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Rhetorical Analysis Of Letter By Benjamin Banneker

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In the letter by Benjamin Banneker,Banneker writes to Thomas Jefferson on how slavery is horrible. Banneker wants Jefferson to free his people. Banneker uses rhetorical devices, pathos logos and paradox to persuade Jefferson to get rid of slavery. Banneker uses pathos to get Jefferson to feel how he feels about slavery. Banneker says “brethren under groaning captivity and cruel oppression, that you should at the same time be found guilty of…. ” The reason Banneker says this is that Jefferson just fought for the freedom of America, why could he not free the slaves. When Jefferson reads this, he should feel horrible that he freed everyone but the slaves. Jefferson just freed a country, why could her not end slavery. Banneker also says, “the
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Banneker’s goal is to connect with Jefferson. He wants Jefferson to realize that he himself worked hard to obtain the rights naturally entitled to all humans by God which were once taken away from him and all of America. However, he is taking away these very rights from Banneker’s “brethren”, the African Americans. In his letter, Benjamin Banneker begins by describing the historical context of how America was able to escape the tyranny of Britain. Banneker utilizes America’s freedom from Britain to show that the “tranquility that exists is only due to a blessing.”

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Hypocrisy is one of the worst moral crimes someone can commit. In a letter addressed to Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Banneker explains that Jefferson is the prime adversary in allowing the unjust crime of slavery to sustain itself by him continuing to act in a hypocritical manner. Banneker, through the use of showing respect through the means of referring to Jefferson as ‘Sir’, quoting his own words to show hypocrisy, and strong perturbing diction to enforce guilt, strives to prove Jefferson’s moral flaw and persuade him to change his ways. Banneker begins to persuade Jefferson by continually referring to him as ‘Sir’, which shows respect toward Jefferson, and because of this, Jefferson is forced to accept the ideas Banneker is explaining. Banneker starts the letter off with referring to Jefferson as ‘Sir’, and does this in every paragraph to solidify and ensure that he is being polite while still getting his point across.

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