May 9, 2002

AGS 4760: Senior Seminar I

Sagan Assignment

Anonymous

This paper is the first assignment in a class that, if completed successfully, will fulfill the writing intensive requirement established by Wayne State University in its goal to impart a "well rounded education to all its undergraduates." The subject of this paper is an essay written by Carl Sagan titled In Praise of Literacy. What I write will be based upon what I can remember from the reading without going back to it once I have started writing. My objective with this paper is to retell In Praise of Literacy, using my own words to describe the setting along with a summary of the events. Beyond that, I intend to interpret what Sagan is trying to say and then critically evaluate it for any possible flaws or exceptions. Finally, I plan to write about what In Praise of Literacy means to me on a personal level, how I have in the past or can in the future, assimilate Sagan’s awareness into my own life.

In Praise of Literacy is a brief biographical account of the life of Frederick Douglas, who was born a slave in the early 1820’s on a plantation in rural Maryland and given the name Frederick Bailey. Before his first birthday he was taken from his mother, as was common practice within the "peculiar institution" of slavery. His years on the plantation were filled with memories of awakening to the shrieks of his aunt being whipped as well as countless other acts of unspeakable cruelty at the hands of slave masters who seemed to thoroughly enjoy their work.

At the age of ten, Frederick Bailey was "conveyed" to a Captain Auld of Baltimore, leaving the fields for the first time to work as a domestic servant in the Auld household. It was there that he became intrigued by the concept of reading. At some point, Bailey asked Mrs. Auld to teach him to read. Apparently she was impressed with his desire to learn and agreed to teach him. When the Captain found out what his wife was doing, he became furious, telling her in no uncertain terms, that educating "niggers" ruins them as slaves. Captain Auld’s scolding of his wife took place within earshot of young Frederick Bailey, revealing a truth that intensified his desire to learn. Teaching a slave to read actually was against the law, yet in spite of this, Bailey used whatever means available to successfully teach himself and then other slaves to read. Due in large measure to being literate, Bailey eventually escaped to New England, where slavery was illegal. As a free man, he changed his name to Frederick Douglass and dedicated much of his life to helping other run-away slaves. Ultimately, Frederick Douglass went on to become one of the greatest orators, black or white, this nation has ever known.

As interesting as this story is merely as a series of significant events in one man’s life, I have to assume that the author, Carl Sagan, chose to present this particular story to make a point. Sagan tells the reader what life was like for Frederick Douglass, what key factor changed his life and what his life was like after the change took place. Frederick Bailey is born into slavery. He becomes educated. He becomes free. When viewed in these simple terms, one can interpret Sagan’s point as being that the white man’s power to enslave black men is based upon keeping them ignorant. Another way of stating the "moral" of this story is that "only the educated are free".

A critical evaluation of the point Sagan seems to be making reveals situations wherein education is not always enough to insure freedom as well as situations where those without any formal education are completely free. In our class discussion, it was noted that communist countries such as China and other politically repressive regimes routinely deny intellectuals basic freedoms. Many are imprisoned or disappeared for knowing too much. On the other hand, it was acknowledged that pre-Colombian Native Americans were not formally educated yet lived relatively free. It is entirely possible that Sagan’s point that knowledge insures freedom is a bit too simplistic. At the same time, if the literal definition of physical "freedom" is expanded to include intellectual freedom, Sagan’s point gains validity. With regard to Frederick Douglass specifically, there is no question that becoming educated freed his body as well as his mind.

More than anything, the story In Praise of Literacy reminds me of man’s capacity to exploit his fellow man for personal gain. Slavery existed primarily for economic reasons. Although the unspeakable cruelty and barbarism practiced by slave masters may have fulfilled some sick desire to harm others, its main purpose was to maintain the source of free labor. In thirteen years of public education it was never pointed out to me that most of the men who signed The Declaration of Independence were wealthy slave owners. I discovered this tidbit of ironic fact on my own. Lincoln’s emancipation proclamation may have abolished the peculiar institution of slavery in a legal sense, but judging from the disparity in wealth among citizens of the United States today, it did little to change the greed-driven mindset of corporate America. Clearly, my life does not in any way resemble that of Frederick Douglass’. Nonetheless, I can learn from and assimilate his experiences in my own pursuit of truth and justice. Without the ability to access information, all hope is lost.