In the simplest terms, freedom to him meant the ability to regain his manhood. I think when he looked at himself and freedom more closely, however, it really was his ability to understand what it meant to not be free and how, for slaves, it was only the lesser of two evils. He remembered many of the things that he was told as a slave, things that were meant demean him, but in many ways they compelled him to fight for his dignity. The way he wrote seemed to impact me with more clarity and feeling about his situation than anything I've read about slavery before. Yet it was very simple, matter-of-fact, and raw. It felt as though I was watching him sift through his thoughts as he was trying to make sense of the whole situation, not just to present it to the world, but also to come to terms with his experiences. Because of this there is a strong quality of truth and honesty that comes through. That is an obviously important quality for a persuasive piece of writing and it is portrayed very effortlessly. I believe that makes is words have much greater meaning.
In the simplest terms, freedom to him meant the ability to regain his manhood. I think when he looked at himself and freedom more closely, however, it really was his ability to understand what it meant to not be free and how, for slaves, it was only the lesser of two evils. He remembered many of the things that he was told as a slave, things that were meant demean him, but in many ways they compelled him to fight for his dignity. The way he wrote seemed to impact me with more clarity and feeling about his situation than anything I've read about slavery before. Yet it was very simple, matter-of-fact, and raw. It felt as though I was watching him sift through his thoughts as he was trying to make sense of the whole situation, not just to present it to the world, but also to come to terms with his experiences. Because of this there is a strong quality of truth and honesty that comes through. That is an obviously important quality for a persuasive piece of writing and it is portrayed very effortlessly. I believe that makes is words have much greater meaning.