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Megan Young

Stephanie Tatum

AP Language

17 December 2019

Rhetorical Analysis Essay

In 1864, a speech was given by Wendell Phillips, he was an American, and also a white

abolitionist. 1861 was close to the beginning of the civil war, and the North was deciding

whether or not to allow African Americans to serve in the war. In hopes to gain more respect for

those former slaves, Wendell Phillips tell the American people the story of

Toussaint-Louverture. Phillips praises Louverture and his actions to show how the former slaves

could help the North win the Civil War. Wendell Phillips uses allusions to compare leaders to

Louverture, and explains how the audience’s knowledge could be misinterpreted.

In the beginning of his speech, Phillips alludes to two great leaders- Napoleon and

Washington. The allusions create a comparison between Louverture and the leaders. He sets up

his speech by putting the image of Napoleon and Washington into his listener’s ears. So then

when they think of Toussaint-Louverture, he doesn’t look like a bad person, but rather a hero.

Philllips also alludes to Zeus, the God of Thunder, by saying that ”[Toussaint] forged a

thunderbolt and hurled it” (line 15). By stating that Toussaint did something that only a god can

do, moves the audience to believe that he was so good at what he did, no one else can do it, he

was the best. Phillip’s audience would be weary, so he attempts to talk Toussaint up, making his

actions speak for the rest of the slaves that could help the North. Phillips appeals to Toussaints

already wonderful achievements to help the rest of the slaves appear to have the same skill level.
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Wendell Phillips subtly explains to the audience, that their perception of history may be

skewed. While he introduces Napoleon and Washington, he shares how he would get that

information to share. With Napoleon, Phillips would take it from the French who could find no

words to explain their leader. With Washington, Phillips would take it from the hearts of the

American people. When Wendell Phillips goes to explain the greatness of Toussaint-Louverture,

he solemnly mentions how “All the materials for his biography are from the lips of his enemies”

(lines 13-14). Mentioning his enemies pushes his audience to understand that the history of

Toussaint Louverture they know might be skewed. Phillips wants to make them believe that the

history they know is tainted, so he closes his speech by saying how his audience views history

“with [their] prejudices” (line 34). By pointing out the audiences prejudices, he can lean them

away from judging African Americans based solely on previous beliefs. He tries to persuade the

North that the information that they know is white-washed, attempting to showcase their

supposed bias. When people are aware that there is bias in their minds, their opinions can

change.

Wendell Phillips’s use of allusions to prominent leaders and pointing out tainted views

makes his speech very moving to the North. He praised Toussaint-Louverture by comparing him

to those great leaders. Wendell Phillips was very successful in moving his audience. Without his

appeal to authority using allusions, he would not have been able to paint Toussaint-Louverture as

a great leader, making his argument weaker.