Vocabulary
Douglass says, "The more I read, the more I learned to ABHOR and detest my enslavers." What word best keeps the meaning of the word ABHOR:
-Annoy
-Fear
-Impair
-Loathe
Loathe -- to hate something or someone so entirely.
The mistress became threatening when she decided to den him an education. What kind of animal can be described as threatening?
A tiger
Douglass trades something with the boys in order to gain reading lessons, what is this item?
He gives them bread, they give him lessons.
How did the book, the Columbian orator inspire HOPE in frederick douglass?
He saw himself in the characters and thought maybe he could be freed in a similar way.
Master Hugh predicts that if slaves know how to read and write, it will cause DISCONTENTMENT. What word best means DISCONTENTMENT?
-Misery
-Potential
-Sensation
-Uncertainty
Misery- to be discontent means to be extremely unhappy.
What specifically did the mistress teach douglass how to read?
The alphabet
In paragraph 4, Douglass says he is grateful to a couple of the boys and wants to share their names in his book for helping him; “But prudence forbids.” Why do you think he didn’t include their names?
He doesn't share their names because he doesn't want to embarrass them or get them in trouble for teaching a slave to read and write
Why is douglass in "unutterable anguish" over the book he read?
He understands that the book has opened his eyes to the injustice in the world. He knows that he can't turn a blind eye to slavery anymore.
To start or begin something means to .......
Commence.
What word best describes the way douglass was feeling after master hugh put a stop to his education?
he was motivated and determined to continue learning
How do you think both Douglass and the white boys felt when he would say to them, “You will be free when you turn 21, but I am a slave for life? Have not I as good a right to be free as you have?”
Douglass realizes their lives are different and wonders why he is not treated fairly or equally. The poor white boys might be considering this idea and feel guilty, maybe that want to help make a change, etc.
What specifically did the book the columbian orator discuss?
The arguments made for and against slavery
When a book is told in first person POV and describes actual events that happened, it is called what kind of book.
Autobiography
What does this line mean, "Mistress, in teaching me the alphabet, had given me the inch, and no precaution could prevent me from taking the ell."
It means that the mistress gave him the tools he needed and the motivation to keep going.
How do you think the poor white kids and frederick douglass were like? What do you think made them want to help him read, besides the food he brought.
Maybe the kids saw themselves in Frederick Douglass. They realized they were poor and that their opportunities could possibly be limited just like his as a slave.
What do you think Douglass means when he says in paragraph 6, “What I got from Sheridan was a bold denunciation of slavery and a powerful vindication of human rights.
He is saying he could tell where the author stood on the idea of slavery. He rejected the idea of slavery and wanted everyone to have equal human rights.
The word apprehension means _______
Fear or worry for the future or a certain situation.
What happened to Douglass the more he read? Do you think this had anything to do with why the Mistress did not want him reading?
The more he read the more he understood the world around him and about the injustices of slavery.
At one point douglass says, “The silver trump of freedom had roused my soul to eternal wakefulness.” What do you think he plans to do with this feeling?
His soul being awake means he is aware and alert to what is going on in the world. He plans to do something about it.
Why would Douglass “envy his fellow slaves for their stupidity?”
He is sometimes jealous that other slaves do not have the burden he does of knowing everything that is going on in the world. Sometimes he would like to turn it off and not know what is happening.