Persuasive Essay

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.

Douglass uses ethos to establish his credibility. In fact, establishing his credibility is the very first thing Douglass does. During his lifetime, the word of a black man meant nothing without a white man’s testimony. (Douglass brings that up in chapter ten.) So Douglass begins his book with a preface by William Lloyd Garrison, a white man who was very involved in anti-slavery movements. Even though we don’t need this to comprehend his credibility, Douglass’s audience at the time would have.

Throughout Douglass’ speech, he recalls countless brash events that occur repeatedly during his enslavement. Within his first two paragraphs, Douglass uses repetition scarcely. He recounts the corporeal work conditions of Mr. Covey, and how Mr. Covey succeeds as he continuously denigrates and minimizes Douglass. In the third paragraph, Douglass displays his distaste of his slave holders as he seems to organize thoughts through striking harsh repetitive language when compared to the majority of his speech. As said, “O God, save me! God, deliver me. Let me be free! Is there any God?” As he repeats the word “God” he hints at an echo as he implies and argues his own solution. Douglass’ plea alludes to the idea that leading by example is inadequate, and he strives to impel God to intervene. Douglass also questions God. Douglass’ speech suggests a slave’s success is portrayed by his outer strength, not his inner struggles. Slaves must not defend concerns, but avoid attacks and choose submission.

In his 1852 speech “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July”, Frederick Douglass passionately argued that to the slave and all other Americans, the Fourth of July is nothing more than a mockery of the grossest kind; that the United States stood by hypocrisy to the values they ultimately swore by. In his speech, Douglass made four clear points: (1) “This holiday is to rejoice for the sake of freedom and liberty”; (2) “My people have no freedom, have no liberty”; (3) “You rejoice, my people mourn” (4); “This holiday is a mockery to us”. In making these points Douglass exposed the hypocrisy and ignorance of the nation. Douglass produced his argument with the use of several rhetorical strategies. Douglass used rhetorical questions that created a distinct separation between the slaves and freemen of the United States; the use of repetition of important phrases left a clear and concise impression on the listener, while using the logic and credibility of the Bible to communicate claims.

Throughout America’s history, many influential and historical figures have given significant speeches to impact views of the people. For example, Frederick Douglass and Charles Langston are powerful speakers who try to convince the white community that slavery should be abolished. Of the two distinctive speakers, Douglass is more persuasive and outspoken than Langston. As a former slave, Douglass uses his tragic experiences to bring life and passion into his words. While Langston addresses his audience in a mild manner, Douglass seems to be more adamant and strong in his beliefs and views. Even though they approach their audiences differently, both touch upon a few similar

Through his crafty use of rhetoric, Douglass delivered a scathing attack on the hypocrisy of America in his self-referential speech, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July.” The speech articulated his passionate pursuit for liberty and equal rights. Douglass’s speech passionately argued that in the eyes of the slave and even the “free” black

Frederick Douglass, a former slave and abolitionist, presented the idea that America needed to change in the light of the Civil War ending. Douglass stated that “America is young,” therefore a young nation is expected to make mistakes and learn from those mistakes. Those that don’t want change, need to understand and realize the impact that slavery and the miscarriage of justice plays on the economic and social aspects of our country. Change is needed to promote a more united front and set the stage for future changes.

Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass both were very influential advocates in favor of the rights of people of color. Both fought for what they believed in and had many ways of getting their point such as talking about topics that can relate to the reader which makes them feel more attached to the story. Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass’s use of pathos in their speeches work to make their argument stronger because they want to appeal to the reader’s emotions to rally support for their cause. In his speech “Second Inaugural Address” Abraham Lincoln reminds them that they all read the same bible and all pray to the same God. They have the same religious beliefs and that is one major factor that shows that slaves were not different from

He has shown that the “blessings in which you, this day rejoice, are not enjoyed in common” (124). With the purpose of his speech firmly defined, he now has the liberty to expound upon the true evil of slavery that lurks in the shadow of hypocrisy. He employs the satirical technique of ridicule to expose the ugly nature of enslavement with equally ugly diction. Douglass’ disapproval ranges from “hideous” to “revolting” to “an outrage”, and culminates in the assertion that slavery is the “greatest sin and shame of America” (125). A far cry from the almost reverent tone of his opening statements, Douglass led his audience from the throes of a Fourth of July celebration to an intense degradation of the freedom they so

First, Douglass appeals emotionally to the people by using biblical allusions. He compares God’s judgement and the wish of independence for the slaves.He states in the passage that,” Am I called upon to bring up our humble offering to the national altar, and to confess the benefits and confess devout gratitude for the blessings resulting from your independence to us.” Douglass argues that all people should be freed, and that the, “Declaration of Independence,” should have never been extended to the African American race.

Being an athletes is one of the best-paid jobs on Earth. Being that they are paid so much the cost for the consumer is very high. The prices of tickets and sports memorabilia have been steadily rising over the years. The average ticket prices for the NHL, MLB, NBA and NFL all rose 5% to 10% this year, according to Jon Greenberg, executive editor of Team Marketing Report. (Mihoces).

“He that knoweth his master’s will, and doeth it not, shall be beaten with many stripes.” (33) He is discussing his masters justification for beating a young slave several times. Although Frederick Douglass is not citing anything directly from the bible that condones slavery , his allusions to the bible and the way he collocates the passage with the cruel actions of his master draws a shocking picture in the audience's minds.Frederick Douglass presents the contrast between a biblical quote, Usually used when a worker disobeys the orders of his master, thereby showing the audience that souvenirs are wrong using the bible to justify their atrocious actions. Its due to these allusions that Frederick Douglass adds another layer of credibility to his argument and thus, persuades the audience that there is no religious justification for slavery.

The last time I saw Charlie outside prison walls we were on the run. Charlie was on the run, not I, I just went along for the ride because he was my husband. Charlie was on parole, but he loved to drink his booze. In our state it's a violation to drink while on parole.

Source: CDC, National Center for Health Statistics, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Health, United States, 2002. Flegal et. al. JAMA. 2002;288:1723-7. NIH, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Clinical Guidelines on the Identification, Evaluation and Treatment of Overweight and Obesity in Adults, 1998.

“Your assignment is to write a persuasive essay and present it to the class in a week. You will be graded based on how convincing it is. Today we will be choosing topics,” announced Mr. Bowerbank, my 7th grade English teacher and ruler of classroom 110. My class simultaneously groaned at the prospect of work. I simply lifted my head with intrigue as it was already May and about time we had our first essay. He then proceeded to give examples of topics we could choose and gave us some time to think before we had to tell him our topic. My classmates were already rushing to tell the teacher their idea lest someone else steal it. That meant the usual abortion, death penalty, or drug use topics were out. I really couldn't think of anything and the teacher was slowly making his way through the remaining students like an executioner beheading criminals in a line. I have always thought that he would make a marvelous supervillain if he had a curly mustache, a tophat, and a cape. Eventually my name was called. I slowly dragged myself over to his desk. Even sitting down, he still seemed to tower over me. “What is your topic Cindy?” As usual in such desperate times, my mind turned to food. “Waffles are better than pancakes.” I figured that a waffle was just a differently shaped pancake with a nicer texture. “Hmm. Excellent topic. I look forward to your essay!” I survived to live yet another day.