Frances Ellen Watkins Harper

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Student Question

What rhetorical devices does Harper employ in "Eliza Harris"?

Quick answer:

Harper uses rhetorical devices like anaphora and similes in "Eliza Harris" to emphasize themes of strength and injustice. Anaphora is employed to highlight the absurdity of a nation celebrating freedom while condoning slavery, as seen in the repetition of questions challenging this hypocrisy. Similes, such as comparing Eliza to a fragile lily, underscore her innocence and vulnerability. These devices create an emotional connection to Eliza's struggle for freedom.

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There are several rhetorical devices that the speaker uses convey a tone of strength through Eliza Harris's actions.

Anaphora repeats a phrase in successive clauses. Consider this section of the poem:

How say that her banner in mockery waves—
Her “star-spangled banner”—o’er millions of slaves?
How say that the lawless may torture and chase
A woman whose crime is the hue of her face?

The repetition here focuses the reader on the absurdity of Eliza Harris's "crimes." How can a country wave its symbol of freedom over slavery? How is it possible for law to condone torture based on skin color? Because the poem was published in 1853 and before the Civil War, these were very real questions that many people struggled with. Anaphora brings that injustice to the forefront via the structure.

Similes make a comparison between two otherwise unlike objects using like or as. Consider this simile:

So fragile and lovely, so fearfully pale,
Like a lily that bends to the breath of the gale
Lilies are often symbols of purity and innocence. This comparison strengthens the injustice in persecuting Eliza Harris, an innocent mother desperately trying to save her son.
Rhetorical devices throughout this poem work together to bring an emotional connection to the experience of one woman on a quest for freedom.

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