Book Report

Book Report

Introduction

This précis summarizes the writing of Booker T. Washington entitled “Up From Slavery”. This work is part of an African American literary tradition that has found its place among the American classics. He discusses about slavery, poverty, racial issues and importance of education.

Summary

The question at issue in this piece was about his life, which began in slavery and ended with his being a renowned educator. The book opens with Washington's boyhood hardships, beginning with his life as a slave on a Virginia plantation where the lack of a family name and a history that would give identity to his existence was painful and difficult to understand. He mentions the slaves' fidelity and loyalty to the master, but he stresses the brutality of the institution: A lack of refinement in living, a poor diet, bad clothing, and ignorance were the slave's lot.

The author presented information to support his view in a simple style with an optimistic tone that suggests to African Americans that they can succeed through self-improvement and hard work. A struggle for literacy is the focus in the intermediate chapters. Leaving the plantation with his mother and stepfather after the Civil War, Washington moved to West Virginia to work in salt and coal mines, where he learned letters while doing manual labor and used trickery to escape work and get to school on time. His situation improved after he was employed as a house servant by a Mrs. Ruffner, who taught him the value of cleanliness and work, lessons he put to good use when he sought admission to Hampton Institute, a Virginia school for poor African Americans. There Washington received an education that led to a teaching job. Throughout these chapters, he gives the impression that his early hardships were a challenge that gave impetus to his ...