devastating fire

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Then he continued, “My mule died last week,” — a calamity in this land equal to a devastating fire in town, — “but a white man loaned me another.”
general
равный опустошительному пожару в городе
Описывается как столь же тяжёлое или разрушительное событие, как опустошительный пожар в городе.
The Souls of Black Folk
"The Souls of Black Folk" by W. E. B. Du Bois is a collection of essays published in 1903. This groundbreaking work explores the African-American experience through personal observations and social analysis. Du Bois introduces influential concepts like "double consciousness"—the experience of viewing oneself through both one's own eyes and those of a prejudiced society—and "the veil" that separates black and white Americans. Through essays on education, freedom, and justice, he examines the color line dividing races and argues for voting rights, quality education, and equal treatment.
The Souls of Black Folk