Question

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

Oppression! I have seen thee, face to face,
And met thy cruel eye and cloudy brow;
But thy soul-withering glance I fear not now—
For dread to prouder feelings doth give place
Of deep abhorrence! Scorning the disgrace
Of slavish knees that at thy footstool bow

How does the author’s use of personification support his rhetorical appeal?

It portrays slavery as a cruel monster.
It shows how much people fear slavery.
It describes how ingrained the institution of slavery is in society.
It reveals the importance of people coming together to end slavery.

Answer 1

It portrays slavery as a cruel monster.

Personifying "Oppression" with a "cruel eye," "cloudy brow," and a "footstool" makes the institution seem like a hostile, active being — intensifying its cruelty and stirring the reader’s emotional (pathos) response against slavery.