Question

Part A

Answer 1

Brand new, because at the time he hadn’t understood it. And the first option for the next question, it talks about the same thing; how his new awareness helps him understand the previously mentioned “darn and mysterious” things.

Answer 2

Answer:

1. Brand new.

2. It shows that Douglass's new awareness of how owners maintain control over slaves allows him to better understand how to improve his situation.

Explanation:

The passage is from Chapter VI of "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass" which is a memoir of the narrator as a slave and then later on working towards the emancipation and freedom for the black people. the narrator Douglass was born into slavery and had to endure being racially discriminated, but at the same time, began to understand the importance of education and learning for one's freedom.

The author/narrator used the word "youthful" to imply to the very basic and naive being he was, before his master Mr. Auld gave his be_rating speech on why his wife should not teach Douglass to learn to read or write. According to him, "if you teach that ni g g er  how to read, there would be no keeping him. It would forever unfit him to be a slave. He would at once  become unmanageable, and of no value to his master. As to  himself, it could do him no good, but a great deal of harm. It  would make him discontented and unhappy." That event opened his eyes to the power of education, for it seemed that Mr. Auld was scared of his slaves having their own rational thinking ability.  

With the use of that word "youthful" in the passage, the narrator/ author indicates his new fund awareness of the power which held the masters over their slaves. So, with this new discovery of the power of education and the fear of his master that he (Douglass) will know how to read or write made him all the more eager to be educated. He is now aware of the power dynamics and knows how best to improve his situation.