The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass

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The narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass, written by Frederick Douglass, narrated by Byron Buckner chapter seven. I lived in Master Hughes family for about seven years. During this time, I succeeded in learning to read and write in accomplishing this. I was compelled to resort to various stratagems. I had no regular teacher. My mistress who had kindly commenced to instruct me, had in compliance with the advice and direction of her husband, not only ceased to instruct but had set her face against my being instructed by anyone else. It is due however to my mistress to say of her that she did not adopt this course of treatment immediately. She at first lacked the depravity indispensable to shutting me up in mental darkness. It was at least necessary for her to have some training in the exercise of irresponsible power to make her equal to the task of treating me as though I were a brute. My mistress was, as I have said, a kind and tender hearted woman and in the simplicity of her soul, she commenced when I first went to live with her to treat me as she supposed one human being ought to treat another in entering upon the duties of a slaveholder. She did not seem to perceive that I sustained to her, the relation of a mere chattel. And that for her to treat me as a human being was not only wrong but dangerously. So slavery proved as injurious to her as it did to me. When I went there, she was a pious, warm and tenderhearted woman. There was no sorrow or suffering for which she had not a tear. She had bread for the hungry clothes, for the naked and comfort for every mourner that came within her reach. Slavery soon proved its ability to divest her of these heavenly qualities under its influence. The tender heart became stone and the lamb like disposition gave way to one of tiger like fierceness. The first step in her downward course was in her ceasing to instruct me. She now commenced to practice her husband's precepts.