All Eyes on Us | Assertion Analysis #8

John Winthrop heavily depended on fear in order to keep the Puritan society.. Puritan. This tactic is seen in his speech to the members of the puritan church on the way to this new world in the 1600s.

Winthrop states that the Puritans "shall be as a City upon a hill, the eyes of all people" will be upon them. In other words, he claims that as they are a new society, everyone will be looking at/to them. As so many people are watching, they "shall shame the faces of many of God's worthy servants,” if they "shall deal falsely with our god in this work" that they have taken. Implying that the members of this society will be punished if they represent their society and “God” improperly. Setting an indirect set of rules, and making the society more strict.

Winthrop also uses allusion to emphasize his ideology in alluding the biblical "City upon a hill". As this is a speech directed to Puritans coming to America, the use of this gives credibility and helps them understand the rules of this society, an effective use of ethos. Also, the assertion is one run-on sentence, leading no room for someone to do anything but pay attention to what Winthrop is saying. Winthrop’s use of syntax helps set up his ideology and authority in this society. Along with that, it is used to incite fear in the Puritans that he is speaking to.

Overall, there is a major emphasis on the use of fear to set up the Puritan society. With the use of allusion, ethos, and syntax, Winthrop was able to instill a fear within the members of Puritan society, and set the rules for this new society in the new world.