Read the excerpt from Notes of a Native Son. The only white people who came to our house were welfare workers and bill collectors. It was almost always my mother who dealt with them, for my father's temper, which was at the mercy of his pride, was never to be trusted. It was clear that he felt their very presence in his home to be a violation: this was conveyed by his carriage, almost ludicrously stiff, and by his voice, harsh and vindictively polite. Which figurative language device does Baldwin use to emphasize his father's frequent lack of control over his intense anger? He uses the personification "at the mercy of his pride." He uses the alliteration "conveyed by his carriage." He uses the metaphor "presence in his home to be a violation." He uses the paradox "vindictively polite."

Question

Valeria Byrd

English

1 September, 01:24

Read the excerpt from Notes of a Native Son. The only white people who came to our house were welfare workers and bill collectors. It was almost always my mother who dealt with them, for my father's temper, which was at the mercy of his pride, was never to be trusted. It was clear that he felt their very presence in his home to be a violation: this was conveyed by his carriage, almost ludicrously stiff, and by his voice, harsh and vindictively polite. Which figurative language device does Baldwin use to emphasize his father's frequent lack of control over his intense anger? He uses the personification "at the mercy of his pride." He uses the alliteration "conveyed by his carriage." He uses the metaphor "presence in his home to be a violation." He uses the paradox "vindictively polite."

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Tatiana Dalton · Answer 1

Personification - 'at the mercy of his pride' is the language device that Baldwin used to emphasize his father's frequenct lack of control.

Baldwin uses the personification of pride to show that his dad's pride would get in the when when white people would come and that would lead to his anger.