Saint Joan by George Bernard Shaw
LINE #
SECTION OF TEXT
RHETORICAL
STRATEGY
Personal testimony
USEFUL QUOTES
2-3
“If you had seen what I
have seen of heresy”
5-16
Description of how
heresy begins
Juxtaposition
Paradox
Hyperbole
Imagery
“gentle and pious girl”
“may be the founder of heresy
that will wreck both Church
and Empire”
“if not ruthlessly stamped out
in time”
“putting on the garb of
poverty
16-17
“I have seen this again
and again”
Repetition
Personal testimony
EFFECT ON COUNCIL/ARGUMENT
Creates ethos so others will rely on
his experience
Defer to his experience
How Joan was once and is now alerts
the jury to not be fooled by her and
it gives them permission to punish
her”
Creates a fear that she can harm the
Church and must be dealt with
accordingly
Creates ethos so others will rely on
his experience or defer to his
experience
Strategy
17-32
“Mark what I say…mercy
of the Church in dealing
with it.”
Simile
Imagery/allusion
Juxtaposition/paradox
32-37
“For two hundred
years…the interpreters of
god’s will.”
Personification
Deductive reasoning
Derogatory tone
37-42
“You must not
fall…against your natural
compassion.”
Parallel structure
Juxtaposition
Alliteration
Repetition
Quotes
“woman who puts on the
dress of a man is like the man
who…dresses like John the
Baptist”
“like the man who throws off
his fur gown and dresses like
John the Baptist”
“seems innocent …but ends in
monstrous horror of unnatural
wickedness
“diabolical madnesses”
“for 2 hundred years the Holy
Office has striven with these
diabolical madnesses”
“vain and ignorant
persons…taking it upon
themselves to be the
interpreters of God’s will”
“you must not fall into the
common error” and “you must
be on your guard against your
natural compassion”
“believe their diabolical
inspiration is divine”
“diabolical” lines 33, 40, 58
(madnesses 33, inspiration 40,
pride 58)
Effect
People pretending to be someone
they are not – look beyond
appearances for the deceptive
nature of heretics
John the Baptist followed a prophet
some did not believe in so he was
going against the church doctrine
Be wary of Joan’s deceptive
appearance
Heresy takes on a life of its own the
jury can fight against it by punishing
Joan
Nothing new to the church,
Inquisitor knows how to deal with it
so the jury should trust his judgment
Church is only allowed to interpret
God’s will so heretics have
overstepped the boundaries
Equality of how easy it is to think
heretics are merely liars to not
having compassion for them (both
ideas forgive the jury for their
natural kindness)
See past the façade
Draw emotions of jury – anti church
and God word choice focused on all
heretics and specifically Joan
Strategy
Quotes
Effect
42-44
“You are all, I hope,
merciful men: how else
could you have devoted
your lives to the service
of our gentle Savior?”
Rhetorical question
Flattering tone
“devoted your lives to the
Emotional appeal: have served God
service of our gentle Savior”
in the past, must serve God now
“merciful men”,” devoted your
lives “, “service of our gentle
Savior”
44-59
Description of Joan of Arc
Juxtaposition
Paradox
Alliteration
“devilish pride…has left no
mark on her countenance”
“a diabolical pride and a
natural humility seated side by
side in the selfsame soul”
“seated side by side in the
selfsame soul”
Must see past façade; there is evil
within which should lead to
conviction
Draws attention to the duality of
Joan – inner and outer
59-64
“Therefore be on your
guard…against her in our
hearts.”
Hyperbole
64-68
“But if you hate
cruelty…toleration of
heresy.”
Repetition
Parallel structure
“we should forfeit our own
hope of diving mercy were
there one grain of malice
against her in our hearts”
“her punishment, if we
condemn her will be so cruel
that we should forfeit our own
hope of divine mercy”
“if you hate cruelty” “I say if
you hate cruelty remember
that nothing is so cruel…as the
toleration of heresy”
Connects council to each other on an
emotional level; playing on the idea
that they have no malice, but must
convict – willing to sacrifice their
own divine mercy if they have any
malice toward Joan
Connects council to the Inquisitor
also (first person plural)
Appeals to their emotional state of
not wanting to be cruel, but reminds
them that it would be more cruel to
tolerate heresy so they must convict
Strategy
OVERALL
NOTES
What major strategies did you see throughout the piece?
General to specific deductive
________word choice or diction
Juxtaposition
Imagery
Repetition
Hyperbole
Simile
Analogy
Personal testimony
Rhetorical question
All three appeals tied to strategies
_____________tone
Parallel structure
Personification
Complex sentences
Periodic sentences
First person
Quotes
Effect