Question

How does the conversation in paragraph 1 between Mr. and Mrs. Auld contribute to the central idea of this passage?

Answer 1

D) It represents the moment that Douglass understood the value of education for his future.

Answer 2

The correct answer is: D.) It represents the moment that Douglass understood the value of education for his future.

Indeed, Douglass was more or less twelve years old when he was taught to read and write by his white mistress, Mrs. Sophia Auld. Her husband very cleverly surmised that teaching slaves to read would make them desire freedom from slavery and convinced his wife that it was dangerous for the institution of slavery to teach slaves to read.

This is definitely a complicating incident in the autobiography of Frederick Douglass since it hindered his efforts to educate himself and rise above his forced servitude. However, he was able to actually overcome such obstacle by ingenuity and perseverance and as he states, this revelation provided him with the greatest lesson in his road to freedom.