Question

Read the passage below from Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave.

My mistress was, as I have said, a kind and tender-hearted woman; and in the simplicity of her soul she commenced, when I first went to live with her, to treat me as she supposed one human being ought to treat another. In entering upon the duties of a slaveholder, she did not seem to perceive that I sustained to her the relation of a mere chattel, and that for her to treat me as a human being was not only wrong, but dangerously so. Slavery proved as injurious to her as it did to me. When I went there, she was a pious, warm, and tender-hearted woman....Slavery soon proved its ability to divest her of these heavenly qualities. Under its influence, the tender heart became stone, and the lamblike disposition gave way to one of tiger-like fierceness.

What is the overall effect of Douglass's choice of adjectives to describe his mistress?
a. to draw a stark contrast between her nature before and after exposure to slavery
b. to suggest that she had only been pretending to be a kind and gentle person
c. to provide evidence that slavery was harmful only
d. to the slaves themselves
e. to show that she was a kind and tenderhearted woman who wanted to help

Answer 1

Frederick Douglass used adjectives to depict his mistress's transformation from kind and tender-hearted to cold and fierce, illustrating the corrupting nature of slavery on slaveholders.

Step-by-step explanation:

The overall effect of Douglass's choice of adjectives in his description of his mistress is a. to draw a stark contrast between her nature before and after her exposure to the institution of slavery. Douglass's narrative explicitly compares the initial warmth and kindness of his mistress to the coldness and fierceness she developed after becoming a slaveholder, showing a transformation from 'pious, warm, and tender-hearted' to one with a 'stone' heart and 'tiger-like fierceness.'

Through his poignant and vivid language, Douglass's storytelling highlights the dehumanizing effects of slavery not only on the enslaved but also on those who enforce and live by its brutal codes. His detailed account skillfully illustrates how his mistress, who initially did not fully grasp her role in the underlying system, eventually succumbs to the roles and expectations foisted upon her, leading her to cease her kind treatment of Douglass and adopt an attitude similar to her husband's.

This transformation serves to underline how slavery corrupts even those with the 'finest feelings,' as it violently opposes the very essence of humanity and compassion, which she initially displayed.