Freedom and Self Determinism
The two stories “Up From Slavery” by Booker T. Washington and “Incidents In The Life of A Slave Girl '' reflect very insightful history and significance of slavery in America and the aftermath of the Civil War on black america. By comparing and contrasting the two stories on themes of freedom and self determinism, we can find the complex significance of different philosophies and messaging that were proposed during this time of US history. Freedom elicits many meanings, but in the context of these two stories, I want to explore what freedom means for the two writers, and how they differ. “Up From Slavery” tells the story of Washington’s pursuit and success of educational and economic freedom, and “Incidents In The Life of A Slave Girl” tells the story of overcoming slavery and finding what freedom means for her and her children. In “Up From Slavery” by Booker T. Washington, it is very evident that he was an extremely determined and strong willed person. Throughout the book,...