What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?

To praise the Founding Fathers

To celebrate American independence

To expose the hypocrisy of celebrating freedom in a nation that permits slavery

To encourage enslaved people to revolt

That he doesn’t like holidays

That the celebration excludes enslaved people

That the date is incorrect

That he is not American

Simile

Hyperbole

Anaphora

Irony

To argue that slaves don’t want education

To show that enslaved people are treated worse than animals

To prove that the government supports equal education

To demonstrate that slaves are intelligent and feared

Personification

Metaphor

Alliteration

Hyperbole

To include himself in the celebration

To confuse the audience

To directly confront and accuse his audience

To praise the American values

Indifferent and detached

Cheerful and hopeful

Bitter and accusatory

Humorous and mocking

Sunlight affects people differently

He prefers the shade

Independence has brought harm, not joy, to enslaved people

Healing is only for white Americans

He pretends to support slavery

He calls America great despite everything

He shows how the celebration of liberty contradicts the reality of slavery

He says one thing but means the opposite without effect

He believes it is acceptable

He says it is self-evident and doesn’t need debate

He doesn’t have enough evidence

He doesn’t care about the issue