Frederick Douglass: The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro

""By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down. Yea! we wept when we remembered Zion. We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof. For there, they that carried us away captive, required of us a song; and they who wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion. How can we sing the Lord's song in a strange land? If I forget thee, 0 Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning. If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth"" (Douglass).

Douglass' statement near the beginning of his speech is using the writing style of realism, as well as the sub style of naturalism. Throughout his entire speech Douglass is telling of what his experiences and feelings are on the Fourth of July. He is saying in the above passage that the Fourth of July is foreign and unknown to him, and how can he recognize it properly if he does not know what exactly he is recognizing, because of the fact that he is African American.

"My subject, then, fellow-citizens, is American slavery. I shall see this day and its popular characteristics from the slave's point of view. Standing there identified with the American bondman, making his wrongs mine, I do not hesitate to declare, with all my soul, that the character and conduct of this nation never looked blacker to me than on this 4th of July! Whether we turn to the declarations of the past, or to the professions of the present, the conduct of the nation seems equally hideous and revolting. America is false to the past, false to the present, and solemnly binds herself to be false to the future. Standing with God and the crushed and bleeding slave on this occasion, I will, in the name of humanity which is outraged, in the name of liberty which is fettered, in the name of the constitution and the Bible which are disregarded and trampled upon, dare to call in question and to denounce, with all the emphasis I can command, everything that serves to perpetuate slavery the great sin and shame of America! "I will not equivocate; I will not excuse"; I will use the severest language I can command; and yet not one word shall escape me that any man, whose judgment is not blinded by prejudice, or who is not at heart a slaveholder, shall not confess to be right and just" (Douglass).

About halfway through his speech, Douglass begins putting America down, mainly because of slavery. This passage alone was quite moving and interesting to read, because Douglass really shows his emotions through his words. As I was reading, I was imagining Douglass yelling and slapping the podium as he made each point regarding how America is false and continues to be even after making many mistakes. This excerpt from Douglass' speech demonstrates realism very well because he is giving opinions, but describing situations and instances that are occurring at that time. Many people, especially slaves, would be able to relate to Douglass and how he is feeling during this time.

Therefore, this speech does demonstrate realism, as Douglass is not going off into a fantasy world to get his point across. Instead, he is using his real life experiences that many people, more specifically slaves, will be able to relate to and agree on.

Works Cited:

Douglass, Frederick. ""The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro"" Africans in America. PBS. Web. 6 Feb. 2011. .