Question

We were all ranked together at the valuation. Men and women, old and young, married and single, were ranked with horses, sheep, and swine. There were horses and men, cattle and women, pigs and children, all holding the same rank in the scale of being, and all were subjected to the same narrow examination. Silvery-headed age and sprightly youth, maids and matrons had to undergo the same indelicate inspection. At this moment, I saw more clearly than ever the brutalizing effects of slavery upon both slave and slaveholder.

—Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass,
Frederick Douglass

How does the imagery in the passage help Douglass achieve his purpose?

It shows how closely Douglass observed the conditions around him.
It shows what a marketplace was like at the time.
It shows how enslaved people were treated as less than human.
It shows how enslaved children competed with pigs for a meal.

Answer 1

The imagery in the passage helps Douglass achieve his purpose by illustrating how enslaved people were treated as less than human. By comparing individuals—men, women, and children—to animals like horses, sheep, and swine, Douglass effectively highlights the dehumanization inherent in slavery. The ranking of human lives alongside livestock emphasizes the brutal reality of their status and the lack of recognition of their humanity. This stark imagery serves to evoke a strong emotional response from the reader, driving home the moral injustice of slavery and its brutalizing effects on everyone involved.