Changing the World

Three historical examples in which a small group of citizens have changed the world:

• Jesus and his twelve disciples
• Founding fathers got together and wrote the Declaration of Independence
• Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his team

Similarities between the three: 
Each arose and either risked or gave their lives to make positive changes in the world. It was never easy, and required hard work and dedication. But the benefits have lasted past each of their lives, and have continued for generations.

When have I worked with others to bring about some sort of change?
• Cleaned up the Poulsbo waterfront with my cadet squadron after 3rd of July and Viking Fest

The Declaration of Independence

Genre:

1. The specific Genre for this piece is a manifesto.

2. It took a congress of 36 men to unanimously vote on the independence for the United States of America.

3. The tone of the piece was one of firm finality, and respectful ways of explaining why they were breaking away.

4. At the time the declaration was handwritten with signatures at the bottom of everyone agreeing to the terms of the document.

Audience:

1. The declaration was written to the king of Britain, all British citizens, and the world.

2. The Founders didn't have much in common with their audience. With the king, they were similar in that they were leading a country. The founders were similar with British citizens as fellow human beings with unalienable rights.

3. What was the Founders relationship with their audience?

At the time they were colonies of Britain, and subordinates to the King.

They didn't really have a relationship with the rest of the world, except that they were connected by concerns for independence.

4. Back in 1776 the best medium was the written form they chose. It was printed and distributed, and then also read in public places.

5. What did they want their audience to do?

The founders wanted to be considered separate from Britain and be able to do all things which independent states do.

6. They assume their audience was interested. If you were a King and your colonies sent you a declaration of their independence, you might be a little interested. It's not something that happens everyday, so the rest of the world would also be interested in why this was happening.

7. How much does the audience know about the topic?

In my opinion, the British kind of knew what was going on. But the document clearly laid forth everything so there would be absolutely no confusion. This also helped the rest of the world, who might not have been informed.

8. Will the audience expect a particular genre?

Yes. They would not have expected the declaration in a review or a poem.

Purpose:

1. Their motivation for writing was that the people of the US were being taxed and oppressed by the British government.

2. Their primary goal was to become a united country separate from Britain.

3. The goals were very serious so they had to make the document in a serious and firm manner, while still using formal speech.

Stance:

1. There was an objective point of view, stating that Britain had overstepped their bounds. It has an aggravated tone.

2. The Founders wanted to be seen by their audience as capable men and wholly devoted to the matter.

3. They wanted to be firm in the cases they brought forth.

4. Their stance and tone was met with some surprise. It was a bold proclaim. Some people were angry, others celebrated.

Context:

1. What else has been said about this topic, and how does that affect what you will say?

There were many letters and representatives sent to Britain, and this did effect the declaration, especially: "In every stage of these oppressions we have petitioned for redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated petitions have been answered only by repeated injury.”

2. The only time constraint they had was that the sooner they separated, the less they would be oppressed.

3. Because they had such a huge audience and the document held such importance, they really didn't have much freedom as writers.

Medium and Design:

1. For the purpose of claiming independence from another country, The United States used print.

2. Traditional conventions were used because it was basically a formal letter of resignation. It had to be paragraph by paragraph with no room for creative structure.

3. The look most appropriate to their rhetorical situation was serious, stern, and powerful.

4. They didn’t need to include visuals.

5. They didn’t have audio or video.