Revolution

QW: Define revolution. Consider

not only what it is, but why it is
considered necessary, and
who/what it impacts
Characteristics of a Revolution
Why is revolution necessary?

Is it always bad? Good?

Revolutionary Period
1760-1800
 Different spirit of writing than in
colonial period---differences in
content, tone, and style
Waning of Puritanism
Growth of Enlightenment rationalism
Revolutionary War
America no longer a wilderness
 Age of Reason
Humans can manage themselves w/o
authority and traditions
Reason thrives on Freedom
Speech, experiment, inquiry
Writings focused on science or government,
not religion or supernatural
Franklin (methodical and systematic) &
Jefferson (reasonable & logical)
 American Revolution
Fought as much with pamphlets, essays,
songs, speeches and poems as with
muskets
Stamp Act & Townsend Act begin war of
words
Boston Massacre and Tea Party
Propaganda, persuasion, and political
writing dominates scene
 Printing Press
Allowed for mass
publication
Revolutionary
reforms
 Cultural Firsts

1767: The Prince of Parthia (Thomas

Godfrey)---1st play professionally
produced on American stage
1773: The New-England Psalm-Singer
(William Billings)---1st volume of
American composed music
1782: 1st American museum opening in
Philadelphia
 Flourishing American Culture

America was ready after 150

years
Revolution inspired creativity
Population almost doubled
More and larger cities
 Jefferson
was
reasonable
and logical
with his
declaration.
Persuasive
techniques
used were
parallelism
and
repetition.
 1785: The Conquest of
Canaan (Timothy Dwight)---1st
American epic poem
1789: The Power of Sympathy
(William Hill Brown)---
advertised as The First
American Novel
 Forms of Discourse
Persuasion---convince of opinion or
action
Exposition---explains related facts
Description---how something strikes the
senses
Narration---tells of a series of events
*** types of discourse are different ways of
taking about the same thing
 Effective Persuasion
Audience
Occasion
Credibility
Revisit Rhetoric ppt
 Persuasive Writing
The speaker
Some credibility (knowledgeable and/or
believable)
The audience
Appeal to particular people
The occasion and purpose
May become an argument supporting
other arguments within work or among
works
 Means of Persuasion
Logic
Emotional/Figurative Language
Repetition
Rhetorical Question
Parallelism
God is on our side
 The Parts of an Argument
Claim
The authors position

Concession
Acknowledging other perspectives/sides

Refutation
Discrediting the other perspectives; pointing out flaws in
opposition

Confirmation
Statement/emphasis of position
 Organization of Argument
Position Concession
Support Refutation
Concession Concession
Refutation Refutation
Position Position
Support
Position

What matters most is the last thing you

say is what is remembered most.
 Occupy Wall Street-
A New Revolution?
Article in CNN MoneyWhy Occupy Wall
Street Fizzled

Occupy article questions

OLD---Do not Complete