In today's society, the blessing of being educated is devalued and neglected. People fail to understand that education is the foundation upon which we build our future. Education gives us knowledge of the world around us and changes that knowledge to be used to anyone's advantage. In Frederick Douglass's essay, "Learning to Read and Write," Douglass places significant importance on his education, a privilege not granted to most slaves. It is rare seeing an educated slave because slavery and education were incompatible, and having the ability to read and write Douglass developed insight into the world and the horrific events that were going on around him. Michael Scott, a former EOF student, believed that gaining knowledge was more of a curse than a blessing for Douglass because he was made acutely aware that he has absolutely no alternatives to him being oppressed. However, gaining knowledge might have been a curse but it was also equivalent to being a blessing for Douglass. Douglas is made acutely aware of the injustices he faces everyday, but this "curse" ultimately equips him with the tools necessary to transcend his current station in life. Douglass was not rendered absolutely hopeless because he was able to establish the need for a sense of identity; develop his own goals; and discover that education was the key to his freedom but, Douglass still suffered from learning, he developed suicidal thoughts and he knew that obtaining knowledge put his life in danger.
Though Douglass continued to pursue his education, he did so with ambivalence. When Douglass says, "I envied my fellow-slaves for their stupidity. I have often wished myself a beast. I preferred the condition of the meanest reptile to my own. Anything, no matter what, to get rid of thinking! " (Douglass 146). He no longer considers himself ignorant, but the knowledge of his condition is a burden.
