While Reading:

Complete this annotation chart. The left column tells you what to look for. Put quotes
related to the topic in the center column. In the right column, explain what the quotes
mean and discuss the importance of what the author is saying.

Annotate for... Quotes Response (What do the

quotes mean? Why is
what the author is saying
important?)

Douglass’ attitude towards
his mistress
“In
 entering
 upon
 the
 The quote means that
duties
 of
 a
 Douglass first liked the
slaveholder,
 she 
did
 mistress, when she treated
not
 seem
 to
 perceive
 him like a human being
that
 I
 sustained
 to
 her
 and nicely. She started to
the
 relation
 of 
a 
mere
 become meaner and
chattel,
 and
 that
 for
 meaner, as the influence of
her
 to
 treat
 me
 as
 a
 her husband got on her.
human
 being
 was
 not
 Douglass started to not like
only
 wrong,
 but
 her, like he used too. The
dangerously,
so.
” author is trying to say that
the affects of slavery made
the wife mean because
she use to love Douglass
and teach him to read, but
the affects of slavery made
her attitude harmful. The
author is explaining how
people’s attitudes would
change as slavery started
to affect them.

His attitude towards “ I 
often
 found
 myself
 The quote shows how
slavery regretting 
my
 own Douglass hated slavery

existence,
 and
 wishing and that made him not

myself
 dead;
 and
 but
 want to read and write
for
 the
 hope
 of
 being
 because of how he was
free,
 I
 have
 no
 doubt
 being treated, but
but
 that
 I
 should
 have
 Douglass perservered and
killed
 myself,
 or
 done
 decided that he was going
something
 for
 which
 I
 to learn, no matter what.
should 
have
 been
 The author is trying to say
killed.
” that Douglass was not
treated good as a slave
 and he didn’t like being a
slave, but that didn’t stop
him from learning how to
read and write.

His attitude towards “As
 I 
writhed
 under 
it,
 Douglass would do

reading I
 would
 at 
times
 feel
 anything he could to read
that
 learning
 to
 read
 and learn how to. He would
had 
been
 a
 curse give poor kids on the street

rather
 than 
a bread, in exchange with

blessing.
 It
 had
 given
 helping him how to rad. He
me
 a
 view 
of
 my would also take some of

wretched
 his master's kid books, just
condition,
without
 the to read. The author is

remedy.” trying to show how
Douglass would do
anything in his power to
read.

His attitude towards writing “
 I 
wished
 to 
learn Douglass would do


how
 to 
write,
as
 I anything to write and learn

might
 have
 occasion
 how to. Douglass would
to
 write
 my 
own
 pass.
 sneak off to the shipyard
I
 consoled 
myself 
with and learn how to write the

the 
hope
 that
 I 
should letters on the timber. He

one
 day 
find
 a
 good would also learn his

chance.
Meanwhile,
I
 masters handwriting when
would
 learn 
to 
write.

” he was in charge of the
house. The author shows
how determined Douglass
was to write and learn how
to on his own.
After Reading:
Identify at least 3 main ​claims ​(statements) ​that Douglass makes​ about reading and
writing, and identify specific phrases, passages, and quotes (proofs) that develop and
support each claim.
(Claim - assertion of something as fact; ​an arguable statement​; same thing as a ​statement​ in SPES)
Claim - What does the author argue in
his writing?
The author argues that in his writing that
Douglass would learned about the
abolishment movement through listening
to the people around him, who were free
and he sought out to learn the words on
his own. That would later inspire
Douglass to get away from slavery and
make a difference, by using his
reasources around him to learn how to
read and write.
The author argues that in his writing that
Douglass would do anything in his power
to devote to learning how to read. So
much that he would give food to poor kids
in the street to teach him how to read. He
would get the kids to become his
teachers.
The author argues that in his writing
Douglass would go out of his way to learn
how to read and write. He would also risk
his life, while his masters were gone and
would take Master Thomas’s books to
match his handwriting to learn how to
write. This would help him many years
later, learn to successfully write.
Quote, Passage, Phrase, etc.
“If a slave ran away and succeeded in
getting clear, or if a slave killed his
master, set fire to a barn, or did anything
very wrong in the mind of a slaveholder, it
was spoken of as the fruit of abolition.
Hearing the word in this connection very
often, I set about learning what it meant.”
“The plan which I adopted, and the one
by which I was most successful, was that
of making friends of all the little white
boys whom I met in the street. As 
many
of these as I could,I converted into
teachers.”
“When left thus, I used to spend the time
in writing in the spaces left in master
Thomas's copy-book, copying what he
had written. I continued to do this until I
could write a hand very similar to that of
Master Thomas. Thus, after a long,
tedious effort for years, I finally
succeeded in learning how to write.”
Answer the following questions in complete sentences.
1. How does Douglass learn to read and write? Do you consider his actions
dangerous? Why or why not?
Douglass learned how to read and write through his resources around him. He
first learned how to read through his Master's Mistress. Then, he would give
bread to poor kids on the street and they became his teacher. He also, read
random books he found and would do it in secret. He learned how to write by
practicing in the shipyard. He would also steal Master Thomas’s books, when the
family left him in charge of the house. His actions were very dangerous because
he was a slave and they were forbidden to read. If he was caught doing any of
this he would have been severely punished and could of been sold or killed.

2. What is Douglass’s purpose in writing this text? What is the central idea?
Douglass’s purpose in writing this text was to show that even though he was
forbidden to read and write, he was devoted to learn and he used the resources
around him to do so. The central idea of the text is that you can do anything you
want to, even if there is so much going against you.

3. How does Douglass convey his central idea? Consider how he structures the
text, the language he uses, and the examples he provides.
Douglass’s conveyed his central idea by telling people he had to do it all on his
own and he had to go out of his way to learn how to read and write. He gives
examples like how he had to risk his life to ask kids for help and steal books from
his master, just to read and write.

4. What does Douglass value? How do you know?

Douglass values education and learning how to read and write. He risked his life
as a kid to learn how to read and right on his own because it wasn’t given to him
as a kid. Slavery made him unable to get the education he deserved and he did it
all on his own. That is the reason why he values education.