Douglass utilizes scholarly gadgets, including symbolism, to pass on the mercilessness of subjection to the peruser. For instance, he composes of his close relative's whipping, underlining the hints of her agony, "The louder she shouted, the harder he whipped; and where the blood ran quickest, there he whipped longest." Using symbolism, he passes on the sounds she makes, including her shouts, as she is fiercely whipped by the administrator. He additionally incorporates seeing her blood, another case of symbolism: "soon the warm, red blood came dribbling to the floor." These cases of symbolism underscore her agony and the cruelty of her treatment and make these pictures more striking to the peruser.
