Answer:
To Frederick Douglass, learning was "the pathway from slavery to freedom." And despite being prohibited from being taught by Mrs. Auld, he was determined to continue his learning by himself.
Explanation:
"Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass" is a memoir of a former slave Frederick Douglass that would become one of the most important books in slave narrative writing. This memoir also gave us an insight into the life of a slave, the events in his life that shaped him and helped him achieve his liberty.
In his "Narrative", Douglass talks of how his master's wife Mrs. Auld used to teach him how to read, write and learn. But then Mr. Auld prevented her from continuing, stating "Learning would spoil the best ni--er in the world." He then went on further to expand his argument,
"if you teach that ni--er how to read, there would be no keeping him. It would forever unfit him to be a slave. He would at once become unmanageable, and of no value to his master. As to himself, it could do him no good, but a great deal of harm. It would make him discontented and unhappy."
Ironically, these words would only make Douglass be more determined to learn, giving him the realization that "[learning was] the pathway from slavery to freedom."
