How do the events in “i know why the caged bird sings” most influence maya angelou’s later poem, “the caged bird”?

What is the effect of the author's choice of the word loathsome rather than hateful in this sentence from the count of monte cristo? two soldiers were accordingly sent for, and the inspector descended a stairway, so foul, so humid, so dark, as to be loathsome to sight, smell, and respiration. it reveals that the unpleasant aspects of the stairway are manmade. it stresses the disgusting, offensive nature of the stairway. it suggests that the soldiers are used to the place and do not hate it. it implies that the effects of the stairway are felt only by the inspector.

Which of these phrases is an example of understatement?

In robert fosters birches what does the speaker think of when he sees birches bend left and right