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Underground Railroad Rhetorical Devices

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In the contemporary era, the issue of race remains a prevalent topic in public discussion. Thus, Colson Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad is meaningful as it explores the legacy of racial injustice in the United States and its consequences in today’s society. In his development of the underground railroad as a literal and physical vehicle to freedom, Whitehead is able to candidly detail the ubiquitous nature of racial prejudice and the horrors associated with it. Over the course of his novel, the author utilizes a variety of rhetorical devices in order to further explore the many hardships that ‘freedom’ inevitably entails. In particular, Whitehead’s use of imagery, character interactions and Aristotelian appeals brings to attention aspects of race relations that were and are still often misunderstood or disregarded by society. It is important to note, however, that the oppressed do not remain oppressed forever as demonstrated by heroine Cora’s persisting efforts to break free. Thus, through his uncensored narrative of slavery, Whitehead sets precedence for the impassioned social resistance movements in the modern era by arguing that the most enduring road is the one that leads …show more content…

In many ways, Whitehead’s novel itself, is a fierce symbol of resistance. He encourages individuals to resist the attempts of the unjust, who wish to erase the diverse nation that history has worked so hard to build. Today, freedom in American is often taken for granted. Taking a look at the struggles faced by those enslaved, therefore, forces individuals to pay close attention to and learn from America’s frightful history. In doing so, modern generations have the ability to work towards building a better world, laid alternatively, on the foundations of equality and acceptance of all, regardless of sex, gender, and

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In The Underground Railroad, written by Colson Whitehead, there are many noticeable allusions that the author has creatively used to indirectly reference different historical ideas, documents, or events. Whitehead uses the Declaration of Independence, the Freedom Trail, and of course, the Underground Railroad to create a more meaningful narrative. Allusions help connect the novel to historical themes that end up making the story intriguing. Throughout the book, the allusion to the Declaration of Independence is ironic given the circumstances.

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These particular facts contribute to his overall push for continued, assertive action against the government. He finds it essential that the Ladies Anti-Slavery Society of Rochester be able to visualize such revelations on the reality of American society. Realizing this provides them the means to take more radical steps towards greater civil equality and rights for African Americans, despite the laws prohibiting equivalent efforts. This shift brings the author closer to his end result of using passionate language to convey his

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What would it mean to shed light on a part of history that remains largely invisible because it was conducted in secret and under cover of night? This was the challenge faced by Colson Whitehead, for example, in his award-winning novel, “The Underground Railroad.” A clandestine and loosely organized network of activists, safe houses and secret routes, the actual Underground Railroad shepherded as many as 100,000 slaves to freedom in the six decades before the Civil War. Its route would eventually traverse free states from Maine to Iowa, extending as far north as Canada.

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This will get the listeners thinking about what sincerely is happening with the issue of slavery and stimulate interest in the abolitionist mindset. Additionally, the author laconically questions, “What to the American Slave is your Fourth

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Analogous in form to the spiritual autobiography, the slave narrative emphasizes the difficulty of upholding moral goodness under the weight of slavery. By revealing herself as a “fallen woman” Jacobs creates a hazardous problem, capable of eliminating the sympathies of a primarily white audience. Moreover, Jacobs risks portraying herself as an impure woman, whose virtuousness departs from the piousness and gracefulness typically exemplified by the ideal woman or “angel in the house,” according to the “Cult of True Womanhood.” Therefore, in an effort to preserve the ethos of her argument, Jacobs attributes her unchaste condition to the systemic effects of American slavery. Hoping to destroy the ideology of benign paternalism, Jacobs reveals her consequential ethical dilemma through a faint description of her master’s, Dr. Flint’s, licentious behavior.

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In many ways, Whitehead’s novel is a symbol of resistance. He encourages individuals to resist the attempts of the unjust, who wish to erase the diverse nation that history has worked so hard to build. Today, freedom in American is often taken for granted. Taking a look at the struggles faced by those enslaved, therefore, forces individuals to pay close attention to and learn from America’s frightful history. In doing so, modern generations have the ability to work towards building a better world, laid alternatively, on the foundation of equality and acceptance of all, regardless of sex, gender, and

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Douglass quickly remembers that “the ferocious beasts of the forest lie in wait for their prey.” He understands that so long as he is a black man in a white man’s country he will never truly be free. At any given moment a white man can capture him and return him to

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From this, derives a bond with the reader that pushes their understanding of the evil nature of slavery that society deemed appropriate therefore enhancing their understanding of history. While only glossed over in most classroom settings of the twenty-first century, students often neglect the sad but true reality that the backbone of slavery, was the dehumanization of an entire race of people. To create a group of individuals known for their extreme oppression derived from slavery, required plantation owner’s of the South to constantly embedded certain values into the lives of their slaves. To talk back means to be whipped.

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Frederick Douglass’s “What the Black Man Wants” captures the need for change in post Civil War America. The document presses the importance for change, with the mindset of the black man being, ‘if not now then never’. Parallel to this document is the letter of Jourdon Anderson, writing to his old master. Similar to Douglas, Mr. Anderson speaks of the same change and establishes his worth as freed man to his previous slave owner. These writings both teach and remind us about the evils of slavery and the continued need for equality, change, and reform.

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Colson Whitehead chose to represent South Carolina ahistorically to comment on how racism and discrimination continued after the abolition of slavery, and he did this by incorporating elements of American culture and discriminatory decisions that did not appear historically until after the abolition. Whitehead uses the section of his book that takes place in South Carolina to comment on the racial segregation prevalent in America in the early-mid 20th century. In South Carolina as it appears in The Underground Railroad, slaves are owned by the state government and assigned to work in their own communities. They are given amenities such as housing and money for food in return for their services, but they are required to stay separate from the white community.

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