Douglass does not hesitate to describe in vivid detail the cruelty and hypocrisy he witnessed throughout his life before reaching a period where he free. It highlights the lack of empathy (what differentiates a human from a robot or machine) among slave owners. It is limited by certain inalienable rights guaranteed to any individual, such as the right to read and write. Douglass explains how he rebelled against the system where slave owners reign supreme. He soon discovers that deception becomes the battery that powers the engine of slavery. Because if a slave cannot read, the slave will not understand. “Those who proclaim it a religious duty to read the Bible deny me the right to learn to read the name of the God who created me” (116). Once Douglass learns to read, the deception created by slavery that clouded his mentality fades and his disgrace with morality quickly becomes apparent. The narrative is a reminder of what we generally take for granted, namely the rights and freedoms afforded us not only by our government, but simply by being the equivalent of someone other than ourselves. This in itself raises the question of what it truly means to be