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For those of you interested in Classical Writing--analysis of The Declaration . . .


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For my current course in American lit., the instructor provided us with a great resource which I thought would be very helpful to anyone using Classical Writing or some other program which instructs students in the methods of the progymnasmata.

 

This link takes you to a copy of the Declaration of Independence, color-coded for rhetorical analysis and persuasive appeal. The color-coding gives detailed explanation as to those portions of the document which were designed to appeal to logos (reasoning), ethos (ethical thought), and pathos (feeling). The column on the right gives further rhetorical analysis.

 

Then I found this gem last night, from the National Archives--this article entitled "The Stylistic Artistry of the Declaration of Independence." This also gives an in-depth analysis which I would consider to be from a more classical perspective.

 

Enjoy! I hope someone else finds these two links as useful as I have, especially if you have high school aged students.

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Oh, just subscribed to your thread, & created a word document of the linked page. I can't wait to analyze the Declaration of Independence with Storm, as she want's to work on her writing style.

 

If you like the link posted by Michelle, you be interested in MCT's Self-Evident Truths series.

These books look like a particularly good resource for middle school, although they are designated for Grades 7-12. I wish I could remember the name of the science series our library carried, but they had a number of books on biographies of famous scientists, and of course each book had quite a bit of additional information on the particular study involved. If I think of the name of that series, I'll post a link.

 

At any rate, I read both the rhetorical analysis of The Declaration, plus the article from the National Archives, and they are both great resources for the short paper which I need to complete. Although I've read it before, of course, I'm simply amazed not only by the sentiments expressed in the Declaration, but the superb literary quality therein. It is truly one of our great national treasures!

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