Will you me

read the passage.

excerpt from narrative of the life of frederick douglass by frederick douglass

frederick douglass was born into slavery in the early 1800s. he would escape and become a famous writer, orator, and politician. a leader in the abolitionist movement, douglass's memoir detailed his life as a slave and his hunger for freedom. published in 1845, this memoir fueled the abolitionist movement and is considered one of the most influential abolitionist texts.

very soon after i went to live with mr. and mrs. auld, she very kindly commenced to teach me the a, b, c. after i had learned this, she assisted me in learning to spell words of three or four letters. just at this point of my progress, mr. auld found out what was going on, and at once forbade mrs. auld to instruct me further, telling her, among other things, that it was unlawful, as well as unsafe, to teach a slave to read. to use his own words, further, he said, "if you give a [slave] an inch, he will take an ell. a [slave] should know nothing but to obey his master—to do as he is told to do. learning would spoil the best [slave] in the world. now," said he, "if you teach that [slave] (speaking of myself) how to read, there would be no keeping him. it would forever unfit him to be a slave. he would at once become unmanageable, and of no value to his master. as to himself, it could do him no good, but a great deal of harm. it would make him discontented and unhappy."

these words sank deep into my heart, stirred up sentiments within that lay slumbering, and called into existence an entirely new train of thought. it was a new and special revelation, explaining dark and mysterious things, with which my youthful understanding had struggled, but struggled in vain. i now understood what had been to me a most perplexing difficulty—to wit, the white man's power to enslave the black man. it was a grand achievement, and i prized it highly. from that moment, i understood the pathway from slavery to freedom. it was just what i wanted, and i got it at a time when i the least expected it. whilst i was saddened by the thought of losing the aid of my kind mistress, i was gladdened by the invaluable instruction which, by the merest accident, i had gained from my master.

though conscious of the difficulty of learning without a teacher, i set out with high hope, and a fixed purpose, at whatever cost of trouble, to learn how to read. the very decided manner with which he spoke, and strove to impress his wife with the evil consequences of giving me instruction, served to convince me that he was deeply sensible of the truths he was uttering. it gave me the best assurance that i might rely with the utmost confidence on the results which, he said, would flow from teaching me to read. what he most dreaded, that i most desired. what he most loved, that i most hated. that which to him was a great evil, to be carefully shunned, was to me a great good, to be diligently sought; and the argument which he so warmly urged, against my learning to read, only served to inspire me with a desire and determination to learn. in learning to read, i owe almost as much to the bitter opposition of my master, as to the kindly aid of my mistress. i acknowledge the benefit of both. .

the plan which i adopted, and the one by which i was most successful, was that of making friends of all the little white boys whom i met in the street. as many of these as i could, i converted into teachers. with their kindly aid, obtained at different times and in different places, i finally succeeded in learning to read. when i was sent of errands, i always took my book with me, and by going one part of my errand quickly, i found time to get a lesson before my return. i used also to carry bread with me, enough of which was always in the house, and to which i was always welcome; for i was much better off in this regard than many of the poor white children in our neighborhood. this bread i used to bestow upon the hungry little urchins, who, in return, would give me that more valuable bread of knowledge.

i am strongly tempted to give the names of two or three of those little boys, as a testimonial of the gratitude and affection i bear them; but prudence forbids; —not that it would injure me, but it might embarrass them; for it is almost an unpardonable offence to teach slaves to read in this christian country. it is enough to say of the dear little fellows, that they lived on philpot street, very near durgin and bailey's ship-yard. i used to talk this matter of slavery over with them. i would sometimes say to them, i wished i could be as free as they would be when they got to be men. "you will be free as soon as you are twenty-one, but i am a slave for life! have not i as good a right to be free as you have? " these words used to trouble them; they would express for me the liveliest sympathy, and console me with the hope that something would occur by which i might be free.