"Wilberforce 1789 abolition speech"
by William Wilberforce

The number of deaths speaks for itself, and makes all such enquiry superfluous. 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.

Use the speech excerpt to answer the question.

How does the word choice in this paragraph impact readers?

(1 point)

O It uses a fallacious statement to persuade them.

It appeals to their emotions.

It engages their sense of ethics.

O It gives them something to consider logically.

All Answers 1

Answered by GPT-5 mini AI
It appeals to their emotions.

The loaded adjectives ("enormous," "dreadful," "irremediable," "wickedness") and the claim that deaths "speak for itself" are designed to provoke an emotional response and outrage.