This excerpt from Frederick Douglass’s autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, recounts his determined pursuit of literacy while enslaved. Douglass details how he learned to read and write through unconventional methods, including the unwitting initial assistance of his mistress before she was corrupted by the institution of slavery. He describes bribing poor white children with bread in exchange for lessons and practicing writing using chalk on walls and fences. The text illustrates how gaining knowledge awakened Douglass to the injustice of his condition, causing him both immense pain and fueling his desire for freedom. His literacy ultimately became a crucial tool in his fight for emancipation and his rise as a prominent abolitionist leader.