Booker T Washington Lit Response " i didnt do it right :^[ "

Booker T. Washington did a very good job in representing free blacks in the United States after the Civil War. Washington’s ability to give great speeches and write excellent articles and narratives were what made him such a great man. It can be determined that there were hints of rhetoric in his papers. Upon reading “The Awakening of the Negro” one could see the hints of rhetoric. If one read “The Awakening of the Negro”, they would be able to establish Washington’s use of logos, and one would also be able to identify the audience Washington was trying to appeal to.


In “The Awakening of the Negro”, Washington talks about how educated Blacks, return to the Black Belt of the South and help out the areas that are in need of assistance. Washington explains how these leaders, or educated Blacks are trained at various Universities. Washington’s logos, logic , or sense of reasoning, help him realize that by training these young, black, students correctly, they can uplift the Blacks in the South, therefore causing the south to prosper from this sudden change from the Blacks of the South. Washington gives examples of how Blacks have traveled where the need is great and change things around. He even talks about his own personal experiences involving a change in the Negro. In describing his own experiences, he talks about two Black schools, Tuskegee and Hampton University. Once the reader establishes Washington’s logos, they can understand who this article was aimed to appeal to.


Washington’s tries to appeal to young, Southern, Blacks who are eager to learn and want to help or uplift the struggling black communities in the South. Washington starts the article off by giving examples of how blacks were being educated when Washington was a mere boy. He then tells the story of how his eagerness to learn and work lead him to Hampton. This may have been an attempt to promote or advertise Hampton University, and if this was the case, it would support the claim that this article was intended for young, southern, blacks who were interested in education and change. Later on in the article, Washington states how Tuskegee, helps students. He points out that the school teaches students and prepares them for the world of work by giving them hands-on experience in about 25 industries. This would appeal to, young, southern, blacks who were interested in education, work, and a change for southern blacks. It is clear that Washington’s article is aimed for southern blacks, but some may question whether it is aimed for young blacks interested in education, work, or change. Well in the article Washington talks a lot about guiding, or training and about how years or time must pass in order to see a dramatic change in the South. He even gives examples of how change occurred in just couple of months. Most of the changes occurred when schools were built, but it wasn’t a sudden change. Months had to pass in order for people to see how things had changed for blacks in school. One last and most obvious thing that helped establish who the audience was, was Washington’s constant praise of Southern Blacks who wanted education, work and change.


Rhetoric is evident in all types of literature. A great man like Booker T. Washington, couldn’t hide from rhetoric. His article, “The Awakening of the Negro” contained rhetoric, and Logos and his Audience were discussed in this Lit response.