Me read the excerpt from narrative of the life of frederick douglass. she was nevertheless left a slave--a slave for life--a slave in the hands of strangers; and in their hands she saw her children, her grandchildren, and her great-grandchildren divided, like so many sheep, without being gratified with the small privilege of a single word as to their or her own destiny. douglass uses the imagery of sheep in this excerpt for what purpose?

Because sheep are used for their meat, milk, and wool. They are not thanked, they are not really cared for and they are not even treated as a pet. Nobody really pays attention to the sheep, but everybody wants what a sheep can give. That is most likely why he used the sheep to make an imagery of someone who is being used and is seeing descendants being used, but can't do anything about it.

an expression designed to call something to mind without mentioning it explicitly; an indirect or passing reference.

a because they still enjoy the fire.

explanation: