Assertion #10

          The general assertion made by the author, Mather, is almost like a warning warning. The warning is an acknowledgment. Acknowledged because the author is aware of the witch's emergence. He is directly talking to the witches, they're his audience "Ye monsters of the bubbling deep". He is basically saying to the witches that their existence is now known and no longer a secret.
          This assertion is supported by the author's use of imagery, allusion, and ethos. Ethos is used when Mather presents his assertion in a manner like that of a witch's chant, suggesting that he knows what they sound like; which builds credibility for himself. An allusion was used when Mather referenced the witches' maker, the devil. Imagery was present throughout the text " Up from the sands ye coddlings peep".

Assertion #9

        The general assertion being made by Winthorp is to prevent failure by striving to always do the best. To prevent failure is to prevent shame. His speech is like that of a pep talk but with a hint of fear. "We shall...cause their prayers to be turned into curses." The audience are Puritans and they are traveling by boat from Europe to America and during the trip was when Winthorp delivers his speech. This was written at time around Shakespeare hence the complex and old fashioned diction.

        To support his assertion, the author uses rhetorical devices diction, simile, comparison and imagery. Diction plays a big part in giving the reader the setting of the time this speech was written; the diction is old fashioned and proper, not grammar-wise however. There is a simile present within the first line, "...we must Consider that we shall be as a City upon a Hill.". The comparison is made within that first line as well. Imagery is abundant throughout the text, "we shall open the mouths of enemies to speak evil ways of god" Furthermore, the author's purpose behind this speech is that he and and the Puritans have been given a second chance, moving from Europe to America, we wants them to do best and give their all so that they may not fall back to their shame like in Europe.

Assertion #8

          The general assertion that Plato makes in his quote is that he is challenging the reader to question basically everything. In literalness, the author is generally questioning whether we are awake or sleeping but the whole quote extends beyond that. Metaphorically, Plato is challenging the reader, "How can you prove..." Plato made this quote have simple and not complex yet, there are hidden messages in his one-lined quote.
          The author supports his assertion with the rhetorical devices of diction, paradox and rhetorical questioning. The whole quote is a paradox, because the text initially comes off as absurd but still there is still truth to it. The diction in this quote is not difficult, making it readable for the reader. The whole quote also comes off as a rhetorical question for the author actually asks the reader the question "How can you prove whether at this moment, we are sleeping, and all our thoughts are a dream..." Furthermore, Plato is challenging the reader to question things, to consider if the impossible is in fact possible.

Assertion #7

          Chief Joseph makes an assertion expressing his weariness and grief. Grief for all who have died and weariness for all the fighting. He displays his feelings through his surrendering speech. Already within the first few sentences, the author does not take his time to introduce his problem; he is blunt and straight to the point "I am tired of fighting". His long list of deaths is the another reason for why he felt the way he did. It is painfully understandable as to why Chief Joseph surrendered.
           To support his assertion, the author uses rhetorical devices syntax, diction and pathos. The sentences the author uses are short and not so lengthy. Plus almost at the end of every sentence is the mentioning of a death, thus deeming itself more rememberable to the reader. Because English is Chief Joseph's second language, the diction in this speech is simple and not complex. However, when the text is simple, it is more easy for the reader to intercept his message. Metaphoric language is also used, "...my heart is sick and sad...From where the sun now stands I will fight no more forever. The author also attempts to appeal to the audience's emotions by mentioning little children freezing to death.

Assertion #6

          The assertion made by John Lame Fire Deer implies how unjust he and his people were treated. Treated unjustly as in how he and his people were deemed unworthy to be labeled "civilized people". All simply because they had no prisons, no written laws, no money that could differenciate them between each other, no locks or keys. They did not have these things because they did not have a need for them. John Lame Deer and his people took care of one another. The white people say otherwise.
          For the author to get his message across, he uses rhetorical devices, verbal irony and satire. Deer mentions how he would not know how he and his tribe would manage were it not for the white people and their "fundamental teachings", that the white people, in a way, saved them. This is satire, ridiculing how the white people's fundamental teachings are what ruined his tribe. There is verbal irony as well when Deer says "we were really in bad shape before the white people arrived". Furthermore the Native Americans because they lived differently than the white people's lifestyles were "corrected" to live the right "civilized" way of life.

Assertion #5

          James Baldwin's assertion from his quote is that everybody is guilty, thus we should move on from that guilt and leave it in the past. More specifically, Baldwin suggests that being guilty for something that happened in the past is a waste of time; "Guilt is a luxury that we can no longer afford." Baldwin is basically saying, "Even though me or you did not do anything, we are still to blame. Now that we have established that nobody but everybody is to blame, let us move on."
          The author supports his assertion through the rhetorical device of tone. The author's tone is very blunt and serious. For example in his quote he does not sugar coat anything, he directly calls you out. "You are responsible for it". He does not call you out in a bad way because he calls himself out too, establishing a connection that this concerns everybody.

Assertion #1

          John Green is a well known writer for books. His books are very famous. One of those famous books being "Let It Snow". Green makes a statement about America from an excerpt in that book. Initially, the quote comes off as sarcastic and not serious however there is message. The author makes the general assumption that the American Dream is just a myth or as it is, a dream. A dream however that Americans try to live up to. The American Dream being going to school, graduating from school, white picket and all that jazz.
          In the eyes of John Green, this dream is absurd, ridiculous, foolish. Green delivers this message through rhetorical devices satire and verbal irony. Both devices are expressed strongly in this text, "When my parents left Korea with nothing but the clothes on their back...they had a dream...a dream that one day...their son would lose his virginity to a cheerleader in the woman's bathroom..."  Surely no one wants their son to lose his version this way hence the verbal irony. Humor is present in the text which proves the text's satire. Furthermore, Green asserts that the American Dream, though many people try to live it, is just a dream.

Assertion #4

          Tupac Shakur was famous rapper that died unfortunately. His songs and poems were very famous. One of his famous poems being "The Rose That Grew From the Concrete". In this poem, Tupac talks about the admiration a rose gets from growing from the concrete. He compares himself to the rose and argues that he does not get the same admiration that that rose gets despite their same situation. Tupac's message is that America in general is already fixed on the views of people coming from the same background as him.
          Shakur delivers this message by the use rhetorical devices juxtaposition, metaphors and hypophora. An object that stands out metaphorically speaking and physically is called juxtaposition. In this case the rose growing out of the concrete is the juxtaposition. A metaphor was present when Shakur then says that he himself is that rose, the rose that still grew despite coming from a hard background. To prove his point further, Shakur asks the reader why he does not get the same praise the rose does and gives the reader an indirect answer, "...so why is it that when you see a ghetto kid grow out of the dirtiest circumstance...all you can talk about is my dirty rose, my dirty stems and how I am leaning crooked to the side. You can't even see that I've come up from out of that."

Assertion #3

          Everybody has different views on things ;and through the eyes of Elie Wiesel, a Holocaust survivor, his views are very different. The author asserts that indifference is the real opposite of every action. An example of this is Love and Hate. Loving and hating are both passionate emotions; they both require feeling, the opposite would be to not feel: indifference. In his quote of indifference, he mentions well-known "opposites" but claims that they are really not opposites. An example of this would be "The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference." Behind these simple words is a strong message.

          Wiesel gets his message across through the uses of syntax, shift and epistrophe. At the end of each line in his quote, it ends with, "it's indifference" causing it to be more rememberable to the reader. That is called epistrophe. The syntax of phrases with epistrophe will allow the reader to create a chain of some sort in their minds. On the last part of the quote however the author switches it up and writes, "but indifference between life and death". This is called a shift, a shift in the syntax. A break in the chain will make the phrase stand out more to the reader.

Assertion #2

          Bill Bryson is an American essayist that wrote his assertion for America. In the beginning of the text, it is believed that Bryson is a proud American with great national pride for the country, however it is shortly revealed that he is actually ashamed to be an American. Bryson initially started listing all the things that make America great; the delicious food, our government, our wealth, power, our great sporting events, big cars, all that jazz; then in less than 15 words, he exposes his humiliation for America.
          Through the art of rhetorical devices and writing styles, Bryson misleads the reader, adding a twist to the text. The use of diction aided the uncovering of the author's shame. With one word, seditious, he has made the reader realize his true feelings. Another rhetorical device the author uses is syntax. Syntax means sentence structure and that could mean shifts in the text. In this case, the author's twist was the shift from "Yeah 'Murica!" to "Boo America".