Item 5
Read the passage.
excerpt from "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" by Frederick Douglass
The rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity and independence, bequeathed by your fathers, is shared by you, not by me. The sunlight that brought life and healing to you, has brought stripes and death to me. This Fourth [of] July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn.
Refer to Explorations in Literature for a complete version of this speech.
How does Douglass use parallelism in this excerpt?
A. to present compelling evidence for his claim that the Fourth of July should not be celebrated as a day of freedom
B. to create contrast by highlighting the differences between his experiences and his audience's experiences
C. to reinforce his authority and establish his credibility as someone knowledgeable about slavery
D. to provide his listeners with important background information about slavery in America