Ben Franklin Patrick Henry The Age of Reason

Ben Franklin Patrick Henry The Age of Reason 1750 -1800 Thomas Paine Thomas Jefferson

Thinkers New ideas had been arising in Europe and were challenging the faith of the Puritans. The Age of Reason began with philosophers and scientists of the 17 and 18 th centuries who called themselves Rationalists.

Rationalism The belief that human beings can arrive at truth by using reason, rather than by relying on the authority of the past, on religious faith, or on intuition.

Puritanism vs. Rationalism Puritanism “God [is] actively and mysteriously involved in the workings of the universe. ” Rationalism Sir Isaac Newton said God is a “clockmaker”. God’s special gift to humanity was reason – “the ability to think in an ordered, logical manner”

Puritanism and Rationalism Before n n n Religious Fanaticism Church = Truth Witch trials Theocracies Church & State united After Deism—”natural law” n Science/Logic/Reason = Truth n Rise of philosophers n Democracy n Separation of Church & State

Literary Forms of the Age of Reason • Biographies/Autobiographies • Government Documents • Newspapers/Pamphlets • Speeches • No Fiction

View of God Deism n Clock Maker n remote n impersonal n good-rewarded n wicked-punished n

View of Man n Capable of self-improvement n independent n self-sufficient n self-reliant n ability of reason

View of Society n has the capability of taking care of itself View of Nature n life’s clues are found in nature

Rationalism Key Words Logic, Reason God Man Nature Society Writers Deism: God as a clockmaker Basically good, given the gift of reason Laws of nature explain rational thought, contains life’s clues Democracy, Political literature Patrick Henry, Thomas Paine, Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin

Review of Rationalist Philosophies n n The world operates according to God’s rules, and through the use of reason, we can discover those rules. Deism- God created the universe but does not interfere in its workings. n n n People are basically good and perfectible. People worship God best by helping others. God’s special gift to humanity is reason the ability to think in an ordered, logical manner.

Major Authors Patrick Henry n “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” Speech (to the Virginia Convention)

Patrick Henry (1736 -1799) n n n Patrick Henry was born on May 29, 1736. He attended public school shortly, but was then taught by his father who was very educated. He gained fame early in life in a lawsuit called Parson’s Case by being a talented orator. Henry went on to serve as governor of Virginia and a member of the Virginia General Assembly. He delivered his most famous speech at the Virginia Provincial Convention in 1775, where he urged armed resistance to England. Patrick Henry is considered the most powerful orator of the American Revolution, and is often remembered for his famous quote, “Give me liberty, or give me death!” Some of his famous works include Speech in the Virginia Convention

Context n n n Place: Virginia House of Burgesses Date: March 23, 1775 Atmosphere: Indecision over whether or not to compromise with Britain Purpose: To rally Virginia leaders to decide to take arms against the British. They could not make up their minds. Famous line: “Give me liberty or give me death!”

Rhetorical Strategies in Speech Appeal to Emotions - Pathos n n n Emotions or Pathos: seeks out the reader’s emotions or tries to lure their sense of personal biases and prejudices. Remember Antony’s funeral speech! “I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!” Tip off: the exclamation point shows excitement!

Rhetorical Strategies in the Speech Allusion n n Allusion: a brief or indirect reference to a person, place, event, or well-known passage (Bible) Example from speech: “We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth, and listen to the song of the siren till she transforms us into beasts. ” Greek Mythology n “betray us with a kiss” – Judas from the Bible, betrays Jesus with a kiss n

Rhetorical Strategies in Speech Appeal to Logic - Logos n n Use rational strategies to appeal to intelligence, reason, and common sense; makes claims and then supports them with evidence (statistics, reports, etc. ) “Three millions of people, armed in the holy cause of liberty, and in such a country as that which we possess, are invincible by any force which our enemy can send against us. ” Uses number of people, cause and effect A lot of people fighting together can win this thing if they are fighting for an important cause like liberty

Rhetorical Strategies in Speech Parallelism n n n Parallelism: Similarity of structure in a pair or series of related words, phrases, or clauses; a form of repetition used to emphasize a point OR written in the same grammatical pattern for effect – sound nice! “We have petitioned; we have remonstrated; we have supplicated; we have prostrated ourselves before throne. ” All begin with “we have” and verb after it

Rhetorical Strategies in Speech Rhetorical Question n n Rhetorical ? : A question asked for rhetorical effect to emphasize a point; no answer is expected, in fact only one answer is possible. “Are fleets and armies necessary to a work of love and reconciliation? ” Answer: NO! Can be given in a series; many of them together for effect

Rhetorical Strategies in Speech Metaphor n Comparison of similar things or ideas without using the words like or as.