Rhetorical Analysis Of Frederick Douglass Speech

On July Fifth, 1852, Frederick Douglass was invited to speak at an anti-slavery conference. As a well-established and eloquent speaker, Douglass took this opportunity to make a statement about abolition. By revealing the disparity between what principles institutions like American government and the American Church were founded on and what policies they have come to stand for through a strategic connection with the audience, scathing irony, passionate ranting, emotional appeals and logic, Douglass addresses the social injustice of slavery. He mocks the Fourth of July holiday and argues that the American ideals of freedom, equality and justice have not been bestowed on the public as the founding fathers had promised due to the persistence of

His emotional diction and delivery gives the audience an impression of his authenticity and conviction, influencing the audience to also feel fury at the abomination of slavery. While rage has a connotation of being irrational, wild and impulsive, Douglass employs rage in an intentional, strategic manner that aids his cause. He does not use it to whip his audience into an uncontrollable frenzy. Instead, he uses it as a catalyst for political change. The way Douglass uses rage “triggers reflection” instead of thoughtless recklessness and violence (Sokoloff 332). By referring to his past as a slave, Douglass explains the origins of his rage and justifies his strong emotions on the topic of slavery. In his speech, Douglass constructs imagery of the lives of slaves from personal memories. To enrage his audience, he remembers “weeping” children separated from mothers, the “crack” of the whip and the “sad sobs” of broken families (Douglass 10). As his “soul was often pierced with a sense of its horrors,” Douglass replicates these emotions in the audience, fueling their passion and fury. However, Douglass is “aware of...the double-sided character of rage as a political force (Sokoloff 334). He understands that is can lead to vengeful chaos or mighty conviction that can motivate people in a controlled and unified manner. Therefore, he uses his past suffering to bring authenticity to his outrage at

Due to the interconnected state of the world, Douglass remarks that “intelligence is penetrating the darkest corners of the globe” (Douglass 17). Because of the world’s connected and codependent state, Douglass argues that countries will inevitably have to modernize through social changes to maintain friendly foreign relationships. By 1852, most other countries besides the United States had already abolished slavery. According to Douglass’s logic, America would have to eventually follow suit and return back to its high standards, established by the founding fathers. The world has become a more intelligent and aware place with “all-pervading light” that clearly exposes injustices such as slavery (Douglass 18). Douglass has hope for America because he knows it cannot hide forever from the