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Jaxon Coy
12/12/24
Mrs. Mitchell
English 100
Declaration of Independence Questions
1. Jefferson appeals to Ethos by invoking the laws of God and nature. He writes of how
these laws entitle humans to equality.
2. The first purpose of the Declaration of Independence was to prove the colonies’ right to
independence and justify their separation. This is proven when Jefferson writes, “When
in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the
political bands which have connected them with another.” The second purpose was to
present a list of grievances. An example of this is how the king is described. “He has
refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.” The
king was doing actions that they disapproved of, and they felt it necessary to separate.
3. Swarm portrays a negative connotation as if the officers are annoying creatures. This
word brings mosquitoes to mind, as the officers are presented as a large number of
disturbing creatures.
4. The word savages, describing the Indians, has a strong and negative connotation. He
chose this as a further continuation of grievances, giving another action the king has done
that put the colonists in a difficult spot. The full context is that the king has “endeavored
to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers,” and the colonists have had to be the ones to
fight these “savage” people. We associate this word with crazy people who do not have
morals and live psychopathically. They have no hesitation to do anything we would
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consider unthinkable. It furthers his argument on unjust actions the king has done by
harshly describing the people they have been forced to fight because of decisions the king
makes from thousands of miles away.
5. The strategy of repetition was used, bringing up the injustices the colonists have had to
go through because of an inconsiderate king. It reinforces the ridiculousness of what the
colonists endured, and adds to the list of grievances they had against the king.
6. It continues the list of problems created by the king and uses repetition again. However, it
changes from the previous form of repetition, which adds more effect to it. It leads the
reader to think that the list is exceptionally long, and the king made ridiculous and
inconsiderate decisions. The meaning remains the same, but it summarizes the individual
points, as if there are so many that it is too much work to continue to write them all out.
7. "In every stage of these injustices, we have appealed for remedies in the most humble
terms: Our repeated appeals have been answered only by repeated harm." By using
injustices instead of oppressions, it makes the sentence sound less like dictatorship and
more like failure to make decisions that affect the colonists well. Using “appealed”
instead of “petitioned” seems less effective because “petition” sounds more as if it has
strongly happened multiple times. “Remedies” works better in modern language because
“redress” is not a commonly used word, but in practicality they remain very similar. In
some manners it is more effective because the words function better, but “appealed”, for
example, is less strong and is less effective.
8. “He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public
good. He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing
importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained.” The
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flow and similar structure of sentences impacts the reader by making them understand the
consistent oppressive actions the colonists were forced to bear the suffering of.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are
endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life,
Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” The sentence structure including “that” and
continuing the sentence that is used three times makes the point more memorable. The
theme of basic and deserved by all rights is reinforced by this usage of parallelism.
9. The tone of the Declaration of Independence is formal, frustrated, and conveys the
emotion of being out of patience. One example of formality is the consistently formal
usage of words, such as the phrase “A decent respect to the opinions of mankind.” The
frustrations and impatience are shown by calling the king a tyrant, and phrases like
“Repeated injuries and usurpations.” The king was also referred to as an “Unworthy the
Head of a civilized nation.”
10. Jefferson most strongly relies on Logos. The Declaration of Independence is a well-
structured argument that provides a list of grievances as well as logically appeals to the
king with evidence of the injustices that have taken place. The part of the declaration that
uses repetition appeals to emotions, but also to logic. It uses the extensive unjust actions
done by the king as further reasons for independence.
