The Analysis Essay of the Atlanta Exposition Address

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Also with the use of parallel structure, Washington strengthens his argument that American economy development deserves our utmost attention and unfolds the great impact upon the US that Blacks can impose. In Paragraph 2, he uses parallel structure to enumerate the misconceptions that black people are holding: “that in the first years of our new life we began at the top instead of at the bottom; that a seat in Congress or the state legislature was more sought than real estate or industrial skill; that the political convention or stump speaking had more attractions than starting a dairy farm or truck garden” (419). Analogous to a thief who is admitting his guilt to the police, he admits to the white audience a series of misconceptions in Blacks’ mind. He is to humbly show the audience Blacks’ willingness to shift their focus on current national politics onto the path of revitalizing the ruined economy after the Civil War. By demonstrating Black’s sincerity to cooperate with Whites, Washington again appeals to Whites to engage Blacks in the America’s economy and commerce. Moreover, when it comes to the possible effects of the collaboration, Washington utilizes antithesis to accentuate the influence of African Americans, since the “sixteen millions of hands” can bring either advantages or disadvantages to the nation. In Paragraph 6, he employs the antithesis to enumerate the possible positive and negative outcomes Blacks can bring. Blacks can “aid you in pulling the load upward, or …pull against you the load downward” “constitute one-third and more of the ignorance and crime of the South, or one-third of its intelligence and progress” “contribute one-third to the business and industrial prosperity of the South, or … prove a veritable body of death, stagnating, depressing, retarding every effort to advance the body politic” (420). Rather than cajoling his white audience to hire Blacks, he in the antithetical sentence gravely lists the possible outcomes that can be incurred by their attitude and actions towards Blacks, containing both the positive outcomes and the negative ones. The tone is no more humble and turns strong. He strongly advises Whites to take advantage of Blacks’ power, which, in other words, is to employ Blacks in economy.

In conclusion, with the use of comparison and parallelism, Washington builds up his argument that African Americans’ engagement into America’s commerce and economy is vital to the revival of U.S. economy. This speech was significant, promoting both races cooperation to speed up the process of economic revival of the U.S., despite their different color of skin. Would the U.S. be prosperous as today if this speech did not appear?

Works Cited

Washington, Booker T. “The Atlanta Exposition Address.” The Language of Composition, edited by Shea, Renee et al., 2nd edition, Bedfort/St. Martin’s, 2013, pp.417-420.

Library Of Congress. The journal, January 11, 1896. [New York N.Y, 1895] Newspaper. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, .

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