2. I think the most serious are a) "he has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people", because he stripped people of representation, and furthermore, by suspending colonial legislatures and instituting his supreme rule b) "he has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power" whereby he essentially ruled tyrannically through the power of arms. And, through other means, "depriving (the colonies), in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury". The right to a fair trial is now the cornerstone of our legal system, and not having that, to me, would be ridiculously unfair and despotic.
3. The purpose of government is to ensure a people's safety and happiness, and be a product of their own making, not something forced upon them or alien to their natural-born rights.
4. The power of government is from the consent of the governed.
5. In his concluding sentence, Jefferson assumes the power of God to be on the Colonies' side ("divine providence")
6. Audience = foreign governments, British government, people of the Colonies
7. Jefferson lists the reasons for independence from Great Britain in order to establish his ethos, the rationale and ability to explain why the Colonies are taking this action: it helps describe their cause to foreign powers and show that the Declaration is not a whim, but the final response to a series of injustices.
8. Illustration is used to demonstrate the oppression and tyranny of Great Britain and add reason to the cause - it backs up the Declaration's assertion. It also explains how the Declaration came to be and why it is in existence. Capitalization adds power to the words, gives them an importance (also serving in some cases as a tool for personification). Ultimately, the Declaration invokes highly philosophical and moral ideals, and Jefferson gives them substantive authority through capitalization. Jefferson's parallelism, predominant in his listing of Great Britain's crimes (and the anaphora in "He...He...For...For"), reinforces King George as a power-hungry tyrant and simply by the length, shows the extent of Great Britain's abuse of the Colonies. His rhetoric gives the Declaration its sweeping power and (pun intended) majesty.
1. The truths are: that all men are equal, that they have been bestowed upon by G-d unalieable rights including life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Government is by and for the people (those governed) and the government's constituents have the right to reform and change the government if necessary. I feel that yes the truths are morally self evident in an idealistic world; however, for the time frame, this is tainted with hypocrisy, for we all know that inequality still lingers today in many forms. It is a very idealistic and utopian thought though! Yay for optimism!
ReplyDelete2. I think the most serious crimes are 1. "He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures." The King, by doing this, appears to show a desire to listen, yet has an underlying manipulative characteristic being acted upon, thus corrupting his false intentions and tainting his denizen's trust. 2. "He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people" because by doing such, he not only establishes absolute rule, by decides what path society should take, bending reality into his own perspective. 3. His refusal of a fair trial by jury, for without this, citizens fear those who are supposed to fairly govern, for any accusation can turn into a harsh punishment.
3. A government is meant to essentially regulate society at the request and needs of those it governs and ensure happiness and security, as well as adequate successors to avoid war and an eventual return to monarchy.
4. The government draws its power from those who lack the ablity to decide to draw the sword (wordy, but the government gets its power from the consent of the governed).
5. In his opening, Jefferson entitles all the right to those unalieable rights bestowed by the divine itself! He also mentions "divine providence" in his conclusion to show the colonists that the divine resides on their side in the fight for justice and equality. He mentions G-d at the start in hopes to draw attention and interest and force to his argument, then doesn't again until the end to provide logistical points and emotional ones as well; then at the end returns to the divinity in hopes to stir up some last minute agreement and passion.
6. The audience is the colonists, the british government and foreign governments,and, if news could reach, all those subjegated to an oppressive government.
7. He lists them in a very deliberate manner. He establishes a logical method and uses ethos; this prompts the emitting sense of pathos that sparks the spirits involved. He lists the reason before the passion to recap the injustices and show that the declaration isn't an option but a necessity in order to counteract the monumental corruptions and injustices endured by the colonies.
8. Illustration highlights Great Britain's imposed oppression on the colonies and supports the point of the declaration and explains the declarations existance and origin. Capitalization is used for emphasis on key terms that resonate with the colonists and an installment of power and poise throughout the document. The immense level that these in depth ideas exist on rely on Jefferson's use of capitalization to give them added strength and control. Jefferson's parallelism supports King George as the tyrannical leader he was and the abuse endured by the colonists. especially by the list that TJeff lays out and his use of repeition. His use of structure and repetition, laced with both pathos and ethos, enable the Declaration to fulfill its purpose and grant excessive power to a monumentally unprecedented document in American history.
1. The truths are 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. These are self-evident because they are obvious and understood by everyone, but life does not actually work this way. This is optimistic, but inequality is everywhere regardless of what this says.
ReplyDelete2. The most serious complaints are: ‘He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.’ This is serious because King George III is taking away other peoples power. ‘For depriving us, in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:’ He is not giving people fair trials, and is taking over without consulting the people. This will make people feel angry and helpless. ‘He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the consent of our legislatures.’ Again, he is not consulting his legislatures and has dictator like qualities.
3. A government is supposed to take care of people, and make sure they are safe. They are supposed to take control of their country and make sure to avoid war and not to force unfairness on the people.
4. Government gets its power from the consent of the governed.
5. He mentions divine providence in the last sentence. He does this to show that god is on their side. God is influential and helps to strongly prove his point.
6. The colonists, the British government, and other governments.
7. He lists them strongly and deliberately as to make them completely clear. He shows his ethos and that he knows what he is talking about by doing this. It is obvious he knows what he is writing about and feels very strongly about.
8. He uses illustration to show Great Britain’s tyranny and their oppression on other colonies. This adds strength to the Declaration.
He uses capitalization to emphasize parts of the Declaration. It adds power and emphasize to the importance of the declaration. The declaration has many ideas, some of them philosophical, and the declaration adds to that.
Parallelism is used all throughout the declaration. He repeats words like he and for at the beginning of paragraphs to emphasize how terrible King George III is, and the problems with Great Britain. The structure of how he states these things is also repetitive.
1. The "self-evident" truths of which Jefferson speaks are neither new nor inventive. Jefferson is reiterating and reinforcing the basic rights of man that Rousseau wrote of some several decades earlier. If "man is free but everywhere he is in chains," then America is "man" and Great Britain represents the "chains" by which man is bound. However, despite the unoriginal nature of Jefferson's "truths," they are self-evident because they aren't nascent ideas - they have evolved from having been reluctantly accepted to being a unanimous belief.
ReplyDelete2. The most serious complaint America has to offer is the following: "He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people." I believe Jefferson concluded the King's list of crimes with this because it provides an umbrella for each of the document's aforementioned atrocities. Most can agree that there is nothing more valuable than human life therefore making the loss of life, whether literal or metaphorical, the most heinous crime.
3. The purpose of government is to ensure "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." The government should maintain a sort of candidness with the people it governs. The governed people should be able to voice their complaints to the government while they are heard.
4. Governmental power is not derived from divine power, rather the power rests in the hands of those who are being governed.
5. While Jefferson does not frequently refer to God in the most blunt terms, he does use a sort of religious understatement throughout the document. His most obvious use of God is in the document's first lines in which he states that human right is derived from God himself. He also closes a nod to God, using words such as "divine" and "sacred." The use of religion is a driving force in this document as, from historical context, most Patriots and Loyalists did not agree entirely on religion. The use of religion as an American force for good is a sort of "in your face" jab at Britain, that God will protect the oppressed and not the oppressor.
6. I think it's incredibly effective to refer to King George III as "he" rather than "you." Though using "you" to address the king would undermine the speaker's respect towards the king, the use of "he" creates a sort of detachment between the subject and the man who is supposedly governing him. However, he refers to himself as "we" in the document to foster the appearance of unity.
7. Jefferson lists them bluntly. Rather than ramble on in a convoluted manner that appears intelligent and pretentious, Jefferson carefully constructs his argument to create urgency. Jefferson also begins with more complex sentences and then smoothly transitions into a list of Britain's most heinous crimes. I think he does this rightfully so as Jefferson obviously wanted the King to read the whole document. Had Jefferson commenced the declaration with an immediate attack on Britain, he uses softer, kinder accusations and then injects more punch into them.
8. Jefferson uses colorful illustration to elaborate upon Britain's crimes almost to the point where it's hyperbole albeit incredibly effective. In addition, he uses capitalization to emphasize the most important parts of his argument. He capitalizes such phrases like "Without Consent" to emphasize Britain's crimes. He capitalizes "Armies" and "Mercenaries" to emphasize their violence. Most importantly, he only capitalizes "He" (he being the king) to begin sentences, otherwise, he does not capitalize "He" in any other place to diminish the respect the American people hold for their "king." Jefferson starts each accusation with either he or for to give the crimes a sort of domino effect - each commencing sentence hits the audience with a strong one syllable word.
1. the truths are that all men are equal, that they have been given the right to life, liberty, and happiness by their creator, and that the people have the right to interfere in the government when it, for lack of a better phrase, crosses the line. I think that while these truths are what one might like to think are 'self-evident' in reality they are not. These truths are a bit fanciful, but they're truths that should be self-evident in an ideal world...they're just not now, and they certainly were not then.
ReplyDelete2. "He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people" I think this is the most important simply because it stood out to me the most. Rather than be hampered down by the more complicated language and area-specific nature of the other complaints, this one is to the point, all encompassing, and really strikes an empathetic chord.
3. Jefferson considers the purpose of government is to regulate to an extent, while taking into extreme consideration the needs of those it governs and ensuring their happiness and safety.
4. The Government gets its power from the consent of the governed.
5. He mentions God or the divine in the very beginning and ending of the declaration. He does this to show that the colonists have God on their side in the revolution, and that their fight is moral and just.
6. The audiences are the colonists, the british government, and other governments.
7. He lists them rather simply. He is not trying to stun the British with his big words and complicated sentences; he simply wants to get his point across. By doing this, he creates a sense of calmness towards the issue as well as a necessity for the colonists' independence as soon as possible.
8. He uses illustration when describing Britain's tyrannies on the colonies, which aids in supporting the colonists' case.
He uses capitalization to emphasize those parts of the declaration that the colonists would hold in high importance, as well as enforcing the highly philosophical ideas the declaration introduces.
Parallelism shows up throughout the declaration, but is most noticeable and successful when listing his complaints against King George. The harsh repetition of "he has..., he has..., he has..." serves to exemplify just how horrific Great Britain has been to the colonies.
1) These truths represent a paragon of a liberal government. I do not believe these truths are self-evident; a racist would not agree that all men are created equal, a dictator would not allow himself to be overthrown should he become unruly, and rebel groups would not stop to consider the consequences of their revolution.
ReplyDelete2) King George III’s refusal to assent to laws is most serious. Laws maintain order, so whatever the king does outside of these can only cause chaos. A criminal with unrestrained power will put the entire nation in peril.
3) Jefferson states that the purpose of government is to protect the natural rights of its people: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
4) Government gets it power from the permission of the people.
5) God is referenced in the first sentence in order to illustrate that He plays a part in the freedom of men, and that it is necessary that the will of the people and the word of God are preeminent.
6) The audience could be everyone because the document served several purposes: it announces America’s separation from England to the American people, warns the British of their errors, and asserts the goals of America to the world.
7) Jefferson carefully lists the reasons for independence to show just how many reasons there are and to make these reasons bold and accessible for all readers.
8) Jefferson uses illustration by referencing many different, specific types and groups of people to establish differences between them or importance of them. He uses capitalization on the most important words in a sentence, so that if only these words were to be read from the sentence, the meaning would hardly be lost. Capitalization also adds bravado to the prose. Parallelism allows much of the document to be read as a list so that each point is concise. Clarity is significant because the issue at hand, our separation from England, was a complex decision which needn’t be muddled by verbiage.
1. All men are created equal and are given the rights of LIFE, LIBERTY, and the PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS. I do believe that these rights are self-evident in today’s society, even though at times some lose sight of them. I also believe that the society of the American colonies in 1776 must have also thought these rights were self-evident, or else they would not be fighting in a revolution.
ReplyDelete2. In my view, the epitome of the complaints exists in the statement, “He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people”. I see the Declaration of Independence as a declaration of the country and, more importantly, a declaration of the people. These accusations directly affect the people of the United States more than all of the other accusations on King George.
3. The governments main purpose of the government is to ensure the peoples “safety and happiness”, and that the government is derived among men.
4. “The consent of the governed”.
5. Jefferson refers to the power of God in the beginning and ending lines of the Declaration. He does this in order to relate to his discourse community, as religion and faith were a very existent part of 1776 America.
6. Primarily, colonists and then the British.
7. The organization of the Declaration shows the relation to the rhetoric triangle, and the driving ethos of the passage. While the Declaration is known for its revolutionary pathos, the logical formatting of the Declaration to explain the reasons for revolution.
8. He uses illustration when writing the complaints of the crimes of the British Government. He uses capitalization when clearly displaying strong pathos of the text. Usually the capitalized words are used for emphasis of the ideas, such as “Enemies in War, in Peace Friends”. All the capitalized words are underlying hopes, dreams, and goals of the revolution. Finally, he uses parallelism when displaying the complaints against King George. The long list beginning with “He has” and “For”.
1. The truths are that all men are created equal and because of this, all men share the same birth-given rights. These rights include "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness". These truths, however, are quite idealistic. Today, over 230 years later, some still have a hard time overcoming prejudices and believing all men are created equal. Although the idea of them may have seemed true at the time, these statements were, and are today, hardly truths.
ReplyDelete2. Not to be repetitive, but I believe that the most serious point is the one Alexis quoted in her response. As they others prove to be bombastic, fail to connect with the uneducated American population, or both, this point is straightforward and simple, and the population can relate.
3. The purpose of government is to govern the people without infringing upon their unalienable rights.
4. The power of government is directly from the consent of the people
5. In his concluding sentence, Jefferson outlines a promising future that this new born country has in front of them. He speaks of all the things they can establish now that they are free, evoking a sort of enthusiasm for the people to leave with.
6. The audience is the government of Great Britain along with the entirety of the American public. Even if one was uneducated, they would still be able to hear about it, for it gripped the nation.
7. Jefferson lists the reasons for independence from Great Britain in order to evoke pathos in his reader. He wanted to inspire a sense of anger in his reader for what Britain had done to them, and a sense of hope for the bright future America holds for them. Compared to this tyrannical rule Britain held over them, the American citizens would now be free, or so they believed.
8. Illustration is used as a way, once again, to evoke pathos in the reader. A big part of this document was to illicit intense emotions from the American public, and bring their hopes up that there will be a brighter future. Jefferson really does paint a vivid picture in the minds of the Americans reading this document, bringing spirits up at a rough point in American history where the future is a bit unsure.
1. The truths that Jefferson promotes here are that all men are created equal, and that each man is given rights from birth, including (famously) life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. These are truths that we hold self-evident now, but in different times, and in other parts of the world, this is not and has not always been the case. Basic human rights are sadly often not given the respect they deserve, so in that respect some refuse to find these truths self-evident.
ReplyDelete2. While all of George's crimes are serious to varying degrees, the most damning claim made against him by Jefferson is that he "plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people. Not to be repetitive, but in many ways this is the ultimate, culminating crime against the citizens of the colonies that George is accused of, and easily the worst.
3. As defined here, governments should ensure that people's basic needs and principles are met, yet operate to the extent that they do not oppress.
4. Governments get their power from the people, who also should have the power to overthrow a tyrannical government.
5. Jefferson alludes to God in describing the basic human rights he feels are deserved by all, thus establishing there is a higher authority who has established the importance of these rights. From Jefferson's perspective, he isn't merely saying that these rights must be respected, God has already done so
6. Those oppressed by King George/the British government/students of American history
7. Jefferson is making it absolute clear here why the colonies are doing what they are doing, because what he wrote here is a message and a rallying cry. His reasoning is not oblique in the slightest because he wants to emphasize them with rigor, they are his entire point.
8. He uses parallelism in describing how all of these crimes seem to have occurred simultaneously, heightening our perception of George's malevolence. He uses capitalization to emphasize grander yet abstract points and ideas which would otherwise go uncapitalized (like "Safety and Happiness"). Finally, he uses illustration in describing George's offenses by giving examples and referencing specific events to make his point even more clear.
1. Jefferson claims in the Declaration of Independence that all men deserve “truths” or certain rights, as human being. I certainly consider these truths to be self-evident. Location, race, or gender cannot be used as an adequate reason for taking away basic freedoms. These are not freedoms which they are given; they are freedoms which they have felt were natural ever since they were born. When looking back, Jefferson was clearly exaggerating his point, because adding a monetary fee is far from being captive in chains. His claims are very ironic though, considering that as soon as the Americans “achieved freedom,” they completely took away entire freedom by enslaving Africans.
ReplyDelete2. Although this complaint may not stand out initially, “forbidding his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them,” is possibly the most serious. Every species strive to improve. Deep in the back of our minds, we know that by being alive at any moment, we are inching the human species forward. King George’s restraint on changing laws resembles a restrain on America to grow as a society. Life would feel completely different knowing that nothing would improve in the future.
3. Jefferson states that the purpose of government is to organize ways of ‘righting’ society by representing its people. If the government does not even attempt to carry this function, the people must revolt.
4. The government gets power from the people that give support in it. If the society has more people and more supporters, then the government has more power and strength.
5. Jefferson cleverly refers to God at two parts of the Declaration: the beginning, and the very end. He begins by mentioning “Nature's God” and the “Creator” to remind the readers in both Britain and America that even without all of the reasons he is about to give, if they have any faith in a god, they would know that this partial oppression was wrong. He then goes on, considering that most people, even if they ‘believe’ in a god, dismiss it every day. He knows that the actual reasons that hit people do not relate with religion, but with the daily way of life. After listing the hard evidence for his case against Britain, he then ends by stating that Americans will stand for their “sacred” cause. AFTER all of the facts, reminding the Christians of God makes a much larger impression. This impression causes the readers to forget that the FACTS were what convinced them, and believes in a holy association with the cause.
6. Although the Declaration seems to be phrased as a direct attack of Britain, the primary purpose was most likely to garner support from the American colonists. If America believed that this was intended for all of Britain, the British would already appear weak, leading more Americans t support the cause because it seemed as if they had the upper hand already.
ReplyDelete7. Jefferson is obviously an extremely educated and smart man, yet he writes most of the Declaration in almost bullet-points. This was possibly intended to allow accessibility to the less educated colonists. If Jefferson had written his entire argument in prose, not only does the paper seem more complicated, but also helps the reader remember a reason or two from the list. Visually, a brain can memorize smaller, shorter points of writing more easily, while memorizing from a paragraph would be difficult.
8. Jefferson uses illustration to exaggerate his point. His goal is to turn American against King George, so the Declaration exclaims how “he has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.” These illustrative images generate a negative feeling towards Britain. Capitalization is used to generate comforting feelings towards America and its government. The ‘Judges, Trials, Coasts, and Seas,’ are not just words. By repeatedly capitalizing them, they have become closer to the reader. Jefferson uses parallelism in the Declaration so that the reasons to part from Britain feel overwhelming. The parallel sentence makes the reader feel as if he or she read and faced all of these wrongs at the exact same time.
1) The main truths of Thomas Jefferson's declaration is to establish the basic rights of all individuals in the U.S- freedom to LIFE, LIBERTY, and PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS. Also, it states that the people have the right when a government becomes self-destructive, to change it to establish a good foundation. I believe that all these freedoms Jefferson gave to all men are evident in America today. The U.S has a democracy where all men are equal.
ReplyDelete2) The most serious accustation against Kinge George III is that he "has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people." Its the most serious cuz by doing this, he takes away the freedoms of the rights of the people.
3) Jefferson says that the purpose of the government is to ensure the peoples safety and happiness.
4) Jefferson says that the government gets its power from the people, and that is why it's the governments duty to serve the people as best they can.
5)Jefferson mentions God in the very beginning of his argument. He does so to remind the people the power that God gives mankind and the responsibility He gives each and every one of us.
In addition, by mentioning God in the beginning of his argument, Jefferson is giving the people the courage and reminding them of each one's individual power to shape society as they want and not just the King.
6) Jefferson's audience is clearly the people of the United States and the Authorities who are trying to oppress them. It is reminding both parties of the basic rights of all individuals and thus is establishing logos (the use of logic)
7) He lists the reason for Great Britain's independence because by doing so, he evokes the anger of the people. Jefferson brings up the outrageousness that is going on in England and makes the people worried that this madness could happen to them if they're not careful.
8)illustration- He uses illustration when describing the crimes that Kinge George III committed. He uses illustration in order to produce hyperbole (exaggeration of his point)
capitalization- Jefferson uses capitalization to emphasize his points. For example when he states the basic rights of all the people "Life, LIberty, and the pursuit of Happiness."
Parellelism- He uses paralellism to also emphasize his points "For quartering...For protecting...For cutting off...For imposing...For depriving...etc"
1. Capitalization of Life, Liberty and Happiness, and also Safety and Happiness: Jefferson is saying that the government is responsible for ensuring these things and he puts a stronger emphasis on these words by capitalizing them.
ReplyDelete2. "Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed"
3. Mentions God in the beginning and the end of the declaration--> he does this to remind the people that they should have faith that God is with them and trust this sentiment.
4. He repeats the words "He has" and this use of anaphora shows just how much of an oppressive tyrant King George III was. By constantly reinforcing this point, Jefferson drills this idea into the readers head. The piece is strewn with negativity, with words such as "refused" and "forbidden" and "utterly neglected" and "obstructed"
5. Instead of writing the declaration as one huge, overwhelming block of text, he wisely chooses to break it up. This method of organization and simplification made this piece much simpler for everyday people to understand. By presenting the points in small sections of text, the piece as a whole is much more tolerable. Pieces that do not use this strategy, such as Thomas Paine's "Common Sense," can be extremely unbearable because they appear so dense and lengthy. Jefferson seemed to get right to the point, even though he used alot of repetition.
6. The use of negative words throughout the piece adds to its pathos; it constantly refers to that the king has done wrong, saying that he "sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people" The King has been thoroughly portrayed as nothing more than an iron-fisted tyrant.
7. Jefferson establishes logos by making it seem that they have no other choice: "but when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security."
8. The government has a duty to protect its people, and when it fails to do so, the people have a right to rebel against it. The British government has denied the rights of the colonists, so the colonists have a right to rebel against the British.
1. that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable Rights: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I don't consider these truths self-evident because I as a 17 year old do not have the liberty or power to rise up against the government if it is blocking any of these rights.
ReplyDelete2. I think he gives a lot of examples that allude to the same main point... King George III is too controlling and too power hungry, therefore his thirst for power being the most serious complaint.
3. to protect the natural-born rights of people
4. the people
5. in the beginning, to acknowledge that there is a higher being that we derive our power from that the government derives its power from
6. anyone willing to read and support the colonies
7. because he wants to build ethos and not seem like his claims are without substance
8. he uses illustration in order to make his claims more dramatic by depicting the king's wrongs, he uses capitalization in order to point out the profound ideas that he's discussing, and parallelism in order to make all the points mush together to create one massive attack on King George- it's not the individual points that matter, its the quantity of wrongs that the King has committed.