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Henry Louis Gates Jr. - Restoring Black History

Prompt

Read the article "Restoring Black History". Write down 2-3 adjectives to describe the tone of the article and 2-3 examples/quotes from the text that illustrate that tone. Then write a sentence where you write describe how the author (Gates Jr.) is using diction/syntax to describe that tone.

Response

Adjectives

  • Inspirational
  • Celebratory

Examples and Quotes

“After decades of resistance, that effort took a giant leap forward in 2003, when Congress passed bipartisan legislation to build the museum that was signed by President George W. Bush”

The author uses the word “first” many times, such as “the first serious historian of his race”, “first black person to earn a Ph.D. (in history at Harvard”, and “first black president”

How Gates Jr. uses diction & syntax to describe tone

Henry Louis Gates Jr. encourages a inspirational tone in his article “Restoring Black History”, with his choice of diction, such as “giant leap” and “the first serious historian of his race”, “first black person to earn a Ph.D. (in history at Harvard”, and “first black president”