His iron sentences—cold and harsh—sunk deep into my heart, and stirred up not only my feelings into a sort of rebellion, but awakened within me a slumbering train of vital thought.
In his autobiography, Douglass describes the profound effect of overhearing Master Hugh explain why enslaved people must be kept ignorant.
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The friendless and hungry boy, in his extremest need, found himself in the strong protecting arms of his mother.
His iron sentences, cold and harsh, sunk like heavy weights deep into my heart, and stirred up within me a rebellion not soon to be allayed.
But we are not here to applaud manly courage, save as it has been displayed in a noble cause.