My Reading List for 02/23/10

Hey, everyone! I'm currently in the process of wrapping up my reading of The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave, Written by Himself (1845). Douglass was indeed a remarkable, if flawed, individual. (Then again, who isn't at least a little flawed?) Anyway, several things about this book fascinated me; for example, Douglass discusses how slaves living in the city of Baltimore were generally treated better than those on plantations in rural areas of Douglass' home state of Maryland. Also, even though he spoke out against slavery, Douglass subscribed to Victorian views of women. (This actually didn't surprise me that much.) In addition, while the document sometimes takes a righteous tone, Douglass doesn't appear to believe that all white Southerners are pro-slavery; in fact, he frequently mentions one great Southern statesman who to an extent champions the anti-slavery cause (I'm pretty sure he's referring to Kentucky-born Abe Lincoln). Finally, I enjoyed the parts about Douglass' travels to Great Britain and his tales of life on the lecture circuit. England was about decade ahead of the U.S. in terms of broaching the slavery issue. I think the primary message of Douglass' writing is that literacy is power. I can't really argue with that! As for what's next on the agenda for Am. lit., well, I have a mid-term exam next week. After that, we'll be reading Herman Melville's masterwork-- Moby Dick (1851). There's a lot going on plotwise in this classic novel, including British military involvement with a little country called Afghanistan, which, incidentally, didn't work out too well for the Brits. (Hmm... did someone say: "History repeats itself"?!) Alright, stay tuned for the next edition of "My Reading List for...". Until next time, peace!