Question

Read the excerpt from "To the Public” by William Lloyd Garrison.

During my recent tour for the purpose of exciting the minds of the people by a series of discourses on the subject of slavery, every place that I visited gave fresh evidence of the fact, that a greater revolution in public sentiment was to be effected in the free states—and particularly in New-England—than at the south. I found contempt more bitter, opposition more active, detraction more relentless, prejudice more stubborn, and apathy more frozen, than among slave owners themselves.

Which statement best explains how figurative language affects the rhetorical appeal?

The personification supports pathos by showing the author’s disappointment with the North.
The irony supports ethos by showing the author’s knowledge about how the North and South are different.
The alliteration supports ethos by blaming the North for the actions of the whole country.
The asyndeton supports pathos by detailing the North’s role in maintaining the institution of slavery in the country.

Answer 1

The personification supports pathos by showing the author’s disappointment with the North.

Explanation: Describing abstractions like "apathy" as "frozen" (and using vivid comparative adjectives) personifies northern attitudes and evokes an emotional reaction, strengthening the emotional appeal (pathos).