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Learning To Read And Write By Frederick Douglass

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In his talk, Frederick Douglass describes the steps he took to teach himself to read and write. His master and mistress refused him a formal education, so he had to rely on the kindness of strangers and other slaves to educate him. When he saw white children learning, he secretly borrowed books and newspapers to teach himself. He practiced memorizing words and writing them on dirt and later on with charcoal on a wall. Douglas attaches great importance to his literacy and considers it the key to his freedom. "Once you learn to read, you will be free forever." He believed that reading and writing gave him the power to understand the world and his own state, and to communicate with others. His literacy also allowed him to challenge the dehumanizing

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