Revolutionary Period: 1750-1800

Also Known As

The Age of Reason Neoclassical Period

The Age of Enlightenment

This period is no longer about God-it is about human control

and achievement

Emphasized• Self-knowledge, self-control, discipline, and order• Celebrated reason and the scientific method-all

about logic, not faith• America is no longer a New Jerusalem (center of

the church); now America is a New Athens or New Rome (historical centers of knowledge)

• Faith in natural goodness - a human is born without taint or sin; the concept of tabula rasa or blank slate. (compare this to predestination)

• Perfectibility of a human being - it is possible to improve situations of birth, economy, society, and religion-the American Dream is born

Deism“My mind is my church." - Thomas Paine

Deists believe that

1. One cannot access God through organized religion2. God has not selected a chosen people3. Deists deny the existence of the Trinity. 4. Jesus is a teacher, philosopher, not the Son of God.5. Do not believe in miracles.6. Deists pray, but only to express their appreciation to God for his works. They generally do not ask for special privileges, or try to assess the will of God through prayer.

Our definition:

Writers of the Period

1. A searching inquiry in all aspects of the world around. 2. Interest in the classics as well as in the Bible-allusions3. Mostly non-fiction, argumentative works4. Logical, not ornate or extravagant5. Constant search of the self - emphasis on individualism in: a. personal religion. b. study of the Bible for personal interpretation. Vs. Puritanism

Ben Franklin

Patrick Henry

Michel de Crevecoeur

Olaudah Equiano

Thomas Paine

Phillis Wheatley

Persuasive Writing has a….

• Specific Purpose• Specific Audience• Appeals to– Logic (logos)– Emotion (pathos-think

sympathy, empathy)– Ethics-ethos

Types of Logical Appeals (logos)

Appeal to the logical reasoning ability of readers

• facts• statistics• case studies• experiments• logical reasoning• analogies• anecdotes• authority voices

Types of Emotional Appeals (pathos)

Appeal to beliefs and feelings

• Higher emotions-belief in fairness; love,pity, etc.

• Lower emotions-greed, lust, revenge, avarice, etc.

• Examples

Types of Ethical Appeal (ethos)

Sense the author gives of being competent / fair / authority

• trustworthiness• credibility• reliability• expert testimony• reliable sources• fairness

Define the following:

• Oratorical Devices:• Oratory/orator• Repetition• Rhetorical question• Restatement• Allusion• Parallel structure

Define the following:

• Metaphor• Personification• Analogy• Anecdote• Epistle• Autobiography• aphorism