juxtaposition: the placement of elements, characters, scenes, objects, etc. side by side for purposes of comparison and contrast
"Prior to conversion, he relied upon his own depravity to shield and sustain him in his savage barbarity; but after his conversion he found religious sanction and support for his slaveholding cruelty...His house was the house of prayer."
-Narrative of Life of Frederick Douglass
by Frederick Douglass
Douglass places information about his master's religious conversion and life next to information about his treatment of other human beings to show ridiculousness. He is communicating that the slave owners are deluded and when their fervor increases for a religion that preaches love and forgiveness their treatment of slaves often worsens. He is showing that a change must take place by displaying the twisted logic of the slave owner; he is implying that if left to itself slavery will continue because the slave holder connects every aspect of life, including religion, to it.
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