First of all, Douglass reveals his ethos in the writing effectively. In the first sentence of Douglass’ autobiography, he introduced himself: “I lived in Master Hugh’s family about seven years” (Douglass 100). This sentence is a perfect introduction to his situation throughout the entire story. By using this sentence, Douglass persuaded his audience with his situation as a confirmation that he used to be a slave, so what he writes about slavery is credible and trustworthy. Although having a similar situation as every other slave, Douglass still managed his time, took advantage of his situation, and found some ways to learn and overcome illiteracy. He realized the values of knowledge and was eager to learn although the condition of a slave was
