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Article Comparison

On Being Brought from Africa, What to The Slave is 4th July and Declaration of

Independence: A Transcription are three separate works that significantly inform each

other. The three articles address the themes of freedom and race, and they were written

during the era of strong discrimination against Black people, as well as slavery. In their

writings, the authors employ the use of both figurative and literal language.

What to The Slave Is the 4th of July? is a speech that was administered by Fredrick

Douglas. It was delivered the 5th of July 1852. The statement was delivered in Corinthian

Hall, was a first-person testament that paid homage to slaves. It became one of his most

acknowledged work and even getting published in papers. Fredrick Douglas delivered the

speech during a forum held by the Rochester Ladies Anti-Slavery Society while

celebrating America’s Independence Day. In his speech, the author addresses the issue of

constitutional values in regards to the US Slave Trade, where he believes that the term

freedom only at acts as mock gesture. His argument was based on the fact that Black

people’s right were violated.

The speaker, Fredrick, uses literary devices like personification, dramatic and

situational irony, imagery, analogy and metaphor to deliver his speech. He provides

objects like slavery with human characteristics in his use of personification. In situational
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irony, the speaker compares slaves from different circumstances like house slaves to

plantation slaves, the irony being they both lack freedom. Dramatic irony in the speech

comes to play when Fredrick he uses the term purest white to explain a robbery of

opportunities (Quarles, 68). He also uses analogy when he gives an account of his theft

story and equates it, pirates. Metaphorically, Douglass uses terms like the fury of a

demon to denote a master. The speaker also employs repetition to deliver his speech. In

several instances, he is heard uttering the word, for example, he says, “would you have

me argue that…” to emphasize on his thoughts. The speaker also uses the repetition to

appeal to the thoughts of his audience and evoke the use of logic. He also repeats the

word man to emphasize on humanity. Fredrick Douglas’s speech makes excellent use of

rhetorical questions.

On Being Brought from Africa to America, on the other hand, is an eight-line long

poem written by Phyllis Wheatley. The poem was among several other of her work that

was published in a book. The poet narrates the experiences of an American slave. Written

from the beginning from a personal perspective, Phyllis Wheatley gives her readers a real

account of her life. In the second line of the poem, the poet employs the use of

metaphoric language. She uses terms like benighted soul, which means darkness

(Wheatley, 24). During the slavery era, Black people were often viewed as evil creatures.

The use of the terminology by the author is meant to address both her color and the evil

terminology. The author is also referring to her unenlightened self by using the term

benighted. In her story, Wheatley uses the metaphor dark and white contrast to illustrate

her transition from an ignorant and unawareness life to a better place. In regards to racism
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she uses the hyperbole diabolic die to recognize the fact that Black people, in the eyes of

the white people are evil. Phyllis Wheatley reminds her readers of equality when she

mentions Cain and equates him to black people. The irony of her equation shows up

when she declares that Black people will join the angelic train, where the train refers to

heaven).

Declaration of Independence: A Transcription was written by Thomas Jefferson

and printed on July 10, 1776, although the American Independence was declared on the

4th of July. It sought to make peace and disconnect America from Great Britain

(Jefferson, 3). The author in a rhetorical twist applies the use of logos to deliver his

message. The article, which presents the readers with the reasons for advocating for

colonies independence appeals to people logic by acknowledging that people deserved

undeniable rights, liberty, and happiness. By posing a rhetorical question to the logical

presentation, the author asks the readers the functions of an unfunctional government that

cannot satisfy its people. He uses metaphors like dead to the voice of justice to refer to

the British Government.

In the three articles, the readers experience a similarity in their humanity and

equality declaration. While they complement each other in that sense the articles also

bear great differences. For example, while both Phyllis and Fredrick shun slavery, Phyllis

seems to be content on its outcomes and even goes ahead to acknowledge her religious

aspects. Fredrick, on the other hand, is not content on the idea of freedom and seems to

wish that the term be abolished since it was not serving its purpose. By addressing the

issue of humanity, Thomas Jefferson also adds value to the information regarding slaves.
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While his article, unlike Phyllis and Frederick, is not written from personal experience,

the article provides concrete and logical information to the matter. All three articles are

written in different styles. However, the styles of literacy and figurative applications are

largely identifiable.
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Work Cited

Jefferson, Thomas. Declaration of Independence. Hyweb Technology Co. Ltd., 2011: 1-6

Quarles, Benjamin. Frederick Douglass. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1968: 54-

79

Wheatley, Phillis. The collected works of Phillis Wheatley. Oxford University Press on

Demand, 1988: 1-58.