Text: The Language of Literature by McDougal Littell (153) or print out and annotate the following PDF: https://www.cusd80.com/cms/lib/AZ01001175/Centricity/Domain/971/sinners.pdf
Scholars:
This sermon is the most famous in Puritan literature, preached by Jonathan Edwards in Enfield, Connecticut on July 8, 1741, during the Great Awakening, a religious revival that lasted from 1734-1750. You may also have heard of George Whitefield, another famous preacher from that time period.
While you read, I want you to consider SOAPS and the rhetorical devices, structural elements, and content that Edwards uses to persuade his audience. For each of the following techniques, find textual evidence/examples (cite page numbers and sections of the page) to use during class discussion. Be sure to elaborate on why the specific quotes/examples are effective. Analysis is the WHY and HOW.
Please number your responses to the items below. Please type the bulleted item you are referring to, followed by your example and explanation. Type your answers in a Word document, MLA format. I may ask you to upload your work. (You need only have one example for each item. When appropriate, quote from the text with a citation--page number or paragraph number. Do not be vague in your answers.)
If you see a term below that you do not know, use Google to find the definition and an example. Record those definitions and examples in your notes so you have them for the future.
The title within your MLA document should be: Analysis of "Sinners".
You should know that you are allowed to shorten/abridge titles.
Write down sections of the text that you found especially powerful. Explain why. Also write down any questions you have. Look up words you don't know.
Write down any other comments that you want to make, any other techniques that you find effective (you need not know the term; explain in your own words).
- Main argument
- Purpose
- Loaded language
- Figurative language
- Repetition
- Emotional appeals
- Logical appeals (remember that what may seem illogical to us, may have seemed logical to the Puritans; think time, place, and worldview).
- Cadence
- Vivid Imagery
- Rhetorical questions
- Ad hominem attacks
- Bandwagon technique
- Analogy
- Anaphora
- Personification
- Shifts
- Theme(s)
- Problem/solution organization--What is the problem? What is the solution? Where does the shift take place between presenting the problem and offering a solution?
Write down sections of the text that you found especially powerful. Explain why. Also write down any questions you have. Look up words you don't know.
Write down any other comments that you want to make, any other techniques that you find effective (you need not know the term; explain in your own words).
Link: Consider how the emotional appeal of fear is used in our culture. Cite examples. Why is appealing to fear in an audience so effective? Or why not? Be specific. "Specificity is key."
