Welcome to The Revolutionary Era

Background– pg §Setting the Scene §History of the Time §Life of the Time §Literature of the Time §Novels of the Time §Language of the Time

The Age of Reason §Writers of this period believed that they could manage themselves and their societies without depending upon authorities or past traditions. §Reason thrived on freedom -- freedom of speech, freedom from arbitrary rulers, freedom to experiment, freedom to question existing laws and institutions.

Contrast with Puritans §Concerned with life here on earth. §Adherents of deism -- a philosophical movement that stressed the perfectibility of man through reason. By the free use of reason, human beings could progress. §Tended to write on science, ethics, or government, rather than religion.

Revolutionary War Literature §Thousands of pamphlets, essays, songs, poems, and speeches. §Puritan writing was private and religious. Revolutionary literature was public and political. §Helped to establish the identity of our country. §Published in newspapers and tacked up around city (Broadsides), placed under doors, and read aloud.

Changes in America §New country and new government. §Arts flourished partly because people were inspired to express their feelings and ideas. §American cities grew and population doubled. §First native American artists, dancers, poets, writers flourished.

Authors of the American Revolution

Patrick Henry §Orator and patriot of American Revolution §Speech on liberty inspired Americans to support the Revolution §Leader in the move- ment to add the Bill of Rights §First governor of Virginia

Thomas Paine §Wrote Common Sense in Sold 100,000 copies in three months. §After a stay in Europe, became unpopular in America and died poverty and neglect.

Thomas Jefferson §Renaissance Man of American history -- lawmaker, writer, scientist, architect, musician, inventor. §Third president of the United States. §Doubled size of country with Louisiana Purchase.

Abigail Adams §Wife of second president, John Adams, and mother of five. §One of the great letter writers. §Early advocate of women’s rights.

Remember Persuasion?  Persuasion - a form of speaking or writing that aims to convince an audience to think or act a certain way. Effective writers appeal to reader's emotions and intellect.

Techniques Used in Persuasive Writing  Rhetorical Question - a question that does not call for an answer because the answer is obvious.  Metaphor - compares two unlike things.  Loaded Language - emotionally charged words.  Deductive Reasoning - uses facts to lead the reader to a probable conclusion; from general to specific

Persuasive Techniques Continued  Inductive Reasoning- from specific to general  Allusion - indirect reference to a person, place, event, or work with which the author believes the reader will be familiar. Allusions provide the reader or listener with a deeper understanding of the main ideas.

Persuasive Techniques Continued  Memorable Line - catchy words or phrase designed to stick with the reader or listener.  Repetition - repeats words or phrases for emphasis.  Parallelism - expresses ideas of equal importance in phrases or sentences that are worded in a similar way.

Persuasive Techniques Continued  Anecdote - a brief story that illustrates a point.  Analogy - extended comparison of two things that have certain similarities. The comparison makes the less familiar object more clear.  Paraphrase - restate someone else's ideas in simple words.

Journal Explore some of the liberties you enjoy and perhaps take for granted. Think about people who might be denied these same liberties. Would you risk your life to preserve any one of your freedoms/?Why or why not?

Objectives §To read and analyze a speech about breaking free §To determine a writer’s purpose

Speech to the Second Virginia Convention §Page §Building background §Going more over: deductive and inductive reasoning ( R93), allusions & tone §Questions on pg 150-1,2,7,8 § patrickhenrygivemeliberty.html (link to the speech)

Parking LOT Put yourself in the place of the colonists. Do you think you would feel so strongly about freedom? Why or why not?

Journal Write about a crisis that someone you know has faced. What were the details of the crisis? How did the person handle the crisis? Was this tactic effective?

Objectives §To read and analyze a persuasive essay about the colonists’ need to break free from Great Britain §To evaluate the impact of Thomas Paine’s emotional appeals

from The Crisis No. 1 §Page §Building Background §Questions: 1-5, 9, 13 §Word doc with this essay on website

Homework Personal writing: Look over the crisis that you wrote about. Write a one page persuasive letter that would motivate that person to solve the crisis by following your advice. Be sure to us the persuasive techniques that you found in Paine’s essay, such as vivid language.

Journal Just how much freedom should an individual or a county have? What, if anything, should limit freedom?

Objectives §To read and analyze a historic document on independence §To identify words with strong connotations

Declaration of Independence §Building Background §Questions: 1,2,3,8 § ent/ §Link to this historical document

Parking Lot Connotation assignment pg 173

Journal Write about a time when you had difficulty adjusting to a new situation, or when a place or situation did not live up to your expectations. How did you feel? How did you adjust to the situation?

Objectives §To read a letter on the theme of adjusting to a new situation §To analyze the use of description in the letter

Letter to Her Daughter §Building Background §Questions: 1,2,3,5,7 §PDF document of this letter on my website

Homework Looking back at your journal, write a letter to someone who is moving to the area where you live. Try to present a picture of your region that will create realistic expectations. Describe the pros and cons of living in your area. Include pictures, either your own or from the internet, about your area!