Question

(06.02 HC)

Read the following excerpt of a speech by Lyndon B. Johnson. Answer the question that follows:

The voting rights bill will be the latest, and among the most important, in a long series of victories. But this victory–as Winston Churchill said of another triumph for freedom–"is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning."

That beginning is freedom; and the barriers to that freedom are tumbling down. Freedom is the right to share, share fully and equally, in American society–to vote, to hold a job, to enter a public place, to go to school. It is the right to be treated in every part of our national life as a person equal in dignity and promise to all others.

But freedom is not enough. You do not wipe away the scars of centuries by saying: Now you are free to go where you want, and do as you desire, and choose the leaders you please.

You do not take a person who, for years, has been hobbled by chains and liberate him, bring him up to the starting line of a race and then say, "you are free to compete with all the others," and still justly believe that you have been completely fair.

Thus it is not enough just to open the gates of opportunity. All our citizens must have the ability to walk through those gates.

This is the next and the more profound stage of the battle for civil rights. We seek not just freedom but opportunity. We seek not just legal equity but human ability, not just equality as a right and a theory but equality as a fact and equality as a result.

...

For what is justice?

It is to fulfill the fair expectations of man.

Thus, American justice is a very special thing. For, from the first, this has been a land of towering expectations. It was to be a nation where each man could be ruled by the common consent of all–enshrined in law, given life by institutions, guided by men themselves subject to its rule. And all–all of every station and origin–would be touched equally in obligation and in liberty.


In a well-developed paragraph of 5-7 sentences achieve the following:


identify at least one rhetorical device used in the speech and explain how the device strengthened the speech

identify at least rhetorical appeal used in the speech and explain how the appeal strengthened the speech

use correct grammar, spelling, and conventions

Answer 1

In Lyndon B. Johnson's speech excerpt, one rhetorical device employed is the use of an analogy, specifically comparing the struggle for civil rights to a race. By likening the progress towards equality to a race, Johnson vividly illustrates the idea that simply granting freedom is not enough; individuals who have been oppressed for generations need more than just the removal of barriers to truly compete on equal footing. This analogy effectively conveys the complexity of achieving true equality and the ongoing effort required beyond mere legal changes.

Moreover, Johnson utilizes the rhetorical appeal of ethos by invoking the words of Winston Churchill, a respected historical figure. By referencing Churchill's words, Johnson aligns the civil rights movement with a broader historical struggle for freedom and justice, lending credibility and authority to his argument. This appeal to ethos enhances the persuasiveness of Johnson's speech by connecting the current efforts to past triumphs for freedom, thereby framing the fight for civil rights as a natural and necessary continuation of the struggle for justice throughout history.

Answer 2

awesome, thx :)

Answer 3

np