Rhetorical Analysis Of How To Raise A Black Son In America

The intent of ‘How to raise a black son in America” is to persuade the audience on race dynamics and the values instilled into him throughout his childhood.
The speaker assumes other African Americans were brought up and treated the same way he was. He also assumes the audience cares about the topic.
Everyone is the same "Why did I really have to mow the lawn? Why was homework really that important? Why couldn't I put jelly beans in my oatmeal?"
All lives matter “So when we say that black lives matter, it’s not because others don’t, it’s simply because we must affirm that we are worthy of existing without fear, when so many things tell us we are not” .
The speaker worked to gain credibility when he cited Brazilian author and scholar Paulo Freire. “In his famous book, “Pedagogy of the Oppressed, “he states, “No one can be authentically human while he prevents others from being so.”
Although he didn’t mention it in the speech the speaker is a PHD candidate at Harvard University. …show more content…
During the speech Clint carefully chose when to increase his volume, rate, and force in his voice which created an emotional impact. Pathos is the rhetorical appeal to emotions. “That the whims of adolescence are too dangerous for your breath, that you cannot simply be curious, that you are not afforded the luxury of making a mistake, that someone's implicit bias might be the reason you don't wake up in the morning”. Parallel structure, intense delivery, and poetry style reinforced the passion as well as frustration the speaker was feeling. Clint balanced his anger effectively without making the audience feel as if he was bullying