Answer:
to soften in feeling or temper
Answer: cliche
This part is just written because I need an extra 20 characters to submit this answer.
This question refers to the text "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass."
In this text, Douglass tells us that his masters, Mr. and Mrs. Auld, had different ideas about slaves learning how to read. This was a consequence of the fact that they had different ideas about the value and the place of a slave.
On the one hand, Mrs. Auld is a kind woman who believes slaves can better themselves. She is initially interested in teaching Douglass how to read and write. However, Mr. Auld disagrees with her beliefs, and forbids her to teach the slaves how to read and write. Moreover, he convinces her that the best way to treat slaves is to be cruel and unkind. Such ideas change Mrs. Auld and turn her into a cold, unsympathetic woman.
