Final answer:
Mr. Auld's admonishment against teaching Frederick Douglass to read exposed literacy as an essential tool for empowerment and freedom for enslaved people. Douglass recognized the fear behind Auld's words and became more determined to learn to read, which he saw as a pathway from slavery to freedom.
Step-by-step explanation:
When Mr. Auld admonished his wife for teaching Frederick Douglass how to read, he inadvertently disclosed the power of literacy as a tool for empowerment and the potential for an enslaved person to seek freedom. Mr. Auld articulated his belief that education would make a slave 'unmanageable' and 'of no value to his master' because it would lead to dissatisfaction and a yearning for freedom. This reaction from Mr. Auld helped Douglass recognize that literacy and education were pathways out of slavery, inciting in him a desire to learn and thus fueling his resolve to become literate against all odds.
Douglass understood that Auld's argument against his learning to read was rooted in fear—the fear of slaves becoming enlightened and thus challenging their oppression. This insight provided Douglass with the motivation he needed to pursue literacy with even greater determination, realizing that knowledge could be his means to liberation. Despite not having a formal teacher and facing many difficulties, Douglass employed various strategies to learn to read and write, ultimately achieving this goal and using his skills to fight against slavery and advocate for the rights of Black people.