The quote that stood out to me was right in the beginning of the story. “A want of information concerning my own [age] was a source of unhappiness to me even during childhood. The white children could tell their ages. I could not tell why I ought to be deprived of the same privilege.” This quote made an impression on me because even though he was a slave, he had somehow become literate, and beyond odds, eloquent. I believe that the most important thing that we can learn about Frederick Douglass here by analyzing his syntax and diction is that he was not afraid to challenge his masters. He said himself that he was not allowed to try to ascertain his own age as it was banned by his master. A weaker man would not have questioned this and moved on. Without reading more than two pages in or knowing anything else about the story, I can already tell that this narrative is going to include Douglass being a crucial part of the anti-slavery movement because of his intelligence and willingness to challenge authority. From the passage, we can deduce that American slavery is brutal . If Douglass is not allowed to know his own age then we must also assume that his master is actively trying to keep his slaves as ignorant and as uninformed as possible in order to maintain his power by force. My guess is that this method will backfire on him and cause an uprising before he is required to free his slaves by law. A few questions are raised to me by this quote. Through what avenues is Douglass’ master going through in order to maintain the ignorance of his slaves? Is Douglass monitored at all times to make sure that he is following orders? Did Douglass grow up around white children and get taken from that environment, or did he know about white children by observing them from afar?