In a society increasingly based on the rapid transmission of information, literacy becomes an indispensable and valuable asset. However, literacy was an equally important tool before the information age and even before the Industrial Revolution. Frederick Douglass, in his autobiography Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, describes how literacy transformed his relationship to himself and to his slave masters, enabling him to become a powerful spokesperson for abolition. Thus, literacy can be a tool for social and political change. Douglass does not note the relevance of literacy for economic success, for in the nineteenth century making a living was not as dependent on literacy skills as it might be today. A report published by the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry entitled "The Importance of Literacy and Numeracy Skills" champions the role of literacy in boosting business and national economies. The report reveals the role of literacy in the information age: as an asset not only meaningful for the individual but also for economic growth and prosperity. Different perspectives on the significance of literacy, outlined by Douglass in the mid-nineteenth century and by an Australian organization in the early twenty- first century, nevertheless clarify the value of literacy in furthering personal, social, political, and economic goals. However, because of the impact of personal narrative, and his ability to link literacy with freedom, Douglass' text presents a more poignant and meaningful argument.
             Frederick Douglass "had no regular teacher" to help him read and write (p. 257). Slaves were not permitted to learn literacy skills as a rule, because slave owners knew that the power to read and write would quickly translate into the political power to organize resistance movements. Douglass in fact used his newfound literacy skills toward his own emancipation and toward the emancipation of his brethr...