as forbidden. Whenever Frederick was left alone, he would attempt to read only to have Mr. Auld come and snatch away whatever reading material he had. The little that Frederick was taught was enough for him to go into the streets and receive his lessons from the boys whom he was acquainted with. Though Mrs. Auld refused to teach him, Douglas was determined to learn and he did. Determination was the first step that led the boy in Douglas to becoming a man.Learning how to read illuminated Douglas’ mind. It allowed him to see a light in a dark tunnel. It allowed him to find the key, to unlock his chains. This one great skill allowed him to see that slavery was wrong. He was no longer ignorant, nor could anyone keep him that way. Learning to Douglas was a “grand achievement” and he prized it highly. He realized that the only thing that kept him a slave was the neglect of enlightenment. It was his newly found intelligence that forced Douglas to act brave and resistant. His learning in the city had a great affect on him. It ruined him for every good purpose of a slave and fitted him for all of the whippings and lashes. These penalties had no affect and it was Master Thomas’ (his owner after leaving the city) decision that Douglas had to be broken in. Douglas’ mind was too keen and this intelligence brought him great sorrow for he had to now live with Edward Covey, a man considered “the nigger-breaker”.Covey was a poor man who rented his farm and because of his reputation, he had plenty of slaves because various masters would send their slaves to be broken. Covey barely owned anything of his own but his reputation. After living with Master Thomas for seven months and refusing to obey, Douglas was sent to Covey. While living with Covey, Douglas says “I was seldom free of a whipping.” He was often whipped for the simple reason of his awkwardness, the funny way he did his fiel...
