Verisimilitude:
The quality of realism in a work that persuades the reader that he/she is getting a vision of life as it really is.


Example:
"I held him easy, causing the blood to run where i touched him with the ends of my fingers."
-Frederick Douglass.


Explanation:
This type of in-depth description is used a lot in Douglass' work. The purpose of this is to show the reader the reality of things and how harsh it is by using invective language and imagery. This verisimilitude allows the reader to get a descriptive vision of Douglass' life, and how harsh slavery was; which is the purpose of the novel.