Final answer:
The directive from Mr. Auld for Mrs. Auld to cease teaching Frederick Douglass propelled him to pursue literacy and freedom more fervently, realizing that education was crucial for overcoming oppression.
Step-by-step explanation:
The impact that Mr. Auld had on Frederick Douglass when instructing Mrs. Auld to halt their English lessons was significant and transformative. Douglass recognized the power of literacy as a tool for gaining freedom and understood the oppressive intentions behind Mr. Auld's injunction.
Despite the ban, this incident only fueled Douglass's resolve to learn to read and write, which became a pivotal step towards his quest for emancipation and highlighted the role of education in combating racism. Douglass did not overlook the irony that, in articulating reasons to deny him education, Auld outlined the exact reasons why literacy was so precious to those enslaved.
This moment was a stark revelation to Douglass, as he grasped that knowledge could break the shackles of slavery, thus setting him on a determined path to self-education.