Frederick Douglass's Speech

The “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass” is an autobiography in which Frederick Douglass reflects on his life as a slave in America. He writes this book as a free slave, in the North, while slavery was still running its course before the Civil War. Through his effective use of rhetorical strategies, Frederick Douglass argues against the institution of slavery by appealing to pathos and ethos, introducing multiple anecdotes, using satirical irony, and explaining the persuasive effects of slavery and reasoning behind keeping slaves uneducated.

Three main sections of Douglass’s speech and how they work together. Describe the function of each section.

For a man that was brought up not knowing his birthday, beaten for wanting to learn, and tortured for not perfectly completing the task asked by his master, he; Frederick Douglass had the ability to write an articulate novel explaining in detail, the hardships of being a slave. In the novel, it is prevalent that Douglass came from nothing and reinvented himself into an affluent abolitionist and writer. Rhetorical devices furthered Douglass’s argument by making it known that the way he writes and speaks has no effect on the torture and violence he endured. Also the rhetorical devices added emphasis that the subject of slavery matters.

Slavery is a horrible condition. In the Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass Frederick Douglass tells his story of growing up as a slave and then becoming a freeman. Douglass speaks of the horrors of slavery and the beauty of freedom. Douglass uses figures of speech, diction, and repetition to convey his feelings of excitement, insecurity and loneliness on escaping from slavery and arriving in New York in 1838.

In the “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass” it shows all 3 rhetorical appeals (Ethos, Pathos, Logos) which are found in all forms of writing, speeches, movies, television shows, and life within itself. Frederick Douglass used all three of these rhetoric in the narrative to tell about both his life as an American slave and his cause over ten decades ago. He uses these devices to identify himself to the readers, to bring emotion out of the readers, and to persuade the readers.

The Fundamentals of a Leader Fate is as man made as I-Phones. None of us are born winners; neither are we born losers. Rather, all of us are born equals and what we do as we grow distinguishes us from others. Furthermore, our actions help us achieve personal power.

On July 5, 1852, Frederick Douglass gave a fantastic speech to a group of abolitionists in the city of Rochester, New York. He briefly summarized and praised the history of the United States, but then extremely eloquently spoke about the current situation that African slaves inhabited. Before I started reading the speech for myself, I saw the length and was a bit put off. However, when I started reading the speech, I found Douglass’ style to be incredibly impressive, and I enjoyed reading the whole speech. I took notice quite early in the speech, of almost a foreshadowing of where his speech was going to take a turn to. Douglass was clever to make a distinction between those of slaves and non-slaves by using “yours.” Although he recognizes the greatness of the country and its origins, he soon points out that the African slaves cannot celebrate such histories. For instance, he states that the fourth of July is, “a day that reveals to him (the

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.

Well known slave author and orator, Frederick Douglass, in his narrative, “The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave” alters the way people view slavery. Douglass’s purpose is to convince the audience that slavery should be abolished. He creates a haunting tone in order to persuade the readers that slavery is wrong. He uses many real life accounts of horrifying instances of beatings, murders and torture to prove that slavery is unjust.

Preliminary Thesis: I will persuade future American generations that freedom is a privilege. We Americans need to stop taking our freedom for granted because there are people who wished to have the opportunity to be free the way we do.

The effects of slavery continue to be seen in the world to this day, but its time of full force was during the time of Frederick Douglass, an American slave who eventually learned to read and write. He escaped from slavery and began to tell his story, which became very famous for its raw description of the conditions of slavery. Although many think that slaves were the people most affected, Frederick Douglass reveals that the slaveholders were also greatly changed by the institution. In The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Douglass highlights the dehumanizing nature of slavery, both physically and mentally in both the slave and the slaveholder by providing insight into his relationships and experiences with

Frederick Douglass was a former slave who freed himself and fought the rest of his life for abolition. He is now known as one of the biggest civil rights activists and abolitionists as he spoke out against slavery and the unequal treatment of African Americans during the Civil Rights Era. “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?” is one of Douglass’ most known speeches, which was presented in Rochester, New York on July 5, 1852. This speech was given in front of abolitionists, and now has been read by people all over the country. Frederick Douglass was a key leader in his time and later an important person in American History.

Most everyone has tried on another individual's shoe within their lifetime. How is it possible that an object as simple as another man's shoe can feel so different than one's own? In America, citizens have a tendency to latch on to their own ideas of the world and ignore any conflicting perspectives solely because they are different. In “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?”, Frederick Douglass possesses an alternative view of a celebratory holiday representing freedom for American citizens. His background as a slave influences his unique outlook on the issue of true independence. He feels that the holiday represents the torture of slavery and the cruelty of slave owners, rather than the liberation of all

On July 4, 1852, former slave and American abolitionist, Frederick Douglass is invited to speak before an abolitionist audience in Rochester, New York. Although the speech should address the greatness and freedom of the nation on independence day, Frederick Douglass uses his platform to display his displeasure with the meaning of freedom in white America. Therefore, the sole purpose of his speech is to unmask the hypocrisy of a nation who dares celebrate freedom and independence while keeping African American slaves. To Douglass, the 4th of July is a constant reminder of the unfairness of the political and social core of the nation. As a social activist and most importantly a former slave, Frederick Douglass uses multiple rhetorical strategies to indict America on the immoral practice of slavery.

On July 5th of 1852, the Ladies Antislavery Society of Rochester requested that emancipated slave, Fredrick Douglass, speak for their celebration of the United States’ national independence. Douglass accepted this request and presented a powerful speech that explained and argued his true beliefs and feelings concerning this event. He considered their decision to request him as a speaker on that day to be a mockery of his past and of the ongoing status of blacks as slaves in America at the time. Nevertheless, Douglass skillfully constructed his speech utilizing various methods that forced his audience to take him seriously and think twice about the issue of slavery in America. His passion about the subject, his ability to captivate his