He explained in May 1846 that "my manner was such as to create a suspicion that I was not a runaway slave, but some educated free negro, whom the abolitionists had set forth to attract attention to what was called there a faltering causeit became necessary to set myself right before the United States, and to reveal the whole facts about my case.". It ends with the natural transition from learning to read to learn to write. In defiance of the codes that explicitly forbade teaching enslaved people how to read, Mrs. Auld taught Douglass the alphabet, unlocking the gateway to educationwhich he would extol the rest of his life. Others praised his plain style, especially because it was free from guile, which was seen to promote its truthfulness. In the 1800s, for a slave to know how to read and write was not only unheard of, but illegal. . For contemporary pupils it is not that easy to understand how difficult it is to learn to read, when you have nothing. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Langua, 2003. The Importance Of Frederick Douglass - The Odyssey Online Repetition of information in my multi-path / multi-play-through game how to deal with it? People gave advice how to get free, gave him tools. These quotes express Douglasss emotions while going through this stage in his life. (2021, Feb 10). Updated: January 27, 2021 | Original: February 10, 2018. Reading gives Douglass access to a new world that opens before him, but the strongest effect of his literacy is the light it casts on the world he already knows. The language of the text is direct and easy to understand. How did Frederick Douglass learn to read? - BIO-Answers.com 10 Facts About Frederick Douglass. Douglass states: The more I read, the more I was led to abhor and detest my enslavers. In many situations during the 1800s when slavery was prominent we can see that education holds power in society. Finally, reading is fun! From there, he taught himself to read and write. 75 Readings: An anthology. Frederick Bouglass | Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass By acknowledging his mistress was a good woman before, the intrinsic ethos is strengthened. As the author, Douglass is an educated and free black man and a leader in the abolitionist movement. To install StudyMoose App tap Strangely, Douglass would become even more driven to learn as a result of hearing these remarks, realizing that learning was the key to freedom. Personally, I feel Frederick Douglass was, still is, an influential man, on the account of, his commitment to learn despite the danger these actions entailed. Douglass was self-educated and was able to analyze slave behavior and see slavery occur firsthand as a slave himself. From the start Douglass was giving schooling from his mistress, however this came to an abrupt ending when Douglass master walked into a lesson and became furious.