Preview

How Did Frederick Douglass Learn How To Read And Write

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
165 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
How Did Frederick Douglass Learn How To Read And Write
Frederick Douglass was a kind gentleman who works hard, to learn how to read and write as a slave. His mistress whom he describes as a kind hearted woman, later on started treating him inhuman.Frederick Douglass did not give up pursuing his dream. He started going out to neighbors and meeting little children who he gave bread in exchange for knowledge.
Frederick Douglass also learned how to write by going out to a shipyard and saw carpenters writing alphabet letters on their ships. And Frederick Douglass challenged the little kids on how he can read. He also copied his master book, so he could practice his handwriting and his words to read. His mistress at the time caught him reading. She thought he should never think to try to read. Frederick
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Analyzing Frederick Douglass 'Learning How To Read'
    • 417 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Analyzing Frederick Douglass 'Learning How To Read'

    The short narration “Learning how to Read” by Frederick Douglass, tells a story about how Douglass being a young slave hunger to learn how to read. He mentions some of the things he need to do to learn how to read and write. Douglass being nothing but a young slave had an eager to get his education although his master had prohibited him to stop learning Douglass was very smart and brave. In this story he demonstrates to be very confident and very curious but about why his master did not want him to learn how to read and write. But Douglass creative mind urged him to get…

    • 417 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Summary Learning to Read by Douglass
    • 415 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Summary Learning to Read by Douglass

    In “Learning to Read” an excerpt from his autobiography, Frederick Douglass writes about the steps he took to learn to read and write. He shows all the steps in this excerpt. He was a slave in a house; he didn’t have any opportunity to go to school or get any educations but the mistress in the house helped him and taught him the alphabet. But then Douglass’s master asked his wife to stop teaching him. She listened to her husband and turns into inhuman, an evil woman, Douglass could not recognize her anymore. Douglass writes, “She finally became even more violent in her opposition than her husband himself” (36). She changed and she became more evil, more violent than the master. But then that didn’t make Douglass stop and stand hopelessly, he found another way to learn. He tricked a kid from his neighborhood and makes that kid teach him how to read and it went well. After that he continued to find more way to learn, and try improving his reading. He found a book named “The Columbian Orator”. He used every opportunity he got try to read this book and learn the words in there. That was the final step that he took to learn to read. Some years later, after he went to a shipyard and saw and board with words, letters, and he wanted to write. He tried to copy the letters from the board. He didn’t stop; he wanted to know more about writing. He found a boy and asked him to teach him write. The boy taught him to write all the alphabet letters. Finally, the last step he took to learn to write was that he took a book and copy all the words in there and try to remember what the words looked like. That was long and not so easy time for him to learn how to read and write but it didn’t stop him from his interest in reading and writing. Even though he didn’t have any opportunity as a slave to have education, he became strong and found any way that could help him to learn. He keep reading and writing until he…

    • 415 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Frederick Douglass Learning To Read And Write Summary
    • 178 Words
    • 1 Page

    Frederick Douglass Learning To Read And Write Summary

    Learning to Read and Write by Frederik Douglass Frederik Douglass born a slave in 1818 in Maryland. He learned to read and write then he escaped to New York to become a leader in the abolitionist. He is best known of his autobiography “Narrative of the Life of Frederik Douglass (1845)”. He described in his narrative biography his relation with Hugh family that own him as slave. He focused in the early writing of his story about his mistress, and how she was kind, warm, with tender-heart.…

    • 178 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Narrative Life Of Frederick Douglass, Sullivan Ballou Letter, Gettysburg Address
    • 537 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Narrative Life Of Frederick Douglass, Sullivan Ballou Letter, Gettysburg Address

    Frederick Douglass was an American slave that was freed after the civil war. When he was freed he did not get the equal rights that the white people. He was about twelve years old when he thought that he was going to be a slave all his life. When he was freed he was not still equal with the others, he was not able to learn to read and write. He learned to read because he had a book that he will carry with him all the time.…

    • 537 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    How Did Frederick Douglass Identity Changes In Learning To Read And Write
    • 384 Words
    • 2 Pages

    How Did Frederick Douglass Identity Changes In Learning To Read And Write

    In Frederick Douglass’ “Learning to Read and Write” Douglass’ identity changes because he is commencing learning more of what is going on via the book he read. When Frederick Douglass was younger he “lived in Master Hugh’s family about seven years. During this time, I succeeded in learning to read and write”(16) While accomplishing that he forced to resort to assorted schemes. He didn’t have a regular teacher. He got a hold of a book called “The Columbian Orator”, “Every opportunity I got, I used to read this book, Among much of other interesting matter, I found in it dialogue between a master and his slave.”(17) He was twelve years old when he started reading the book and the thought of trying to be a slave for a lifetime began to bear heavily…

    • 384 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Who Was Frederick's Relationship With His Father
    • 2414 Words
    • 10 Pages

    Who Was Frederick's Relationship With His Father

    Douglass learned to read by making friends with the little white boys. He would meet them in the street and turn them into teachers. Sometimes he would insist he was a better writer than the other boys, and they would challenge him, eventually teaching Douglass. Douglass would take Sophia’s child’s writing book and practice with it.…

    • 2414 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Themes In "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass"
    • 1379 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Themes In "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass"

    The book Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, by Frederick Douglass, is a story about Frederick Douglass’s life as a slave and how he goes on his quest to achieve freedom. Douglass was born into slavery and goes from master to master, and he finally sees the power of education when he reaches Baltimore to work for some new people. Here Douglass begins to learn how to read and write and he uses this to his advantage in hopes of becoming free one day. He manages to teach himself how to read in secret and then helps the other slaves become more literate. Eventually Douglass does manage to escape but he doesn’t stop there, he becomes an activist himself in hopes of ending all slavery one day. Through this book, Douglass reveals that learning is essential in order to achieve freedom, friends can help you to achieve your goals, and that slavery can have a very negative effect on a slave’s mind.…

    • 1379 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Frederick Douglass Learning To Read And Write Summary
    • 606 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Frederick Douglass Learning To Read And Write Summary

    Frederick Douglass in his essay "Learning to Read and Write" explains all the difficulties he had to face when he learned to read and write in 1830s. Being a slave, it was against the law to learn to read and write, yet Douglass by risking his life, using all opportunities managed to learn reading and writing.…

    • 606 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Literacy In Frederick Douglass
    • 407 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Literacy In Frederick Douglass

    In his first paragraph Douglass explains how he first acquired his literacy skills with “no regular teacher” but would be taught by his mistress. Who at a one point supported Douglass's education until under the “direction” of her husband ceased teaching him and attempted to negate any chance of Douglass obtaining any more knowledge. But Douglass noted satirically that his mistress was in need of “some training” in “the exercise…

    • 407 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    How Did Frederick Douglass Learned To Become An Enslaver?
    • 421 Words
    • 2 Pages

    How Did Frederick Douglass Learned To Become An Enslaver?

    Not only that, I also learned how to appreciate the life I have now, because not everyone has the same life as others. Frederick Douglass last recalls being taught how to read by Auld’s Wife. Auld didn't want her to teach him, because he thought it wouldn't make him a slave like the others. Instead of giving up, he learned how to read on his own. He discovered a collection of works named The Columbian Orator.…

    • 421 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Frederick Douglass Learning To Read And Write Analysis
    • 747 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Frederick Douglass Learning To Read And Write Analysis

    Fredrick taught himself ho to read and write despite it being against his slave-owners wishes. He first started learning from poor white children in town. He would bring and extra loaf of bread with him when he was on errands to give these children in exchange for reading lessons. His Mistress was also at first supportive of him and his dream to read, but over time she began to grow hateful and would beat him if she saw him with a newspaper. Douglass later wrote "Education and slavery were incompatible". With these obstacles though he sill managed to learn a great deal about reading and writing. Frederick learned that learning how to read and write was his pathway to freedom, then gaining this knowledge was to become his goal. At home Frederick read parts of books and newspapers when he could, but he had to constantly be on guard against his Mistress. His Mistress screamed whenever she caught Frederick reading.…

    • 747 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass Rhetorical Analysis Essay
    • 957 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass Rhetorical Analysis Essay

    Frederick Douglass was many things; he was a former slave, abolitionist, and impressive writer. Despite having his early years plagued by abuse and hardships like any other slave, he was able to overcome these hardships and was able to become a free slave by escape. What sets him apart from other slaves however, is that he was able to write with such power and become an example for his people. This is reflected in his autobiography, The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. As Douglass recounts the story of his years as a slave and his journey to escape the hold of his masters he uses rhetorical strategies such as metaphors, personification, and polysyndetons to give the reader of his story a vivid description of what his life was like when he was still a slave.…

    • 957 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    What Is An Important Person In Frederick Douglass's Life
    • 519 Words
    • 3 Pages

    What Is An Important Person In Frederick Douglass's Life

    Frederick Douglass was an African-American slave that defied the odds by doing something that none of his own kind could do. This inspirational man learned how to read and write all while working as a slave and trying to overcome the challenges of his lifestyle.…

    • 519 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    How Did Frederick Douglass Become An Abolitionist?
    • 882 Words
    • 4 Pages

    How Did Frederick Douglass Become An Abolitionist?

    Douglass himself says in his autobiography, “seized with a determination to learn to read, at any cost, I hit upon many expedients to accomplish the desired end” (500). Although he was a slave, he always found a way to keep learning without letting anyone know. Douglass found many means to keep learning and also keep quiet about how he was doing it. Horn speaking about Douglass says, “In order to attain literacy, Douglass is compelled to resort to indirections’ such as exchanging bread for reading lessons from hungry white children in the streets of Baltimore” (Horn). Douglass was so determined that he probably spent many restless nights learning to read and write, whether sick or in health he kept going. Douglass knew that exchanging bread with the white children of Baltimore would be worth it because he knew that his education has no price. Douglass knows that his education could cost him his life, but still learned even when the society he lived in, didn’t want him to…

    • 882 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Essay On Frederick Douglass Education
    • 489 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Essay On Frederick Douglass Education

    Douglass knowing that he could no longer be educated by Mrs. Auld, he would look for other methods to teach himself. Douglass’s determination to be educated guided him well. In chapter seven, Douglass shares how he gained an education without a formal teacher. Douglass became friends with local poor white boy’s, who he traded bread with in return of knowledge. Douglass also made use of the child of Mr. Auld, by using his educational books. Mr. Auld was right to fear the education of slaves, it was Douglass’s education which led him to seek freedom from slavery. It was education which caused Douglass the passion to better his mind. It was education which helped Douglass establish a legacy, which presented the harsh reality of being a slave. By taking a slave’s education away, a master can maintain their power other their slave, continuing their suppression. Douglass was born into a world that did not want him to be educated, but his persistence to learn resulted in him gaining both an identity and his own freedom. Education is something that many of us nowadays take for granted, but Douglass demonstrates the true power and importance of knowledge within his…

    • 489 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More

Related Topics