Reading Response Fredrick Douglass– Dylan Ramirez

Part One: 

1. After the young Douglass loses his mistress as his teacher, what strategies does he practice to continue learning to read?  Who does he turn to for help?  How does he persuade them to help him?

  After a young Fredrick Douglass lost his mistress as his teacher his plan to continue to learn how to read was to befriend poor young white boys. He would carry bread for them and in return they would teach him how to read. Another way Fredrick continued to learn how to read was by carrying books while he ran errands. Douglass had continued reading at every opportunity he had. He had a sort of exchange with the poor white boys, food for education. That is how Fredrick Douglass continued to learn how to read.

Part Two:

   
”Slavery
proved
as
injurious
to
her
as
it
did
to
me.
When
I
went
there,
she
 was
 a
 pious,
 warm,
 and
 tender‐hearted
 woman.
 There
 was
 no
 sorrow
 or
 suffering
 for
 which
 she
 had
 not
 a
 tear.
 She
 had
 bread
 for
 the
 hungry,
 clothes
 for
 the
 naked,
 and
 comfort
 for
 every
 mourner
 that
 came
 within
 her
 reach.
 Slavery
 soon
 proved
 its
ability
to
divest
her
of
these
heavenly
qualities.
Under
its
influence,
the
tender
heart
became
stone,
 and
 the
 lamb‐Iike
 disposition
 gave
 way
 to
 one
 of
 tiger‐like
 fierce‐
 ness” ( Paragraph 2). In this quote slavery is spoken of as a plague to all people. The quote shows that Fredrick’s mistress had once been a kind hearted soul that would teach him and care for him. She would have food for the hungry and clothes for the food. In the quote it explains that slavery robbed her of her good qualities. As stated “Under
its
influence,
the
tender
heart
became
stone,
 and
 the
 lamb‐Iike
 disposition
 gave
 way
 to
 one
 of
 tiger‐like
 fierce‐
 ness”, this piece of the passage shows how he felt about his mistress’ change. The quote speaks on how slavery oppresed the African americans and how it corrupted the white people.