Question

Read this excerpt from My Bondage and My Freedom by Frederick Douglass: She had bread for the hungry, clothes for the naked, and comfort for every mourner that came within her reach. Slavery soon proved its ability to divest her of these excellent qualities, and her home of its early happiness. Conscience cannot stand much violence. Once thoroughly broken down, who is he that can repair the damage? It may be broken toward the slave, on Sunday, and toward the master on Monday. It cannot endure such shocks. It must stand entire, or it does not stand at all. If my condition waxed bad, that of the family waxed not better. The first step, in the wrong direction, was the violence done to nature and to conscience, in arresting the benevolence that would have enlightened my young mind. Which of the following sentences best describes Douglass’s opinion about slavery?

Answer 1

The correct answer is: "The first step, in the wrong direction, was the violence done to nature and to conscience, in arresting the benevolence that would have enlightened my young mind."

In this phrase, the author is clearly stating his position towards the whole act of enslaving people. He describes it as "a step taken in the wrong direction" as it is an activity that inflicts the "violence done to nature". By saying this, the author blasts slavery and labels it as a dreadful act that goes against the correct behavior of human beings.