Do you mean what is Danah Boyd's claim? And is "Blame Society Not The Screen" the title of the passage?
#1) How are they similar to "the slaves of political parties"?
Answer: Slaves wanted to be trusted by their overseers because this often would grant them privileges that other slaves did not have.
#2) Why does Douglass make this comparison?
Answer: Slaves would seek with great care to please their overseers to gain their trust, just as office-seekers in the political parties seek to please and deceive the people.
I hope it helps, Regards.
Answer:
The literary technique this stanza demonstrates is <em>metaphor</em>
If we imagine ourselves in the scene in which the witness speaks with a firm and confident voice saying "that is the man I saw", the most probable thing is that it convinces us because she is very sure of herself, the witness does not doubt it for a moment, she/he is stating it.
The word <u>averred</u> can be replaced by <u>stated</u> since they have the same meaning. Other synonims can be claim, declare or affirm.
