Jonathan Edwards Sinners in the hands of an angry god ENGAGE YOUR STUDENTS WHILE ANALYZING IMAGERY AND WORD CHOICE GREAT AS PRE- READING FOR THE CRUCIBLE
READ THIS FIRST Thank you for purchasing my materials for Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God. I use this as pre-reading for The Crucible, but this activity could be used in an American Literature course or in any ELA course as a part of a persuasive texts and/or writing unit. In this mini bundle, you will find the following: 2 quickwrites, one for each day Sinners Imagery Graphic Organizer Sinners Word Choice Analysis and Evaluation PLANS DAY 1: 1. Students complete quickwrite 2. Class discussion of quickwrite 3. Students listen to audio excerpt of Sinners and complete Sinners Imagery Graphic Organizer {audio is not included, but there are some great audio reenactments on YouTube} 4. Students complete questions on the back of the graphic organizer 5. IF TIME: Class discussion of questions on the back of the graphic organizer DAY 2: 1. Students complete quickwrite 2. Class discussion of quickwrite with an emphasis on word choice and tone; students can share quickwrites, if desired 3. Students complete Sinners Word Choice Analysis and Evaluation 4. IF TIME: Class discussion of last question on the worksheet
QUICKWRITE DAY 1: Jonathan Edwards, an infamous Puritan preacher/writer, described God as one who holds you over the pit of hell, much as one holds a spider, or some loathsome insect over the fire. What does this tell us about the Puritans relationship with their God? How would you feel if this were preached to you?
QUICKWRITE DAY 2: Write one paragraph emulating the Sinners sermon. You should use your own imagery, word choice, and style, but your mini-sermon should have the same tone and purpose. Keep it appropriate, but have fun and be creative!
Name: Date: Period: Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God Jonathan Edwards Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God is often known as the most famous sermon delivered on American soil throughout all of history. It s famous or shall we say, infamous for its fiery, intimidating tone and effective use of imagery. Before we analyze the text, we will listen to an audio reenactment of the original sermon and focus on imagery. Your task is simple: 1. LISTEN CAREFULLY 2. Draw the images that come to mind. 3. Jot down your feelings and thoughts. Images Feelings & Thoughts
Analysis & EVA:UATION 1. What is the tone of this sermon? How does imagery contribute to the tone? Explain. 2. What is the most powerful image Edwards employs, and what is its effect (how does it make you feel)? Explain. 3. Many people in Edwards original audience were said to have fainted and cried during parts of the sermon. Which parts do you think would have evoked this kind of emotional response? Explain. 4. What is Edward s message to sinners? What does he wish to teach sinners?
Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God Excerpt from Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, Jonathan Edwards The God that holds you over the pit of hell, much as one holds a spider, or some loathsome insect over the fire, abhors you, and is dreadfully provoked: his wrath towards you burns like fire; he looks upon you as worthy of nothing else, but to be cast into the fire; he is of purer eyes than to bear to have you in his sight; you are ten thousand times more abominable in his eyes, than the most hateful venomous serpent is in ours. You have offended him infinitely more than ever a stubborn rebel did his prince; and yet it is nothing but his hand that holds you from falling into the fire every moment. It is to be ascribed to nothing else, that you did not go to hell the last night; that you was suffered to awake again in this world, after you closed your eyes to sleep. And there is no other reason to be given, why you have not dropped into hell since you arose in the morning, but that God's hand has held you up. There is no other reason to be given why you have not gone to hell, since you have sat here in the house of God, provoking his pure eyes by your sinful wicked manner of attending his solemn worship. Yea, there is nothing else that is to be given as a reason why you do not this very moment drop down into hell. O sinner! Consider the fearful danger you are in: it is a great furnace of wrath, a wide and bottomless pit, full of the fire of wrath, that you are held over in the hand of that God, whose wrath is provoked and incensed as much against you, as against many of the damned in hell. You hang by a slender thread, with the flames of divine wrath flashing about it, and ready every moment to singe it, and burn it asunder; and you have no interest in any Mediator, and nothing to lay hold of to save yourself, nothing to keep off the flames of wrath, nothing of your own, nothing that you ever have done, nothing that you can do, to induce God to spare you one moment. That God will execute the fierceness of his anger, implies, that he will inflict wrath without any pity. When God beholds the ineffable extremity of your case, and sees your torment to be so vastly disproportioned to your strength, and sees how your poor soul is crushed, and sinks down, as it were, into an infinite gloom; he will have no compassion upon you, he will not forbear the executions of his wrath, or in the least lighten his hand; there shall be no moderation or mercy, nor will God then at all stay his rough wind; he will have no regard to your welfare, nor be at all careful lest you should suffer too much in any other sense, than only that you shall not suffer beyond what strict justice requires. Nothing shall be withheld, because it is so hard for you to bear. Ezek. 8:18. "Therefore will I also deal in fury: mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity; and though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet I will not hear them." Now God stands ready to pity you; this is a day of mercy; you may cry now with some encouragement of obtaining mercy. But when once the day of mercy is past, your most lamentable and dolorous cries and shrieks will be in vain; you will be wholly lost and thrown away of God, as to any regard to your welfare. God will have no other use to put you to, but to suffer misery; you shall be continued in being to no other end; for you will be a vessel of wrath fitted to destruction; and there will be no other use of this vessel, but to be filled full of wrath. God will be so far from pitying you when you cry to him, that it is said he will only "laugh and mock," Prov. 1:25,26, etc. How awful are those words, Isa. 63:3, which are the words of the great God. "I will tread them in mine anger, and will trample them in my fury, and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment." It is perhaps impossible to conceive of words that carry in them greater manifestations of these three things, viz. contempt, and hatred, and fierceness of indignation. If you cry to God to pity you, he will be so far from pitying you in your doleful case, or showing you the least regard or favour, that instead of that, he will only tread you under foot. And though he will know that you cannot bear the weight of omnipotence treading upon you, yet he will not regard that, but he will crush you under his feet without mercy; he will crush out your blood, and make it fly, and it shall be sprinkled on his garments, so as to stain all his raiment. He will not only hate you, but he will have you in the utmost contempt: no place shall be thought fit for you, but under his feet to be trodden down as the mire of the streets.
Name: Date: Period: ANALYZING WORD CHOICE 1. As a class, we discussed the purpose of this sermon, concluding that Edwards sought to instill fear in his audience in the hopes that the damned sinners would wake up and reform their immoral ways. We also discussed his harsh, intimidating, and condemning tone. The tone helps accomplish his purpose of instilling fear, but how does Edwards CREATE that tone through language? Examine Edwards word choice by identifying the following: (You should be searching for powerful words/phrases with very negative connotations, since that is what helps accomplish his purpose and create his tone) a. 5 powerful verbs: b. 5 powerful adjectives: c. 5 powerful nouns: d. 5 powerful phrases of imagery: EVALUATION & APPLICATION 2. There is no doubt that Edwards fiery sermon did instill fear and create hysteria among its original audience. The sermon continues to intimidate listeners and readers today. Certainly, Edwards succeeded in his scare tactics. But do you think his scare tactics actually accomplished his real goal improving the morality of the sinners and prompting religious revival? Are scare tactics still an effective persuasive method in today s world? What are some other alternatives to persuade people, or is fear the best method? Explain thoroughly and be prepared to discuss/defend your answer in class.
HOW Puritan ARE YOU? Engaging magazine-style quiz to help students understand Puritanism before reading The Crucible or other Puritan works PERFECT AS AN INTRODUCTION TO PURITANISM
HOW Puritan ARE YOU? 1. If you don t like someone, what do you do? a. Accuse them of something to get them in trouble, even if it s false b. Gossip about them to friends and family c. I just don t like them, but I don t do anything d. I don t care! I try to tolerate everyone! 2. If someone does not have the same beliefs as you do, what do you do? a. Publically judge and shame them b. Attempt to change their beliefs to mine c. Silently judge them, but keep it to myself d. Respect their beliefs and let them believe what they want 3. How much work do you do on Sundays? a. None whatsoever! Never! b. Just a little bit, but not too much c. Some work, depending on the week d. A lot I don t have time to rest 4. How hard do you work? a. I work hard, 100% of the time, in all things. b. I usually work hard. c. I only work hard if I feel like it. d. Honestly, I m pretty lazy 5. What is your ratio of work to fun? a. All work, no fun b. Work hard, play hard about equal c. I definitely have more fun, even though I still work d. LOL. WHAT IS WORK? #funfordays 6. How many of the Ten Commandments do you know? a. All 10, duh! b. 6-9 c. 3-5 d. 0-2 7. What is the most important part of your life? a. God b. Family c. Friends d. Yourself 8. Do you ever read anything other than the bible? a. Never! Books are from the devil! b. Once in a while, when I m feeling rebellious c. Yes, when I feel like it d. All the time! YOLO! 9. Which of the following best represents your beliefs? a. Predestination b. Fate c. Free will d. Karma 10. What is your preferred form of government? a. Theocracy b. Dictatorship c. Democracy d. Government?! Anarchy! Scoring Guide A = 4 points B= 3 points C= 2 points D= 1 points 33-40 points: Purely Puritan! You re in church every Sunday and judging others who aren t. In fact, you re probably busy accusing others of witchcraft! Congratulations!!! 25-32 points: Partially Puritan! You re not perfect, but you try your best. But still, you re not good enough! #SorryNotSorry 17-24 points: Not pretty pure! People judge you for your sins, so you better watch your back when people start pointing fingers 10-16 points: Ain t nobody got time for Puritanism! You re different from your community, and you d probably be an accused witch. Good luck with that.
Puritanism LEARNING STATIONS Ditch your old introductory PowerPoint for these 4 engaging learning stations to help students learn about the Puritans of Salem PERFECT AS AN INTRODUCTION TO PURITANISM OR THE CRUCIBLE
Puritanism STATION 1: THE PURITAN CODE OF ETHICS Read the following Puritan ethics, or moral guidelines. 1. God comes before everything. 2. One should fear God and his punishments. 3. One should always work hard. 4. Men are above women. 5. Women should always marry and bear children. 6. Vanity is sinful. 7. Religious differences should not be tolerated. 8. One should strive to live a simple life. 9. People must conform to maintain order. 10. People must work together for good of the community. 11. There is no time or place for leisure. 12. Children should be seen and not heard. 13. One should repress individual emotions. 14. Education is important (in order to understand God). 15. Any activity not done for God is sinful. QUESTION: How do these ethics compare to your personal ethics, or moral guidelines? Do you share any ethics with the Puritans? Are there any ethics that are the complete opposite of your moral guidelines or beliefs? Explain the similarities and differences.
Puritanism STATION 2: CITY UPON A HILL SERMON EXCERPT Excerpt from John Winthrop s famous City upon a hill sermon: The Lord will be our God, and delight to dwell among us, as His own people, and will command a blessing upon us in all our ways, so that we shall see much more of His wisdom, power, goodness and truth, than formerly we have been acquainted with. We shall find that the God of Israel is among us, when ten of us shall be able to resist a thousand of our enemies; when He shall make us a praise and glory that men shall say of succeeding plantations, may the Lord make it like that of New England. 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 by-word through the world. We shall open the mouths of enemies to speak evil of the ways of God, and all professors for God s sake. We shall shame the faces of many of God s worthy servants, and cause their prayers to be turned into curses upon us till we be consumed out of the good land whither we are going. QUESTION: What does Winthrop mean by the lines in bold? What do these lines reveal about the Puritans beliefs?
Puritanism STATION 3: BELIEF IN WITCHCRAFT Puritans believed in witchcraft but not in the way we think of witchcraft or witches today. The Puritans strong belief in an omnipotent God also meant an acknowledgement in the Devil s existence. But they didn t merely acknowledge the Devil; the Puritans genuinely believed that he was constantly at work in the world, always looking to corrupt society and individuals. The Puritans thought that an invisible, supernatural world the realm of the Devil coexisted with the physical world. When things went wrong in Puritan society, whether it was disease, natural disasters, or other catastrophes, Puritans believed that the Devil was working among them and that God was punishing them. The constant fear of the Devil infiltrating society and of God punishing the colonists contributed to much paranoia. Whereas God would select the chosen ones who would receive the blessing of salvation, the Devil would hand-pick individuals to carry out his mission to defeat God. These individuals, recruited by the Devil, were who the Puritans considered witches that had formed a pact with the Devil. The Puritans always had their guard up while they wondered if their next-door neighbor or the person in the pews next to them at church could secretly be a witch. Although anyone and everyone could have been afflicted, women were considered to be easily tempted by the Devil and therefore more susceptible to witchcraft. According to the Puritans, afflicted witches in allegiance with the Devil exhibited clear physical symptoms. There were also multiple witch tests that could supposedly be performed to determine if one was a witch. If an individual was accused of witchcraft and did not admit to the crime, he or she was usually hanged. Admitting to the crime of witchcraft would save one s life, but denying the accusations would result in death (usually hanging). It is worth noting that the idea of witchcraft did not originate from the Puritans. In fact, it had been around for centuries, and there were many witch hunts in Europe prior to the Salem incident. QUESTION: There are many theories that attempt to explain the Salem Witch Trials, a tragedy that caused over 200 accusations and 20 deaths. Based upon this information and your own insight, why do you think the Salem Witch Trials occurred?
Puritanism STATION 4: PURITAN THEOLOGY & THEOCRACY The Puritans were a group of English Protestants who thought the Church of England was corrupt and too influenced by the Roman Catholic faith. They wanted to purify the Church of England and return to a more simple faith. Like the Pilgrims, many of the Puritans chose to escape persecution by fleeing to America. (One primary difference between the Pilgrims and the Puritans is that the Pilgrims separated from the church, whereas the Puritans sought to purify it.) The Puritans believed they were personally hand-chosen by God to start a new Puritan lifestyle in North America, as part of a covenant, or agreement, to serve as a model community for the rest of the world. Puritans believed that humans were naturally sinful beings--so sinful, in fact, that they had been born into sin. The Puritans believed in the religious theory of predestination, which means that God has already predetermined, or chosen, who is saved from the beginning. These chosen ones were called the elect. How an individual behaved and lived did not determine if he or she was saved. (However, good behavior was often taken as evidence that the individual might be saved; it just was not a guarantee). The question of one s salvation was entirely in God s hands, and individuals did not have an exact way to know if they were one of the chosen ones, so many Puritans lived in a never-ending state of stress over their fate. Puritans simply had to have faith in God, adhere to the strict Puritan code of ethics, and hope for salvation, knowing that it was up to their all-powerful God. This strong belief in predestination is what theologically set them apart from other branches of Christianity. Because of the Puritan covenant with God and the belief in predestination, conformity and social order was necessary. There was no separation of church and state as we know it. Rather, the Puritans in Massachusetts lived under a theocracy, a government in which God is viewed as the supreme leader. Town authorities were essentially religious authorities, so people were not allowed to question those in charge. To do so would have been like questioning the bible or God himself. QUESTION: Imagine you were born into the Puritan faith. How would you feel about predestination and theocracy? Explain your reaction to both.
Puritanism Station 1: PURITAN CODE OF ETHICS Name: Date: Period: STATIONS: RESPONSE SHEET Who were the Puritans, and what were they like? Station 2: CITY UPON A HILL SERMON EXCERPT Station 3: BELIEF IN WITCHCRAFT Station 4: PURITAN THEOLOGY & THEOCRACY
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