Comparison of Booker T. Washingtons Up from Slavery and...

Literary Devices in Rhetorical Writing During a time period when slavery had finally come to an end, African Americans still struggled as their opportunities for equality were next to nonexistent. In this time of hardship and unfair treatment, not many of those facing these adversities had the courage to speak out on their beliefs for change; Booker T. Washington and WEB Dubois, however, did not possess such fears — both thoroughly articulated their opinions and stood for what they believed was right. Booker T. Washington and WEB Dubois shared a few commonalities — both men were highly educated, for example, as well as they both expressed strong opposition against segregation. Washington’s Up from Slavery: An Autobiography and Dubois’†¦show more content†¦The phrase â€Å"cast down your buckets where you are† is especially significant in his attempt to glorify common labor, referring to the abundance of resources present in this world (Wash ington 2). In sections five through seven, Washington repeatedly uses this phrase in the beginning of consecutive sentences, exemplifying anaphora; this literary device reiterates the significance of his words, strengthening his argument as to why freed slaves would benefit from common labor. Another literary device employed in â€Å"The Atlanta Exposition Address† is metonymy, which can be found in the phrase â€Å"separate as the fingers, yet one as the hand in all things essential to mutual progress,† as well as in â€Å"the organs of religious bodies, joined in the general chorus of condemnation or demands for retraction† (Washington 2,5). This representative â€Å"part-of-a-whole† strategy directly links the subject to the writer’s key points, thus creating a deeper connection and increasing their impact on the audience. A prominent literary device in â€Å"Of Mr. Booker T. Washington and Others† is its structure. Dubois organizes the t ext in a way that maximizes the effectiveness of his message, which was to point out the flaws in Washington’s propositions. He begins by explaining Booker T. Washington’s success, after which he provides background