11th Grade: from My Bondage and My Freedom – Flashcards

agreeable

kindly; charitable

strictness; severity

corruption; wickedness

great fear or shock that makes one feel helpless or bewildered

suggestive

In this excerpt from his second autobiography, Douglass tries to show that slavery corrupted, dehumanized, and victimized everyone- including slaveholders. The passage describes how his master's kind wife, Mrs. Auld, feels compelled to abandon her efforts to educate young Frederick. Convinced by her husband that slavery and education are incompatible, she attempts to block any learning opportunities for the young boy, even though such hardheartedness goes against her nature. Douglass continues to learn from his white playmates, trading biscuits for lessons. Influenced by the ideas he discovers through his reading, Douglass becomes consumed by a constant yearning for freedom and thoughts about the evils of slavery. He grows to hate the institution of slavery, which has made enemies of him and his mistress, who might otherwise have been friends.

the account of a person's life written in his or her own words.

the tone of a writer's work reflects the author's attitude toward the subject characters, or audience.