Ana Lis Amezquita 

English 1121

September 9, 2020

Word Count: 470

Frederick Douglas is arguing American slavery.

Quote 1: “I am not included within the pale of this glorious anniversary! Your high independence only reveals the immeasurable distance between us. The blessings in which you, this day, rejoice, are not enjoyed in common.—The rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity and independence, bequeathed by your fathers, is shared by you, not by me.” (Page 7, 8)

Paraphrase: Douglas is trying to say, he is excluded from the anniversary of this country and that it shows the huge difference between them. Because just because their land is free, his people or not.

Response: This is 100 percent true to this day. In some ways blacks and whites in this country do not have the same independence and equality and even though the land is free, does not mean the people are. 

Quote 2: “ America is false to the past, falls to the present, and solemnly binds herself to be Falls to the future.” (Page 8) 

Paraphrase: Douglas is trying to say that America gives false claims and provides a false dream. It happened in the past and almost likely will happen in the future. 

Response: Back then, the slaves were promised a better life and they got nothing but Moseley and false hopes and promises. 

Quote 3: “The sunlight brought life and healing to you has bright stripes and death to me.” (Page 8)

Identify the writing strategy you see Douglass using: The strategy used here is metaphor. 

Explain why you find this useful, persuasive, or effective in some way: I find this useful and effective because it helps to compare how you may feel to something big.

Quote 4: “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. To him, your celebration is a sham; your boasted liberty, an unholy license; your national greatness, swelling vanity; your sounds of rejoicing are empty and heartless; your denunciations of tyrants, brass fronted impudence; your shouts of liberty and equality, hollow mockery; your prayers and hymns, your sermons and thanksgivings, with all your religious parade, and solemnity, are, to him, mere bombast, fraud, deception, impiety, and hypocrisy—a thin veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages.” (page 10)

Identify the writing strategy you see Douglass using: The strategy used here is tone.

Explain why you find this useful, persuasive, or effective in some way: This is very useful and effective because it keeps the reader engage and here you can actually have a sense of how he is speaking about what is going on and how he feels towards it.