Rhetorical Analysis Of Cotton Mather

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Recommended: Religion in colonial America

S.O.A.P.S.Tone: Cotton Mather
Speaker: Throughout the document the narrator differs; it shifts between a historian, Cotton Mather, and the numerous people who testified against Martha Carrier.
Cotton Mather was a male minister, prolific author, puritan, and pamphleteer. He attended the Harvard College, lived in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and had quite a drastic shift of emotions and dilemmas. He’s also most notably known for his influences with the Salem Witch Trials. With this information, I could assume that his writing would be heavily based on religious ideals and ethics; which is influenced by him being a Puritan and the Salem Witch Trails.
Occasion: Due to the varying authors, the document could have different occasions. From the …show more content…

Cotton Mather and the testimonies audiences are the colonist and Puritans. The historian’s audience are students from the ages of 15 and older; due to the understanding of history and religious events. The audience of Cotton Mather’s sermon and the testimonies are likely male and female colonist from the ages 20 and older. The language of Mather’s sermon is similar to the old European speech. Mather’s sermon and the testimonies evoke the ideals of Hell through the presence of the devil and witches. The historian alludes to the times of the conquering of the New World and the Great …show more content…

It conveys the emotions of bewilderment, misery, terror, and grief. Applying this document to the 21st century, it seems chaotic. I felt confused to why Cotton Mather caused anxiety among the colonist. Looking at his history of Mather and the descriptions of witches; he could simply be identified as a witch. Mather had three wives; two died and one went crazy. He also had fifteen children; only two of them lived to witness their father’s death. With his wavering emotions and mentality, he thought that the devil was corrupting his life. Hence, why he stated he felt the devil’s presence in the colonies. He tried to convict other people as witches, trying to find some sense to why he always felt disheartened and dejected in the

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