Question

‘Wilberforce 1789 abolition speech”
By William Wilberforce
The number of deaths specks for itself, and makes all such enquiry superflours. As soon as ever I had arrived thus far in my investigation of the slave trade, I confess to you sir, so enormous so dreadful, so irremediable did its wickedness appear that my own mind was completely made up for the abolition.

How doe the word choice in this paragraph impact readers?

It uses a fallacious statement to persuade them.
I engages their sense of ethics.
It appeals to their emotions.
It gives them something to consider logically.

Answer 1

The word choice in this paragraph primarily **appeals to their emotions.** Wilberforce uses strong, evocative language such as "enormous," "dreadful," and "irremediable" to convey the gravity of the situation regarding the slave trade. By describing the wickedness of slavery in such intense terms, he evokes feelings of horror and moral outrage in the reader, encouraging them to empathize with the suffering caused by the trade and ultimately support his call for abolition.