Was Washington Irving an Adventurous Man?

Yes, I was born an ill child, but that did not stop me from being adventurous in my younger years to older years.  Born in New York on April 3, 1783 I knew I was put on this earth for a purpose. Knowing that I was, “eleventh child born to emigrants Sarah Sanders and William Irving, deacon and successful merchant”http://www.online-literature.com/irving/ I would be giving back to the ones who might not have as much as I did growing up.  I knew I was special because there was the feeling of adventure that would boil in my blood. I would sneak out and go see different plays and wander the streets at night thinking about places I could visit. All of my imagination steamed from the books that I loved by Daniel Defoe. 

Getting older I would become sick on and off but that did not stop me from seeing the world and traveling.  Although, the trip that I took was for my lung alignment in 1804 to a spa in Bordeaux, France I was still able to relax and enjoy the travel. Within the next two years I see new horizons with me having “travelled through many countries in Europe including France, the Netherlands, Spain, Scotland, Wales, and England”http://www.online-literature.com/irving/.  Traveling to these different countries made me love the art, theatre and operas in their culture.  In 1806, I was sad to leave my travels but had to return back to America.

It was hard to leave, but I returned back in 1815 to visit my brother and that lasted for the next seventeen years of my life. I was still able to travel which I love to do while trying to do a business venture with my brother.  Although that failed it gave me insight to start back writing again to receive a little bit of income.  My adventures gave me the energy to write and I wrote two of my most famous writings "Rip van Winkle" and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow".   I became very sickly but that did not stop me from putting my pen down and telling stories that I felt were interesting.  Returning to I America my life would end with me being surrounded by my loves ones and relatives. 

 Here are is a clip from one of his famous writings Rip Van Winkle while on his adventure through England...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62tCuJKfSJU 

Was Frederick Douglass Writings Influential?

Born into slavery Frederick Baily will be one of the most influential Abolitionists in both the past and future time with his writing.  Known to everybody as Frederick Douglass he was considered a leader too many slaves during his era. During this time slaves were not able to read and write, but Douglass was one of the few who did.  Becoming a leader to some of the slaves his master William Freeland was able to let him, “secretly organized a Sunday school, where he taught other slaves to read.”http://www.pbs.org/thisfarbyfaith/people/frederick_douglass.html  This experience to Douglass was one of the best contributions to slavery at this time.  

Reading and writing was something that Frederick Douglass loved to do and that is what made his autobiographies and speeches interesting to read and listen too. Since he was able to do both reading and writing he was able to express the needs that could clarify different assumptions about who he was.  In one of his autobiography Narrative of the Life of an American Slave he was able to express different events that happen on the plantations where he was living in numerous occasions. Douglass in his writing was able to illustrate events that happen for example; “I would crawl into this bag, and there sleep on the cold, damp, clay floor, with my head in and feet out.”http://www2.hn.psu.edu/faculty/jmanis/f-douglas/Narrative-Douglass.pdf It just shows that he is very thoughtful when he writes so that he is able to draw you the picture in his head.

Frederick Douglass was born into slavery but was able to get out of his slavery and be an educated man to teach and tell his story. Not only has his writing and reading helped him, but it has also touched people in many ways. In this cliphttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKYrCDCVMgU from his famous speech "What to the Slave is your Fourth of July?” he is expressing his feeling why he has been called to speak on independence.  Not only does this give insight it again shows that his writing is influential of all different races, colors and creeds.