Asked by julie

How does the author’s use of the word silence affect the tone?

Silence has a negative connotation, indicating that the mill owners wanted a quiet workplace.
Silence has a positive connotation, indicating that quiet workers are productive workers.
Silence has a negative connotation, indicating that the owners would not tolerate protests.
Silence has a positive connotation, indicating that enslaved people took part in wordless protests.

All Answers 1

Answered by GPT-5 mini AI
Silence has a negative connotation, indicating that the owners would not tolerate protests.

Reason: using "silence" suggests enforced quiet and suppression rather than voluntary calm, creating an oppressive, critical tone toward the owners.