T-Chart Literary Analysis for “The Hypocrisy of American Slavery”
Directions: As you read, notice examples of the following rhetorical devices and their effects. Once you are finished reading, analyze how Douglass uses these devices to try to persuade his audience (use the graphic organizer provided at the end of the selection, and please TYPE your responses). Do not limit your analysis to the size of the box—increase the size of the box as needed!
I have provided you with an example quote and analysis from Henry’s speech to help guide you. Please read my example so that you understand my expectations for your analysis.
Before You Read: Literary Analysis – Speeches are written works that are delivered orally. Persuasive speeches are those that are meant to move an audience to think a certain way or take a specific action. Effective speakers like Patrick Henry and Benjamin Franklin use a variety ofrhetorical devices to emphasize key points, to make their speeches memorable, and to move listeners’ emotions:
- Restatement: repeating an idea in a variety of ways
- Repetition: restating an idea using the same words
- Parallelism: repeating grammatical structures
- Rhetorical questions: asking a question with a self-evident answer
- Allusions: referring to well-known people, events, or stories
The Hypocrisy of American Slavery
T-Chart Literary Analysis
Quote (include page #)Identify and use quotes for each of the five rhetorical devices used in persuasive speeches: (TOTAL OF 5 QUOTES MIMINUM)
- Restatement
- Repetition
- Parallelism
- Rhetorical question
- Allusion
- Paraphrase or Summarize – In your own words, what is Douglass saying?
- Criticize – Do you agree or disagree with his argument? Explain why or why not.
- Classify – (a) Is this quote an example of restatement, repetition, parallelism, rhetorical question, or allusion? Explain citing evidence. (b) What effect does the use of this rhetorical device have on you as the reader?
Example Quote from Speech in the Virginia Convention:
“Mr. President, it is natural to man to indulge in the illusions of hope. We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth, and listen to the song of that siren till she transforms us into beasts” (101).
My annotated notes-to-self to help me better understand and analyze the quote:
illusions– 1. something that deceives by producing a false or misleading impression of reality. 2. the state or condition of being deceived
indulge – to allow yourself to have or do something as a special pleasure; to allow someone to have or do something even though it may not be proper, healthy, appropriate, etc.
“listen to the song of that siren till she transforms us into beasts” – In Homer’s Odyssey, the enchantress Circe transforms men into swine after charming them with her singing. / Example Analysis from Speech in the Virginia Convention:
Summary:
In this quote, Patrick Henry is saying that it is not uncommon for man to be optimistic and hope for the best. Hope is something that makes one feel good inside; it is something to look forward to. He is saying that man would sometimes rather not face the realities of the cruel world or the unfortunate reality at hand, but instead close their eyes in hopes that when they open them back up that everything will be okay. I believe he is saying that man would rather pretend that things are fine, or will be fine, because facing the realities of life can sometimes be painful.
Criticize:
I agree with Henry’s quote. I believe that facing the realities of the world can sometimes be very painful and stressful and that the only way to cope with these realities is to hope and believe that things will get better. I believe that people often times avoid facing the reality that certain problems exist because facing them are simply too painful. And yes, I agree that often times, the belief that things will get better is just an illusion—a false or misleading impression of reality.
Classify:
(a) I find this particular quote to be an example of both restatement AND allusion. When he says “it is natural to man to indulge in the illusions of hope” and when he says “We are apt to shut our eyes against the painful truth,” he is saying the same twice but in different ways, which is an example of restatement. Both statements are representations of deception—or not seeing things as they really are. Furthermore, Henry also uses allusion here. When he says “…and listen to the song of that siren till she transforms us into beast,” he is referring to a well-known story, The Odyssey by Homer. In Homer’s Odyssey, the enchantress Circe transforms men into swine after charming them with her singing. Henry uses this allusion to support his point that he believes that Great Britain is just pretending to be kind and concerned, but in the end they do not have America’s best interest at heart. He states in his speech, “Is it that insidious smile with which our petition has been lately received? Trust it not, sir; it will prove a snare to your feet. Suffer not yourselves to be betrayed with a kiss” (101).
(b) I find the effect of these two rhetorical devices to be quite powerful and persuasive. Powerful because it makes the audience think and wonder to themselves “Well, maybe I am being deceived, and maybe I do need to take another look at what’s really going on.” It causes the audience to reconsider the difference between what they are hoping for, versus what really is.
T-Chart Analysis
“The Hypocrisy of American Slavery” by Frederick Douglass
QUOTE / ANALYSIS