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.