When considering the roles of traditional African Americans during Frederick Douglass's time, it is apparent that Douglass simply does not fit into this role. Because a slave's opinion was unheard of at the time, their positions in society were already set for them. Yet, Douglass constantly resists this position throughout the narrative. His ambition and courageous strength does not allow him to accept his "traditional role." Instead, he digs deep down inside himself to find the motivation to break out of the expected norm, and therefore paint himself as an American hero.
             Douglass used his strive for education as one way to escape the traditional standards of slaves. Education was not something other slaves worried about, since they simply were not allowed to have one. In a slaveholder's opinion, knowledge (for a slave) is dangerous. Said Mr. Auld (one of Douglass's masters), "Learning would spoil the best nigger in the world. If you teach that nigger how to read, there would be no keeping him" (Douglass, 236). In Douglass's case, Mr. Auld was somewhat right. Education was the driving force in Douglass's escape from slavery. Mrs. Auld taught Douglass the basics to reading, and that was all he needed. After Mr. Auld convinced his wife not to teach slaves to read, Douglass knew that it was up to himself to complete his education. He began tricking other kids into educating him, he read newspapers and books whenever he could, and he taught himself to write. This education distinguished him from the other slaves. Douglass was able to read stories about abolition, so he knew that there were other people out there who believed slavery was wrong. Whereas, the other slaves knew nothing other than what they had seen on the plantations; consequently, they were not aware just how wrong they were being treated.
             Besides education, Douglass's whole experience with the Aulds proved to dist...