives voice to this idea most clearly from appendix 1

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

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