Summary Of Learning To Read By Frederick Douglass

In his autobiographical essay “Learning to Read”, Frederick Douglass illustrates the critical and empowering aspects of his life that contributed to his success and shaped his attitude towards learning. Douglass was a former slave who became emancipated and fought for the freedom and rights of enslaved Africans that experienced harsh and brutal treatment. During his early years, Douglass was illegally taught how to read and understand the alphabet by his master’s wife. However, he was later abandoned by his mistress and was forced to learn on his own. Throughout this troubling moment of his life, Douglass turned to a book titled “The Columbian Orator” which allowed him to acknowledge the brutalities of slavery and use his knowledge and literacy

It was still the first month of school as I struggled to adapt to the new changes that came with the transition from ninth to tenth grade. Each period, I would walk into my Chemistry class with a sullen and resentful expression on my face that depicted the remorseful attitude which I expressed towards the class. The first few periods had already become an obstacle for me, as I failed to keep up with the information and concepts that I was presented with. The year began with my teacher lecturing my class on the basic structure, properties, elements, and characteristics of the periodic table. The coursework of the class gradually became overwhelming and demanding in the periods that followed. To my surprise, I had already been failing each of the tests, labs, and a majority of the assignments that were given to me during the first few weeks of school. My first thought after my failures and imperfections was why this was happening. I recall coming home after each school day had come to end and sitting at my desk for hours attempting to solve complex stoichiometry problems and mole to mole ratios, as well as understanding different types of chemical reactions, compounds, and theories. I devoted hours and hours to focusing my mind and concentrating on understanding the concepts that were presented to me in order to succeed in the class. However, despite my persistence and

As an enslaved human, he was illegally taught how to read and write by his mistress, who later abandoned him at an early age. This aspect of Douglass’s life compelled him to turn to the “Columbian Orator”, which he read whenever he received the opportunity to do so. As he continued to read the book, he began to abhor his literacy and ability to read by stating “I often found myself regretting my own existence, and wishing myself dead; and but for the hope of being free, I have no doubt but that I should have killed myself, or done something for which I should have been killed” (Douglass 27). Douglass’s emotions and attitude towards his knowledge sparked the corruption which he used to characterize his literacy as. While being forced to read and write on his own, he formed a pessimistic view of his life by expressing “As I writhed under it, I would at times feel that learning to read had been a curse rather than a blessing. It had given me a view of my wretched condition, without the remedy. It opened my eyes to the horrible pit, but to no ladder upon which to get out” (Douglass 27). However, Douglass’s expression of his experiences as a self-taught slave developed a vast influence on his life as it allowed him to escape the severities of slavery and fight for the vindication of enslaved