Final answer:
Frederick Douglass' memoir describes how slavery changes a person by imposing illiteracy to maintain control. Douglass emphasizes how slavery and education are incompatible and how his acquisition of literacy was a form of personal empowerment and political resistance.
Step-by-step explanation:
According to Frederick Douglass' memoir 'Learning to Read and Write', slavery profoundly changes a person by keeping them uneducated and therefore easier to control. In his narrative, Douglass explains how his enslavers, and specifically Mr. Auld, forbade him from learning to read and write, underscoring the fact that education and slavery were seen as incompatible. This was because literacy empowers individuals, offering them a sense of autonomy and the means to challenge their subjugation.
In his life story, Douglass reveals a powerful transformation after he learns to read and write despite these prohibitions. He describes a definitive moment, sparked by Mr. Auld's warnings about the dangers of education for enslaved people, which ignites a lifelong purposeful engagement with language and learning. This literacy is not only a personal achievement for Douglass but a political act of resistance against the institution of slavery.
Indeed, Douglass' own experiences show that the act of publishing a book as an African slave involved contending with societal racist views and doubts about the intellectual capabilities of enslaved individuals. His ability to articulate his thoughts was revolutionary in challenging these prejudices and spreading the anti-slavery message.