Question

Read the excerpt from the Declaration of Independence.

And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the Protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

Which statement best describes the use of rhetorical appeals in the excerpt?

The excerpt relies on pathos by offering high praise to the document’s authors.
The excerpt relies on pathos by making strong emotional claims.
The excerpt relies on logos by referencing other historical texts.
The excerpt relies on logos by explaining the reasoning behind the document

Answer 1

The excerpt relies on pathos by making strong emotional claims.

Step-by-step explanation:

Pathos appeal emotions. It is a way of convincing an audience by eliciting emotions in the audience.

Thomas Jefferson's "Declaration of Independence" makes several appeals to audience's emotions. This excerpt relies heavily on pathos

"we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor." are all appealing emotions of the audience.

Other two closely related rhetoric techniques to convince an audience are;

1: Logos: The use of logic to convince an audience.

2: Ethos: Trying to convince an audience by appealing to ethics.