Learning to Read is an excerpt from the biography of Fredrick Douglass. He writes about the steps he took learning to read and write. View all layers in this one step. Fredrick was a slave in his master's house. He had no opportunity to go to school or receive formal education. However, the landlady helped him and taught him the alphabet, which the teacher did not like. Ultimately, the lover listened to her husband and reverted to her inhuman nature leaving Fredrick in his illiterate state. The article will specifically expose various quotes from Fredrick, as a way to show how reading empowered him to embark on the journey to freedom. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Even though he had no opportunity to learn to read, he was determined to make the journey to acquire the knowledge he believed was the alternative to his freedom. He quotes: “When they sent me on errands, I always took my book with me, and did a part of my errand quickly; I found time to take a lesson before I returned” (409). Slavery would not have been a factor in his desire to read. He believed that ultimate freedom would be the ultimate end of his journey. In his thoughts, the act of freedom passes through every time he has suffered slavery and abandonment. He really wanted to be free and he knew that the best way to get the freedom he wanted was to first know how to read. For example, mention what part of the book said about the vice of slavery; “If a slave escapes and manages to free himself, or if a slave kills his master, he sets fire to a stable. Or if he had done something very wrong in the mind of a slaveholder, this would have been spoken of as the fruit of abolition. Hearing the word in this context quite often, I began to learn what it meant. The dictionary offered me little to no help. I discovered what the act of abolishing was like; but I did not know then what should be abolished” (412). Through the quote, Fredrik explains how he was eager to learn to read and understand what the book meant about the abolition of slaves. Through such knowledge, he realized that his freedom would be easier since he now had sufficient knowledge and understanding of his rights. Indeed, freedom resonated in his mind as he acquired the art of reading by perusing publications such as The Columbian Orator. He quotes this statement about the work he learned: “They gave voice to interesting thoughts of my soul, which had often flashed into my mind and died out for want of expression. The moral I got from the dialogue was the power of truth over the conscience of even a slaveholder. What I got from Sheridan was a courageous denunciation of slavery and a powerful vindication of human rights” (410). Through the declaration, he knew that reading was the only alternative that could guarantee the desired freedom. He never wanted to continue living in servitude, but the time had not yet come. The best time to obtain irreversible freedom would have been after he had acquired knowledge that could help him throughout his life. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get Custom EssayIn summary, Fredrick Douglas had a burning need to learn to read so he could regain his freedom. Although Fredrick did not have the opportunity to receive a formal education as a slave, he took advantage of small ones.