Rhetorical Analysis Of The Declaration Of Independence

Multiple times in history, men and women have fought for the right to be free and equal. Three of the most prominent people to do this were Thomas Jefferson, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Ho Chi Minh. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal” (Jefferson). In 1776, Thomas Jefferson wrote these words in “The Declaration of Independence.” He wrote this in response to the violations of human rights by the British king. The importance of this document is that it was one of the first documents to state that all people equal and that people are born with equal rights. Its importance also stems from the fact that it declared independence from the most powerful nation in the world. Nearly 70 years later in 1848, a suffragist …show more content…
So Jefferson took the challenge to create a document that explained what violations were taking place, and why America should be independent from Great Britain. One of the Greek appeals Jefferson uses is logos, which is an argument based on logic and supported by facts. He uses this Greek appeal because he believes that a logical approach supported by facts will make an effective argument. The literary device that Jefferson uses is metaphor. The literary device metaphor is a figure of speech in which a phrase is not literally true. He uses it because with the Greek appeal logos, he gives a logical argument with an accurate depiction of the British king, even though he doesn’t say it directly. Jefferson had just listed all the grievances committed by the British, he states that a government should only be in power if it has the consent of the people, and that if the government does not have the consent of the people, it should be overthrown. He is about to explain what kinds of people should not be allowed to govern. Jefferson writes, “A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.” He describes a tyrannical ruler should not be allowed to govern free people. It contributes to the Greek appeal because he is accurately describing the British king indirectly. How that rhetorical strategy …show more content…
During their 71 years in power, they committed terrible acts such as depriving them of their livelihood, and setting high taxes. When the Vietnamese people had enough, Minh wrote their declaration of independence, and delivered it on September 2, 1945 so that the Vietnamese people would be free from the tyrannical rule of the French. The Greek appeal he uses is pathos, an argument based on emotion. Minh thought it would be effective because it would make the audience empathize with the Vietnamese and want to help them through their struggles. The literary device Minh uses is imagery, the usage of words to invoke an image in the mind of the reader. Its contribution to the Greek appeal is it makes the audience imagine the suffering the Vietnamese people are going through. Just before, he states that Jefferson is correct in saying that all men are created equal and they are entitled to equal rights. Minh states, “Nevertheless, for more than eighty years, the French imperialists, abusing the standard of Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity, have violated our Fatherland and oppressed our fellow-citizens. They have acted contrary to the ideals of humanity and justice. In the field of politics, they have deprived our people of every democratic liberty.” This quote means that the French have failed to satisfy the basic human needs of the Vietnamese, and deprived them of liberty. How the literary device contributes to the

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Rhetorical Analysis Of The Declaration Of Independence