Running head: CHURCH AND STATE

Separation of Church and State

Daniel Chavira
University of Texas at El Paso
Professor Paul LaPrade
RWS 1302: Rhetoric and Composition 2

Separation of Church and State

Separation between church and state is a topic that has been discussed and
debated since the constitution was written. Different groups in different stages of the
United States history have been intrigued by the location of the wall separating church
and state, that location is always up for discussion. In the late 1700s and early 1800s it
was people such as Thomas Jefferson and Thomas Paine that were accused by their
opponents as being irreligious or even atheists for taking a strong stance on the
prohibition of some religious practices such as fasts or thanksgivings. In the 1900s we
had the famous scope trials in a battle between creationism and evolution for public
school education, later we used the frightening and godless communist movement to
implement the word God into our currency and our pledge of allegiance. Today our
country is going through a type of Christian awakening that has brought the topic of
separation between church and state into the forefront of discussion once again.
The genres being explored in this analysis are typography and iconography. The
web article titled A Wall of Separation written by James Hutson in June of 1998,
examines the letter composed by Thomas Jefferson as a response to the Danbury
Baptists Association regarding the separation between church and state. The author
states that Jeffersons letter is a very important document that clarifies what Jefferson
meant when the first amendment was written. The other genre is represented by a video
lecture titled Constitution Lecture 9: Separation of Church and State, the video was
created and narrated by Shane Killian in March of 2010. The video is very clear as
where it stands in the discussion, and that is that separation between church and state
should always be imposed and protected.

Audience and Purpose

The purpose of the first genre is to inform the reader of the depth of involvement
Thomas Jefferson experienced while drafting the response letter. The reader knows this
by the detailed information that is discussed by the author, the little known fact that
Jefferson consulted two other politicians before submitting his reply demonstrates the
author can offer details that even professionals might not be aware of. There is an
almost unnoticeable level of persuasion towards the end of the article, that conclusion
can lead the reader to accept Jeffersons secular tendencies. The web article is
intended for people with a background in history or law, it is posted in the Library of
Congress website. It does not examine the Baptist letter itself, it only examines
Jeffersons response, which is why it is better understood if the reader has prior
knowledge of the subject and its origins. Informing the audience is the main purpose of
the article, using modern technology to discover corrections and omitted passages in
the original draft can be particularly convincing to a person being introduced to the
discoveries the author discusses. Using formal language throughout the article is
appropriate since it is an investigative piece for the Library of Congress. There is some
specialized language and phrases that may be geared towards historians, there are
also some references to past legal cases that only people with a legal background may
be able to be familiar with. The author is aware of the brief space allotted for his article
and omits details that the reader must possess for them to be able to understand the
article.
The other genre, a video in youtube, discusses a basic introduction to the first
amendment of the constitution, and concentrates on the freedom of religion and free

exercise thereof. The video presents itself as informative but is incapable of restricting
itself of opinions, it is apparent within the first two minutes of the video what Mr. Killians
position is on the topic. He attempts to persuade the audience throughout the video
unapologetically and rarely presents the other point of view, when he does, it is a brief
reference that is followed by a longer and more detailed response. The video is
intended for a younger audience or an audience that is being introduced to the topic,
they are not expected to have extensive knowledge of the subject. Mr. Killians purpose
is clear from the beginning, to inform and convince the viewer that there is no middle
ground when it comes to the separation between church and state, he presents valid
arguments to support his point of view but fails to represent the opposite view as a
strong adversary, he instead uses a caricature version of the opposition which weaken
his own arguments. The language or format is formal enough to be seen as educational,
but too opinionated and brief to be taken seriously. Perhaps if the author had made a
longer video he would have had the opportunity to present a reasonable opposition to
deconstruct. The two genres differ in their intended audience and their purpose. The
typographic genre is for a professional and educated audience with the purpose to
inform. The iconographic genre is for a young audience or can be used as an
introduction on the topic of separation between church and state, the purpose is to
persuade the audience to the authors point of view.
Rhetorical Issues
Both genres appeal to their intended audience by implementing methods their
audience can relate too. There is never any doubt as to what the intentions of each
genre is trying to accomplish.

Ethos
The first genre has no difficulty establishing credibility, it was written by the
curator of a major history exhibition at the Library of Congress and is published in the
librarys website. The Library is assisted by the FBI using state of the art technology to
restore omitted words from the letter written by Thomas Jefferson. With the author being
an expert in the subject and being assisted by reliable organizations, the article can be
easily accepted as a credible resource on the subject. The second genre was created
by a member of the Libertarian Party of North Carolina with no background in the topic,
the video has difficulty establishing credibility because it does not use any experts and it
feels too much like an opinion piece. The video does present well known facts that can
be easily verified and can validate the educational value it offers.
Pathos
By relying in experts and modern technology, the first genre does not have the
necessity to use emotions to gain appeal. Other than trying to channel Thomas
Jeffersons experience during this time, the article stays away from any sentiments that
may persuade the reader to agree with the author. The video uses passive phrases or
words to create a bias towards the creators opinions, words such as irrelevant are
used after the opinion of the opposite view is mentioned. He also uses modus ponens (if
p then q) arguments that are simplistic in nature and can be easily misunderstood by an
audience that is not informed. The video does not use direct arguments that create
emotions, but it does use subtle language to lead the viewer to a conclusion.

Logos
The topic of separation between church and state does not lend itself to a
statistical argument, history facts can prove more helpful for the topic and both genres
use them well. The web article uses evidence that is difficult to refute because it is
provided by experts and supported by scientific research. The video succeeds by
presenting well known declarations of the constitution or by presenting quotes from
famous history personalities that are accepted by the general public. The audience the
video is intended for can easily be persuaded by those idioms and can be unaware of
the opinion based sentences the author uses in part of the video.
Structure and Delivery
The structure and delivery of both genres were efficient if we consider who they
were intended for. By using formal language and a text lead format with minimal
illustrations, the structure of the first genre presents itself as a scholarly study and
makes it difficult for the reader to refute any declarations the article presents. The
delivery has a serious tone with little space left for any personal opinions the author may
have. The second genre displays an Old English text style that blends in well with the
subject and adds illustrations that supplement context. The narration is clear and
engaging, it holds the interest of the viewer throughout the video. The only similarities
the two genres have are the topic and the mention of the Danbury Baptists Association
letter. The most significant difference is the lack of opinion in one genre and the
persistent indirect opinions on the other.

Conclusion
The genres were successful in achieving their purpose. The first genre was
written in a way that can be appreciated by professionals or people that know about the
subject, but can prove difficult to read by people that are being introduced to the topic or
have minimal familiarity with the subject. The second genre has a populist impression
that can be accepted by the masses that are interested in the topic. If there is no further
research conducted by the person that views the presentation, it can sow a lasting
impression on the subject that is not inaccurate but rather incomplete, and may result in
an unfounded opinion on the topic. The reader or viewer should be responsible and
conscious of the level of knowledge one possesses and also know difference between
informative and opinion based genres.

References
Hutson, J. (1998, June). A Wall of Separation. Library of Congress. Retrieved February
2, 2016, from http://www.loc.gov/loc/lcib/9806/danbury.html
Killian, S (2010, March 26). Constitution Lecture 9: Separation of Church and State
[Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWBG8byqqUI