Essay Questions

What is the significance of the memoir ‘The Life and Adventures of a Haunted Convict’?

Throughout the memoir, the reader discovers that education is power and can transform an individual and society. Reed wrote his entire memoir while in prison in the 1850s, when most Black Americans did not have access to education opportunities. Reed was arrested and convicted of robbery charges. While in prison, Reed embraced education; he becomes among the few Black Americans who could express themselves explicitly. Reed's prowess in communication surprised many, including the prison authorities. Therefore, this memoir's primary message is that education is power because it can elevate someone from a lower level to a higher level.

Why Reed's American Dream remains a nightmare in his early life?

Over the years, America is viewed as a land of opportunities, and it is even today considered a free world. Reed is among the African Americans who believed in the American dream, and he dedicated his life to prove that his goal was valid. Unfortunately, as fate could be, Reed realized that blacks were still denied access to opportunities despite not being a slave or in a segregated community. Reed realized that living freely in New York as a free black man could not grant him an opportunity to better his life. No matter how hard Reed tried to fit in, most whites placed him on the lowest ladder in the social class. Reed became frustrated when he realized that he could never achieve his dreams, and he ended up in crime. Later, Reed ended in prison, and the only achievement he could boast of after being in jail for years was education which elevated his level of expression.

What is the symbolic meaning of Reed's criminal history life?

Reed is depicted as an individual who is yearning to free himself from crime and the confines of his life. Reed indicates that he severally tried to run away from prison, but he was recaptured. Interestingly, even after being released from jail, Reed still went back to his old bad habits of stealing. Therefore, Reed symbolizes the challenges people go through as they try to free themselves from this world's traps and their confined lives.