The Importance Of Frederick Douglass Learning To Read And Write

Born into enslavement in 1818, Frederick Douglass, in defiance of his position in life, taught himself how to read and write. Notably, despite his young age, his writings revealed the strength it took to know the difference between being educated or not. One particular writing tilted “Learning to Read and Write” demonstrated Douglass' appetite for knowledge. Through this script, Douglass encountered numerous roadblocks in his pursuit to read and write. Nonetheless, Douglass matured several methods to conquer these obstacles while on his journey to reading and writing. Douglass wanted to learn to read and write, still he had a few obstacles in his path. Noticeably, his biggest barrier was his enslavement; slaves were not educated, which included learning to read and write. Be that as it may, introduced to the concept by his Mistress, Douglass began learning the fundamental aspects of reading. However, she soon changed her mind and forbid Douglass to hold a newspaper and often accused him of reading books. Yet, his Mistress already began teaching him to read, thereby, introducing the idea of tangible knowledge. To emphasize, the idea of reading had been well-established and Douglas began his relentless efforts to school himself further. Steadfast in his endeavors, Douglass reached out to young white boys, around …show more content…
Against all odds, Douglass never wavered in his intentions to learn to read and write. Douglass' efforts to befriend those who could help him learn was remarkable. The clever methods which he used: the young boys, copying letters from the books, and surveying the shipyard, undoubtedly exposed Douglass' level of intelligence. His ability to analyze a situation and ascertaining the appropriate means by which he could accomplish said tasks, even more so, detailed the mental prowess Douglass unequivocally