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Thomas Jefferson Rhetorical Devices Analysis

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The setting is Independence Hall Philadelphia, PA on July 4th 1776. Thomas Jefferson and nearly 60 other men have sat down to discuss and confirm the split from England. A document has been constructed to inform King George III of the injustices that the United States of America has felt continuously. As the men effectively build their argument against the king, the use of rhetorical devices is prevalent. The rhetorical devices Thomas Jefferson used to inform the King of England of his wrongdoings were parallelism, anaphora and allusions. The first paragraph, known as the introduction, discusses how when the decision is made to break away from that the reasons must be rational and concise. In this paragraph, Jefferson states that, “it becomes …show more content…

As Jefferson goes on, he explains that when the American nation feels that these natural rights have been violated by a leader that it is their duty to secede from that particular power and institute the government that will better serve them. In this paragraph, we see two various forms of rhetorical devices including parallelism and allusion. Parallelism can be seen when the document states, “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.” The word “that” is what makes the sentence parallel since it is repeated to ensure the sentence flows smoothly, as well as making emphasis on what is self-evident. Secondly, we see again the use of allusion when a reference to “their Creator” is mentioned. Again, the reference to God is a figure that both the American and British citizens hold in high regard as the document is stating that their are certain rights men are “endowed” …show more content…

The paragraph also states how any ruler who chooses to rule as a tyrant is unfit for the position of power. We then see a use of parallelism as Jefferson lists all of the items that the United States has an issue with when he states, “ We have reminded them… We have appealed to… and we have conjured.”
Finally, the conclusion of the Declaration are the closing words that announce that due to the past issues that King George III has caused and the natural rights granted to American citizens that United States would no longer be under British command. Due to this, the United States now has the ability to “levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce…” This is also an example of parallelism as the statement uses a description word followed by what the country is now able to do. In conclusion, Thomas Jefferson’s intelligent way of writing undoubtedly heightened the effect of the document. While numerous other rhetorical devices were used, I felt that parallelism, anaphora and allusion were among the most important. There is much credit owed to Jefferson and the numerous other men who took part in constructing America’s most important

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On July 4, 1776, Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence to voice the need for liberation and rebellion against the English monarchy. On April 16, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr., a civil right activist, wrote a Letter From Birmingham Jail as he sat in a jail cell after being arrested for protesting the segregation and injustices in not just Alabama, but the entire country The Declaration of Independence and A Letter from Birmingham Jail, although written nearly 200 years apart, share many similarities not only in style, but also in message. Both Jefferson and King had a common message. They were arguing the need for a certain freedom from their oppressors.

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Within Benjamin Banneker’s letter, he implements pathos in order to illustrate the unjust and hypocritical actions of Thomas Jefferson, in order to exhibit that Jefferson, of all people, should be understanding and ashamed of the fear and injustice which he is imposing. Banneker inflicts these emotions through allusions and flashbacks. The United States was once under the British control, leaving the United States feeling helpless, fearful, and impotent. During this time period, Thomas Jefferson, took part in writing the Declaration of Independence, a document which states the equality of men and the justification of freedom. Banneker alludes to the Declaration in the seventh paragraph to exhibit the hypocrisy which Jefferson demonstrates.

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