A Rhetorical Analysis Of Benjamin Banneker

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During the course of humanity, persuasion has been used by world leaders to captivate people’s hearts, minds, and their attention. In the 1960’s, Martin Luther King Jr. created a movement that sought equality among all the races. Today, Donald Trump as trying to persuade voters to deviate from voting simply for an established candidate. A farmer, astronomer, and author named Benjamin Banneker wrote a persuasive letter to Thomas Jefferson in 1791. Many people back in the 1700’s would not dare go against the power of the founding fathers, but Banneker voiced his true opinion with his emotional words--something that took tremendous courage. Banneker uses a passive-aggressive tone, comparison/contrast, and an emotional appeal to convey his message …show more content…
Jefferson and his fellow troops suffered under the Britain’s tyranny for many years. They had no freedom, rights, or tranquility. The King manipulated the English consists into his little puppets. When the colonists couldn’t bear the opposition anymore, they shed blood, sweat, and tears to triumph the King. They put their lives in danger in order for freedom and peace. When they finally broke out of that tyrant suppression, Jefferson and the founding fathers wrote the Declaration and it was stated “that all men are created equal”. Banneker includes the quote from the Declaration to remind Jefferson of the morally right message that he himself approved of. All men being created equal would include Africans, Americans, and any other race, this is why slavery was such a dilemma for the colonists of America. Banneker compares to the suffering slaves as “Job” from the Bible, Job had endured much suffering just like the slaves did. He tries to contrast the life of Jefferson by the quote “put your souls in their souls instead” meaning that if Jefferson could live the life of a slave, then maybe he could see how cruel and ugly of a life they live. Banneker believes that Jefferson’s heart could be “enlarged with kindness and benevolence towards them”, which should lead him to want to abolish slavery or at least confer with the American leaders about
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