Quote 1: “The public defender, trying to get him off, called him a dumb animal,” I told her. “He said it would be like tying a hog down in that chair and executing him-an animal that didn’t know what any of it was all about. The jury, twelve white men good and true still sentenced him to death.” (26) My Response: This quote is significant because it is a representation that times have not changed. Even in today’s society racism is still controversial. Jefferson was in the wrong place at the wrong time and had been incriminated. That exact type of situation has happened numerous times these past few months. Black people are called monkeys and even back then they were still considered animals. Jefferson is not a hog, but the defender said otherwise, …show more content…
He wants Jefferson to stand up and walk to that electric chair with his head held high. Not only is it relevant to Jefferson’s situation but it relates to what has been happening recently with the black shootings. There is now a black versus white war stirring up again. Most of the white cops are killing blacks because they consider them to be minor in comparison. Not all people with ivory skin think that way but it does not stop those who do. As long as someone has ebony skin they will always be categorized in those demeaning stereotypes. Quote #4: You lie and you lie and you lie. When you tell yourself you feeling good when you sick, you lying. When you tell other people you feeling well when you feeling sick, you lying. You tell them that ’cause they have pain too, and you don’t want to add yours—and you lie. My Response: This quote really speaks to me because everyone can relate to it. Everyone lies, the reverend made that very clear but some people lie so much they hardly realize that they are doing it. Some lie so much that they even start to believe it. It is understandable that lying to someone can spare someone’s feelings but telling the truth does help as well. On the other hand, the truth can do more damage than a lie can. People pick and choose if they should bite the truth because it is all about causing as less pain as possible. Some things are just better left
The quote also appeals to Jefferson’s emotions because Banneker makes him feel guilty about slavery. Jefferson
The reason Banneker says this is that Jefferson just fought for the freedom of America, why could he not free the slaves. When Jefferson reads this, he should feel horrible that he freed everyone but the slaves. Jefferson just freed a country, why could her not end slavery. Banneker also says, “the
Banneker compares his people to Job, “a righteous man who endures much suffering.” He then refers to a quote from Job, “put your souls in their souls stead,” encouraging Jefferson to look at the situation from the perspective of a black man. Banneker also calls out Jefferson by claiming he is “so fully convinced by the benevolence of the Father… at the same time counteract his mercies…”. By this statement, Banneker is blatantly calling out the United States Government’s hypocrisy and is so bold as to say that Jefferson “should at the same time be found guilty…” Guilty. Banneker is calling the Secretary of State a criminal, and is using religious references to do so.
In paragraph 2, he alludes to the Declaration of Independence, which Jefferson helped form. The Declaration states “that all men are created equal, and that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” By alluding to the Declaration Banneker shows how Jefferson, along with others who formed the Constitution, are hypocrites. Jefferson wrote that all men were created equal, and they all had unalienable rights, yet they owned slaves that were not treated equal, and not given any rights. These colonists also fought against oppression, yet they now partake in the oppression of blacks.
Banneker quotes Jefferson’s words, verbatim,“ We hold truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal…” and that everyone has “certain unalienable rights that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”. Banneker is calling Jefferson out by pointing out his moral flaw. The flaw being how Jefferson stated that he believes everyone to be equal in nature; that all people have the right to liberty and to live a life in which it is joyful. By doing this, he is showing Jefferson that he has no excuse for allowing slavery to continue. He is giving prime evidence of Jefferson’s hypocritical crime, by reminding him of his morally right and unalienable equality, that he has gone back
The institution of slavery has been regarded as a period of injustice, discrimination, and oppression. African Americans have not only been deprived of their human rights, but have faced physical and mental abuse from the hands of those in power. Several advocates, including the son of slaves and ambitious intellectual Benjamin Banneker, have deemed the enslavement of people as a shameful action enacted by the government. Within his letter to Thomas Jefferson, Banneker brings attention to how Jefferson had acknowledged the immoral conditions brought upon the slaves, yet he had implemented no actions to bring an end to the enslavement of his people. In order to convey to Jefferson in an effective matter, Banneker utilizes a demanding tone and an appeal to emotion to enhance his argument.
He did not think that African Americans as a people were equal to whites. In fact, he deduced that blacks “are inferior to the whites in the endowments of both body and mind.” (Magnis) He came to this conclusion because as a scientist, Jefferson speculated that blackness might have come from the color of the blood, suggesting that there was something genetically wrong with African Americans. He also felt that blacks could not reason as rationally as whites did, and that “in imagination they are dull, tasteless, and anomalous.”
Jefferson believes Black people are not qualified to be held to the same standard as White people, and they are inferior. During Jefferson’s time, the mindset of White people as they are the superior being. When it came to other communities, especially those of color, White people believed they needed to be conquered to be successful. The physical difference in skin complexion between White and Black people created a difference that could not be hidden, making it easier to discriminate. This difference allowed for the division of human beings and the creation of race, a social contract.
By putting Jefferson in a situation where denying African American slaves freedom would be a blatant disregard for "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness," as supported by Jefferson, Banneker effectively challenges Jefferson's ethics and integrity. If Jefferson were to disagree with Banneker, he would then be subject to hypocrisy, a vice that damages the reputations of politicians and dignitaries. After accusing Jefferson of having double standards, Banneker finally allows Jefferson to come to his own conclusion. He "supposes that Jefferson's knowledge of the situation of his brethren is too extensive to need a recital," forcing Jefferson to come to his own final decision after reading his plausible logos. This is a highly useful way for Banneker to close his argument because he leaves Jefferson with practically one remaining option - that he is
Stephanie Ericsson begins her explorative essay, “The Ways We Lie,” with a personal anecdote of all the lies she fabricated in one day. She told her bank that a deposit was in the mail when it was not, told a client that the traffic had been bad when she was late for other reasons, told her partner that her day was fine when it was really exhausting, and told her friend she was too busy for lunch when she just was not hungry, all in the course of a day. She shifts from talking about herself to talking about everyone, claiming that all people lie, exaggerate, minimize, keep secrets, and tell other lies. But, like herself, most still consider themselves honest people. She describes a week in which she tried to never tell a lie; it was debilitating, she claims.
These are the words from his lawyer that his supposed to be defending him in court. In the text he is calling Jefferson an idiot and saying he can’t think because he is African-American and they aren’t very smart
The tone overall tone of the letter is satirical. Throughout the letter, Banneker subtly reprimands Jefferson. For example, in the second paragraph of his essay, Banneker directly quotes Jefferson’s input to the Declaration of independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, and that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” By directly quoting Jefferson, Banneker essentially say it is ironic that Jefferson preaches equality, yet denies African Americans this “equality”. In a sense, Banneker is labeling Jefferson a hypocrite for not enforcing something he feels so strongly
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.
Lies put unnecessary stress on our lives and ruin our relationships. Why risk our happiness when it’s so easy just to be honest and share our true opinion with people. Telling the truth allows us to show people who we really are because when we are honest, we have nothing to hide. Although it may seem unrealistic to tell the truth 100% of the time, you have to realize that lies only leads to more lies and when it becomes easy for us to be dishonest in small situations, it becomes even easier to be dishonest in bigger ones. If we make it a daily habit to practice honesty in all that we do, we find it much easier to become honest people more
People are more likely to lie during conflict, after making mistakes, and after being disrespected. One may be more likely to lie during these events to avoid more conflict, avoid admitting mistakes, and to “feel more worthy of admiration and respect” (1.) Many may believe that they can “fix” problems with lies but most of the time, it makes things worse. Frequently, lying during conflict is easier than telling the truth.