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 gives the excerpt a philosophical quality.
• the repetition distracts readers from douglass’s original point.
• the repetition clarifies the time in which the speech was delivered.
• the repetition reinforces douglass’s incredulity at the opposition’s attitudes

Explanation:

• The repetition of "when" is used to set up a hypothetical scenario where even animals (dogs, fowls, cattle, fish, reptiles) would have to be unable to distinguish a slave from a brute before Douglass would argue the slave is a man. This emphasizes how absurd the opposition's view (that slaves are not men) is, thus reinforcing his incredulity at their attitudes.
• The other options are incorrect: the repetition does not give a philosophical quality (it's more about emphasizing a point), it does not distract from the point (it emphasizes it), and it does not clarify the time of the speech.

Answer:

The repetition reinforces Douglass’s incredulity at the opposition’s attitudes