Preview

American Ethos Pathos Logos

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
449 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
American Ethos Pathos Logos
“What to the slave is the Fourth of July”? “Are the great principles of political freedom and of natural injustice, embodied in the Declaration of Independence, extended to us”? Although Douglass delivered his speech to a mostly sympathetic audience, he achieved a proper condemnation of America through the strategies of Pathos and parallelism.

Douglass portrays the life an American slave through the imagery he uses to reach Pathos. He uses many words that can make the audience feel different ways about their view on slavery. This is revealed when he explains what really happened to slaves and why they are not working for a wage or why they are not given their liberty. To explain further, Douglass is aiming at the heart of the people in the
…show more content…
This is when we was talking about the rights and how the slaves were beaten, it has all similar ideas all with a similar structure to it. In paragraph 39 Douglass uses parallelism to show us what was going on at that time. This is also when Douglass refers that America is still young, and that it is still learning what is bad and what is good; it shows parallelism in the paragraph because it shows why the nation is young. He used a lot of parallel structure in the first paragraph. This is showed when he starts off with “quailing sensation” and has a similar structure when it gets to another point talking about feelings. Also in paragraph 3 he uses distance then difficulties later. Even though this speech didn’t change anyone's mind that slavery is bad and that it should be stopped, but others changed their minds that everyone should think about this a little bit more.

In this speech Douglass used the strategies of parallelism and pathos to change people's mind on slavery. That didn’t work but it did spark the fight to end slavery for good. Thirteen years after this speech was given slavery was formally ended. This is a good speech given by Douglass to hopefully put an end to

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    The text, details the first 27 years of Fredrick Douglass’ life, however it is only the start to the rest of his life. The message inside the text, is what Douglass would speak loudly about for the rest of his life to come. Slavery, attempts to give increased value to the lives of slave owners, however it does not. While some slave…

    • 1213 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Slavery, the dark beast that consumes, devours, and pillages the souls of those who are forced to within its bounds and those who think they are the powerful controllers of this filth they call business. This act is the pinnacle of human ignorance, they use it as the building blocks for their “trade,” and treat these people no more than replaceable property that can be bought, sold, and beaten on a whim. The narrative of Frederick Douglass is a tale about a boy who is coming of age in a world that does not accept him for who he is and it is also told as a horror that depicts what we can only imagine as the tragedies placed on these people in these institutions of slavery. It is understood as a chronicle of his life telling us his story from childhood to manhood and all that is in between, whilst all this is going on he vividly mixes pathological appeals to make us feel for him and all his brethren that share his burden. His narrative is a map from slavery to freedom where he, in the beginning, was a slave of both body and mind. But as the story progresses we see his transformation to becoming a free man both of the law and of the mind. He focuses on emotion and the building up of his character to show us what he over time has become. This primarily serves to make the reader want to follow his cause all the more because of his elegant and intelligent style of mixing appeals. Through his effective use of anecdotes and vivid imagery he shows us his different epiphanies over time, and creates appeals to his character by showing us how he as a person has matured, and his reader’s emotion giving us the ability to feel for his situation in a more real sense. This helps argue that the institution of slavery is a parasitic bug that infects the slave holder with a false sense of power and weakens the slave in both body and spirit.…

    • 1321 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    “What to the Slave, is the Fourth of July” is a powerful testament of American hypocrisy. To read—let alone be present while the speech was delivered—would bring an overwhelming surge of shame and embarrassment of my actions (i.e. partaking in the active slave trade or lack of abolitionist support). Though many verses from this work are undeniably gut wrenching to the audience, the most thought provoking and life altering was when Douglass stated plainly, “the sunlight that brought life and healing to you, has brought stripes and death to me. This Fourth of July is yours, not mine.”…

    • 185 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Starting off with the question “What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July?” (39), the audience is already having to think what differences are there. A typical American of European descent, during this time period, would only see the glory of their nation being free on that day. I believe this helps shock the audience because of his response. Though no one would expect praise of the country, no one would expect Douglass to say the nation has “…swelling vanity…[and] brass fronted impudence…” (39). His answer does go into depth of his feelings for the injustice that’s taken place. The paragraph goes on, making it seem as a rant. This part it can cause a lost of interest in the audience.…

    • 442 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the speech “ What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?” given by Frederick Douglass, he announces his goals for the future men and women of the United States. Douglass is a well known, powerful public speaker who was born into slavery then later escaped at the age of twenty one. On the day of his speech, he addresses an audience at the Rochester Ladies’ Anti-Slavery Society during a time where people of the United States visioned the total abolition of slavery as a profound cause. He speaks against slavery as well as pushes for equality of all people.…

    • 489 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass, Douglass uses rhetorical devices to convey his meaning that slavery is the worst possible experience for humanity in a contemptuous tone. Douglass states, “the wretchedness of slavery, and the blessedness of freedom, were perpetually before me.” This use of antithesis in parallel structure is used to convey his meaning by contrasting the two ideas of slavery and freedom, showing how extremely awful or beautiful each is and to show the differences between them. The use of the word “wretchedness” creates a contemptuous tone in this quote. He then goes on to state that upon arriving in New York he felt “like one who had escaped a den of hungry lions.” This simile is used to show the extent of his fear when in the south, showing how slavery is the worst experience for humankind. This comparison is made using a scornful tone, shown by the dehumanizing of the South through slavery. Next, Douglass explains that during his stay in the North “[he] was afraid to speak to any one for fear of speaking to any one for fear of speaking to the wrong one, and thereby falling into the hands of money-loving kidnappers, whose business it was to lie in wait for the panting fugitive, as the ferocious beats of the forest lie in wait for their prey.” Douglass writes this long sentence for the rhetorical effect of imitating the style of a person ranting, or speaking uncontrollably due to fear to show the horror of slavery. This is written in a bitter or scornful tone through his descriptions of the fugitive kidnappers. Douglass also includes that “[he] saw in every white man an enemy and in every colored man cause for distrust.” This almost equal parallelism is used to compare the common fear Douglass had for both races. The negative outlook on both races shows Douglass’s disdainful tone. Douglass further explains his outlook when he states his motto at the time was “Trust no man!” This…

    • 482 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    He spoke with a purpose, which was to get his opinion across, and little did he care if he offended someone in the process. His use of emotions triggered the intensity levels throughout the text. This is because he made references to his own life, in the way he, his friends, and family were treated. It had to have been frustrating for Douglass to tell the listeners about it personal life because it got him very worked up. However, his intensity with his actions brought an understanding of his purpose for writing, to the people listening to his speech. “....with all the emphasis I can command, everything that serves to perpetuate slavery-the great sin and shame of America!” (Douglass 66-67). In this quote, it shows that Douglass did not hesitate when he spoke about the way he felt about…

    • 1242 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Ethos Pathos Logos

    • 1233 Words
    • 5 Pages

    This public service announcement is a response to the need for change, regarding the distribution of wealth in the U.S. “The latest data shows that roughly 75 percent of the financial wealth in America is held in the hands of the top 10 percent of households. Or to invert this, 25 percent of all US wealth is divided up amongst the bottom 90 percent of the population.” (MyBudget360, 2013). Why should only 10% of Americans deserve 75% of the wealth? America is a country where everyone, whether you’re rich or poor, black or white, protestant or catholic, and democrat or republican there is supposed to be an equal chance to prosper and an equal voice in how this country is run. We are all supposed to be treated equally, yet only an elite, wealthy few are afforded privileges due to their financial status. In my view, the rich are in power and influence the most change, and it’s usually to help them become even richer.…

    • 1233 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The most explicit theme of the reading that stood out to me was racism in the form of slavery in the southern United States. Throughout the narrative, Douglass included excellent examples of how slaves are dehumanized, mentally and physically, by the slave system. In many ways, slavery and segregation were the main obstacles in his personality growth. One of the most powerful lines in the narrative was in chapter ten, when Douglass directly addresses the relationship between slavery and the denial of manhood when he says, ''You have seen how a man was made a slave; you shall see how a slave was made a man.’’ Because slavery was bound up in denying full selfhood to both men and women, many slaves were denied the ability to perceive themselves as full human beings. Not only by the people but also by the science. The introduction of psychological thinking into the Jim Crow South produced neither a clear victory for racial equality nor a single-minded defense of traditional…

    • 753 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    | “I was broken in body, soul, and spirit. My natural elasticity was crushed, my intellect languished, the disposition to read departed, the cheerful spark that lingered about my eye died; the dark night of slavery close in upon me…” (Douglass 63).“A representative could not be prouder of his election to a seat in the American Congress than a slave on one of the out-farms would be of his election to do errands at the Great House Farm” (Douglass 25).…

    • 831 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Fourth Of July Analysis

    • 558 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Douglass’s speech about American slavery is still relevant today in certain aspects. His arguments were well thought-out and relevant to his audience, and helped…

    • 558 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    By using a combination of both simple and complex sentences he brings everything together, he uses simple sentences such as “this kind heart had but a short time to remain such” and complex sentences such as “the crouching servility, usually so acceptable a quality in a slave, did not answer when manifested toward her. These sentences help show how simple, yet difficult it was to change from having a slave. Moreover they help convey the emotion that he felt during his time as a slave. By using sentence structure Douglass helps bring all aspects of his argument…

    • 511 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Best Essays

    Slave Songs Thesis

    • 1494 Words
    • 6 Pages

    One of the subjects often approached by the author are the slave songs. While Douglass narrates the story, Douglass explains that until he became free, he didn’t understand the meaning of slave songs until later, he was able to recognize and interpret them as laments. While Douglass analyses the various songs, he demonstrated a sense of reminiscence for when he used to sing them. Most of the songs were often adapted to represent the experience of labor in the many plantations; these songs were divided into three different groups: the working songs, the recreational ones and the spiritual…

    • 1494 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Good Essays

    This narrative begins with the childhood of Frederick Douglass and ends with his adventures as an abolitionist. He gives insight into his personal recollections of his first awareness of what it meant to be a slave, from his own experiences and his experience as a witness to the brutality of one human being upon another human being. He allows readers through his words to have a front row seat to the world of slavery and the main objective of slavery supporters to dehumanize and oppress another race and culture. The goal of his prose is to raise awareness of the cruelty of man upon the backs of blacks, which subsequently he hoped would end…

    • 115 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The most important statement by Douglass is probably “You have seen how a man was made a slave; you shall see how a slave was made a man” (15:3). This is the climax of the story; yet, it is not only a turning point in the narrative, but also in Douglass’ life. The moment he asserts this, he is drawing a line between what he had lived up until that point, and the way he intended to live after –or at least change.…

    • 1408 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays