20 points~ To what is the speaker most closely referring with the phrase withering injustice in the passage below (paragraph 2)?

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.
Answer choices for the above question
A. the experience of enslaved Africans before the Emancipation
Proclamation
B. the weather on the day of the march
C. the cruelty African Americans continue to experience in the present
D. the personalities of the politicians who were in power during the speaker’s time

Read the excerpt from chapter 16 of frankenstein. “when night came i quitted my retreat and wandered in the wood; and now, no longer restrained by the fear of discovery, i gave vent to my anguish in fearful howlings. i was like a wild beast that had broken the toils, destroying the objects that obstructed me and ranging through the wood with a stag-like swiftness. oh! what a miserable night i passed! the cold stars shone in mockery, and the bare trees waved their branches above me; now and then the sweet voice of a bird burst forth amidst the universal stillness.” identify instances where figurative language is used in this excerpt. for each use of figurative language explain its meaning analyze how it contributes to and affects the meaning in the excerpt provide evidence from the text to support your analysis and responses.