Frederick Douglass Learning To Read And Write Summary

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In paragraph 7 of an excerpt of Frederick Douglass's "Learning to Read and Write," he talks about "regretting [his] own existence." With his skills of literacy and comprehension of English, Douglass overhears people talking about the abolitionists. He listens intently, and over time infers the context of being an abolitionist as "anything wrong in the mind of a slaveholder." Unfortunately for him, his "dictionary afforded [him] little to no help." Persistent and unabashed, Douglass continues to attempt to decipher the "act of abolishing." The word "abolitionist" is significant as it summarizes Douglass's feelings toward slavery and a desire toward freedom. Eventually, when "the light broken upon [him] in degrees" and he realized the full meaning

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