Assertion Analysis #8

“For we must Consider that we shall be as a City upon a Hill, the eyes of all people are upon us; so that if we shall deal falsely with our god in this work we have undertaken and so cause him to withdraw his present help from us, we shall be made a story and a byword through the world, we shall open the mouths of enemies to speak evil of the ways of god and all professors for Gods sake; we shall shame the faces of many of gods worthy servants, and cause their prayers to be turned into Curses upon us till we be consumed out of the good land whether we are going."- John Winthorp

John Winthrop explains in his assertion on how all eyes are set on them, the puritans and their religion. He explains that god himself has everyone put an eye out on them for if they do any bad-doings then God can withdraw himself from them. They are the chosen ones from God, and they have to follow all of God's orders as stated in the bible. The people have started to speak bad of the Puritan religion since the "chosen ones" have made everything questionable. The people no longer pray with them, they now curse at them. They oppose the Puritans, the servants of God.
In his quotation Winthrop uses connotation, tone and an extended metaphor. He uses an extended metaphor with the "City upon a Hill" in comparison to the church. The church is at the very top and everyone's eyes are set on it. If the church were to do bad, then everyone will see and oppose the church and its followers.  His tone throughout the assertion is serious, expressing to the audience that he truly believes in the church and God, and that there are those who oppose it. Winthrop has negative connotation throughout his quotation from the use of negative words such as "withdraw" "curses" and "falsely." His negative connotation expresses his feelings on how bad things could go if something bad were to happen to the church and things go wrong.