Benjamin Banneker effectively convinces Jefferson to end slavery through his use of imagery, allusions, and figurative language. One of the main literary devices Benjamin Banneker uses is imagery. The use of imagery throughout the paper, allows the audience to create a clearer picture. Imagery is also useful for demonstrating and conveying ideas. An example of imagery, “reflect on that time in which every human aid appeared unavailable.”
His father was an enslaved West African from Guinea and his mother was the child of a female European indentured servant and an enslaved African who gained his freedom before she was born.” Mr. Banneker was a self- educated mathematician, astronomer, ran his family’s farm, and a writer among other things. He is mostly known for creating a wooden clock that ran every hour for over forty years, helping survey our nation’s capital, his widely read almanacs, and his letters to Thomas Jefferson. 4. For what audience was the document written?
He shows the politeness to allow Jefferson to note that race does not make one inferior and that Banneker thinks of him as an equal. By stroking Jefferson’s ego and showing him respect continually allows Banneker to have a more educated conversation with
Slavery was a hard topic in America. Still is. Benjamin Banneker a decedent of former slaves,a farmer,mathematician, astronomer, author, and surveyor, was brave enough to write to Thomas Jefferson about his views on slavery. Banneker uses various rhetorical and literary techniques throughout his letter to persuade Jefferson to his own views.
Through the 1790's and prior, The United States developed a systematic racism through slavery. Benjamin Banneker, an educated man, son of a freed slave, drafted a letter to Thomas Jefferson, writer of the Declaration of Independence. Banneker composed this letter to prompt Jefferson to take a strong stance against slavery so that slavery may eventually end. His letter courteously questions Jefferson's validity of the statement “all men are created equal” within the Declaration of Independence by calling to question the institution of slavery. Banneker uses repetition to reinforce a formal and respectful tone, utilizes strong and emotional diction, and concludes with a biblical allusion.
Benjamin Banneker, in his letter to Thomas Jefferson, offers a series of arguments against the institution of slavery through a respectful tone, references to history, and the Bible. As a son of former slaves, Banneker is seeking justice for the black population and uses Jefferson’s own words against him as he speaks on behalf of “Black America.” He shares his opinions with Jefferson, who is higher authority, in a respectful manner while still managing to criticize him. Banneker starts off his letter to Jefferson by calling his “Sir.” He refers to Jefferson this way because he wants to be respectful to this man who exists as a higher authority as a politician.
“Let my people go”1 is the statement Banneker communicates to Thomas Jefferson in his letter. Banneker pleads this by utilizing different means to sway Jefferson’s opinion about the continuance of slavery, as God, through Moses, did to Pharaoh for the Israelites. However, instead of a plague, swarm of locusts, or blood in the water, Banneker exhibits biblical allusions, Jefferson’s personal work, and a respectful and educated tone. In the beginning, Banneker recaps America’s recent history of their emancipation from the British Crown.
Farmer, astronomer and author Benjamin Banneker in his untitled letter strongly argues against slavery. Banneker's purpose is to argue and persuade against slavery and explain how it's unjustified at a time after the American Revolution and during a time when the House of Burgesses took away African's rights and made them forever bound to slavery brought by the slave codes. He adopts a serene tone in order to calmly and professionally expound on the ideas that he's going to explain to show why slavery is unjustified in his letter to a man of higher authority. Banneker achieves his purpose/tone through the use of diction and figurative language.
Slavery has sadly been in America from the start. Many have different opinions about slavery whether it should stay or be abandoned and forgotten. Although one person has written to Thomas Jefferson about one of history’s most important subject. Banneker starts it off by writing his strong views on how wrong slavery is not just listing all the problems, but in a letter that he uses strategies to make his view convincing. Benjamin Banneker uses rhetorical strategies such as ethos, logos, and various style elements to argue against slavery.
The quote also appeals to Jefferson’s emotions because Banneker makes him feel guilty about slavery. Jefferson
Banneker says how slaves still have to go through the “horrors of its condition” even with the colonies becoming free, therefore Jefferson is “guilty” of what he “professedly detested” in Britain. He points out that Jefferson in a way enforces the treatments he tried to escape onto the slaves, or allows slaveholders to. How could Jefferson be the great man people say he is if he allows treatment he hates to be practice on others, therefore he needs to stop slavery to not be a hypocrite. Through the use of irony Banneker is able to point how Jefferson is being contradictory and grotesque by not giving equal human rights to
Benjamin Bannecker, a son of former slaves and educated scholar, angered about the mistreatment of slaves wrote a letter to the author of the Declaration of Independence Thomas Jefferson. He assumes a knowledgeable and matter-of fact persona in order to challenge Jefferson’s loyalty Christian faith and urge him to abolish/ condemn slavery. Bannecker organizes his speech in a cause and effect manner by demonstrating Jefferson hypocrisy towards slavery; he emphasizes his purpose by utilizing negative diction, historical allusions, and juxtaposition in order to illustrate the injustice of slavery and justify why it should be abolished. Bannecker begins his letter by comparing British rule to slavery and establishes that Jefferson was once a strong
Hypocrisy is one of the worst moral crimes someone can commit. Benjamin Banneker's letter to Thomas Jefferson explains that he has committed this crime. He has gone back on his morale of everyone having unalienable rights by letting slavery continue to happen, and Banneker believes he is the prime contender in allowing this crime to happen and that he should be the start and make the move to stop slavery. Banneker explains this to Jefferson in such a way that the letter is both respectful and thoughtful while also being rude due to the use of how he phrases his sentences, that his argument can not be questioned because of his use of ‘Sir’ to show his respect, and his ardent choice of words which are all collectively used to explain how Jefferson is being hypocritical and show him why he should fix this.
Banneker asks Jefferson to recall when the British had the colonies silenced and for him to notice the similarities between the situation of whites quieting blacks and the British not listening to the colonist pleas. Banneker invokes regret by presenting to Jefferson “you cannot but acknowledge that the present freedom,” since the United States is no longer in the “arms and tyranny of the British Crown.” Making Jefferson remember that at one time the United States citizens were oppressed and didn’t have a say in anything.. He uses details of slavery Jefferson has seen himself including the “horrors of its condition,” such as families being separated, African Americans being whipped, beaten, burned and even
Benjamin Banneker, the son of former slaves, wrote a letter to Thomas Jefferson to argue against slavery. Banneker was an educated man, he was an astronomer, mathematician, surveyor, author, and farmer, yet, Jefferson had not known this information. Banneker makes his argument through the use of allusion, diction, and repetition, which causes Banneker to seem reliable and have intelligence. To remind Jefferson of his own subjugation, Banneker alludes to the British Crown. “..British Crown were exerted with every powerful effort in order to reduce you to a State of Servitude.”
