Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Study notes of Literature

Download Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass and more Study notes Literature in PDF only on Docsity! P.O. Box 658, Clayton, DE 19938 www.prestwickhouse.com 800.932.4593 ™™ Teaching Frederick Douglass’s from Multiple Critical Perspectives Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass Prestwick HousePrestwick House Item No. 308612 Teaching Frederick Douglass’s from Multiple Critical Perspectives Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass ™ ™ Click here to learn more about this Multiple Critical Perspectives! Click here to find more Classroom Resources for this title!  Sample Prestwick House Multiple Critical Perspectives™ Literature Literary Touchstone Classics Literature Teaching Units Grammar and Writing College and Career Readiness: Writing Grammar for Writing Vocabulary Vocabulary Power Plus Vocabulary from Latin and Greek Roots Reading Reading Informational Texts Reading Literature More from Prestwick House Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass Teaching Frederick Douglass's from Multiple Critical Perspectives by Michael Stacey Multiple Critical Perspectives™ ™ P R E S T W I C K H O U S E , I N C . 19 Multiple Critical PerspectivesNarrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass Activity One Observing Recurring Images and Motifs 1. Copy and distribute the worksheet: Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass Formalist Activity One: Observing Recurring Images and Motifs. 2. Divide the class into four groups or a number of groups divisible by four. 3. Assign each group one of the following motifs/images: • Slaves as property (commodity) • Images of freedom • Supportive Females • Violence (Physical and Psychological) 4. Have groups complete the worksheet. 5. Reconvene the class and have groups report their fi ndings. 6. As a class, discuss how the author uses these reoccurring motifs/images in order to focus his overall commentary. P R E S T W I C K H O U S E , I N C . 27 Multiple Critical PerspectivesNarrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass Notes on the Marxist Approach THE MARXIST APPROACH TO LITERATURE is based on the philosophy of Karl Marx, a German philosopher and economist. His major argument was that whoever controlled the means of production in society controlled the society—whoever owned the factories “owned” the culture. This idea is called “dialectical materialism,” and Marx felt that the history of the world was leading toward a communist society. From his point of view, the means of production (i.e., the basis of power in society) would be placed in the hands of the masses, who actually operated them, not in the hands of those few who owned them. It was a perverted version of this philosophy that was at the heart of the Soviet Union. Marxism was also the rallying cry of the poor and oppressed all over the world. To read a work from a Marxist perspective, one must understand that Marxism asserts that literature is a refl ection of culture, and that culture can be affected by literature (Marxists believed literature could instigate revolution). Marxism is linked to Freudian theory by its concentration on the subconscious—Freud dealt with the individual subconscious, while Marx dealt with the political subconscious. Marx believed that oppression exists in the political subconscious of a society—social pecking orders are inherent to any group of people. Four main areas of study: • economic power • materialism versus spirituality • class confl ict • art, literature, and ideologies Marxist Theory Applied to Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass P R E S T W I C K H O U S E , I N C . 31 Multiple Critical PerspectivesNarrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass Activity One Exploring Economies Based on Geography 1. Copy and distribute the worksheet: Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass Marxist Theory Activity One: Exploring Economies Based on Geography. 2. Divide class into three groups or a number of groups divisible by three. 3. Assign each group one of the following locations: • Eastern Shore of Maryland (Easton, St. Michael’s, etc.) • Baltimore, Maryland • New York City and New Bedford, Massachusetts 4. Have groups complete the worksheet. 5. Reconvene the class and have groups report their fi ndings. 6. As a class, discuss the following questions: • How does Douglass characterize the economies of the different locations? • What do you think accounts for the differences in the economies from location to location? • How are these differences signifi cant in terms of understanding 19th century American industrial and agrarian economies?