Rhetorical and literary devices has been utilized to persuade an audience throughout history. In Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech and Frederick Douglass’ “Address to the Massachusetts Anti-slavery society” speech, they articulate the injustices the black man has experienced over the years by exercising allusion and anaphora. King and Douglass, both civil rights activist, desire action from society; they seek true equality for their black brethren. King and Douglass use allusion to create a recollection in the minds of their audience in order to reinforce their intents. King states, “five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation” referring to Abraham Lincoln. King deliberately begins his speech similar to the “Gettysburg Address” which instantly …show more content…
King alludes to Lincoln because he too was an activist for black rights and if such an important and powerful figure in American history felt this way then there is obviously good reasoning in why blacks should be bestowed with true justice. King delivers his speech under Lincoln’s memorial because Abraham Lincoln represents Liberty, Equality, and Independence which is what Dr. King has devoted his life to. Frederick Douglass states “what doth it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul” which is a biblical scripture. This quote illustrates that committing actions with only ones personal gain, will ultimately not be worth the payout because one would be throwing away their integrity and honor. Douglass is comparing this idea to the war. The Blacks have allied with the North and are fighting against the
To start with, it is hard to underestimate what Benjamin Franklin and Frederick Douglas did for the United States of America. People continue to respect them and their willingness to change this world into something better. Besides their strong love to liberty these representatives of the history of United States are usually presented as keepers of fundamental American values such as openness, informality, individualism, enterprise, directness, self-reliance and honesty. It is clear that these two men are very different from each other, but they do have a number of similarities that will be presented below as well as differences. Frederick Douglass and Benjamin Franklin were both self-made men.
Free Men If you were forced to work hard and diligently to make yourself a life out of nothing, would you try? Booker T. Washington, a former slave, entered his freedom penniless, jobless, and homeless. In 1782, he traveled to Virginia off a very small supply of money. There he hoped to find jobs to sustain his basic needs and raise enough money to enroll in Hampton Institute.
Frederick Douglass and Malcom X created some of the most famous African-American pieces to ever be released. They were written to reveal how hard the process of learning to read was back during the slave era. Douglass had a chapter in his narrative ”Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass” called “Learning to Read and Write,” it was written in 1845. Malcolm X’s “Learning to Read,” is an excerpt from,” the Autobiography of Malcolm X“. These two pieces were written more than a century apart yet several common themes can still be identifies.
Imagine being a slave in the 1800’s with no clue to why you have no absolute freedom. Imagine being in prison and completely changing into a different person while you’re in there. Imagine being the only daughter of six sons, however, you are neglected by your own father and brothers. These situations may have their differences, but in a way they actually have many things in common too. Frederick Douglass was owned by Mr. and Mrs. Hughs.
The social revolutionaries Malcolm X and Fredrick Douglass would most likely have similar points of view due to their experiences being black individuals in a white majority. Frederick Douglass was an African American abolitionist and civil rights activist in the 20th century. He believed in the importance of African Americans in education and spoke out against segregation. On the other hand, Malcolm X felt that African Americans needed to resist oppression and reduce racism. In the excerpt, “Not just an American Problem, but a world problem”, Malcolm X states, “We are living in a society that is by and large controlled by people who believe in racism, and practice segregation and discrimination and racism” (Malcolm X, page 2).
Malcolm x; Statement clarifies that his homemade education with every additional book he read it, gave him a sensitivity to the ignorance of African american race. Sherman Alexie; statement states him realizing that a paragraph is a fence that held words, helped him identify that his reservation, his house and each person in his family were a paragraph with its own stories. Sherman Alexie; statement describes the expectation others had on Indian children, in which they were expected to be stupid, however these children did not live to that expectation outside school. Frederick Douglass; statement explains how the books he read relived one of his difficulty, however they brought more pain than the one’s he was relieved from, because the more
Atticus's speech from To Kill A Mockingbird and Martin Luther King's "I Have A Dream" speech both express their ideas on racial injustice and inequality. Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) and Atticus both use rhetoric Martin Luther King's use of rhetoric is the most effective in his pursuit to develop his ideas about racial injustices and inequalities because he uses numerous devices to convey his message. MLK gave his speech to bring awareness to racial injustice and inequality towards all African Americans. MLK uses many rhetorical devices such as repetition, similes, metaphors, and allusions. He uses repetition so that he gets his points across and it is remembered by the audience.
Abraham Lincoln, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr When I’m faced with conflict I always think of the best way to resolve it, like many of us do, and we can learn better ways to resolve conflict by learning about how other people have in the past. Abraham Lincoln, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr all gave an excellent example of how to respond to conflict. Abraham Lincoln, a former president, born February 12th, 1809, known for declaring freeing slaves within the Confederacy. Rosa Parks, a civil rights activist, born February 4th 1913, known for refusing to get out of a seat in the “colored section” when the white section had filled up. Martin Luther King Jr also a civil rights activist, born January 15th 1929, known for his “masterful oratorical skills”.
Dr. King spoke on behalf of the people, especially those afflicted by racism and collective hatred. In his speech, he is firm, determined, and diligent in his mission. Throughout his speech, King used symbolism to portray his ideals to the people. For example, during his speech he drew the listeners’ attention to the Lincoln Memorial,
Although a century apart, Martin Luther King Jr’s Letter from Birmingham Jail and Frederick Douglass’s What to a Slave is the fourth of July are kindred spirits. Notwithstanding the many differences in their respective writing styles, deep down the essence of the message conveyed is still very much the same. Both Martin Luther King Junior and Frederick Douglas had similar beliefs and concepts related to the treatment of the African American community. They both describe a tough yet heart breaking situation that makes them question their moral values and doubt the system and its ability to change for better.
King relates to the audience by stating, “The Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land,” (1). Many people in his audience would most likely relate to this quote. They also could feel sympathy or anger towards the horrible situations and examples that King used. In this quote specifically, he said that colored people often find themselves to be alone or separated from the world that they were born to live in. Even after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed, society still can’t seem to accept that colored people are a part of this world too.
“I Have A Dream” by Martin Luther King Junior, is a well-known speech that demonstrates the power of rhetoric and its impact on audiences through the use of repetition and metaphorical speech. In the configuration of his words, King best utilizes the rhetorical device of repetition, both literally and conceptually, to create a call for action now to combat the injustices of the past. The most popular use of repetition that King exercises in his speech is the repetition of “I have a dream” which sends a message of love in a time of hate, as opposed to spreading more hate that can be found, as he says, within the “vicious racists.” A close analysis of this speech reveals that the “I have a dream” portion can be seen as a buildup or as a climax
Frederick Douglass and Mark Twain Analyst Douglass is a writer that uses real life events in his writings to express certain points that he wants to get across to the reader while Mark Twain uses fictional characters like Huckleberry Finn to express certain details in his writings.. Douglass has more of an emotional but ironic tone in his writings and Twain has more of an ironic tone with no emotion in his writings. Douglass looks at events and uses reason to reach into our minds and eradicate our ignorance, while Twain uses Huckleberry Finn to reach into our hearts and dissolve our indifference. Both characters clearly teach their reader that slaves are not inhuman chattel to be dominated but human beings capable of reaching great
Danielle Giacinto Mrs. Park English-IIIA 8 March 2023 Rhetorical Essay In his critically groundbreaking I Have a Dream speech (August 28, 1963), Martin Luther King, Jr. eloquently speaks and passionately allures his audience through the use of allusions, appeal to emotions, and repetition to prove that racial discrimination is an injustice. King develops his argument by explaining the grievances that African Americans face and what must be done to eradicate the horrible actions against them. He gave this speech to create a sense of upheaval and need for justice in the people of America. One of MLK’s most useful methods of proving that discrimination based on race is an injustice is the use of allusions.
“What to the Slave is the Fourth of July,” a speech given by Frederick Douglass, is full of rhetorical devices and strategies used to interest the audience and to reinforce the points that Douglass wants to make. Many great speakers were common people: slaves, moms, dads, teachers, and strangers. In contrast, most famous speeches that are made today are given by celebrities and those with large followings. Douglass, however, had to prove himself each time he made a speech; he did not have a large fanbase that was ready to sit through each speech he gave. Because only the best would help him succeed, Douglass was unable to give a second rate speech that would interest few in the audience.