Literary Devices In The Declaration Of Independence

The Declaration of Independence is an important document in the history of the United States of America. The Declaration of Independence was drafted by Thomas Jefferson, who was nominated by peers such as John Adams, and was edited by the Congress to then be adopted on July 4, 1776. The goal of this document, at the time, was “to dissolve the political bands” that Britain, ruled by King George III, had on the colonies of America (Jefferson 340). Although the Declaration of Independence is a powerful document, it is important to identify the use of literary devices within, that aid in its supremacy. Within the document, it is certain that King George III, was an unjust and tyrannical king. Thomas Jefferson carefully chose his words (diction)

It is important to bring to light the reasons for such repetition. Lucas states, “Each word it chosen and placed to achieve maximum impact” (Lucas 2). The list of charges against King George is surprisingly nonviolent in that “the tone of the works selected to address certain subjects constitutes a meaningful indication of the elevated moral character of the authors and their audience and, as such, is as much an intended teaching of the written work as are the subjects addressed” (Sorenson 223). Even though the king is unjust and cruel, Mr. Jefferson remains reserved in his choice of words as to not disrupt “elevated and refined moral sensibilities of the authors and the audience” says Sorenson (223). Alliteration in the piece including “British brethren”, “time to time,” “common kindred” etc. is “fortified by the heavy repetition of medial and terminal consonants” and “contributes greatly to harmony, cadence and eloquence of the Declaration” (Lucas7). Repetition plays a large role in making the Declaration easy to read and helps with the flow of verbiage giving the power not to the document itself, but to Mr. Jefferson and the skill of