Thomas AP Blog
Zachary Thomas
Occasion: Argument against slavery to Thomas Jefferson
Type of text: Letter
Strong Verb(s): Abhorrence, Benevolence, Fortitude, Apprehensions
ONE rhetorical strategy that I found in Benjamin Banneker's letter to Thomas Jefferson was the rhetorical strategy "Logos." Logos uses facts, details, and explanations to bring out a certain point in their argument. Banneker uses the Logos rhetoric to back up his argument with Jefferson by quoting his past sayings about equality in America: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that 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." Banneker is implying that if Jefferson is saying "ALL men are created are equal" it means that African-Americans have the right to freedom, and shouldn't have to be slaves. Unfortunately, in this time of America, African-Americans weren't considered human beings: they were considered as objects or property.