The African-American jeremiad is a variant of the jeremiad literary form, consisting of three parts in a fixed order: promise, failure and prophecy. Long familiar within the African-American community, the form has drawn broader recognition as a useful tool for rhetorical criticism and analysis.
Facts
Place of Origin Notable ExampleFrederick Douglass, What to the Slave is the Fourth of July? (1852) 1 Defining TraitThree-part structure of Promise, Failure and Prophecy 1 In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. African-American jeremiad, Wikipedia
History section
Scholars first traced an American jeremiad starting with the Puritans advocating for freedom from England's oppression.
Rhetorical analysis examples section
In 1852, Frederick Douglass gave his famous 'What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?' speech.
Structure section
The African-American jeremiad follows a three-part structure: 1. Promise. 2. Failure. 3. Prophecy.
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