How did Frederick Douglass learn to read?
Defying a ban on teaching slaves to read and write, Baltimore slaveholder Hugh Auld's wife Sophia taught Douglass the alphabet when he was around 12. When Auld forbade his wife to offer more lessons, Douglass continued to learn from white children and others in the neighborhood.
When Douglass was eight-years-old, he was sent to live with another master in Baltimore. His new master's wife had never had a slave before and taught Douglass the alphabet before the master found out and told his wife that such an activity was illegal.
Douglass credits Hugh's wife Sophia with first teaching him the alphabet. From there, he taught himself to read and write. By the time he was hired out to work under William Freeland, he was teaching other enslaved people to read using the Bible.
In his experience, he believes that learning to read and write is his way to relieve his pain about “being a slave for life.” He quickly finds out that reading and writing are the only ways he can be free from slavery. Douglass explains that his mistress stops teaching him after her husband told her not to do so.
How did Douglass learn to read and write? His mistress, Mrs. Auld, first teaches him his letters and the rudiments of reading until she realizes that it is dangerous to teach a slave to read and begins to actively prevent Douglass from reading.
Douglass was motivated to learn how to read by hearing his master condemn the education of slaves. Mr. Auld declared that an education would “spoil” him and “forever unfit him to be a slave” (2054). He believed that the ability to read makes a slave “unmanageable” and “discontented” (2054).
Many slaves did learn to read through Christian instruction, but only those whose owners allowed them to attend. Some slave owners would only encourage literacy for slaves because they needed someone to run errands for them and other small reasons.
When he turned eight years old, his slaveowner hired him out to work as a body servant in Baltimore. At an early age, Frederick realized there was a connection between literacy and freedom. Not allowed to attend school, he taught himself to read and write in the streets of Baltimore.
The plan that Fredrick adopted to learn to read was to make friends of all the little white boys who he met in the street.
What does Frederick hope to gain by learning how to read? Who teaches Frederick why black men are not taught to read? Why is this lesson so important to him? b/c he realizes that education & knowledge can get him to freedom.
Why does Douglass consider learning to read a curse?
Q. Why does Douglass say that learning to read was a curse rather than a blessing? It showed his horrible situation, but not how to escape it. No books were available to him so he had nothing to read.
Literacy plays an important part in helping Douglass achieve his freedom. Learning to read and write enlightened his mind to the injustice of slavery; it kindled in his heart longings for liberty.
So his first few lessons in reading and writing were actually from his mistress, Miss Auld, when he was living in Baltimore. She was teaching her young son, who was about Douglass' age, how to read and write, and so she was teaching Douglass at the same time.
Q. Why does Douglass say that learning to read was a curse rather than a blessing? It showed his horrible situation, but not how to escape it. No books were available to him so he had nothing to read.
Improved Communication Skills
The more you read and write, the more you broaden your vocabulary and are able to articulate concepts accurately and more effectively to others. Increasing your ability to communicate also helps make you a better worker or student.
Why does Frederick relate the story of the slaves Henrietta and Mary? "If you teach that slave (speaking of myself) how to read, there would be no keeping him. It would forever unfit him to be a slave. He would at once become unmanageable, and of no value to his master" (p.
For what reason do slaves sing, according to Frederick Douglass? Slaves sing to demonstrate their sorrow.