Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass

From Frederick Douglass' experiences with the brutality of slavery he came to understand the hopeful and harsh truth about educating a slave. He was taught at an early age that the consequences were neither solely punishments nor solely blessings, but were a combination of the two. The more knowledge he acquired, the more he desired to be free. On the other hand, knowledge dampened his hopes of freedom and tormented his soul. The relationship between education and freedom is a double-edged sword: an empowerment that enables the slaves to escape and a curse that binds them to their captivity.

The first edge of the sword works in defense of the abolition of slavery and for the benefit of Frederick Douglass. Beginning from the first experience - learning his ABC's, Frederick understood how valuable knowledge was to a slave and how it threatened his master. This teaching moment brought further enlightenment when Mr. Auld reminded his wife that if a slave were taught how to read "he would become unmanageable, and of no value to his master." (Narrative of the Life, 711) By mere coincidence, Mr. Auld's correction served as a driving force that pushed Frederick along a path to gain power over his masters, and ultimately, to obtain freedom.