ENA - Establishing a Nation Module Overview

Establishing a Nation Module Overview

Introduction 

The late 1700s saw a rise in rationalist thinking in both Europe and the American colonies as the Enlightenment caused people to begin questioning traditions and received truths. Rationalism is the belief that all we need to discover truth is the human ability to think and reason clearly; rather than relying on faith, religious teachings, or historical authority, rationalists place their trust in the power of science and reason to bring about human progress. This period in America was one of prolific writing, reading, and speaking. Some of the most powerful arguments ever made about government were formed during these times as colonial leaders argued about the nature of human life, debated the role of individuals and their communities, and grappled with what actions they should take in the face of tyranny. It is impossible to understand American literature without studying closely the rhetoric of this age, as America used both pens and arms to declare her independence and assert herself as a self-ruling nation.

 

Essential Questions

  1. How does the literature of the Revolutionary period relate to the state of the colonies and the turmoil faced by the colonists?
  2. What powerful ideas were written, spoken, and sung about during the Revolutionary era?
  3. How do writers use rhetorical devices and appeals to create persuasive texts?
  4. What role do our nation's foundational documents play in our lives today?
  5. How can narrative persuade?

 

Key Terms

  1. Enlightenment: movement of the late 17th and 18th centuries emphasizing reason and individualism rather than tradition and religion. Rationalism and Deism were two of the most popular beliefs to come out of the Enlightenment Period.
  2. Rationalism: a belief that opinions, actions, and government should be based on reason and knowledge rather than on religion, experience, or emotions
  3. Deism: a belief in the existence of a supreme being who created humans but does not intervene in the universe
  4. Autobiography: the story of a person's life as told by that person
  5. Slave Narrative: an autobiographical written account by an enslaved African in Great Britain, the United States, the Caribbean, etc.
  6. Speech: written words delivered to an audience orally
  7. Rhetoric: the use of language to communicate effectively, usually to persuade
  8. Thesis: The claim the argument is trying to prove; the focus statement of an essay or speech
  9. Exordium: a speech's introduction, which tries to build the audience's interest, convince the audience that the speaker is worth listening to, and prepare the audience to understand the speech
  10. Amplification: adding to or extending a statement or argument to emphasize its importance, increase its force, or add to its effect
  11. Audience: the person or people reading or listening to a text; those to whom a message is meant to be communicated
  12. Transition Words: words that help the audience move smoothly from one point to the next when reading an essay or listening to a speech; they give the text structure and organization and make it clear how each part fits with the next. Examples: however, in addition, and on the other hand
  13. Ethos: the establishment of the speaker's credibility, trustworthiness, or good character to make an argument more persuasive
  14. Pathos: the use of emotion to persuade
  15. Logos: the use of logical arguments to persuade
  16. Tone: the speaker's attitude toward the subject or the audience
  17. Diction: choice and arrangement of words
  18. Aphorism: a short saying that presents a general truth or a clever observation about life
  19. Anecdote: a brief story or tale told by the speaker to illustrate his or her point
  20. Parallelism: the use of similar parts of speech in a series: it creates a feeling of order and balance and makes a speech more memorable and persuasive
  21. Repetition: the speaking of an important word or phrase again and again to emphasize it and make sure the audience hears it
  22. Alliteration: repetition of the same sounds at the beginning of several words placed close together
  23. Assonance: repetition of vowel sounds in several words placed closed together
  24. Consonance: repetition of consonant sounds in several words placed closed together
  25. Anaphora: repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of several clauses
  26. Figurative Language: any language not meant to be taken literally
  27. Analogy: comparison of two things that are alike in some respects. Metaphors and similes are both types of analogy.
  28. Allusion: a reference to someone or something that is known from history, literature, religion, sports, politics, science, or some other branch of culture; these are a sort of code that add a lot of meaning to a text without taking up a lot of space
  29. Antithesis: a statement that places two sharply contrasting or opposite ideas together using parallel structure
  30. Hyperbole: exaggeration designed to make a point
  31. Juxtaposition: the placement of two items side by side to create some effect or make a point about them
  32. Rhetorical Question: a question that doesn't expect an answer because the answer is obvious; asked only to make a point or produce a certain emotion

 

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