In our daily lives, our education is what helps us thrive and survive. The same can be said for Aminata, the protagonist of The Book of Negroes. Through her, the novel shows how slavery affected black people. Her intelligence is what helped her become free. She was vital to the abolitionist movement due to her ability to read, write and communicate in English and African, making communication between slaves and Englishmen easy. Her increased intelligence is what kept her alive and ended up securing her freedom. Aminata used her intelligence and strength to survive slavery, one of the most difficult things a person can face. Aminata's strength kept her going. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Aminata's use of her intelligence to survive is seen many times in the novel. First, on the slave ship, being multilingual and quickly adapting to the English language; she stood out, the English needed her to communicate with the slaves, she was given special treatment and did not sleep with the rest of the slaves. It was clear then that his intelligence would take its place. After reaching South Carolina and being purchased by Appleby, her intelligence presented before her, Georgia made excessive comments about her learning to speak and work quickly “She learned so quickly, she said. 'Zing zing zing. The words fly out of his mouth like eagles” (Colle 129). Georgia and Aminata went around the village “catching children”, Georgia passed on her knowledge of herbs and their uses to Aminata “I have never seen someone from Africa learn so quickly”. Mamed also noticed her intelligence and decided to try to help her learn to read and write, even though blacks were forbidden to read the “whites” language. Not long after, this turned out to work to her advantage when Mr. Lindo discovered that she could read. After Mr. Lindo discovered that she could read, he decided to buy her from Appleby, I after doing so educated her further, mainly for his benefit since she would end up working for him. He gave her the chance to learn the monetary system, taught her arithmetic and language, of course she understood it quickly and enjoyed the challenge. “Exactly why I bought you, I knew you would understand quickly. I saw the intelligence in your eyes and wanted to lift you up. After their learning sessions were finished, Amanita ended up working for him. Aminata's employment significantly changed her living conditions, she was able to read and educate herself, keeping track of her accounts and writing letters on her behalf for free. His wife also gave her a book to read every month, he allowed her to continue being a midwife and keep the money she earned except paying him 10 shillings a week, all while providing her with a stable living environment. This gave her a safe place to stay for 13 years, helping her calm her mind from her past traumatizing experiences and regain her strength. It made a big profit for him. Her intelligence allowed her to be valuable in Mr. Lindo's eyes, protecting her, being a better master than her previous one, and not using physical violence. He even took her on a trip to New York after his wife's death so that she wouldn't "wither away" alone in his house. Mr. Lindo's trip to New York provided Aminata with the first step toward her freedom. She escaped from his custody and became a".