What can Frederick Douglass Bring to Equiano's Narrative?

Particularly in male slave narratives (female ones tend to dwell on the sexualized aspects of slavery both because of their prurient interest and horror-reactions and because that aspect didn't usually apply to male slaves) there are a couple of qualities in the storyteller himself that "determine" his successful negotiation of the path from slavery to freedom. One tends to be education. The successful road to freedom is nearly always paved with an ability to read and write that is difficultly won.

Another seems to be the ability to reason in the true 18th century sense of the term--these men are capable of rational thinking that exactly mirrors the thought processes of their captives. Equiano has real knowledge of his own about life, culture, and even knowledge of a "progressive" profession, but his actions are only measured by the actions and knowledge valuable to his captors.

Another seems to be the ability to turn one's curiosity about new things into capital: to be able to make oneself invaluable to one's master and try to gain both better and fairer treatment as a result. Does this "mirror" the (predominantly white and male) American Dream, or is it actually essential to the ability to survive slavery? How do you see it?