Fredrick Dougless

            
             In the African culture there are many traditions that have been passed down over time, many of which even made it across the Atlantic Ocean during the Atlantic Passage. It was during this time as the Europeans began to trade slaves across the Atlantic ocean that many African people began to loose focus of their traditions and heritage due to the doctrine that was instilled in them over the years of this slave trade. However there were many cultural traditions that survived this passage. It was due to the knowledge that was brought to the America's by the slaves that were soul directly from Africa to America that taught this heritage. One thing that is taught in African culture is that there are stages to development that African's must go though in their development stages all of these stages are marked by a rites of passage. A rite of passage is a ceremony or a person goes to show that they are now ready for the next developmental stage of their life. It is this concept that I went on to examine in the piece Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglas. Understanding the concepts behind a rite of passage ceremony a person could correlate that with self-realization. Self Realization according to the Webster dictionary is the fulfillment by oneself of the possibilities of one's character or personality." It is through this understanding that we will examine this story. It is through the importance of birthright, and literacy right that we will be able to see the stages of Douglass growth to self-realization.
             In Frederick Douglas' narrative, it is unknown whether or not his birth was welcomed. However, I believe we can infer from the scant details in the text, that he was indeed loved by his mother. Douglas recalled how his mother managed to sneak back to the plantation to be with him four to five times before she died. This would have been done at considerable risk to her own safety.