During the days of slavery many slaves did not know the alphabet, let alone read and write. Douglass feels distant from his loved ones and is often stressed about his situation. At times, he is so tense that he thinks there is no choice but to take his own life to be free and escape the misery of slavery. Frederick Douglass was stressed and would find himself "regretting [his] own existence, and now wishing [himself] dead"; he had no doubt that "[he] should kill [himself]" (146). Douglass clearly suffers from the knowledge he gains because it causes him to become estranged and often makes him want to end his life. This is not a good practice for anyone in life because life is precious and should never be taken for granted. Before Douglass learned to read, he was content with his condition as a slave, but this turned out to be a cruel incident that happened in his life that made him