The purpose of the use of juxtaposition in the passage is primarily to compare interpretations of a national holiday. Frederick Douglass highlights the stark contrast between the celebrations of freedom and independence experienced by white Americans and the suffering and oppression endured by enslaved individuals. This juxtaposition underscores the inequality and injustice present in society, demonstrating that while some people celebrate liberty, others are still bound by chains, ultimately questioning the true nature of American independence.
"What, To a Slave, is the Fourth of July?" by Frederick Douglass But such is not the state of the case. I say it with a sad sense of the disparity between us. I am not included within the pale of glorious anniversary! Your high independence only reveals the immeasurable distance between us. The blessings in which you, this day, rejoice, are not enjoyed in common. The rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity and independence, bequeathed by your fathers, is shared by you, not by me. The sunlight that brought light and healing to you, has brought stripes and death to me. This Fourth July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn. To drag a man in fetters into the grand illuminated temple of liberty, and call upon him to join you in joyous anthems, were inhuman mockery and sacrilegious irony. What, to a Slave, is the Fourth of July? Question Use the passage to answer the question. What is the purpose of the use of juxtaposition in the passage? (1 point) Responses to push for civil protections for minority groups to push for civil protections for minority groups to question the legality of America’s independence to question the legality of America’s independence to celebrate America’s founding ideals to celebrate America’s founding ideals to compare interpretations of a national holiday
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