During Today’s Lesson
 Learn about the continued influence of religious
thought in early American society and its attempt to
answer the questions “What is an American? How
should an American act?” by reading “Sinners in the
Hands of an Angry God” by Jonathan Edwards.
 Identify the purpose and tone of Edwards’ sermon
and explain his use of figures of speech to persuade
his intended audience.
 You will show your learning by:
 Completing a dialectical journal.
 Writing a summary of Edward’s sermon.
Reflection: Fear & Motivation
Many people would agree with Thomas Hobbes that fear is
one of the most powerful motivators of human behavior.
According to this view, fear of punishment makes us follow
laws and instructions.
 TOPIC SENTENCE: Do you agree that fear is the greatest
motivator?
 INTRODUCE EVIDENCE: Why or why not?
 EVIDENCE: Support your answer by providing examples
from your own life and experiences.
 ANALYSIS: How do your examples prove or support your
opinion?
WHAT ARE THE MOST COMMON EARLY
“AMERICAN” LITERARY GENRES?
 Sermons- A talk on a religious or moral subject, esp.
one given during a church service and based on a
passage from the Bible.
 Autobiographies-An account of a person's life
written by that person.
 Political Documents and Treatises: A written work
dealing formally and systematically with ideas about
government and politics.
 Journals/Diaries: Writing which kept a daily record of
events and experiences.
Identify the purpose and tone of Edwards’ sermon and
explain his use of figures of speech to persuade his
intended audience.
Tone: the attitude a writer takes toward the subject of a work
How do authors set the TONE in literature?
 Authors set a TONE or MOOD in literature by
conveying an emotion or emotions through words.
 Objective (Informational) v. Subjective (Emotional)
Tone is dependent on diction (word choice) and style.
TONE TOOL:
Use this to help you identify
specific tone of a text.
Step 1: Is it neutral, positive,
or negative?
Step 2: Go through the list and
find appropriate and specific
word.
Let’s practice…
Predict: What is the tone?
 “So that, thus it is that natural men are held in the hand of God,
over the pit of hell; they have deserved the fiery pit, and are
already sentenced to it; and God is dreadfully provoked.”
 … “and they have done nothing in the least to appease or abate
that anger.”
 … “but look at other things, as the good state of your bodily
constitution, your care of your own life, and the means you use
for your own preservation.”
 “your own care and prudence, and best contrivance, and all your
righteousness, would have no more influence to up hold you and
keep you out of hell, than a spider’s web would have to stop a
fallen rock.”
 If God should only withdraw His hand from the floodgate, it
would immediately fly open, and the fiery floods of the fierceness
and wrath of God, would rush forth with inconceivable fury, and
would come upon you with onmipotent power.
Predict: What is the tone?
 “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…”
 “You are ten thousand times more abominable in His eyes
than the most hateful venomous serpent is in ours.”
 “It is to be ascribed to nothing else, that you did not go to
hell the last night; that you suffered to awake again in this
world, after you closed your eyes to sleep.”
 “…nothing that you can do, to induce God to spare you
one moment…”
Before you watch preview
video, set up circle map.
As you watch video, fill in circle map with important
information about Edwards background.
Jonathan
Edwards
After you watch preview video, use circle map info
to write background paragraph.
Use the following paragraph
frame:
As you watch video, fill in circle map with important
information about Edwards background.
Jonathan
Edwards
_______can be described as
______. He was born
________ and spent most of his
life________. While ________,
he became interested in
________.
Additionally,
________________. His writing
attempts to ______________ by
_______________.
Before you read, consider
our purpose…
Identify the purpose and
tone of Edwards’ sermon and
explain his use of figures of
speech to persuade his
intended audience.
As you read…
st
1
read
 What is Edward’s primary purpose in this sermon? In other
words, what is he trying to accomplish?
 What is his central claim or argument?
 How does he use figurative language or figures of speech
to accomplish his purpose and communicate his argument?
 Figurative Language: Language based on some sort of
comparison that is not literally true. For example, “She
hammered through her homework for three hours.”
 Simile: comparison uses “like” or “as.” i.e. You are like are rose.
 Metaphor: comparison that does not use “like” or “as.” i.e. You are a
rose.
 Personification: gives an object human qualities. The rose waltzes in
the breeze.
As you read… 2nd read
MARGINALIA: Explain your annotations…
* Identify and Summarize main Ideas &
FIGURES OF SPEECH:
i.e. This explains/compares that___.
✔ Respond to Ideas:
i.e. I think/ wonder/ understand/ agree____.
? Clarify questions and confusion:
i.e. I don’t understand ____. What does ___
mean? I wonder why____.
CIRCLE Words that convey tone.
After you read…
 Use your ANNOTATIONS to explain the main
idea of the sermon and identify how Edwards
uses figures of speech and tone to achieve his
intended purpose by…
 Completing the SOAPS with pods
 Analyzing figures of speech & tone through
the Dialectical Journal working with Partners
in Lines of Communication.
 Writing a summary of the text Individually.