The Fate of the Red Man

Chief Seattle's speech in 1854 uses some of the best rhetorical strategies in calling for justice towards his Native American people. He immediately poses himself as a very authoritative and wise figure through his use of his cautionary tone towards the Americans.  The purpose of his speech is to call for his people to be treated justly and fairly, and to describe the fate of the Native American people if they are not treated in the same manner. He uses a lot of pathetic appeal, appealing to emotion. His tone is very ominous as he describes the sad fate of the Indians. He also uses a lot of rhetorical tools to drawn attention to this idea of his people being a poor, and forgotten civilization. This places even more emphasis on his pathetic appeal. In terms of his rhetorical strategy and the tools he uses to accomplish this, the Chief's speech is full of figurative language and imagery. In the very first sentence out of his mouth, he personifies the "yonder sky" which "has wept tears of compassion."

He uses a lot of comparisons and simlies. He says, "My words are like the stars the never set." He is establishing that you can rely on him as a leader and a speaker, just as one relies on the stars for direction. But his stars never set. He relates the white men "to grass on the vast prairies," while the red men are few, "resembling the scattering trees of a windswept plain." He also uses a lot of parallel structure to prove his point and show the truth of his words: "every moon, every valley," "a few more moons, a few more winters." I think it is interesting how all of his figurative language is related to nature. The Native Americans are known for having a culture that is deeply and religiously connected to Mother Earth and nature around us. I thought the imagery he chose to put in his speech was very indicative of this spiritual connection the Indians have with nature - that they relate their own people to it.