Frederick Douglass was an African-American social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer, and statesman. Douglass’s mission was to become educated and dedicate his life to the abolition of slavery. About the role literacy played in Douglass’s account in the narrative; literacy impacted every aspect of his life retold through this account. When Frederick Douglass first learned the, his first alphabet, it was his primary encounter with the idea of education. Personally, it made him feel like a human, which ultimately lit a spark in his soul to want more education and achieve more opportunities in life. Douglass was determined to become educated and breakthrough the shackles of slavery, regardless of any dangers or obstacles he would face.
Frederick Douglass realized that the ability to read and write was his best chance to propel himself from his circumstance. He was unaware of the unintended consequence of when he started this enlightening process was that by educating himself, he would unavoidably discover and reveal the injustices of his black people and the negative system of slavery was. Education is powerful because it can make one mindful of unfairness and injustice, while also serving as a springboard to one’s prosperity.
Since his early days, Frederick Douglass undeniably felt that he could move past being a slave. He had many choices for what path he would take in life, but due to his new-found quest, he figured the best to be through education. In chapter six of the narrative, Frederick Douglass is sent to stay with Mr. and Mrs. Auld. It is here where Douglass gets a new perspective on his life. Mrs. Auld shows Douglass a few alphabets such as his A, B, C’s and teaches him small words. However, Mr. Auld was furious when he learned that Mrs. Auld was educating a slave and instantly commands her to quit teaching Douglass. Mr. Auld makes it clear to his wife that it is unsafe to educate slaves, stating that, "If you gi...