1. Writers of the Revolutionary War
Rationalism:
Writers of the Revolutionary War

2. “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)

3. “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

4. “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

5. “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

6. 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”

7. 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

8. 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