Analysis of Rhetorical Devices in the Declaration of Independence
The importance of Thomas Jefferson and his contribution as the main writer of the Declaration of Independence in American history cannot be understated. As the most eloquent of the Founding Fathers, Thomas Jefferson was given the unenviable responsibility of writing the Declaration of Independence, arguably the most important document in American history. The declaration is a document that would not only declare the independence the American Colonies by accusing King George III of of heinous crimes, but would also seek to alter the negative reputation that Europeans and the rest of the world wrongly had of the American Colonies due to false rumors of their customs and the ways …show more content…
By doing so Jefferson presents the revolutionary war as a major point in history that should be recognized as one of the most significant and important events in human history. In the second paragraph, Jefferson repeats the word “that” to give readers a time to understand his appeal to logos when he states their reasonable and sensible beliefs. These beliefs are included the famous line “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” He then personifies “prudence” in order to show that these fundamental beliefs are rational and thought and not just a tantrum of sorts being thrown by the Americans. Jefferson wants the Americans to be taken seriously and he isn 't taking any …show more content…
He uses the phrase “he has,” not once addressing him by name, in order to discredit him as a monarch and even as a human. “He has” is also used as an anaphora alongside the negative and accusatory word choice such as “tyranny” and “murders” in order the appeal to pathos negatively. He also uses present tense verbs in his accusations such as “depriving” in order to make the revolution seem more pressing and immediate. Some examples of his crimes included simply bothersome offenses such as quartering soldiers in the homes of Americans. To the downright terrible and neglectful such as refusing the Americans representation in Parliament and not allowing correctly creating or enforcing laws in the American Colonies. The Americans believed that these were just reasons to leave a
The importance of Thomas Jefferson and his contribution as the main writer of the Declaration of Independence in American history cannot be understated. As the most eloquent of the Founding Fathers, Thomas Jefferson was given the unenviable responsibility of writing the Declaration of Independence, arguably the most important document in American history. The declaration is a document that would not only declare the independence the American Colonies by accusing King George III of of heinous crimes, but would also seek to alter the negative reputation that Europeans and the rest of the world wrongly had of the American Colonies due to false rumors of their customs and the ways …show more content…
By doing so Jefferson presents the revolutionary war as a major point in history that should be recognized as one of the most significant and important events in human history. In the second paragraph, Jefferson repeats the word “that” to give readers a time to understand his appeal to logos when he states their reasonable and sensible beliefs. These beliefs are included the famous line “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” He then personifies “prudence” in order to show that these fundamental beliefs are rational and thought and not just a tantrum of sorts being thrown by the Americans. Jefferson wants the Americans to be taken seriously and he isn 't taking any …show more content…
He uses the phrase “he has,” not once addressing him by name, in order to discredit him as a monarch and even as a human. “He has” is also used as an anaphora alongside the negative and accusatory word choice such as “tyranny” and “murders” in order the appeal to pathos negatively. He also uses present tense verbs in his accusations such as “depriving” in order to make the revolution seem more pressing and immediate. Some examples of his crimes included simply bothersome offenses such as quartering soldiers in the homes of Americans. To the downright terrible and neglectful such as refusing the Americans representation in Parliament and not allowing correctly creating or enforcing laws in the American Colonies. The Americans believed that these were just reasons to leave a