Douglass says, “At a time like this, scorching irony, not convincing argument is needed” (lines 138–139). Why does he say this,

Question

pychu [463]

2 years ago

14

Douglass says, “At a time like this, scorching irony, not convincing argument is needed” (lines 138–139). Why does he say this,

and what is it that he finds ironic?

English

1 answer:

Tamiku [17] · Answer 1 · 2023-04-11T04:58:16+03:00

He says this because he is discussing the Fourth of July -- Independence Day.

Douglass says, however, that not everyone is independent. Some Americans, he reasons, are far from independent -- namely slaves. It is ironic that, on a day Americans celebrate freedom, a large portion of the population is anything but free.