During a time of oppression and racial inequality, WEB DuBois was a voice of reason and advocacy for equality. He fought for the education of African Americans. In fact, he was the first African American to receive a PhD from Harvard. DuBois worked for equality in not only jobs, but also politics though the means of education. Booker T. Washington, another dominant figure in the fight for racial equality, took a different approach to gaining equality; he advocated primarily for the industrial education of African Americans, so they could have industrial jobs. However, Washington did not argue for political equality and education as much as DuBois. Because of this, DuBois critiques Washington. DuBois wrote an essay, Of Booker T. Washington and…show more content… From the very first sentence, DuBois uses words like, “ascendancy”, “indissolubly”, “acme”, “demagogues”, and :abatement”; all words that without serious thought or a dictionary, one could not understand. His use of formal and educated diction is purposeful; it is meant to show his education. At the point of time when the essay was written, not many African Americans had higher or formal educations, so they wouldn’t be able to use words like this; however, DuBois was well-educated and had this vocabulary. DuBois must use this formal diction to break society's racial profiling and the assumption that he is an average uneducated African American. His diction creates ethos because it should his knowledge in general and his knowledge on the topic of racial inequality. In general, people are more likely to trust educated and intelligent people because they will assume they know about the topic, which DuBois takes advantage of in his use of formal diction. The ethos that is created through his diction is also used to show people, especially educated whites, that they do not know everything. The average person cannot use the diction that DuBois uses, his words are intricate and specific, which remind the reader that they do not have endless knowledge. Since it simultaneously reminds the reader that DuBois knows these words, while reminding…show more content… Whenever DuBois refers to Booker T. Washington in his essay he always says “Mr. Booker T. Washington”. The “Mr.-” implies a respect for Washington; that way, people don’t think DuBois is trying to personally attack Washington. By showing respect, it is clear that DuBois doesn’t think Washington is bas himself; DuBois just thinks that he has the wrong approach. Similarly, DuBois also shows respect for the advancements that Washington has created, a form of concession. DuBois writes, “Mr. Washington first indissolubly linked these things; he put enthusiasm, unlimited energy, and perfect faith into his program, and changed it from a by-path into a veritable way of Life. And the take of the methods by which he did this is a fascinating study of human life”(1). DuBois acknowledged that, although he doesn’t like the way Washington doesn’t prioritize political equality, Washington has made advancements and helped African American fight for equality; being an example of DuBois’ use of concession. This concession is another form of respect and a rhetorical device used in arguing against someone. DuBois acknowledges the efforts and only disagrees with parts. Also, Washington was a big-name person who many respected, so DuBois couldn’t directly say that Washington was all wrong, so he showed respect for both Washington and
