What To Slave Is The Fourth Of July Rhetorical Analysis

When most people hear the words “Fourth of July” they think about fireworks, cookouts, and sparklers. During the 1850’s, the Fourth of July served as a reminder of the many horrors and injustices in the world. On July 4, 1852, Frederick Douglass-- a former American slave, abolitionist leader and adroit speaker-- spoke in Rochester, New York about the affectation of celebrating independence. In his speech, “The Hypocrisy of American Slavery”, he claims celebrating independence is unethical when slavery is widespread. To convince the reader of his claim, he uses rhetorical questions, emotional appeal, and antithesis in hopes of shedding light and sparking action on the wrongful situation.

Fredrick Douglas was once a phenomenal speaker even though he always expressed how nervous he was when he got up to the podium. He shows his great talent for public speaking in his famous “What to slaves is the Fourth of July” speech. Although Fredrick Douglas delivered the speech to a sympathetic crowd full of abolitionist, slave owners, and even representatives of the government, he still achieved an effective condemnation of the american government implicated by clear use of rhetorical questions and pathos. By definition, condemnation is the expression of very strong disapproval. And that is exactly how Fredrick Douglas sounds in this speech.

Henry knew that the delegates that went before him we're not on the same pages him but he still presented his message strongly to the eagerly listening crowd and delegates. Henry is trying to get people on board with the idea of freedom. Henry uses very strong tones to convey the message his message across to the delegates and listeners at the White House. Henry use of slavery in his speech, he is referring to Britain and how great Britain is keeping them in bondage and not letting them govern as they should. Britain has still enslave them even though they have left the country and found a

Presenting to the 1895 Cotton States and International Exposition, Booker T. Washington delivered his most famous speech, "The Atlanta Compromise Address". In this speech Washington shares his belief that his fellow African Americans and other former slaves should make the best of what they have and to strive to excel in the positions and jobs they already occupy rather than continually fighting for. He insists that the people of the white race also do not see what they have around them. He wants the whites and blacks in south to realize that they need each other and should act in ways to coexist. To convey his belief, Washington uses rhetorical strategies such as the following: the three rhetorical appeals, allegory, and repetition.

The use of questions allows the listener to think about what truly is being celebrated and how hypocritical it is when there are millions of slaves that are not granted with the same liberties. He uses strong word choice to inflict sympathy and anger in order to motivate the crowd to stand up to the injustice. His use of antithesis emphasized the bias blacks are treated with and how they are not able to celebrate freedom. In the end the audience is left shocked, horrified, angered, and driven to take action against the hypocrisy of celebrating the fourth of

An abolitionist, a former slave, and Republican Statesman Frederick Douglass had given a moving speech “What to the Slave is The Fourth Of July” to an audience of white New York Abolitionists in the year 1852. In addition, Douglass’s purpose of the speech is to emphasize the meaning of the Fourth of July to slaves and how the white men have a sense of freedom while the slave has to deal with the reality of what the day means to them. In the speech, Douglass had created a harsh tone to discuss the importance of anti-slavery. Douglass begins his speech by explaining the idea of what a slave may think of the Fourth of July because he had been a slave and by expressing the way he feels about the holiday that represents freedom for the people in the United States. He calls upon the audience by asking them a question using an interrogative sentence “[...] allow me to ask, why am I called upon to speak here today?” (P.1) Nevertheless, Douglass’s interaction with the audience allows them to reflect upon themselves and ask why he is speaking because that is what he thinks himself.

Frederick Douglass on July 4th ,1852 gave a speech titled “ What To The American Slave Is Your Fourth of July?” Douglass gave this speech in Rochester,Ny in front of a crowd of white Americans. Throughout his speech he questions the audience a lot. He wants them to see and understand the viewpoint of a black slave.Douglass does not consider the fourth of July a day to celebrate instead he says “This fourth of July is yours, not mine” “You may rejoice, I must mourn.” He justifies how black slaves feel while the citizens celebrate freedom and they are still fighting for freedom and rights.During Douglass’ speech he uses pathos and showing why he will never be for slavery and how all men are equal. We all know slavery is wrong “There is not

What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July? Throughout his sermon, What to the Slave is the Fourth of July, Fredrick Douglass devotedly argued that to the slave and even the liberated African American, the Fourth of July was nothing more than a holiday of a mockery of the crudest kind. Through his use of several rhetorical devices and strategies, Douglass conveyed his perspective on the concerning matter as if he were the voice of the still enslaved, both physically and logically. Prevalently, he presented an effectively argued point using ethos, logos, and pathos through credible appeals, convincing facts and statistics, and by successfully employing emotional appeals. Although the Fourth of July represents the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, Frederick Douglass proclaimed that

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. Both King and Douglass were advocating for the same thing: their constitutional sanction of freedom.

Few years later, he wrote his autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, explaining his experiences with slavery. He later than wrote a speech for which was to be announced to the white Christian men of the South explaining . This was announced on the Fourth of July. Douglass was told to tell the audience how he felt about the Fourth Of July. Both The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass and “What, to a slave, is the Fourth of July” are absolutely different from each other according to the message it sends to the audience.