Part 1:(What does Douglass mean when he says that “learning to read had been a curse rather than a blessing” (paragraph 5)? Furthermore, what does he mean when he says that “freedom…was ever present to torment me” (same paragraph)? In other words, is there a downside to becoming literate? What might that be?)
When Douglass mentions “learning to read had been a curse rather than a blessing” he meant that being being able to read allowed him to view the world in a different darkness that his “fellow-slaves” could not see. With this skill he was able to read “The Columbian Orator” where he came across a speech of Sheridan’s that informed him of what his human rights should be and what slavery really is. This only angered him yet pushed him to do more. When he spoke of how “freedom…was ever present to torment me” this meant that he was now so much more aware of how close but so far away freedom was for him.And reading made him realize what it would be like to be free which only continued to torment him in his everyday life.
Part2: In paragraph 6 Douglass expresses how he “envied my fellow-slaves for their stupidity.” In other words he was jealous of how uninformed they were about the life they were living. They lived a life of blissful ignorance, something that Douglass could no longer have because of his new acquired skill. He was over informed of the rights that they didn’t receive and the many crimes done to slaves all along the south. So much so he couldn’t trust the “good Irishmen” that advised him to head north, because of his knowledge on what white men tend to do to slaves in order to get a reward.
Hello Anastasia, you pointed out that Douglass felt jealous because people in the same position as him, without the skills he has acquired, “lived a life of blissful ignorance” and you worded it perfectly. I would love to hear more about your ideas based on Douglasses thinking and emotions.
I agree with your second paragraph when you said “he was over-informed of the rights that they didn’t receive and the many crimes done to slaves all along the south.” I chose a quote similar to yours because it was a significant journey in his life when he found these things out because it made him wiser and he was able to protect himself in a way.
Excellent work!
Apt phrase: blissful ignorance.