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Essay / Analysis of the rhetorical figures used and the narrative techniques of the speech by Tecumseh
The speech Sell a country! Why not sell the air? of Tecumseh (Shawnee Chief) uses repetition, rhetorical questions, and allusions to persuade those who were selling or buying land to stop and to tell the Indians that they must unite against those who attempt to force them from their houses. Tecumseh's use of the repetition of "you" -- "You wish to keep out the Indians... You keep the tribes aside... You continually drive out the reds" -- indicates that his speech was directed toward white settlers. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay Repetition encourages the audience to think about what happened and what should be done. However, it is also used to communicate with the Indians, urging them to unite or else they will be driven "into the great lake, where they can neither stand nor work." He also uses rhetorical questions; for example, he asks: “Why not sell the air, the great sea as well as the land? to highlight the absurdity of the Native Americans selling land, especially since he believes the Great Spirit created them all for the use of his children. Furthermore, Tecumseh believes that if whites continue to buy land, "it will start war between different tribes." and no one will know “the consequences…among the whites.” Tecumseh also deepens his argument by employing an allusion; he references the Bible -- "When Jesus Christ came to the earth, you killed him" -- to imply to his audience that fighting the Indians will not be easy, and even if they lose, they will come back -- just like the white people thought. Jesus “was dead” but he was seriously “mistaken”. In short, Tecumseh uses repetition, rhetorical questions, and allusions to support his goal of convincing whites not to purchase more native land and to incentivize Native American tribes to work.