Letter To Captain Auld Rhetorical Analysis
In a letter to Captain Thomas Auld published in a newspaper, Frederick Douglass confronts Captain Auld in a public manner about their previous relationship as slave and slave master. Douglass presents himself as intelligent and sophisticated, which proves that he is capable of acting in a manner that is opposite of current stereotypes. Some of these stereotypes of slaves are that they are uneducated, always violent, of low class, and inferior to white men. Douglass presents himself in this way by vocabulary choice and appeals to pathos and kairos. Douglass chooses to use subtle verbal attacks to make his argument rather than using harshness such as vulgar language or a direct accusation. The subtle verbal attacks are expressed through analogies
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He does this by appealing to pathos and kairos. Douglass is successful in keeping his letter subtle and sophisticated. In lines fifty - two and fifty - three, he states that the reason he has chosen to write this letter to Captain Auld in the North Star on this date is because it is the anniversary of his emancipation. This is an example of an appeal to kairos because this occasion is an opportunity to bring up the topic of his enslavement.This is a significant time to express his feelings about his treatment from Auld and to prove his argument that he able to accuse Auld with sophistication.For example, In lines 56 to 60 Douglass tells about his experience of his enslavement by appealing to pathos and describing in great detail the scene and emotions he was feeling. Douglass is able to tell of this experience but yet still keep professionalism in his argument. He doesn’t directly attack the captain. In lines 65 to 69 Douglass describes his exact feelings. He says “I have no words to describe to you the deep agony of soul which I experienced...” This expresses to the public just how much of an impact this experience had on Douglass. The impact is expressed through the Lastly, in lines 82 to 85 Douglass explains how Captain Auld will never know how Douglass feels. The way Douglass uses intelligent wording makes the reader think more about what Douglass is saying and it is more effective in his argument rather than using harsh and direct verbal
He does this by appealing to pathos and kairos. Douglass is successful in keeping his letter subtle and sophisticated. In lines fifty - two and fifty - three, he states that the reason he has chosen to write this letter to Captain Auld in the North Star on this date is because it is the anniversary of his emancipation. This is an example of an appeal to kairos because this occasion is an opportunity to bring up the topic of his enslavement.This is a significant time to express his feelings about his treatment from Auld and to prove his argument that he able to accuse Auld with sophistication.For example, In lines 56 to 60 Douglass tells about his experience of his enslavement by appealing to pathos and describing in great detail the scene and emotions he was feeling. Douglass is able to tell of this experience but yet still keep professionalism in his argument. He doesn’t directly attack the captain. In lines 65 to 69 Douglass describes his exact feelings. He says “I have no words to describe to you the deep agony of soul which I experienced...” This expresses to the public just how much of an impact this experience had on Douglass. The impact is expressed through the Lastly, in lines 82 to 85 Douglass explains how Captain Auld will never know how Douglass feels. The way Douglass uses intelligent wording makes the reader think more about what Douglass is saying and it is more effective in his argument rather than using harsh and direct verbal