Because of their race and background
Answer: The answer is below.
Comparing:
Both of the themes from these excerpts are about how you can be able to learn despite differences in yourself from others.
Contrasting:
The theme of <em>The Story of My Life</em> by Helen Keller is that you are able to do anything you put your mind to, even if you are physically impaired in some way.
The main theme in the excerpt of <em>The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass</em>, is that you can learn how to do things even if you are of a different ethnic background.
In other words, the main character in the story are different in different ways (one is blind, the other was of a different ethnicity)
I’m pretty sure he means he doesn’t want his poetry to end with him dying, but more of, he hopes his poems continue to give strength to those who read them, recite them. I hope this helps!