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Rhetorical Analysis Of Frederick Douglass

1388 Words6 Pages

Natalee Kesel
Mr. Nations
World Literature 1818
3 April 2023
Frederick Douglass Rhetorical Analysis Frederick Douglass, on the Fourth of July in 1852 gave an address to the Rochester Ladies’ Anti Slavery Society. Douglass was invited to give a celebratory speech to commemorate the birth of the United States, however, what he said instead was much more thought-provoking. Frederick Douglass was an escaped slave who grew to become a prominent figure and activist for the abolitionist movement. In his address, Frederick Douglass seeks to illustrate the ironic and faulty thought that he should be celebrating the Fourth of July with the anti-slavery society by dramatizing the parallels and hypocrisy of the current race relations in America. Frederick …show more content…

One of the most confrontational ways he does this is by declaring, “America is false to the past, false to the present, and solemnly binds herself to be false to the future” (2). This statement not only attacks America in its current state, but also condemns past America. Douglass uses this sentence to once again reject the celebration of the birth of a country whose values have and always will be built on hypocrisy. The repetition in this declaration brings attention to the word ‘false’, Douglass uses this word on purpose to harshly point out the fallacies America is built on. Douglass continues to point out hypocrisy in many aspects of American life. One of the strongest approaches Douglass incorporates to do this is by illustrating the ignorance of America, he does this multiple times throughout the address. “Above your national joy, I hear the mournful wail of millions” (2), this statement points the finger directly towards America for ignoring the pain of its citizens. Millions of enslaved and discriminated people are suffering at the exact moment this address is given, yet Americans try to ignore the screams and pain by blinding themselves with celebrations. America is truly hypocritical and Douglass condemns the celebration of the country over and over by pointing out the true meaning of …show more content…

Douglass was invited to give a celebratory speech to commemorate the birth of the United States, however, what he said instead was much more thought-provoking. Frederick Douglass was an escaped slave who grew to become a prominent figure and activist for the abolitionist movement. In his address, Frederick Douglass seeks to illustrate the ironic and faulty thought that he should be celebrating the Fourth of July with the anti-slavery society by dramatizing the parallels and hypocrisy of the current race relations in

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