African Americans, not able to yet fight in the union army, are being motivated by Alfred M. Green to join when the opportunity arises. Using the Revolutionary war as a reference Green relates the possible freedoms of post Civil War to the freedoms of post Revolution. Using rhetoric the author attempts to motivate his audience to join the fight. The first paragraph of the speech is probably the most moving and inspiring because the author begins by talking about how African Americans need to finally get rewarded for all the work that their people have done. Green wants to show the world that they are just as brave and patriotic as any other person in the United States at the time. The author is very patriotic in the way he said “My country …show more content…
Great Presidents recognize value of colored people but haven’t seen them as citizens yet while they fought for the rights of their masters. Society has not yet rewarded African Americans for their contribution to to the freedom of the United States. Green is storytelling history pointing out that Blacks have contributed a great amount to the country hoping to get the freedoms that they originally fought for in the Revolutionary …show more content…
He begins by telling people it is their responsibility to defend the country regardless of what the country has done to them. The author uses powerful word choice to inspire the African Americans that they can rebuild the country in a way that society is equal for all men. To me the most motivating part of the speech “let not the honor and glory achieved by our fathers be blasted or sullied by a want of true heroism among their sons.” because their ancestors worked so hard but it would be degrading to be the generation that ended the dream of freedom. However, if they became the generation that earned their people the freedom they’ve always deserved the African Americans would be honored throughout
He says that people want to end slavery, but they have to fight for their rights. Saying African Americans have people who are on their side gives them an understanding that they should fight to gain their freedom. Alfred M. Green knows ending slavery is what African Americans want, telling them people are on their side gives them security in fighting in the war. Choosing to use metaphors in his speech makes African Americans more open to enlisting to join the Union
Green uses repetition to stress the importance of the African Americans joining the union forces. Throughout his speech Green uses the repetition of “we” and “our”, by doing this he unites himself with his fellow African American audience. This shows his audience that he knows what it feels like to be them because he is the same. Green also talks of the “bravery” it will take in order to fight for their rights, and the “honor” that it grants. This helps his listeners gain the courage to tackle this task of defeating the confederate forces.
In the nineteen-forties there was a terrible war raging on, with many dead, and others wounded. Little did America know, there was another war, a silent war, a war of opportunities and understanding. During the war years, morale was low and Americans were afraid to go to war, however; the Double V campaign encouraged Americans to fight for democracy and victory abroad and at home. Unfortunately, it didn 't include all Americans. African-Americans had been fighting for their own freedom for many years, but now, they wanted to fight for their country and were denied,“For surely those who perpetrate these ugly prejudices here are seeking to destroy our democratic form of government just as surely as the Axis forces.”
This is demonstrated as he acknowledges the plight of African Americans and identifies himself as one of them. He discusses the fugitive slave act and the Dred Scott case which limited African-American rights. Nonetheless, the acknowledgement of these circumstances enables Green to convince his readers that he feels the heartache that they feel because he, too, is an African American who has suffered discrimination. Even so, Green relays a credible message by incorporating collective nouns when he states that, “our duty” and “let us,” which, enables him to establish credibility and a sense of unity among the African Americans. He does this as a way to prove that he is willing to work alongside his fellow race as they prepare to make a change.
Green was tasked with the job to deliver a speech to the slaves that would encourage them to side with the North for their freedom; and he did just that by using the proper terms and strategies with his audience who were slaves. During this period of time, educating slaves was a major “no”; though some still managed to learn a few things, for the most part they were all rather uneducated. This persuader knew that he had to be cautious of the words and phrases he used to lure his audience in instead of them toning him out. Though this was a difficult concept, Green’s speech more than likely encouraged most of his audience to enlist to the Union’s army for their cause thanks to his rhetorical devices that he chose to use in this time of
He goes on to point out that the government has been telling them to wait but he translates that to them saying that they will never get their rights. The promise set by the constitution that everybody should have rights has not been kept and that was three hundred and forty years ago which has been way too long and change needs to happen immediately. Although the Emancipation Proclamation got rid of slavery that hasn’t changed the way African Americans have been viewed as they still face racial inequality. He acknowledges that through this quote, “The nations of Asia and Africa are moving with jetlike speed toward the goal of political independence, and we still creep at horse-and-buggy pace toward the gaining of a cup of coffee at a lunch counter” (Par.12). This metaphor emphasizes his point of how long African Americans have waited and how the government seems to be neglecting the fact that they need to change.
Dr. King uses many examples of the kinds of problems that African-Americans face every day in Birmingham. One of the reasons that this part of the letter is so effective is because of the degree of specificity that Dr. King uses in his examples of the injustices they face. He reminded them of Warren’s own words on the need for desegregation, “Justice too long delayed is justice denied.” He explains that if you put off justice for a long time, you might forget about it, or you might feel less enthused by action and less strong than you felt before about taking action. Dr. King responds to the disapproval of the timing of public by referring the broader scope of history and declaring that African Americans had waited for these God-given and constitutional rights long enough.
4.The speech gives off a sense of frustration when it is stated that only the harshest words will be used in the topic of slavery and advocating black people’s independence. 5.I found it interesting that there are many (multiple) crimes in which the punishment depends on the race of the individual. This is an example of America not enforcing the saying that
Alfred M. Green: Rhetorical Analysis In April of 1861, the first month of the Civil War, an African American man named Alfred M. Green delivered a speech in favor of African American men joining the Union army. During this time period, African American men were still not able to enlist in the army. However, Green believed that it was still essential towards the Union army’s victory, and towards their freedom and rights as African American individuals. By using the rhetorical strategies logos, ethos, and pathos, he notifies the audience of what they can accomplish, creates trust and unity, and inspires them by describing the possibility of change for the future.
This is a very fundamental moment in his speech. He is uplifting the north and stating that the south should have a bigger punishment than it received. It shows his grace and appreciation for the south and gives hope to the reconstruction that is about to take place. The listeners are every citizen of the United States, whether that be northerner or southerner. He is addressing both the offender and the tolerator by means of referring to an earlier event and describing the outcome and plan for improvement and prosperity.
He successfully uses the three rhetorical appeals, allegory, and repetition to get his point across. His speech definitely shows the South it could be capable of amazing success, if the Whites and the African American realize they need each
The speech given by Alfred M. Green in Philadelphia in April 1861 contains a dynamic and potent message calling African Americans to enlist in the Union Army. Green uses emotional diction, appeals to patriotism, and the authority of religion to persuade African Americans to join his cause. His effective use of pathos and ethos also contribute to his argument. Throughout the speech, Green uses emotional diction to express the need for African Americans to enlist and help fight the Civil War.
The speech identifies the struggles African Americans faced due to discrimination, hence allowing readers insight into African American lives. The speech is inspirational and powerful due to the speaker exhibiting to the audience his anger regarding
Now that Green has engaged his audience he focuses on his main purpose which is persuading his fellow African Americans to fight for the Union Army, he now shifts to an authoritative tone, to remind that it's “our duty”to defend the country. And consistently repeats “Let us” to show that he is one of them and the time has come to “take up the sword” and “defend the rights” of African Americans. This implies that Alfred Green is including himself along with the million of enslaved blacks to courageously join the fight to freedom. Green demands his audience to help him “overthrow” the government who threatened them all into slavery. However,Alfred M. Green appeals to patriotism by declaring that there should be “justice and equality for all
After the abolishment of slavery, the American Civil War broke out, which Paul Dunbar wrote about to model the fight for equality for African Americans. Dunbar utilized a key individual to write by the name of Robert Gould Shaw, an American soldier in the Union Army during the Civil War. He served as the commander of the first-all black regiment, 54th Massachusetts, where he encouraged blacks to refuse pay until the standards for all had reached. The meaning of war for African Americans exhibited a “hot tear of a hopeless fight” (“Robert Gould Shaw” 11) as a result of battle much larger than the war implied. Instead, it implied a disturbance in ignoring color barriers, but rather noticing a person for who he or she actually embodied.