Nations as Rivers
Douglass makes use of vivid imagery to describe the different forms a river can take: enriching, destructive, and apocalyptic. He describes how the flow of water can be beneficial to the land around it or how the river can dry up entirely, leaving nothing behind. In using this imagery, Douglass suggests that nations, too, are beholden to such unpredictability. He suggests that the United States is at a critical point in its history when it could prosper or approach its demise.
The Slave Trade
About halfway through his speech, Douglass paints a portrait of the internal slave trade in America. He describes the men, women, and children who suffer at the hands of slave-owners and slave-traders in great detail. It is a disturbing and uncomfortable picture, but Douglass uses this vivid imagery to show his audience the consequences of silence, neutrality, and ignorance among them.
Independence Day Celebration
Douglass describes the music, festivals, and general joy that he witnesses every year on the Fourth of July. This celebration, however, is fundamentally at odds with how he feels about America while slavery persists. Furthermore, Independence Day is incongruous with the experience of the American slave, who suffers at the hands of those who partake in this celebration.
Pervasive Light
At the end of his speech, Douglass assures his audience that a pervasive and all-encompassing light approaches, suggesting that the abolition of slavery is imminent. Douglass also equates this image of light with knowledge, as he sees the world becoming increasingly connected and is hopeful that those who commit evil will be held accountable.
