Rhetorical Analysis Of Benjamin Banneker

“All men are created equal, and that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” This excerpt shows that in the Declaration of Independence all men were created equal. However, Benjamin Banneker being the son of former slaves has seen the effects of slavery all around him. In his letter to Thomas Jefferson he uses allusion to the bible to portray the life of the slaves, adjectives to emphasize the inequality, and parallel structure to highlight his concerns. Benjamin Banneker uses allusion to the bible to emphasize the things slaves had to endure. “Those narrow prejudices which you have imbibed with respect to them and as Job proposed to his friends.” In this statement Banneker creates the tone of pity, by doing this he is able to ask Jefferson to put himself in the slaves shoes. This creates sympathy because he is able to connect what Job had to go through to the struggles of people living in slavery. Throughout the letter Banneker continually uses “heaven” and “Father of mankind” to make the audience feel guilty for how the slaves were treated. By using these words he establishes his knowledge of the bible as well as equality. Using all of these examples he is
He uses words like “groaning captivity” and “cruel oppression” to emphasize the captivity and oppression the slaves experience. This creates feelings of guilt and sympathy to shat slaves endure throughout the years, but also helps Jefferson recognize how horrible life is as a slave. In contrast he uses “tender feelings” to show Jefferson that he recognizes his efforts. By using these phrases he is able to create a sense of unity between himself and Jefferson. By using adjectives Banneker is able to argue against slavery while creating sympathy for the slaves and unity between Jefferson and the