Learning To Read and Write

This story really ended up catching my attention. Between its realistic views and picturesque writing, I was in an intense trance! I feel that when F. Douglas stated, “Slavery soon proved its ability to divest her of these heavenly qualities,” it really shows how much of an impact, even the thought of slavery, had on everyone.  Slavery was so strongly lived by that even the sweetest of hearts turned to stone. I feel this shows a great, terrible crisis that American’s once easily accepted into their lives. Douglas ended up becoming a very lucky slave who had extreme wit. He created plans that would further him in knowledge. This is a strong aspect of him that I feel is a need in society still today. Still, even though Doulas was a strong character, inside he still held a weakness. I feel that this was stated more directly when he stated, “you will be free as soon as you are twenty one, but I am a slave for life!” He was also a deep individual, for he thought into the answers which he sought. Knowing that “the thought of being a slave for life” would bear heavily on his heart at the age of twelve showed that he had grown up very quickly. And soon he experienced the reason his owners did not want him to read. He experienced hate towards his owners.  And because of this he thought of reading as a curse? What a thoughtful individual to blame knowledge instead of human power and mind. He must have had a heart larger than Texas to hate himself for hating someone else, to hate his mind because he hated his enslavers, to want stupidity so he would not hate. Still he moved on and began again to learn, connecting meaning to words and understanding his surroundings. Once he understood, abolition, he knew, somehow, that it was meant to be his secret knowledge. Even others knew that Douglas was much further than just a man. This, I feel, was stated when the Irish men met Douglas. Because Douglas was a good man, he earned the advice from the Irish men. And though he earned the advice he had wanted his entire life, he chose the route of knowledge first. He chose what he once hated. He chose the thing that every person needs, strength of mind.