The Wordy Shipmates Chapter Summary

Eras Book Reporting Form
AP English Language and Composition

Name: Hadley Cabitto Date: October 26, 2015 Period: 5
Book Title: The Wordy Shipmates Genre: Non-Fiction
Original Publication Date: October 7, 2008 Your Edition’s Publication Date: 2008
Author: Sarah Vowell Number of Pages: 250

Brief Summary and Arrangement of the Book: The Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell is a telling of the Puritans during the 17th and 18th centuries. She uses witty one liners and immense sarcasm to explain the division between groups of Puritans. She also uses examples from important documents and events to illustrate the contrast in the groups reactions.
Arrangement: This book did not have chapters but it did have a structure. When topics switched she would use large bolded capital letters. There

She states many times throughout this book that she is a “big nerd” when it comes to the puritans and when you truly care about something you want to share it.
Logos: Vowell uses a subtle use of logos throughout this book. Vowell uses quotes like, ““But we want getting into heaven to be hard! Said the puritans. And not for everybody!” (Vowell 7) to show how the Puritans thought during this time. With The Great Awakening in full swing it’s easy to see how the Puritans were so easily “brainwashed” in the late 18th century.
Pathos: Pathos is also used subtly in Vowell’s book. She uses powerful quotations from people like John Cotton to pull parallels from there words and make you understand how the Puritans were feeling.
Ethos: You see ethos many times throughout Vowell’s story. She uses many historical references to notable people like Martin Luther King and Henry VIII. Vowell gives her explanation and her opinion and then adds the quotation to back her up. She does this many times throughout this story. For example her use of the Winthrop family