The Power of Friendship in Learning: Lessons from Frederick Douglass
Friendship and Education
The plan which I adopted, and the one by which I was most successful, was that of making friends of all the little white boys whom I met in the street. As many of these as I could, I converted into teachers. With their kindly aid, obtained at different times and in different places, I finally succeeded in learning to read. When I was sent of errands, I always took my book with me, and by going one part of my errand quickly, I found time to get a lesson before my return.
What inference can be drawn about the boys in this excerpt?
Answer:
We can infer the boys have more knowledge than Douglass and are willing to teach him.
Explanation:
Frederick Douglass was born in 1818. He was an abolitionist, a writer, and a social reformer whose autobiography "The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass" greatly influenced the abolitionist movement in 1845. In the book, Douglass tells the story of his life as a slave and the measures he took to learn how to read and write.
In the excerpt we are studying here, he explains he made friends with white boys so that they would become his teachers. From that piece of information, we can infer that the boys had more knowledge than Douglass did - enough to teach him something he did not know. We can also infer they were willing to teach him, a fact that made all the difference for Douglass since slaves were not supposed to learn how to read and write.
Was the boys enjoy playing with Douglass and consider him a friend?
Answer:
B They enjoy playing with Douglass and consider him a friend.
Explanation: