I'm sure there are plenty of you out there who were bored out of your minds while reading the Declaration, but I, for one, was mesmerized. I loved the way the words flowed like poetry and how, even though they're talking about some pretty heavy stuff, it's beautiful. It's so logical and well thought out, not just a lame grade-school tirade about how unfair Britain is.
I also think it's really cool to actually be able to read something like this that has had such a huge impact on us. I've seen the actual document in DC and we've learned about it so many times in History class, but I've never read it all the way through and analyzed it. I think everybody should read it at least once in their lifetime, simply becuase it is so influential and so well written.
It's interesting, too, to think about the writers of this amazing document. I wouldn't even know where to start if I had to write something this important. I have trouble just figuring out what to say for simple school assignments, and I have no idea what I would do if the thing I was writing would change the course of our nation, even the world, forever. How would I even begin? Somehow, the writers of the Declaration must have figured it out, but I'm at a loss how they did it. Not only did they convey their intentions with absolute clarity, but they accompanied them with grace and eloquence. There are few in this world today, if any, who could do what they did.
I hold these writers in the utmost respect. I wish people still wrote like that today, but there is still much to be said for our writers. The styles have changed immensely over the years, but at least this remains the same: People continue to write to revolutionize and to change our world. They write to improve things and to inform and to make a difference. Our causes are still noble (at least, many are) just as they were back in 1776. My hope is that our causes stay noble for as long as we continue to write about them.
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I'm glad you liked the text, Elise. I agree with you: it does do a great job of rendering important (revolutionary, even) ideas in a lyrical, stylish manner.
ReplyDeleteIt makes me wonder if any governmental documents from our era will survive as literature. I can't imagine the 1000-page health care overhaul plan or Kenneth Starr's report on Bill Clinton being studied in a composition class two hundred years from now.
Dear Elise,
ReplyDeleteYou're strange, but I'm okay with that. I love the ideas of the Declaration, obviously, and I found it fairly simple to comprehend; nonetheless, I don't think I would be willing to read it many times just for kicks. I appreciate it, and I think its level of passion surpasses almost every other governmental document out there, though. I did agree with you, however, when you said that you respect these writers--you brought up an awesome point. I don't think people realize what a great sacrifice it was for these men to write this piece. There must have been tremendous pressure on them to get it right, simply for fear of making a mistake that would be detrimental to to the creation of a new country. Great post though, Elise--you brought up a lot of good points that I haven't even thought of.