The month of February is notable for a number of things and holidays (Valentine's Day, Presidents' Day, my birthday (LOL!), the winter Olympics, Mardi Gras, the Chinese New Year, various historical and cultural events, etc.). One occasion, however, is particularly worth noting: February is Black History Month.
Accordingly, we're reading Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave (1845) in 19th-century American literature. This remarkable text chronicles the amazing life of an equally remarkable, amazing individual. Douglass (1817?-1895) transcended seemingly insurmountable adversity to become one of the greatest thinkers and writers in all of U.S. and world history. Throughout his narrative, Douglass uses biblical and personal quotations in order to argue that slavery is most definitely an immoral practice. (He was rightfully an outspoken critic of religious hypocrisy.) Readers quickly realize that Douglass is absolutely correct. I'm completely awestruck by a number of his personal quotes, like: "Memory was given to man for some wise purpose. The past is... the mirror in which we may discern the dim outlines of the future and by which we may make them more symmetrical." Wow! In other words, Douglass is essentially saying that we must examine the mistakes of generations past and learn from them in order to first not repeat them and, more importantly, attempt to create a better world. Hence, I believe that Douglass' Narrative should be read and pondered by all 21st-century Americans year-'round.
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