Mrs. Lyons Frederick Douglass vs. Chief Seattle Frederick Douglas and Chief Seattle both experienced disadvantages because of their race and culture around the years 1850-1855. Frederick Douglass was a former slave abolitionist who fought to change America and the Africans who were enslaved in it. Chief Seattle was the leader of the Suquamish Tribe and he too was determined to change the citizen’s perspective about how his people were being treated. Both authors wrote compelling letters/speeches to the President to convince him and the citizens to spark change for their race by using pathos, description, and cause/effect in their dialogue. Douglass and Seattle use pathos to evoke a certain emotion out of the reader in order to make them feel the same way as they do. Douglass uses examples to stir emotion. He says, “What am I to argue that it is wrong to make men brutes, to rob them of their liberty, to work them without wages, to keep them ignorant of their relations to their fellow men, to beat them with sticks…” Douglass continues on with more examples highlighting the injustice to draw an emotion out of the reader. Chief Seattle uses pathos but in a different way. Instead of pulling examples from the past, he foreshadows to future problems that could occur. He says, “All things are connected. Whatever befalls the earth befalls the sons of the earth.” Seattle also uses religion. “Our God is the same God. You may think that you own him as you wish to own our land, but you cannot.” When religion is placed in the mix, emotions stir; it becomes more personal to the reader because they can relate on a certain level. In order to get their points across effectively and proficiently, Douglass and Seattle used description. Both authors use description to help the reader form an image in their mind. This tool helps the writer create a connection with the reader with the use of details. Frederick Douglass describes in detail the wrongs he and his people experienced through slavery. He says, “What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July? I answer; a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim.” It’s essential that Douglass uses
In chapter ten, Douglass uses pathos with his imagery and figurative language that provokes an emotional response. Pathos is also seen in his powerful words, phrases and mental images that stir up emotion. Frederick Douglass went from being a slave into being a free man
Within the speech “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?” by Frederick Douglass, Douglass uses ethos and pathos by providing concrete evidence and having the reader feel emotions throughout his speech. For instance, pathos is being used for the reason that numerous citizens visualize the Fourth of July as a day of independence, happiness, and a family cookout. However, Douglass attempted to have the reader feel sorry, guilt, and uncomfortable for the reason that it is stated to keep in mind of those bleeding children of sorrow who had dreams and hope, but all went to waste. The readers perhaps felt guilty and uncomfortable due to them enjoying themselves on a so call joyful day while the slaves were being treated abysmally. In addition,
Chief Joseph successfully utilizes pathos in the sense of him making the audience feel awful for what him and tribe has had to go through. He talks about the most vulnerable people, children, saying, “The little children are freezing to death.” He knows that the children ran away from all of the adults that were older than them, or at least the ones still alive and knew that they probably would not live since it was freezing outside and there was no food or shelter. It makes the reader sympathize with Chief Joseph and share his sorrow. Chief knows that the little children are freezing and starving to death. He says, “ My heart is sick and sad”, Chief’s heart is aching for all of what he has seen and been through. This helps describe his emotions, by telling us how he
March provided an example in the second paragraph of emotion and associating with the audience. At his school many people do not think of him as an average kid. March says that his classmates are scared him him because he owns a gun. When reading about the author's background the readers feel bad for him. The other way March incites emotion in his writing is by talking about the mass shooters and that they need drastic help.
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
Sweat rolled down the backs of an attentive audience. Despite the sweltering temperature, a crowd had gathered to listen to a renowned orator celebrate the birthday of their fine new nation. The day was July 5th, 1852, and Frederick Douglass was poised to deliver what would soon become his most famous speech, “What to the Slave, Is the Fourth of July?” Commissioned to be a cheerful hurrah, it instead scathes the unexpected audience, bringing to light the overabundance of hypocrisies dwelling in America’s Independence Day celebration. Asked simply to give a speech, Frederick Douglass seizes the opportunity
Douglas's What to a slave is the 4th of July shows how the American interpretation of slavery is hypocritical. Douglas is able to express these successful expresses this fact by using all rhetorical choices, ethos, pathos and logos. Using all three to further strengthen his view on how slaves have little thought for the 4th of July. Giving us, a perspective of what life was really like for the typical slave in America at the time.
Change is a part of human nature. We grow and learn as a society, constantly striving to become our better selves. But as we grow older, some beliefs that are inflicted upon us become written in stone. They are truths we believe, but are not always ethically and morally correct. Society becomes blinded by its traditions about how things are supposed to be done that nobody sees the pain that is being inflicted. Martin Luther King Jr., “Letter from Birmingham Jail” and Johnathan Swifts, “A Modest Proposal,” persuade their audience in very different ways but are both effective in using pathos. In order to create an effective call to change, an author must use the emotions of the reader to create a need to take action.
First let’s talk about how Sherman Alexie uses pathos to appeal to the reader’s emotions. In his writing when he is using this technique he says, “I read anything that had words and paragraphs. I read with equal parts joy and desperation. I loved those books, but I also knew that love had only one purpose. I was trying to save my life.” (Alexie). This quote is successful because his word choice is helping to make the reader feel emotionally attached to the reasoning behind why he is doing what he is doing. Also, he says towards the end of his writing, “I refused to fail. I was smart. I was arrogant. I was lucky.” (Alexie) He does a good job with his word choice in these short sentences. It makes the reader engaged in the writing because he is being assertive, and he knows what he wants. Which what he wants is the reader to understand his point that something needed to be done and he was going to be the one to do it. Both of these quotes that I have pulled from his text reaches the readers on an emotional level because he makes it seem that knowing how to read saved his life and now that he knows how to read and
The “Declaration of Independence” was written by one of the most accomplished of our nation’s founders, Thomas Jefferson. The Declaration was written during a time in which American Colonists tried to resolve their issues with Great Britain. On the other hand, former slave Frederick Douglass gives a speech on the topic of the Fourth of July called “What to the slave is the Fourth of July?”. Both men believed freedom was a right that is natural to all people. In order to persuade their audiences of this, each author uses ethos, pathos, and logos to support their argument.
aims his focal point at imagery to provide vivid and rich details. Literary devices play a crucial
Prompt: Douglass maintains that slavery dehumanized both the slave and the slaveholder. Quoting specific passages in the Narrative support this thesis with examples.
“What to the Slave is the Fourth of July” is a very moving piece about what the Fourth of July means to slaves. The speech was given by Fredrick Douglas in Rochester, New York, on July 5, 1852. His use of ethos, pathos and logos made this an extremely effective speech.
Nicholas Carr addresses and adapts to his audience by effectively using pathos, a rhetorical appeal. The author captures his audience by appealing to their emotions. For example, Carr explains on page five,
The incorporation of pathos in an argument can form a strong structured reading or a make the reader feel emotionally taken advantage of. In Hooks argument she uses pathos effectively, without exploiting readers of her article. She states, "estrangement from nature and engagement in mind/body splits made it all the more possible for black people to internalize white-supremacist assumptions about black identity" (973). Hooks uses this sentence to appeal to those who have experienced a loss of identity to feel for the blacks. Also, the citation brings a desirable topic up of unity within different race and cultures, which adds more reason for the reader to be persuaded to her side of the argument: the emotional pull of how blacks were treated even away from their normal ways of living.