The Struggles that Shape Us
No matter who you are or where you come from, everyone has at one point in their life faced some type of struggle. Whether it be minor everyday inconveniences or huge catastrophes, they vary in scale and severity. The unique challenges each individual faces illustrates how different we all are. In "The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro," Frederick Douglass illustrates the vast social, economic, and political division of white and black people.
White people believed themselves to be above anyone with darker skin, and this resulted in the act of slavery. His inverted word choice in the title represents how backwards the holiday is for people of colour. To African Americans, the celebration represents an ongoing struggle for independence. A day that symbolizes freedom to white citizens signifies years of oppression and slavery to individuals of color. Douglass cites this feeling, stating “What, to the American slave, is your Fourth of July? I answer; a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim. To him, your celebration is a sham; your boasted liberty, and unholy license; your national greatness, swelling vanity; your sounds of rejoicing are empty and heartless” (Douglass 3).
What was most interesting to me was all of the semicolons throughout the article. We talked about how they represented the chains that negroes were bound with. I thought this was intriguing because I never really thought that much about how the structure of a piece could have such a great impact on it as a whole.
In the end, the tea* is that one should never forget the struggles that individuals have faced in the past. What may be cause for a barbeque for some reminds others of the injustices they have faced, and it’s important to acknowledge these hardships and respect the struggles that shape us all.
*tea is modern day slang for gossip or information. It is also known as “the scoop” or “the news.”
I agree with your point about semi-colons and how you didn't think about how the structure of a written piece could impact the overall article. Truthfully, before our class discussion, I never realized that the form of writing even mattered, especially when it was a spoken piece. But after our discussion on the hidden meanings behind speeches, I think it's a super cool addition that makes the reader really analyze and think deeper. I love your take on the reasoning behind why Douglass used "July Fourth" in his title instead of "Fourth of July"! I only thought of it as being any other ordinary day and didn't think about it in the way of how backwards the holiday is for people of color but that's really interesting.
ReplyDeleteThis is so very good! I love the way you incorporate the "tea" at the end to match with your theme. Overall this flows very well and connects nicely with the piece of writing!
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