Writers of the Revolutionary War Rationalism: Writers of the Revolutionary War

“Characteristics of Colonial Literature” Political in nature, dealt with the Revolutionary War Differs from Puritans in that the lit.produced was public and political, not private and religious Persuasive writing Newspapers, magazines, pamphlets, speeches, some poetry (political in nature)

“Important Writers and Their Work” The Autobiography by Benjamin Franklin The Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson The Crisis by Thomas Paine “Speech in the Virginia Convention” by Patrick Henry The Constitution The Federalist Essays by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, John Jay

“Colonial Culture and Art” America began to establish its own cultural identity Theaters are built all throughout the colonies (although the plays are just imitations of British dramas) Colleges are established (ex: University of Tennessee and Chapel Hill, NC) Painters and musicians create works that are political and patriotic

“American Literature up to the 19th Century” A small body of national literature was produced up to the 19th century Still no American novel, play of importance, or short story produced The American wilderness was yet to be settled America stood on the threshold of territory and population expansion This would greatly change the nature of and greatly increase the amount of the literature of the 19th century

Oratorical Strategies Rhetoric - the ability to use language effectively to persuade (often in speeches) Repetition - the repeated use of the same word or word pattern as a rhetorical device Parallelism - It refers to any structure which brings together parallel elements, be these nouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs, or larger structures Ex. “…of the people, for the people, by the people”

Logical and emotional appeals – Statements meant to persuade by appealing to one’s emotions or sense of logic (Pathos, Logos, Ethos) Figurative Language Metaphor – A comparison made between two dissimilar things Personification – applying human attributes to a non-human object or animal Simile – a direct comparison between two things using “like” or “as” Symbol - something used for or regarded as representing something else Hyperbole – An extreme exaggeration

Final terms Allusion – When a reference is made to a known element from history, religion, literature, etc. inside another text Rhetorical Question - a question asked solely to produce an effect or to make an assertion and not to elicit a reply