The Education Of Frederick Douglass

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"The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass" is an autobigraphical genre about slavery written by Frederick Douglass. Douglass gives insight about the early stages of his life. This journal will be focused on Frederick's education.

He got an education without the aid of a parent encouraging or nagging him to be the best he could, or going to school. With his best interests in mind, he encouraged himself to become literate and aquire knowledge from whomever he could get to teach him, whether it be one of his owners or a child on the street.

When he was a slave and he was trying to become an educated individual, he went out and found people to educate him. For instance, when he first started writing, he was taught by the woman Mrs. Auld who was in charge of him. She was aware that he was uneducated and she treated like a child who hadn't learn to read.

She began to teach him the letters but was soon warned by Mr. Auld that slaves should not be taught to read.

Frederick Douglass states in quotes that Mr. Auld warned her, "if you teach that nigger 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 would make him discontented and unhappy." (110) For this reason she stopped teaching him.

However, Douglass Frederick took knowledge from the children that were in the area where he was staying to work.

Also, he went on a search for someone who would be able to teach him. He found that the children who were in school would be able to teach him. He traded them things for...