Writing Techniques in "Lynch Law"

The topic of lynching was a very touchy subject back in the 1900s, especially when discussed by a black woman.  Ida B. Wells-Barnett eases a lot of the tension associated with this topic by being very careful with her presentation of the subject matter in “Lynch Law in America”.  She never says outright what her position on lynching is, nor does she name a specific group of people as her audience.  Wells-Barnett’s exigence and audience consciousness allows her to present her views to a broad spectrum of people.

Wells-Barnett’s exigence is, first and foremost, to stop lynching.   Though she never says outright that that is what she wants, her choice of vocabulary makes it clear.  To make known her stance on the issue, she uses words with strong connotations.  Words such as “barbarism,” disgrace to civilization,” butchery,” “horrors,” “victims,” and “murder” describe different aspects of lynching, and in doing so she puts a bad name to the act.

Audience consciousness is also extremely evident in Wells-Barnett’s writing style.  This piece of persuasive literature was written from a seemingly objective point of view, almost as if she were a complete outsider reporting in on the facts of what has occurred.  This effect allows her to be an “anonymous” author.  What I mean by that is she can relate to everyone, because she presents herself as no one in particular.  There is emotional content (explicit details of lynching), statistical content (amount of lynching and where they occur), as well as common knowledge content (current events).  By doing writing in an almost impersonal way, Wells-Barnett was able target multiple audiences such as politicians, families who have suffered the effects of lynching, the apathetic common man, and even the lynching gangs themselves. 

By using word choice and writing style, Ida B. Wells-Barnett was able to reach a vast audience and deliver her specific message with a strong point of view.