Rhetorical Techniques of Thomas Jefferson

Rhetorical Techniques of Thomas Jefferson


The Rhetorical Techniques of Thomas Jefferson
In the 1700’s, colonial America struggled with the balance of power in an effort to become its own country. Thomas Jefferson, an influential man at the time, was full of many ideas for a better America and wrote “The Declaration of Independence” to express the emotions many had about the British. He believed that, in order to start a new and free country, the colonies needed to break all ties with England. In order to convince the colonists that Britain has wronged them, and that immediate action is necessary, Jefferson uses repetition and descriptive language to powerfully structure his document and capture his audience’s attention.
Through Jefferson’s use of precise and powerful language, he is able to portray the British as the enemy and show the colonists what must be done to save their nation. The anger Jefferson has toward the British is evident as he spells out the injustices of their leader. In his writing, he describes King George III as “a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over these States” (2). Though Jefferson may frown on the nation as a whole, he is directly expressing that all governmental issues lead back to the leader, in this case the King. He refers to George III as a bully who is repeatedly injuring those around him. The term usurpation captures Jefferson’s belief of the King’s and the government’s encroachment on the rights of the people. Lastly, he uses the colonist’s biggest fear, tyranny, to convince them how wronged they should feel by the British. Jefferson later describes George III to have “plundered our seas, ravaged our coast, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people” (4). This intense language depersonalizes the King and depicts him as a heartless pirate set out to destroy the colonies. By saying that lives were destroyed and towns were burnt down, Jefferson emphasizes how permanent the...

Similar Essays