Alfred M. Green Speech Rhetorical Analysis

Topics: American Civil War, Dred Scott v. Sandford, Slavery in the United States Pages: 2 (420 words) Published: November 30, 2011
The daunt feeling of oppression and inequality engulfed the brains of the many African Americans who came to be persuaded to become part of the tyrant-free Union side by Alfred M. Green. Their was only a miniscule number of ways to persuade these intelligent men to join and strive for civil equality. Green used a number of techniques to get his point across without sounding laconic. Green used empowering words, some historical references, and figurative language.

Green created an empowering tone whilst presenting his speech. He used certain words to capture the attention of the audience. For example, Green repeats “It is true” in the beginning of the second and third paragraph. He followed that line with many harsh facts of the injustice, and imprisonment the African Americans had to go through. Green used this to almost degrade them and feel unworthy. Green is bringing them down with his words to make them face what is really happening in this “auspicious moment.” Green brings African Americans down but in the third paragraph he shifts saying words like “brethren” and “our duty” to enlighten their spirits and show them that this is possible to overcome. Green also includes quotes in the first and last paragraphs to affect African Americans egos. Green contradicts himself with the quote in the first paragraph because he makes the African Americans seem positive, while in the quote in the third paragraph he describes the hardship battles African Americans went through daily; by saying “tried men’s souls.” Green used this to murder the egos of the audience, but it was all a plan because he would raise their attitudes to gain praise.

Another technique Green used was historical references that troubled the African Americans. Including the fugitive-slave laws and the famous Dred Scott decision, Green emitted these into the minds of them to reveal how far they have actually came. He explicitly relates these to the corrupt “judicial investigation” and states how we...
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