Reading Response To Fredrick Douglass

Reading Response 1: Douglass Fredrick Douglass was a slave who against the closed minded thinking of the society he lived in, rose above and taught himself to read and write which changed his life for the better. After his master had forbidden his learning any further, he continued to learn by making connections with the local boys in the city which lead to his successful escape from the south. Douglass explains the conflict between literacy and slavery as being connected. Douglass writes, “education and slavery were incompatible with each other,” (pg. 59) this is a powerful quote of how a slave cannot learn education from their master and still allow themselves to be treated in such an inhumane way. From learning how to read Douglass realized
He writes, “They gave me tongue to interesting thoughts of my own soul,” (pg. 62). His master is against him reading because he knows that if Fredrick learns to be literate, he can then read about the ideas from abolitionists and try to escape to the north for a life of freedom. Due to Douglass’s newly enlightened mind he would be able to come up with ideas of freedom for himself and challenge his master’s ideas. Douglass writes, “The reading of these documents enables me to utter my thoughts, and to meet the arguments brought forward to sustain slavery,” (pg. 62). In the book that Fredrick read the master willing gives his slave freedom after he becomes literate and tries to escape three different occasions, “- for the conversation resulted in the voluntary emancipation of the slave on the part of the master,” (pg. 62). From literacy, slavery would no longer be an acceptable way of life, the slaveholders knew this and tried everything in their power to prohibit the enlightenment of their