From Courage to Freedom

...

himself finally learning to read. You would think this would be a big accomplishment for him and he would be proud of himself. Douglass tells of himself regretting his own existence and wishing himself dead. This seems to be the turning point of the story. I did not suspect him feeling this way at all. By Douglass learning how to read, he has found out so much information about slavery and what the whites have done to his people. He is appalled by some of the information he has found out but soon realizes that he cannot do much about it because if anyone was to find out he could read it could “injure” him. It took many steps for Douglass to be able to read and write. His mistress, who was said to be kind and tender hearted, was the one person who supported him and even taught him the alphabet. Ironically, there was a change in her character and she took on the same ill feelings towards slaves. She stopped teaching him things and even hated to see him with a newspaper.

Douglass makes the point clear that anything is possible and never let obstacles hold us back. This is a strong lesson to anyone about how to never give up. Douglass was a slave and in the beginning was treated very well, but eventually mistreated. But throughout his life, he never once gave up. Douglass recognized the inequality that his masters were making because they thought that slavery and education were not compatible. Succeeding at reading gave him the power to make his own decisions. His perseverance emphasizes that hard work will pay off. Becoming educated is necessary to being successful.

...