Topic > Frederick Douglass and Malcolm It was difficult for him because it was forbidden for slaves to know how to read and write. He started learning to read to help him in the beginning. Then he started asking white kids to help him learn what they were doing without them knowing. Another way he was learning was by reading a book while running errands for his mistress. Frederick Douglass learned to write by walking around a shipyard and learning letters written on wooden plaques. He began by copying the letters L, A, S, F on wood he found in the shipyard. But at the end of his journey he achieved his goal with the unknown help of people he appreciated. It was a little easier for Malcolm because he had books from the prison library at his disposal whenever he needed them. He also had notebooks and pens that he could write with. Malcolm learned to read and write by copying the entire dictionary and then repeating to himself what he wrote. He read many books to improve his vocabulary and because they made him feel free. Frederick loved to read to learn what was happening to him and his fellow slaves. He started hating being a slave and thinking white people were cruel once he started understanding what was happening by learning how