Rhetorical Analysis of “The

Declaration of Independence”

July 4, 1776

Cumulative/Loose Sentence

is a long sentence that has the main point at the beginning

is effective because the main idea is followed by supporting information

is the opposite of a periodic sentence

Examples:Aruba is a vacationer’s paradise with its pristine beaches, sun-drenched days, and glorious breathtaking sunsets.

The hotel has greatly expanded its customer base through the addition of a fitness spa, extensive advertising, and weekend specials.

Key Terms

Periodic Sentence

is a long sentence that has the main point at the end is not typically used, but this type of sentence can be dramatic or even persuasive

is particularly useful when the audience already has a strong opinion before reading the sentence, and in this case, the speaker or the writer is able to present their argument first

is the opposite of a loose sentenceExample: If the class sizes were smaller, the teachers were better, and the degree was nationally recognized, I would be willing to pay more tuition at this college.

Antecedent

An antecedent is the word or group of words to which a pronoun refers. One way to look at this is: A pronoun is a form of shorthand that we use instead of repeating a certain word or group of words; the word or phrase that the pronoun replaces is a duplicate of the word or phrase that is the pronoun's antecedent.

Example: Our company makes commitments, and our company follows through on commitments" as "Our company makes commitments, and it follows through on them." The pronouns it and them represent, respectively, company and commitments. The antecedent of it is company, and the antecedent of them  is commitments. 

Tone

A writer's attitude toward subject, audience, and self. Tone is primarily conveyed through diction, point of view, syntax, and level of formality.

Diction Style of speaking or writing as dependent upon

choice of words.

First-person

The use of I, me, we and other first-person pronouns to relate the thoughts, experiences, and observations of a narrator in a work of fiction (a short story or novel) or nonfiction (an essay, memoir, or autobiography).

Third-person The use of third-person pronouns such as he,

she, and they to relate events in a work of fiction or nonfiction.

Parallel syntax

Is the repetition of words, phrases, and clauses used in a concise manner to emphasize a point.

Transition The connection (a word, phrase, clause,

sentence, or entire paragraph) between two parts of a piece of writing, contributing to cohesion.

Passive Voice

the voice used to indicate that the grammatical subject of the verb is the recipient (not the source) of the action denoted by the verb

Connotation is the feeling or association that a word or

phrase evokes in addition to its literal meaning.

The goal of argumentative writing is to persuade your audience that your ideas are valid, or more valid than someone else's. The Greek philosopher Aristotle divided the means of persuasion, appeals, into three categories--Ethos, Pathos, Logos.

Ethos (Greek for 'character') refers to the trustworthiness or credibility of the writer or speaker. Ethos is often conveyed through tone and style of the message and through the way the writer or speaker refers to differing views. It can also be affected by the writer's reputation as it exists independently from the message--his or her expertise in the field, his or her previous record or integrity, and so forth. The impact of ethos is often called the argument's 'ethical appeal' or the 'appeal from credibility.

Pathos(Greek for 'suffering' or 'experience') is often associated with emotional appeal. But a better equivalent might be 'appeal to the audience's sympathies and imagination.' An appeal to pathos causes an audience not just to respond emotionally but to identify with the writer's point of view--to feel what the writer feels. In this sense, pathos evokes a meaning implicit in the verb 'to suffer'--to feel pain imaginatively.... The values, beliefs, and understandings of the writer are implicit in the story and conveyed imaginatively to the reader. Pathos thus refers to both the emotional and the imaginative impact of the message on an audience, the power with which the writer's message moves the audience to decision or action.

Logos (Greek for 'word') refers to the internal consistency of the message--the clarity of the claim, the logic of its reasons, and the effectiveness of its supporting evidence. The impact of logos on an audience is sometimes called the argument's logical appeal.

ETHOS, PATHOS, LOGOS

Ethos (Credibility): the source's credibility,

the speaker's/author's authority

Pathos (Emotional): the emotional or motivational appeals; vivid language, emotional language and numerous sensory details.

Logos (Logical): the logic used to support a claim (induction and deduction); can also be the facts and statistics used to help support the argument.

Basically…

Parallel construction, also called parallelism,

shows that two or more ideas are equally important by stating them in grammatically parallel form: noun lined up with noun, verb with verb, phrase with phrase. Paral- lelism can lend clarity, elegance, and symmetry to what you say:

I came;I saw;I conquered.

—Julius Caesar Using three simple verbs to list the things he did,

Caesar makes coming, seeing, and conquering all equal in importance. He also implies that for him, conquering was as easy as coming and seeing.

Deductive Reasoning, also called deductive logic, is the process of reasoning

from one or more general statements regarding what is known to reach a logically certain conclusion. Deductive reasoning involves using given true premises to reach a conclusion that is also true. Deductive reasoning contrasts with inductive reasoning in that a specific conclusion is arrived at from a general principle. If the rules and logic of deduction are followed, this procedure ensures an accurate conclusion.

An example of a deductive argument:

All men are mortal.Socrates is a man.Therefore, Socrates is mortal.

The first premise states that all objects classified as "men" have the attribute "mortal". The second premise states that "Socrates" is classified as a "man" – a member of the set "men". The conclusion then states that "Socrates" must be "mortal" because he inherits this attribute from his classification as a "man".

Deductive reasoning (also known as logical deduction) links premises with conclusions. If both premises are true, the terms are clear and the rules of deductive logic are followed, then the conclusion of the argument follows by logical necessity.

Syllogism (Logic)

an argument the conclusion of which is supported by two premises, of which one (major premise)  contains the term (major term)  that is the predicate of the conclusion, and the other (minor premise)  contains the term (minor term)  that is the subject of the conclusion; common to both premises is a term (middle term)  that is excluded from the conclusion. A typical form is “All A is C; all B is A; therefore all B is C.”