He was determined to read and write, and pursued both through a variety of means; Mrs. Auld taught him letters and the rudiments of reading, until she later realized that its dangerous to teach a slave to read and begins to actively prevent Douglass from reading.
As the guest walked into the room they held there nose. Looking around you could see old trash and Ugly stains of a unknown substance. Form this you would infer that the room would smell bad.
