Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Douglas

He is saying that he has no freedom on a day where freedom is celebrated throughout the United States. Not only does he not feel free, he says that the fourth of July demonstrates the differences between blacks and whites. He says, "The sunlight that brought light and healing to you, has brought stripes and death to me. This Fourth July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn." He appeals to one's emotion by trying to project his own emotions on the reader. He does not provide any logic or facts to support his opinion, and his argument appeals only to emotion.

2 comments:

Alex Meregaglia said...

Mei-Mei-

You and I both got the same meaning out of the piece that was written by Douglass. He wanted to explain to the abolitionists why blacks should not care about the Fourth of July. His message was fairly straightforward and hard to misinterpret. He want to make sure his point was clear so that others would understand what he was saying. We both agree on that. Where I disagree with you, however, is when it comes to your interpretations of his uses of rhetoric. You’re correct; he does appeal to pathos by addressing his audience directly and using “you” all throughout it. But he also appeals to logos through his use of logically explaining his argument. He breaks down his own and argument and points out facts to the white men to persuade them. Overall, it is a very persuasive piece that has a lot of merit in its ideas.

Monika said...

Hey
Sorry for spamming, but I really like your writings and wanted to ask you if we could exchange links? Please write me a comment in my blog (my everyday glamour) then I know that’s okay for you ;-)
Hope you’re okay,
Chililady from Austria