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 says “learning to read had been a curse rather than a blessing” he saying gaining knowledge has hurt him more than benefiting him. It has opened his eyes and showed him that slaves like him are illiterate and cant perceive knowledge like the other people around him. When Douglass also mentions the phrase “freedom…was ever present to torment me” he saying that with this new found knowledge “freedom” might actually be possible because wherever he goes it’ll be his greatest weapon. There is a downside to becoming literate and that’s the knowledge of knowing everything, knowing all the good and especially the bad and in Douglass’s case it was more bad than good.
Part II: “I set about learning what it meant. The dictionary afforded me little or no help. I found it was ”the act of abolishing”; but then I did not know what was to be abolished. ”
When discovering the meaning behind the word abolished Douglass did not understand what it meant to be abolished. This is significant to me because while unlocking new found knowledge he never knew what it meant to be truly free. Its only when he reads about it in the paper he slowly understands its meaning. Slowly but surely Douglass realizes what it means to freed and to live a new life not as a captured slave but a free man.
very good!