Micro Activity #4

Xavier Manzanares

Eng1121

word count: 607

Quote 1 : “Are the great principles of political freedom and of natural justice, embodied in that Declaration of Independence, extended to us?…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” ( Douglas, Pg7)

Paraphrase:  What does the fourth of july mean to us ? Those words of justice, freedom and liberty for all are not meant for us (black american slaves) but rather for the whites and watching them celebrate it shows us the true nature and injustices they have done to  the fellow american slave. 

Response: Fredrick douglas was basically explaining how all these laws put in place by the white men that describes every “Men” to be equal to all excludes the African americans, Blacks were not seen as human back then but rather seen as animals, work machines and this is proves my point because when they wrote the laws and wrote “men” they never thought about the blacks since they just did not see them as human at the time and seeing the white people celebrate the 4th of july while their own americans neighbors (african slaves) are not free themselves it’s just hypocrisy at its finest.  

Quote 2 : ” There are seventy-two crimes in the State of Virginia, which, if committed by a black man, subject him to the punishment of death; while only two of the same crimes will subject a white man to the like punishment” (Douglas,Pg9).

Paraphrase: A Black man and a white man can commit the same 72 crimes but the black man will always get killed for it while the white man will be let go or get a minimal punishment. 

Response: Fredrick doulas made this speech in 1852 before slavery was even abolished, after that and the civil right movements in the 1960s well over 150 years later we are still facing this problem in america now more than ever this quote is still relevant because black people are getting killed by cops or getting harsh sentences left and rigth for nothing but minimal offenses while whites would do the same or worse and never face severe punishments or life threathing experiences. 

Quote 3 : “I see the bleeding footsteps; I hear the doleful wail of fettered humanity, on the way to the slave markets, where the victims are to be sold like horses, sheep, and swine, knocked off to the highest bidder” (Douglass, 12)

Writing strategy: The writing strategy Frederick Douglas used in this quote was a Simile I find this to be a great way to get the reader/ listener to see the situation as an outsider and in a way try and reach into their senses and make the people see the reality of this which is selling human beings as if they were nothing but animals.

Quote 4:  “Such people lived then,had lived before,and will,probably ever have a place on this planet; and their course, in respect to any great change is that They hate all changes, but silver, gold and copper change ! of this sort of change they are always strongly in Favor.” (Douglas,Pg3 )

Writing Strategy: In this quote, Fredick Douglas uses an Analogy using the word change and its different meaning he explains how people no matter when where, or why hate change other than the change that has a value that has a purpose and that makes the reader understand how humans have been the same and it’s just natural instinct to have greed and not be selfish.