Assertion Analysis #8: City Upon a Hill

      During the 1600's, the Puritan sect of Christianity made their way to America, after being booted out of England. Their strict values and way of life became what Puritans have been known for. On the trip to America, John Winthrop used a speech to enforce these strict values. This speech was done in a way to incite fear and order into the Puritan society.
      Winthrop uses mainly religious ideas to create this fear tactic. He says that the Puritans "shall be as a City upon a hill, the eyes of all people . . . upon [them]". They are a new religious society, and have everybody watching them. Because so many people are watching, they "shall shame the faces of many of God's worthy servants", or should be faced with scrutiny, if "[they] shall deal falsely with our god in this work [they] have undertaken". If the people in this society do something wrong, they will be faced with punishment. It seems now that it is a strict society.
      The use of religious ideas in this excerpt also has many techniques to convey Winthrop's ideas. One notable example is the allusion of the "City upon a hill", a biblical reference. As this is a speech directed to Puritans coming to America, Winthrop establishes credibility and context for the Puritans in order to make it easier to understand. In addition, Winthrop makes extensive use of syntax to establish credibility and display his logic on this topic. The excerpt is one long sentence, with no breaks, making the audience want to pay attention to the speaker more. Winthrop is using this to make his statement more clear to the Puritans, and inciting more fear in the process. The connotation of words such as "evil" or "curses" creates an urgent tone for the Puritans, making them do their best.
      This urgent and almost violent speech was meant to instill fear to Puritans. As Winthrop does not use any statistics or ethical approach to this speech, Winthrop is mainly using a pathos way of rhetoric. The Puritans are supposed to feel fear when hearing this speech. Similar to Winthrop of the 1600's, some people today are using fear tactics, even gaining power and leadership status through them.