Question 1: As a child, the author is forbidden by his masters to learn how to read and write (except for the very beginning of his time with the Hugh family), so he explains the unique strategies he comes up with to learn.
Who are the different teachers he has throughout his secret education, and how does he convince them to teach him?
Question 2: The introduction to the reading mentions abolitionists, and towards the end of the essay Douglass describes when he first started hearing about abolitionists and the abolitionist movement.
Based on the explanation the author provides in this essay, what does the term "Abolition" mean in this period of United States history? What was the abolition movement, and what did abolitionists try to accomplish?
Question 3: In the second paragraph of the essay, the author describes how the slavery system injures Mr. Hugh's wife as much as it has injured him.
What do you think about this idea? Based on what you read in this essay, do you believe slavery hurt other people in the country, not just those who were enslaved? Explain your answer.
Question 4: About halfway through the essay, Douglass describes how the knowledge of being a slave his entire life becomes a source of torment. At first, he focuses on how he begins to resent slave owners: "The more I read, the more I was led to abhor and detest my enslavers" (page 64). Later, he describes himself feeling close to hopeless: "I often found myself regretting my own existence, and wishing myself dead; but for the hope of being free, I have no doubt but that I should have killed myself, or done something for which I should have been killed" (65).
Does this suffering he describes mean learning can actually hurt people? If gaining knowledge can hurt people, then do you think people should go to school and learn? Explain your views on this subject.