Kseniia Dymchenko, Micro-Activity #4

9/9/20

English 1121


In an excerpt from Frederick Douglas’ speech, the following quotes can be distinguished:

Part 1:

Quote1:   â€śGod made all nations of men to dwell on the fare of all the earth” (Douglass 17)

Paraphrase: Although people say that everyone is equal to each other, regardless of color, you still disdain people whose skin color is different from yours.

Respond: I agree with Douglas’s statement that people should not be distinguished by skin color, and by their moral qualities, in relation to other people. Therefore the color of skin is not an indicator of a superior race.

Quote2:  â€śYour high independence only reveals the immeasurable distance between us” (Douglass 7)

Paraphrase: The great principles of political freedom and natural justice, embodied in the Declaration of Independence are completely inaccessible to slaves with dark skin.

Respond: I agree with Douglas’ statement that freedom of choice, religion, freedom of speech, freedom of prosperity – should be for any person, no matter what the color of his skin is. Therefore, it is very important to create a level playing field for all people.

Part 2:

Quote3:  In the speech, “What to the Negro is the fourth of July?”

Paraphrase: The 4th of July holiday, Independence Day, is not much of  holiday for all people who lived in the late 19th century in the United States. And is only once again shows the slaves lived a unfair life.

Respond: I believe that people living in the same country should respect the public holidays, and at the end of the 19th century, slaves did not succeeded because not all of them were free. Therefore, July 4th was not for them a real holiday at that time

Quote 4: “Thoughts expressed on one side of the Atlantic are distinctly heard on the other. “(Douglass 20)

Paraphrase: All ideology, all teachings, political views are no longer localized on one territory, due to the high development of mankind; ideology quickly spreads around the world.

Respond: I agree with this statement, especially in our time, in the era of the development of science and the Internet, it is not possible to hide the mood of a particular nation. If in one country there have been any changes in political power, all countries will learn about it fast enough.