Final answer:
The 10th stanza illustrates the extreme cruelty of a master punishing a slave for minor infractions, representing the brutality and inhumanity of the system of slavery.
Step-by-step explanation:
The 10th stanza refers to a situation in which a cruel master punishes a slave harshly for a minor offense. In the context of the passages provided, this is an example of the inhumanity and brutality of slavery, where the mistreatment is part of a larger system of oppression and abuse. Slaves were often subject to severe punishment without any chance of defense or justification, merely on the basis of an accusation, which highlights the gross mistreatment and lack of justice within the slave system.
One such example is the testimony of an enslaved victim's scarred back, which represents the physical reminders of the cruel and inhumane treatments that slaves endured. This not only includes whippings but also the use of instruments of restraint like iron masks and leg shackles. The systemic cruelty is further evidenced by overseers and slaveholders who would invoke religious texts to justify their actions, revealing a distortion of morality to sustain the practice of slavery.