Frederick Douglass The Meaning Of July Fourth For The Negro
The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro
“This Fourth July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn.” (Douglass, 337). In This speech which was delivered in 1852, by Frederick Douglass titled "The Meaning of Fourth of July for the Negro" covers into the regular Realism type. This speech was delivered to a white audience, which was a reflection of Realism. Realism which means the practice of accepting a situation as it is.
The speech talked about the discrimination of Fourth of July celebration for the Negros which is who he is representing in this speech. In the definition of Realism, the way he delivered the speech was simply real. Frederick Douglass used in his speech a combination of evidences and emotions in order to get his
point through, which is an important concept of Realism. “Realism is all about the mixing of Rationalism and Romanticism” (Unknown). One depend on purely on scientific facts while the other on feelings and emotions to deliver its point. In this way, Frederick Douglass played upon the emotions and the feelings of the people by approaching them with facts about the injustice and discrimination. (Douglass, 337).
Frederick Douglass' point is that America was being extremely hypocritical in their celebration of the Fourth of July (Douglass, 337). People celebrating the country being free from Great Britain, was the whole point of this holiday. However, while they are celebrating and enjoying their own freedom, slaves are being held imprisoned in that same country that seems to significance freedom so importantly. In this speech Douglass shows the idea of Realism by using African American people as the heroes (Douglass, 337).
An important part of Realism is the hero and who is presented as a hero. In Frederick Douglass' speech, even though it was written by an African American man about the difficulties of African American people to a strictly white audience, he played the basic ideas of humanity also the rights that everyone share, and the fully right the black should have by that time (Douglass, 337). Also in his speech where some of the emotion and feelings comes into a big part. Most of the times guilt is the greatest way to make someone to know and understand what they have done was wrong. Frederick Douglass used the guilt as a big factor by making the white men realize that they are being false by saying that they deserved their freedom from Great Britain but not the African Americans from their bondage as well. Also that’s what he believed Fourth of July means to the Negros. (Douglass, 337).
The argument Douglass made to show that is “salve is a man.” Where he showed that the Fourth of July reminds the blacks of what they do not have and the whites get to celebrate it but the blacks do not have anything to celebrate. Also the blacks and the slaves that are treated unfairly, even though they are heroes. And I believe these argument were convening to the time because the people need to start realizing that the thing they are doing is wrong and they need to stop. Also comparing to today people need to stop disagreeing and arguing about slavery and have the time to make a change.
Frederick Douglass included a poem by William Lloyd Garrison, because he wanted to end his speech in way to encourage people to make a change and let their heart join him. So in conclusion; in this speech he included that the writers of the Declaration of Independence were intelligent, fearless, and great men. Also he is speaking for the blacks and how white people expect blacks to be happy, and celebrate the Fourth of July when they don't have freedom.
“This Fourth July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn.” (Douglass, 337). In This speech which was delivered in 1852, by Frederick Douglass titled "The Meaning of Fourth of July for the Negro" covers into the regular Realism type. This speech was delivered to a white audience, which was a reflection of Realism. Realism which means the practice of accepting a situation as it is.
The speech talked about the discrimination of Fourth of July celebration for the Negros which is who he is representing in this speech. In the definition of Realism, the way he delivered the speech was simply real. Frederick Douglass used in his speech a combination of evidences and emotions in order to get his
point through, which is an important concept of Realism. “Realism is all about the mixing of Rationalism and Romanticism” (Unknown). One depend on purely on scientific facts while the other on feelings and emotions to deliver its point. In this way, Frederick Douglass played upon the emotions and the feelings of the people by approaching them with facts about the injustice and discrimination. (Douglass, 337).
Frederick Douglass' point is that America was being extremely hypocritical in their celebration of the Fourth of July (Douglass, 337). People celebrating the country being free from Great Britain, was the whole point of this holiday. However, while they are celebrating and enjoying their own freedom, slaves are being held imprisoned in that same country that seems to significance freedom so importantly. In this speech Douglass shows the idea of Realism by using African American people as the heroes (Douglass, 337).
An important part of Realism is the hero and who is presented as a hero. In Frederick Douglass' speech, even though it was written by an African American man about the difficulties of African American people to a strictly white audience, he played the basic ideas of humanity also the rights that everyone share, and the fully right the black should have by that time (Douglass, 337). Also in his speech where some of the emotion and feelings comes into a big part. Most of the times guilt is the greatest way to make someone to know and understand what they have done was wrong. Frederick Douglass used the guilt as a big factor by making the white men realize that they are being false by saying that they deserved their freedom from Great Britain but not the African Americans from their bondage as well. Also that’s what he believed Fourth of July means to the Negros. (Douglass, 337).
The argument Douglass made to show that is “salve is a man.” Where he showed that the Fourth of July reminds the blacks of what they do not have and the whites get to celebrate it but the blacks do not have anything to celebrate. Also the blacks and the slaves that are treated unfairly, even though they are heroes. And I believe these argument were convening to the time because the people need to start realizing that the thing they are doing is wrong and they need to stop. Also comparing to today people need to stop disagreeing and arguing about slavery and have the time to make a change.
Frederick Douglass included a poem by William Lloyd Garrison, because he wanted to end his speech in way to encourage people to make a change and let their heart join him. So in conclusion; in this speech he included that the writers of the Declaration of Independence were intelligent, fearless, and great men. Also he is speaking for the blacks and how white people expect blacks to be happy, and celebrate the Fourth of July when they don't have freedom.