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Rhetorical Analysis Of What To The American Slave Is Your Fourth Of July

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Frederick Douglass was an escaped slave who joined the Abolitionist cause in the North, writing books and speeches with a first-hand account of the horrors of slavery. In 1852, as the anti-slavery movement in the North was approaching a new peak and as secessionist sentiments were emerging in the South, he was invited to give a speech at a Fourth of July celebration in Rochester (Douglass). Douglass used the opportunity to expose the hypocrisy of this democracy through his speech, “July 4, 1852.” In the speech, he pointed the flawed logic behind celebrating freedom while keeping millions of people as property, denying them rights. He made it clear that any arguments supporting slavery were unsound. He took down many such arguments by anticipating …show more content…

He asserts this by asking listeners, ‘What to the American slave is your Fourth of July?’ (Douglass). Douglass proceeds to answer the question, calling the Fourth of July ‘a day that reveals to [the slave] more than all other days of the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim’ (Douglass). This is an example of a rhetorical device known as hypophora, where a question is asked and answered by the same person. Douglass uses this to add credibility to his speech and to his anti-slavery arguments, showing that he has first-hand knowledge about slavery. Only a person who has been through the crushing oppression of slavery can justly answer such a question. Douglass can see the world through the eyes of a slave and can think like a slave. Thus, he is qualified to speak on the behalf of slaves and state that slavery is harmful to them and is wrong. Douglass uses hypophora to show his audience that he is a voice for the millions of voiceless people held as property in the American South, even after gaining his freedom, and that he will continue to fight against slavery. Douglass asks his audience questions for which he does not expect an answer to begin his speech, many of which do not solely apply to him but to all slaves. He starts out his speech with the

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An American Slave, Frederick Douglass, in his speech, “What To The Slave Is The 4th Of July?”, denigrates the Fourth of July and what it’s meaning is and what it represents. Douglass’s purpose is to show his audience the meaning of Fourth of July to slaves. He adopts a pressing tone in order to show what slaves think and feel about the Fourth of July in his speech to the President, friends and the people of the US. Douglass throughout his speech lionizes the impact that Fourth of July has on slaves. According to his speech he says, “Attend the auction;see men examined like horses;see forms of women rudely and brutally exposed to the hocking gaze of American slave-buyers.

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In his speech, “What to a Slave is the Fourth of July?,” Douglass creates a strong piece through structure, rhetoric, carefully crafted arguments. In the first section of his speech, Douglass

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In the Speech “The meaning of July Fourth for the Negro” by Fredrick Douglass repeats the word “argue” throughout his speech. For example, on line states,” would you have me argue…” “Must I argue…” this example of repletion in the speech emphasizes the fact that he must argue these points. Fredrick Douglass wants people to use logic to see that justification for slavery is wrong. Another example of repetition in the speech is the words “man and “ manhood. ”

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In 1776, on July 4th, the 13 English colonies officially declared their freedom from England. However, as the years progressed, slavery became incorporated into everyday American life. In 1852, former slave Frederick Douglass gave a speech to celebrate America’s independence; however, instead of praising the country, he censured Americans for saying they were a “country of the free”. In the speech, Hypocrisy of American Slavery, Frederick Douglass declares that Americans should not be celebrating their freedom when there are slaves living in the country. To convince his audience that Americans are wrong celebrating freedom on the 4th of July when slavery exists in their country, he uses emotional appeal, ethical appeal, and rhetorical questions.

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Many people in America take their freedoms for granted and fail to realize that some people don’t share those freedoms. Fredrick Douglass intended to remind Americans that the Fourth of July is not a day of celebration for African Americans, but a day of mourning. Douglass uses varied syntax, rhetorical questions, and appeals to emotions and logic to prove that slaves are human and that their manhood should be recognized, and to show the irony behind asking a slave to speak at a celebration of independence. Douglass uses short syntax to display the differences between himself and his audience, as well as long syntax to exaggerate the neverending struggles of African American slaves. Douglass states “I am not that man.”

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Frederick Douglass, born a slave and later the most influential African American leader of the 1800s, addresses the hypocrisy of the US of maintaining slavery with its upheld ideals being freedom and independence on July 4th, 1852. Douglass builds his argument by using surprising contrasts, plain facts, and provocative antithesis. Introducing his subject, Douglass reminds his audience about the dark side of America for slaves, in sharp, surprising contrasts with the apparent progressivity within the nation. He first notices “the disparity,” that “the sunlight that brought life and healing to you, has brought stripes and deaths to me,” as an African-American former slave. It is surprising for the audience to hear that the Sun does not bring him any prosperity, that the Sun, the source of life on earth, brings him destruction.

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First, Frederick Douglass uses rhetorical questions to elucidate to the listener the many social inequalities between black and white people. For example, Frederick Douglass says, “Are the great principles of political freedom and of natural justice embodied in the Declaration of Independence extended to us?” (para. 1). He is implying that the rights stated in the Declaration of Independence are not given to those of African American race. The audience will begin to realize that they are not treated with the same liberties as those who are considered free.

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Being chained,whipped,feeling abandoned and separated from families is what African American slaves had to experienced for many generations . African American slaves suffered from mental and physical abuse. Frederick Douglass an abolitionist born into slavery around 1818 in Maryland,he was separated from his mother at a young age .Douglass was taught by his slave holder how to read and write around the age of 12. He later became well known by his writings and autobiographies of being a slave(biography editors).One of his most famous stories is Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave. On July 5,1852 Frederick Douglass gives a speech, What to the slave is the Fourth of July ,Frederick Douglass uses rhetorical devices,imagery,repetition ,and rhetorical questions to stress the wrongness of slavery to a northern,white audience.

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“The Hypocrisy of American Slavery: Slavery at its best” Frederick Douglass an activist for anti racism and also an abolitionist’s speech “The Hypocrisy of Slavery” was given on the occasion of celebrating the independence day. Here, in this speech he actually brought out some questions like why we should celebrate Independence Day while almost four million people were kept chained as a slave. He actually mocked the fact of the people of America’s double standards which is that they are singing out the song of liberty, on the other hand holding the chain of slavery. Frederick Douglass, a former American-African slave who managed to escape from his slavery and later on became an abolitionist gave this speech on Fourth of July,

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Douglass points to the vast unwillingness from the group of whites that refuses to fully perceive and accept African-Americans as deserving and equal citizens of the nation. Based on his personal experiences as a slave, Douglass is abundantly aware that the battle to abolish slavery is not an easy task. For the first twenty years of his life, he witnessed firsthand the abject cruelty of that institution in our country. Tactfully, Douglass seizes this opportunity to publicly highlight the unmerited and coarse differences in the treatment between the whites as opposed to the blacks living in the United States during this time period. He makes a “powerful testaments to the hypocrisy, bigotry and inhumanity of slavery” (Bunch 1).

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Douglass utilizes pathos to evoke the emotions of the audience. He speaks of the slaves’ pain, suffering, and injustice. He states, 'What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July? I answer, a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim.' With this sentence, Douglass paints a vivid image of the suffering and injustice African Americans experience on the Fourth of July.

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In 1776, on July 4th, the 13 English colonies officially declared their freedom from England. However, as the years progressed, slavery became incorporated into everyday American life. In 1852, Frederick Douglass, a former slave, was called upon to deliver a speech to celebrate America’s independence; however, he censured Americans for saying they were a “country of the free”. In the speech, Hypocrisy of American Slavery, Frederick Douglass declares that Americans should not be celebrating their freedom when there are slaves living in the country. He uses emotional appeal, ethical appeal, and rhetorical questions to convince his audience that Americans are wrong celebrating freedom on the 4th of July when slavery exists in their country.

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He proclaims that "…While we are…living, moving, acting, thinking, planning, living in families as husbands, wives and children, and, above all, confessing and worshipping the Christian's God, and looking hopefully for life and immortality beyond the grave, we are called upon to prove that we are men!" By showing the mundanity of the slave, Douglass shows the audience that the slaves are human and therefore unable to be considered property. He forces his audience to examine their own lives and realize their similarities to the slaves and the hypocrisy of slavery. He doesn't give his audience a chance to disagree with his stance on slavery because he makes such a blunt argument. Douglass asks again, "Must I undertake to prove that the slave is a man?

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The fourth of July and slaves really don’t mix. Frederick douglass was born as a slave and he does a speech on the fourth of july and they are thinking that he is going to give a whora speech but he dont do that it 's the complete opposite of what they thought. In frederick douglass, Hypocrisy of American Slavery he attacks the hypocrisy of a nation celebrating freedom and independence with speeches, parades and platitudes, while, within its borders, nearly four million humans were being kept as slaves. Overall douglass has explained his speech through emotional,ethical,logical appeal and through rhetorical questions.

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With this, Douglass is addressing the topic of slavery and whether to abolish it or not. And goes about telling the hardships he went through.

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