To a slave owner in the early 1800's, a slave was typically thought of as an animal. Slaves did not know their ages, just as a horse does not of know of its age. The consequence of being born into an environment constructed and carefully maintained by

Douglass learns to read and write during his time spent in Baltimore. The newly acquired skills open Douglass up to outside world, and the perspective of what it means to be a human. He was able to see how horrible the world was that he already knew. He mentioned that the new skills "had been a curse, rather than a blessing." It allowed him to see his condition without the remedy. In response to William Lloyd Garrison's question mentioned in the opening sentence, a more horrible state of society is only conceivable to the mind of white people and of people living off a plantation.

Douglass was one of a very few with the ability to dehumanize his insights into the mentality of slave owners. He wondered if slaves were made, rather than born. The mistress that taught him how to read and write was at first very kind and caring. She was not able to shut up Douglass and make him work to the bone. Under the influence of her husband a

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Approximate Word count = 630
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)