Benjamin Banneker High Level Diction

This is to keep Jefferson in a calm state instead of simply infuriating him. Although Banneker is offended, he keeps his maturity level high. Also, He uses words such as entreat, dangers, exposed, hope, fortitude, inability, abhorrence to maintain his credibility as a professionalist while still keeping the sense of his disagreement of slavery. This makes Jefferson feel as if he is the one who is incorrect, since Banneker is an intellectual writer, and makes him think over his current actions. Then, Banneker’s tone shifts into more emotional and passionate toward his argument of abolishing slavery. Banneker uses words such as liberty, nature, benevolence, mercies, fraud, violence, captivity, cruel, oppression, criminal, detested which causes a powerful effect. Banneker refers to

Frederick Douglass was a freed slave in the 1800’s who was famous for his ability to read and write, uncommon of a black man at the time. On July 4th, 1852, he gave a speech to citizens of the United States. In this speech, he called out the “hypocrisy of the nation”(Douglass), questioning the nation's treatment of slaves on a supposed day of independence. Frederick Douglass effectively uses rhetorical strategies to construct his argument and expose the hypocrisy of the nation.

The letter does a wonderful job of including allusions in the text in order to get Jefferson thinking about the past and his past experience. Banneker asks Jefferson to recall when the British “enslaved” the colonists and how that made him feel in an effort to make Jefferson imagine how Banneker must feel. Banneker also alludes to the Declaration of Independence, which Jefferson wrote, in order to use his own words to point out his hypocrisy.

In a Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave written by himself, the author argues that no one can be enslaved if he or she has the ability to read, write, and think. Douglass supports his claim by first providing details of his attempts to earn an education, and secondly by explaining the conversion of a single slaveholder. The author’s purpose is to reveal the evils of slavery to the wider public in order to gain support for the abolition of his terrifying practice. Based on the purpose of writing the book and the graphic detail of his stories, Douglass is writing to influence people of higher power, such as abolitionists, to abolish the appalling reality of slavery; developing a sympathetic relationship with the

Douglass began his speech to the audience by asking a series of rhetorical questions in addition to the use of sarcasm. He referred to the Declaration of Independence as “that” instead of “the” Declaration stressing a separation between African-Americans and the freemen of the United States. He extended the use of his rhetoric by asking, “What have I or those, I represent, to do with your national independence?” Slaves, whose freedom is denied, do not share other Americans’ patriotic feelings regarding the Fourth of July. His use of these rhetorical questions was valid because it separated Douglass as a different man than the rest of his white audience. Furthermore, Douglass asked, "Would you have me argue that man is entitled to liberty?" He indicated that people knew in their hearts that all were entitled to freedom. Douglass demonstrated sarcasm in this principle of freedom, almost as if the aforementioned rhetorical question shouldn’t need to be stated. He further declared that the stigma separating free whites and enslaved African-Americans was blatantly foolish.

Banneker’s letter achieves its purpose by elevating Jefferson’s status and flattering him. Banneker recognizes that he must treat Jefferson as someone who is accomplished and respectful. This is present in the letter when Jefferson is addressed as Sir in many of the paragraphs. Banneker starts

Banneker’s letter to Jefferson is filled with examples of appeals to logic and ethics. Banneker wants Jefferson to see that by keeping slavery legal he is going against everything that he fought for in the American Revolution. Banneker cleverly uses Jefferson’s own words from the Declaration of Independence against him when he quotes this phrase: “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,

The main goal of Banneker’s letter was to get Thomas Jefferson to support his viewpoint of opposing slavery. Banneker included an excerpt of the Declaration of Independence, which stated that all men are created equal, implying that they should all be treated in the same way. This excerpt helps his argument because slaves were not

The letter from Banneker to Jefferson integrates extremely knowledgeable and formal diction in contention against the issue of slavery. The advanced level of language introduced by Banneker is another contributing component to his believability on his position against subjugation. A few great instances of Banneker's diction are in the words "abhorrence" in line 18, "benevolence" in line 32, and the phrase "professedly detested" in line 40, all of these showing the great knowledge that he carries. Banneker’s education has the potential to prove to Jefferson that black people can be on the same level as white people despite being put below white people as their slaves. In the second paragraph of his writing, Benjamin uses his knowledge of the time period when the United States was under British rule, inviting Jefferson to recall the "injustice" and the "horrors of its condition”. In doing so, he compares this to the slavery of black people during his own current state of life. In lines 35-38 of Banneker’s letter, it is stated, "that you should at the same time counteract his (God's) mercies in detaining by fraud and violence so numerous a part of

Once Banneker has grabbed Jefferson’s attention with this flattering, he begins pointing out the hypocrisy of what Jefferson has professed about liberty and freedom in the past, and how it contradicts to the way blacks in America are being treated. One powerful way Banneker does this is by reminding Jefferson of “that time in which the Arms and tyranny of the British Crown were exerted with every powerful effort in order to reduce you to a State of Servitude.” This comparison of Britain’s tyranny to slavery allows Jefferson to almost place himself in Banneker’s shoes, and to relate to the struggles that blacks have faced. It also points to Jefferson’s hypocrisy because of what Jefferson was specifically fighting for. These were the natural rights of “ ‘life, liberty, and the pursuit of happyness’,“ and the idea that “ ‘all men are created equal’.” These are the exact same things Banneker is fighting for, and the fact that Jefferson was an advocate of these same ideas makes it impossible for him to disagree with Banneker. The direct quotes from the Declaration of Independence, which was written by Jefferson, gives Jefferson two options: one, to be called a hypocrite, or two, to support Banneker and his purpose. Since Banneker’s overall goal is to end

It is said that slavery is a stain on our country’s past. The topic of slavery was and still is a controversy in which equality is a struggle to obtain. However, what occurred in the past created the nation that lives on today. Benjamin Banneker was one man who stood out in the efforts to end slavery. He did so in writing a strongly worded letter to Thomas Jefferson that exclaimed his opinions and feelings. Banneker used an appeal to pathos, repetition, and religious appeals to argue against slavery.

Benjamin Banneker’s letter to Thomas Jefferson, Framer of the Declaration of Independence and Secretary of State, and to President George Washington creates awareness of the oppressive conditions that the slaves had been in for years and his dissatisfaction towards his target audience’s actions. Banneker uses ethos, logos, pathos, irony, political diction, allusion, sarcasm, and tone to convey his message. He conveys an unpleasant tone in order to seriously convey his message and show the intensity of the situation he is talking about. However, there are parts of the letter where the tone is considerate and sympathetic in order to appeal to pathos.

Banneker's argument appeals to several rhetoric strategies. Through the use of ethos, pathos, logos, allusion, and tone, Banneker shows he is well-educated and formal. To effectively show Jefferson that he is in the wrong, he combines these strategies effectively, and in an easy-to-understand way. Both Jefferson and any other reader are reminded to “wean yourselves from those narrow prejudices”, which is advice that can easily be applied to both present-day and eighteenth-century standards.While it may pertain to entirely different subjects, the idea is still relevant in

Banneker through this essay is using clever strategies such as sympathy, relatability, and mockery to power the effect of the letter. The strategies used to argue that there needs to be a change and it starts with Jefferson one of the fathers of the Declaration of Independence. The wording of the letter is also a thing that makes it more affective. Banneker use of rhetorical technique over all is what strengthens his letter as a whole making what he has to say effective.

Try to sympathize for someone that argues against you to understand the other side. This is critical for politicians or anyone who makes decisions. Benjamin Banneker, a son of a former slave, writes a letter to Thomas Jefferson, the secretary of state to President George Washington, to persuade him to end slavery in 1791. Banneker utilizes rhetorical devices to argue against slavery, such as aphorism and correction of erroneous views effectively. First of all, Benjamin Banneker use aphorism to persuade Thomas Jefferson about the tyranny of slavery in an attempt to end slavery.