Reading Response - Essay Example

only nighttime visit was permitted, but brief that it could not fill the parental bond effective for raising a child plagued by the torments of slavery. One day he sees the whipping of Aunt Hester by master Antony; a scene that eventually prompts him to move to Baltimore (Douglass 18). The move is a turning moment because it frees Douglass from becoming a slave forever. He starts participating in antislavery campaigns that champion the rights of those still held in the South. Three episodes are central to Douglass in his quest to gain freedom and help other fellow slaves escape the bondage.

For instance, the first episode involves the acknowledgement of being slave. Douglass’s decision to take a decisive action emanated from his slavery predicament that exposed him to beatings by his masters such as Mr. Covey. Similarly, the humiliation and fatigue of being overworked in the field plantations features prominently in his life and this prompts his to seek ways of escaping the suffering. This is because Douglass wishes to have a life better than slavery that is only possible in the North.

Alternatively, slave identity convinces the narrator on the need to address the matter amicably through freeing other slaves first before taking any action. The second episode is the urge to seek education for emancipation and empowerment in fighting for the thriving slave trade in the South. This transformation occurs after Douglass has moved to Baltimore, Maryland under the ownership of his new mistress called Mrs. Sophia Auld. Unfortunately, this noble venture comes with numerous challenges such as the strong disapproval by Mr. Auld. He rightly knows that an educated slave would become sad and worse, wild.

This act, however, affirms Douglass’s zeal to learn how to read and write because it is sanctioned by his master. In other words, he learns that education is tied to liberation especially after comprehending the word ‘abolition.’ Going North and beginning the