Before America’s founding
fathers drafted the Declaration of Independence, eloquent speakers, such as
loyalist John Dickinson, expressed their viewpoints on the issue in the form of
a political speech. Through his use of various rhetoric devices, Dickinson
advances his credibility, logic, and emotional appeals to his audience.
Dickinson targeted American
colonists who had been inflamed by promoters of democracy and war with Britain.
In context, King George had expected Americans to pay a fair tax; however, he
did not offer them direct representation in Congress prior to implementing the tariffs.
This perceived misrepresentation angered radicals to demand a political separation
with Britain. Through his speech, Dickinson attempted to persuade the masses
that they were acting in a rash, reckless manner, promoting peaceful relations
between the two countries.
In the beginning half of his
speech, Dickinson relied on pathos and logos in order to dissuade colonists provoked
by revolutionaries to destroy a preexisting form of government. He began his
speech with a rhetorical question to allow the audience to truly consider
whether they have “not enjoyed liberty even under the English monarchy”. He
followed up this question by asking whether colonists should promote a
questionable, unorganized republic which would become “a licentious anarchy and
popular tyranny”. Dickinson warned against rash actions which would ruin the
current stable political environment established under the English monarchy.
Early on in his speech, his emotionally charged language provoked fear in his
audience since “anarchy” and “tyranny” have a strongly negative connotation. Through
forming these introductory points in the form of rhetorical questions, he indicated
that the only logical conclusion would be to agree that revolutionaries are
unfit to create an idealistic democracy. Thus, a revolution would be a costly
detriment. Dickinson further advanced his argument with the use of a logical
analogy. He related the English Parliament with the head of a human body to
emphasize the high significance of the king in sustaining the colonies and
“directing them with admirable harmony”. Similar to how a human cannot function
without a head, Dickinson suggested that the colonies are in need of the king
to implement peace and union. Once again, Dickinson mentioned how American
citizens would not only lose their privileges as free citizens if they engaged
and lost war, they would be treated as “slaves”. His diction allowed him to
exploit his audience’s anger and distress to create a sense of urgency to end
any possibility of war immediately. He further illustrated his point with a
metaphor by stating how “still inexperienced in our infancy”, American
colonialists are not able “to walk without a guide”. Given the fact that the
American colonies were relatively new and had only recently been established as
opposed to England, Dickinson suggested that it cannot withstand the force of a
highly trained and experienced army. He went on to utilize an eponym to
emphasize the incredibly low status and disdain they would receive from other
countries if they lose ,even “the pirates of Africa and Europe”, groups which
American colonists had viewed as inferior.
Towards the end, Dickinson’s tone becomes even
more urgent and his message becomes one of a call to action for colonists to end
war efforts. He achieved this goal through substantiating his credibility and
appealing to his audience’s emotion. He repeatedly made concessions in order to
unite with his audience while furthering his argument. He stated that he was
“aware [independence] has attractions, but maintained that “the friends of
independence are the promoters of slavery”, suggesting that he also believed in
the same ideals as revolutionaries, but did not promote a war which would
ultimately detriment both colonists and their rights as citizens of an imperial
power. He also conceded that it is not an “absolute impossibility” to be able
to defeat England; however, American colonists had a very slim chance.
Dickinson discussed the consequences of losing a provoked war with a tricolon:
“they will blame, they will detest our recourse to independence, and they will
unite with one consent to combat us”. The repetition of “they will” emphasized
the disadvantages of engaging in war as well as the certainty with which the
British would carry out their punishments. Dickinson ended his speech with a
confirmation of the validity of his points given his credibility. Through his
repetition of “I know”, he created a mood of conviction which he verified by
“having tried” both forms of government, making him a valid speaker to be able
to assess which form of government would fare better through his extensive
experience. By establishing himself as a valid speaker at the very end of his
speech, Dickinson successfully authenticated all the points he made throughout
the speech.
Throughout the speech,
Dickinson administered a didactic, critical tone in order to foster a sense of
unity with Britain and shame or regret for threatening their peaceful relations
in the audience.
Ultimately, Dickens’ effective use of rhetorical
devices allows him to reach his audience with the three elements of ethos,
pathos, and logos.
