Question

selection 1: address to the continental congress, by samuel adams
historical speech: this passage is an excerpt from a speech given by samuel adams to the continental congress in philadelphia on august 1, 1776. the continental congress signed the declaration of independence on the very next day.
we have now no other alternative than independence, or the most ignominious and galling servitude. the legions of our enemies thicken on our plains, desolation and death mark their bloody career, whilst the mangled corpses of our countrymen seem to cry out to us as a voice from heaven. ... 5 “has our blood been expended in vain? is the only reward which our constancy, till death, has obtained for our country, that it should be sunk into a deeper and more ignominious vassalage?” ... our union is now complete; our constitution composed, established, and approved. you are now the guardians of your own liberties. we may justly address you, as the decemviri did the romans, and say, “nothing that we propose, can pass into a law without your consent. be yourselves, o americans, the authors of those laws on which your happiness depends.”
you have now in the field armies sufficient to repel the whole force of your enemies. ... the hearts of your soldiers beat high with the spirit of freedom; they are animated with the justice of their cause, and while they grasp their swords can look up to heaven for assistance. your adversaries are composed of wretches who laugh at the rights of humanity, who turn religion into derision, and would, for higher wages, direct their swords against their leaders or their country. go on, then, in your generous enterprise, with gratitude to heaven for past success, and confidence of it in the future. for my own part, i ask no greater blessing than to share with you the common danger and common glory. if i have a wish - it is - that these american states may never cease to be free and independent.

question 3.
what rhetorical device does adams use in the second paragraph of selection 1 (lines 8-12), and how does it support his position?
a.
rhetorical device: asyndeton — “our union is now complete; our constitution composed, established, and approved.”
what it adds: clarifies the relationship between the union and individual colonies
b.
rhetorical device: metaphor — “you are now the guardians of your own liberties.”
what it adds: highlights the vigilance of americans by comparing them to sentries in a fortress
c.
rhetorical device: parallelism — “our union is now complete; our constitution composed, established, and approved.”
what it adds: emphasizes how far the colonists have already come toward establishing independence
d.
rhetorical device: simile — “you are now the guardians of your own liberties.”
what it adds: emphasizes the seriousness of american affairs by comparing them to an episode in ancient roman history

Explanation:

The question asks about the rhetorical device in lines 8-12 of Samuel Adams' speech: "Our Union is now complete; our Constitution composed, established, and approved." Parallelism uses similar grammatical structures for emphasis. Here, "Our Union is now complete" and "our Constitution composed, established, and approved" have parallel phrasing, reinforcing the completion of both the Union and Constitution.

Answer:

C. Rhetorical Device: parallelism — "Our Union is now complete; our Constitution composed, established, and approved." What It Adds: emphasizes how far the colonists have already come toward establishing independence