Frederick Douglass Learning To Read And Write Summary

He now knew what empowered them and what he needed to become empowered, and he states that "The argument which he so warmly urged, against my learning to read, only served to inspire me with a desire and determination to learn" (48). He prized this lesson and took advantage of it. Frederick Douglass now set a goal for himself to learn how to read at any cost.

During the 1800’s, the institution of slavery was still ongoing in the few slave states left in America. Slavery was still proving to be unjust and unfair, not allowing for African Americans to be considered equals. However, some slaves were able to overcome the many restrictions and boundaries that slavery forced upon them. In Frederick Douglass’ essay “Learning to Read and Write,” Douglass portrays himself as an intelligent and dignified slave who’s able to overcome the racial boundaries placed upon him. Frederick Douglass saw that his only pathway to freedom was through literacy, so his goal was to learn how to read and write no matter the circumstances. Douglass realized

Douglass lived in the slave times. It was illegal to a slave to read and write. Any slave caught reading or writing would be severely punished or even killed. Slave owners felt that if they learn they will soon rebel and start to fight back. Douglass even grew up not even knowing his own age. His master’s wife is what

Reading opened his eyes to his “wretched condition” (2057) and he longed for independence and freedom. He did not desire this for himself alone, but also for his fellow slaves. He “imbue[d] their minds with thoughts of freedom” and sought to “impress them with the gross fraud and inhumanity of slavery” (2077). Douglass took the lead in devising the plans of escape; his skill in reading and writing was instrumental in his plans. While at Master Hugh’s, Douglass acquired the copy-books of his master’s son, Thomas. He taught himself to write and soon “could write a hand very similar to that of Master Thomas” (2059). This ability helped Douglass to formulate the plan of escape from Mr. Hamilton. He wrote several “protections” for himself and the other runaways under the name of Mr. Hamilton’s. Though this escape attempt was unsuccessful, it is a testimony to the Douglass’ genius which would not have existed without his education. His ability to read and write planted the desire for freedom and enabled him to attempt to achieve it.

Douglass decides to continue learning to read even after Mrs. Auld is forbidden from teaching him. At one point Douglass states that “The more I read, the more I was led to abhor and detest my enslavers. [...] As I read and contemplated the subject, behold! That very

Frederick Douglass had specific audiences that he wanted to either relate to or to get across a point to. African American people that had endured slavery were an intended audience because Frederick Douglass states things such as “Thus, after a long, tedious effort for years. I finally succeeded in learning how to read and write” and “I was compelled to resort to various stratagems”. Those sentences by Frederick Douglass show that it was not an easy time for him and the levels or trials that he went through to be someone who was not illiterate. Frederick Douglass never once was one to give up on the need to learn to read and write, so that shows that Frederick Douglass thought that it was important for the African American people to be as well educated as the caucasian Americans were. The caucasian Americans were Frederick’s intended audience because of Frederick’s use of contrast throughout the extract. Frederick tells how his mistress had changed on him from being a helpful, loving, and nice woman to an evil spirited, bitter brute

In "Learning to Read and Write" written by Frederick Douglass, he talks about his experience of teaching himself how to read and write as a slave boy living in Master Hugh's house where his mistress educated him. However, she was dictated by her husband and the instructions given to the slaves on how to read had to stop; in order for Douglass to teach himself, he obtained a book about slavery, The Columbian Orator and read the book every free second he had. Encouraged by the book, Douglass runs away to the north from his master for freedom. Douglass' main ideas include depravity, chattel, and an emancipation, which represents a moral corruption, the slave properties, and an act of freeing someone from slavery, respectively.

1. Douglass taught himself how to read and write. At first, Douglass’s mistress taught him how to read the alphabet before her husband prohibited her from doing this. After that he started to teach himself how to read by reading books and newspapers, and how to write by copying his little Master Thomas’s written in the spaces left in the copy-book when his mistress goes to the class meeting every monday afternoon. However his most successfully way of teaching himself how to read was to make friends with the white boys whom he met in the street. He bribes them with food to get them to teach him. He also learned how to read and understand the meaning of the name on the timber.

As soon as Douglass pieces together what Mr. Auld was saying he recognizes that “What he most dreaded, that I most desired. What he most loved, that I most hated. That which to him was a great evil, to be carefully shunned, was to me a great good, to be diligently sought; and the argument which he so warmly urged, against my learning to read, only served to inspire me with a desire and determination to learn.” (Douglass 38). This instant illustrates one of the first climaxes of the narrative. One statement made by Mr. Auld so greatly impacted Douglass by giving him a new sense of hope and will to succeed in obtaining his freedom. Douglass pulls out the positive in this experience, that Mr. Auld accidentally shared with him the power that comes with education. “In learning to read, I owe almost as much to the bitter opposition of my master, as to the kindly aid of my mistress. I acknowledge the benefit of both” (Douglass 39). Douglass learned to read not only in thanks to his kind mistress, who willingly taught him to read, but also to his cruel master whose rage towards Douglass learning to read and write generated him to give Douglass the knowledge he wanted to keep from him to begin with. The lesson given to him by his master about education was far more important than even the lesson’s on learning to read. Douglass’s use of chiasmi takes this climax to the

One of the most important examples of perseverance in Douglass’s Narrative is his constant thirst for knowledge. The great impact learning had upon Douglass is inarguable. When his master Anthony takes him to Baltimore, he is introduced to Mrs. Auld who begins teaching him letters and small words (Douglass 250). Once Mr. Auld finds out, he warns the woman of the dangers of this kindness and forbids her from continuing these lessons (Douglass 250). Douglass’s hearing of this stirs within him his most important revelation. He tells readers, “From that moment, I

     Although Douglass’ desire to develop the mind was strong, he didn’t always have it. It wasn’t until Mr. Auld had chastised Mrs. Auld for teaching him the alphabets that he really felt the aspiration to read. Douglass said, “That which to him was a great evil, to be carefully

Before I read this piece of art, I did not think that I would like it; I thought it was a tedious literary work like the ones a part of a colossal textbook at first glance. However, I changed my mind after reading it thoroughly. I am honestly amazed at how Douglass’ words link together to have such easy flow and clarity through each sentence. He is a better writer than some of the people who learned how to read and write at an even younger age than him. Last but not least, I love how he proves that education is important since reading and writing gave him the advantage to become a free man; this excerpt gives a lesson on why education is pivotal to gaining knowledge to have a sense of individuality.

To achieve this need Douglass had to reach within himself and ignore all the bad happening. Douglass reached this need by realizing he could do better than what other thought of him. When he got told he could not be taught to read, Douglass had a spark inside of him. From that point on, he would get an education whether he was allowed to or not. “These words sank deep into my heart, stirred up sentiments within that lay slumbering, and called into existence an entirely new train of thought” (960).

He would try learning how to read and write with his mistress, she taught him a little bit. But it was against his master because the slaves were not allowed to be learning how to read and write. Although "education and slavery were incompatible with each other" Douglass was very determined to keep on learning (Douglass 33). Douglass would be smart about it, when he “was set of errands, [he] always took a book” because he would get “a lesson before [his] return” by giving the “hungry little urchins, who . . . would give [him] that more valuable bread of knowledge” (Douglass 330). He came up with that plan because it was important to him to be educated in any way possible. Kids nowadays don’t know the importance of education because they aren't taking it serious since they are not taking advantage of it. They are dropping out of school, skipping school, and just simply not doing assigned work. Future Americans, understand that school isn’t something that you can just throw away, you need it in the long run. Imagine yourself when you’re older, you would want yourself to be successful in the near future but you won’t be able to because you might not like going to school. Also remember that a job is temporary, for example working at a restaurant, unless you want to work there your whole life go ahead. Shoot for the professions, those are

　　One of Douglass’ first endeavors on his journey of self improvement was to become literate. Upon coming to live with Mr. and Mrs. Auld, he says that he found his new mistress to