Freedom & Conflict
How old was Douglass when the idea of slavery for life began to trouble him deeply?
About twelve years old.
How does Douglass describe his mistress when he first meets her?
Kind, tender-hearted, and compassionate.
What caused Douglass to be watched closely?
His mistress suspected he was trying to read.
What book did Douglass discover when he was about twelve years old?
The Columbian Orator.
How long did Douglass live in Master Hugh’s family?
About seven years.
How did Douglass begin to feel toward his enslavers after reading more?
He began to hate and despise them.
What was the first sign of his mistress’s “downward course”?
She stopped teaching Douglass to read.
"The first step in her downward course was in her ceasing to instruct me."
What was the effect of Douglass’s mistress stopping his education?
He became determined to teach himself.
What kind of dialogue did Douglass read in The Columbian Orator?
A dialogue between a master and a slave.
Who first began teaching Douglass to read?
His mistress (Mrs. Auld)
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Why did Douglass sometimes feel that learning to read was a curse?
It made him aware of his suffering without giving him a way to escape.
How did slavery affect Douglass’s mistress over time? (Must list at least 3 effects)
It made her cruel, angry, and violent.
What caused Douglass to make friends with white boys in the street?
He needed teachers to help him learn to read.
What was the outcome of the dialogue between the master and the slave in one of the stories Douglass read?
The master voluntarily freed the slave.
Why did Douglass have no regular teacher?
His mistress was forced to stop teaching him, and others were forbidden to teach him.
What metaphor does Douglass use to describe his constant thoughts about freedom?
Freedom was like a sound, feeling, or sight he could detect.
"The silver trump of freedom had roused my soul to eternal wakefulness. Freedom now appeared, to disappear no more forever. It was heard in every sound, and seen in every thing. It was ever present to torment me with a sense of my wretched condition. I saw nothing without seeing it, I heard nothing without hearing it, and felt nothing without feeling it. It looked from every star, it smiled in every calm, breathed in every wind, and moved in every storm."
What specific object made Douglass’s mistress especially angry when she saw him with it?
A newspaper.
What was the effect of Douglass trading bread with the boys?
They taught him to read in exchange for food.
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What did Douglass learn from Sheridan’s speeches?
A powerful denunciation against slavery and a defense of human rights.
What does Douglass mean when he says his mistress “gave me the inch, and no precaution could prevent me from taking the ell”?
Once he learned the alphabet, he took every opportunity to learn more on his own.
Why does Douglass experience both hope and pain as he becomes educated?
Education opens his eyes to freedom but also to the reality of his enslavement.
"It had given me a view of my wretched condition, without the remedy. It opened my eyes to the horrible pit, but to no ladder upon which to get out."
Why does Douglass spend so much time describing his mistress?
To give her credit for teaching him initially, and to show how slavery corrupts even the best of people.
What effect did reading powerful texts have on Douglass emotionally?
It awakened his desire for freedom but caused great pain and frustration.
How did reading these texts change Douglass’s ability to think and speak about slavery?
They gave him language and confidence to argue against slavery.
What risky strategies did Douglass use to continue learning how to read? (Must name at least 2)
He secretly carried books, used errands to get lessons, and learned from white boys in the street.