Question

read the excerpt from \what to the slave is the fourth of july?\
when the dogs in your streets, when the fowls of the air, when the cattle on your hills,
when the fish of the sea, and the reptiles that crawl, shall be unable to distinguish the
slave from a brute, then will i argue with you that the slave is a man!
what effect does the repetition of the word \when\ have?
the repetition clarifies
the time in which the
speech was delivered.
the repetition distracts
readers from douglasss
original point.
the repetition reinforces
douglasss incredulity at
the oppositions
attitudes.
the repetition gives the
excerpt a philosophical
quality.

Explanation:

Repetition in literature is a rhetorical device. Here, Douglass uses "when" repeatedly to emphasize the extreme and absurd condition (animals not distinguishing slave from brute) that would have to occur for him to even consider arguing a slave is a man. This shows his strong disbelief (incredulity) at the opposition's view that slaves were not men. It's not about clarifying time (no specific time details), not a distraction (strengthens his point), and not giving a philosophical quality (more about emotional and argumentative impact).

Answer:

The repetition reinforces Douglass's incredulity at the opposition's attitudes.