Rhetorical Analysis Help:

Transcription

1 Rhetorical Analysis Help: Understanding metaphorical language and its effectiveness in Jonathon Edward s sermon Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God Prompt: Edwards s sermon is rich in figurative language, especially in his descriptions of hell. Choose one or two powerful metaphors from the text and in an well formed academic paragraph, write an analysis of their effectiveness and how they serve Edwards s purpose in the sermon as a whole. This will be an in-class writing assignment, and today serves as preparation for it. (Normally, for timed writes on test, this prep would take 15 minutes, and then you d want to spend the rest of the time writing.) Reminder of how arguments are effective, through Aristotelian appeals: Pathos:"an"appeal"to"the"audience s"emotions,"imagination,"and"emotions" Logos:"the"logic"of"the"argument,"clarity"of"the"claims,"and"effectiveness"of"evidence" Ethos:"an"appeal"to"credibility"(of"the"speaker"or"of"others),"and"of"ethics/"moral"issues" " You will chart evidence of pathos, logos, and ethos on your SOAPSTone chart as we look over the sermon again.

2 Then, consider the following brainstorming/reflection questions: 1. Based on our class findings, how strong was each Aristotilian appeal, on a scale of 1-10: Pathos: Logos: Ethos: 2. Is it always essential for an argument to be perfectly balanced with pathos, logos, and ethos? Why or why not? 3. Consider the overall ideas presented in Edward s sermon. Consider that the New England population of the mid 1700 s was made almost entirely of Puritans, people who regularly attended church, studied the Bible devoutly, and believed wholeheartedly in the existence and power of God. Also consider individuals characterized in The Scarlet Letter, first how their behavior is driven, and then how they lived hypocritical lives and perhaps did not adhere perfectly to God s intentions for them. With this in mind, which rhetorical appeal(s) would be most persuasive for such people? 5. What are some of the most powerful metaphors presented in Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God? How do these match up with the rhetorical appeal(s) you listed in #4? How else are these metaphors purposeful and powerful? List at least four, with brief notes.

3 Task One: Thesis formation. Components to include: TAG (Title, author, genre, in any order) Aristotelian appeal (from #1 above) Rhetorical device examples (from #5 above) finally, your opinion on whether Edward s is truly effective at moving his audience to think a certain way. Topic Sentence Frames: In his, Jonathan Edwards utilizes option one ending: in order to effectively, causing. Option two ending: but does so ineffectively, as [explain why his use of metaphors and development of the rhetorical device you have selected would not be effective for this particular Puritan audience]:.

4 Task Two: Finding support and quotations for TWO details Use the excerpt of text from Jonathan Edward s speech Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God in order to find ONE supporting quotation for EACH metaphor (rhetorical strategy) you listed. When writing these quotations down, provide proper CONTEXT and a LEAD-IN. When considering context, list a possible reason why the strategy is used (either implied or explicitly stated by you) as well as the locational context (where in the sermon the quotation you choose is located, by way of a small summary of what he is saying that that moment). ex: Just before Edwards provides an application to his listeners of his sermon, he utilizes frighteningly vivid imagery in the form of a metaphor, warning that, for those who do not repent and turn to Christ, the devil is waiting for them, hell is gaping for them (4)

5 Task Three: Considering Commentary for Quotations Now, it is up to you to create FOUR questions for each quotation that help spur deeper thought/ commentary. Here is a model for my model quotation included in the previous page: Questions 3 &4 should always point back to A RHETORICAL APPEAL (pathos, logos, ethos) and the AUTHOR S OVERALL PURPOSE (Remember your focus!) 1. For Puritans specifically, why might the image of an actual devil place fright in their minds? 2. For Puritans who have themselves, or have had ancestors travel across the perils of the Atlantic ocean, why might the imagery of hell as gaping be particularly impactful? 3. How deep, specifically, is the fear that would be created in the minds of the reader based on this specific imagery? 4. Most importantly, would this specific inclusion of this metaphor be impactful upon the Puritans or not? Your questions (use comment feature on Adobe, or the text feature with a small font) "