Toni Morrison wrote a paper, “Unspeakable Things Unspoken: The Afro-American Presence in American Literature” to be delivered as a lecture at The University of Michigan October 7, 1988. How strange to read an article that was delivered out loud, I could hear Morrison speaking to me as I read her ideas. This got me thinking, where do the lines blur between how audiences experience information through writing, speaking, recording, and overall communicative expression? With a focus on the African American struggle, I began to explore how multidimensional communication is key to battling controversial issues, categorical misnomers, and perpetuated stereotypes. With seeds planted by Morrison I will analyze Frederick Douglass’ The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass and argue that The Narrative expresses common misconceptions of the newly forming American nation and the necessity to reconcile the political and social agenda in order to fully achieve and maintain a successful ...