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
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?
O 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."