Racism is a pervasive and destructive force that can take many forms. Some of which are subtle, and others undeniably insidious. Despite the passage of over a century, the legacies of both Fredrick Douglass and Martin Luther King still inspire the fight against injustice. Through their powerful and evocative use of rhetorical devices, such as vivid imagery and diction, they were able to convey the very real and harrowing experience of oppression and prejudice that they experienced firsthand. Illustrating these in Douglass’ autobiographical novel Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass and King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, these devices helped bring to light the true horrors of racism and encouraged others to take action against it. In his book, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Douglass recounts a heartbreaking experience that exemplifies the inhumane treatment people of color had to face in this era; “I have often been awakened at the dawn of day by the most heart-rending shrieks of an own aunt of mine.No words, no tears, no prayers, from his gory victim, seemed to move his iron heart from its bloody purpose.” Unfortunately, this was just the …show more content…
To this, King does something similar, though not as gruesome. In the very beginning of his “I Have A Dream” speech, King touches on the Emancipation Proclamation, elucidating, “This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.” Though these works are starkly different in tone, one being presently hopeful and the other extremely grim, they both use the same rhetorical devices to deliver a similar message: There needs to be change. A law should not have been enacted for these people’s freedom to be
On July 5th, 1852, Frederick Douglass delivered a “What to The Slave is Fourth of July” speech at a meeting of the Ladies’ Anti-Slavery Society in Rochester, New York. He started out by asking audience, “Fellow-citizens, pardon me, allow me to ask, why am I called upon to speak here to-day? What have I, or those I represent, to do with your national independence?” Douglass referred the Independence Day as “your” instead of “our”. This was his way of drawing the line between blacks and whites
Freedom In Rochester, New York on July 5, 1852 Frederick Douglass, a former slave, spoke at the Ladies’ Anti-Slavery Society on the irony of rejoicing and celebrating the freedom and independence of America, a country in which so much of the population was not free, but rather enslaved (Faigley 351). His speech was a fiery call to arms for the abolitionists at the meeting to not only concern themselves with the issue, but also
Frederick Douglass was an American slave. Henry David Thoreau was a writer from the 17th century. The narrative read about Frederick Douglass was about his life as a slave, and how it changed as time went on, including his eventual release from enslavement. The article about Henry Thoreau was in regards to the theory of Civil Disobedience, and his role in the creation of that theory. Frederick Douglass lived from 1817 until 1895. He was a slave in Maryland, and was under the custody
confession of America’s past “sins”, and a movement towards restitution for these “sins” through the proposition of “economic partnership and political partnerships” (Medhurst 258), and a promise of American investment to fight AIDS in Africa. In his rhetorical analysis of this speech, Martin Medhurst asserts the major claim that George Bush’s speech on Goree Island was an attempt at an apology and reconciliation for slavery, and asserts that the speech was “the most important speech on American slavery
diverse writing dimensions. My long serving years of experience in the military has exposed me to many cultures around the globe. In just seven weeks of the course, I have seen some improvement in my writing. This course has afforded me with several techniques that have made writing not only a little bit easier but also more in-depth resulting in a higher level of academic writing versus my normal military style writing. Now I understand the writing process and
rose. (Douglass 112, chapt. 10) In Chapter 10 of Frederick Douglass' Narrative of the Life of... an American Slave, Douglass describes an important incident in which he forces backward the standard master-slave hierarchy of beating privileges against his temporary master, Mr. Covey. The victory proves for Douglass a remarkable source of renewed yearning for freedom and of self-confidence; as he "rose" physically, standing up to fight, he "rose" in spirit. Covey did not "have" Douglass in the sense
African American writers main duty is to decimate racist stereotypes of the past by informing their audience about the authentic black experience, which varies similar to black skin tones. Instead of relying on one’s personal opinion, the black aesthetician relies on facts on what blackness is. The black aesthetic artist also gives historical insights that allows African American artists to explore power within black culture. The following are definitions and stages of black aesthetic within African
The 19th century was a time of great social change in the United States as reflected by the abolitionist movement and the women’s suffrage movement. Two very influential women leaders were Angelina Grimke and Sojourner Truth. Grimke was born a Southern, upper class white woman. She moved to the North as a young woman, grew involved in abolitionism and women’s rights, and became known for her writing, particularly “Letters to Catherine Beecher”. Sojourner Truth was born into slavery as Isabella
Rhetorical Analysis of Artifact: The Ballot or the Bullet Speech Given by Malcolm X I. Introduction: Though almost half a century has passed, the Civil Rights Movement remains one freshly imprinted in not only the history books of US schools but also in the minds of countless Americans. Albeit, American society has come quite a ways in the acceptance of the individual - regardless of sex, age, creed or ethnicity - prejudices of different sorts are still to be found throughout every one