Jonathan
Ben Franklin
Edwards
Anne
Bradstreet
and Taylor
Patrick Henry Miscellany
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What are these? AND Put them
in your own words:
“If a man could have half his
wishes, he would double his
trouble.”
“He that composes himself is wiser
than he that composes books.”
-Examples of Ben Franklin’s
aphorisms from Poor Richard’s
Almanack?
- Be careful what you wish for.
- Actions speak louder than words.
Describe Franklin’s plan for arriving at
moral perfection? Why did he have to
develop this plan?
Franklin tried to attack all of his vices and
bad habits at once, but found that while he
was dealing with one bad habit, another
was getting out of control. Therefore, he
defined 13 virtues which he would work
to achieve each week, focusing on one
virtue every week (by checking a chart at
the end of each day). Therefore, after 13
weeks, he would have mastered all 13
virtues, and would do this 4 times per
year.
A way of thinking that emphasizes the
belief that humans can achieve happiness
and moral fulfillment through their own
efforts instead of through belief in God’s
intervention (because humans are “blank
slates” instead of having predetermined
fates.) What does this describe?
What is humanism?
How do the second chapter we
read of The Autobiography of
Benjamin Franklin and the
chapter’s title reveal a belief in
enlightenment ideals?
He titles the second chapter “Arriving at
Moral Perfection” just like he had titled
the first chapter “Arriving in
Philadelphia.” This reveals rationalist
thinking because it implies that arriving at
moral perfection is just as easy as arriving
at a new city, if you follow a rational plan.
Also, it shows humanist beliefs because
Franklin believes himself and not God in
control of his moral perfection.
Contrast the underlying belief systems
revealed by the two texts “Sinners in the
Hands of an Angry God” and Franklin’s
Autobiography, by giving at least one
specific detail from each text and
explaining what belief system it
demonstrates.
Jonathan Edwards says that people are
controlled by the “unobliged” and
“uncovenanted” will and forbearance of
God; that is, people do not control their
own fate. On the other hand, Franklin, by
establishing a plan with 13 virtues for
arriving at moral perfection, demonstrates
a belief that he controls his moral destiny.
What is the genre, historic
context, and purpose of
“Sinners in the Hands of an
Angry God”?
This was a sermon given by Jonathan
Edwards at a church in Enfield, CT in
order to reawaken within the
congregation emotional fervor/passion
for the Puritan religion during the Great
Awakening (1741).
What are at least three conceits
from “Sinners in the Hands of an
Angry God”?
-“Unsaved” people are compared to hated
spiders.
-The wrath of God is compared to damned
waters waiting to burst forth in a great
flood.
-God’s wrath is compared to an arrow
aimed at the heart of sinners.
What are two examples of
imagery from “Sinners in
the Hands of an Angry
God”?
-“Your wickedness makes you as it were
heavy as lead.” – appeals to
touch/feeling.
- “The flames gather and flash about
them”-appeals to sight.
- “Flames of divine wrath flashing about
it, and ready every moment to singe it,
and burn it”—appeals to sight, hearing,
and feeling.
Why does Jonathan Edward’s
use conceits, personification, and
imagery?
Jonathan Edwards uses conceits,
personification, and imagery in order
to make his very abstract subjects
(God, damnation, and salvation)
understandable for his audience. He
describes these subjects in terms of
concrete sensations and comparisons
that his audience could have
understood.
Explain how Edwards
develops the appeal to
ethos in “Sinners in the
Hands of an Angry God.”
Jonathan Edwards establishes an authoritative
persona in the text. He never includes himself
amongst the damned, making it seem as if he
speaks with special knowledge on the matter.
Also, the simple extent of his metaphors (his
conceits) creates the feeling that the listener is
dealing with someone who has thought deeply
about their argument. Finally, at the end,
Edwards develops the idea that he is a
messenger from heaven when he makes an
allusion to Sodom and the angel who saved the
few people in the Bible.
In “Some Verses Upon the Burning of Our
House,” what incident does Bradstreet
describe, and what moral lesson does she
draw from this incident?
She tells the story of waking to her
house burning down, the destruction of
her house, and then passing by the burnt
ruins. This causes her to reflect on the
metaphorical house that waits for her in
Heaven. From this she draws the
conclusion that God controls and owns
every aspect of her life, she should be
thankful that her life was saved, and
worldly possessions are valueless when
compared to the wealth of Heaven.
Describe the rhyme scheme and
meter of Anne Bradstreet’s poem
“Some Verses Upon the Burning
of Our House” (using our
vocabulary).
The poem is composed of
couplets and contains four
iambs per line (iambic
tetrameter).
Describe the conceit of the entire
poem “Huswifery” by Edward Taylor.
The maintenance of the spiritual
life is compared to the creation of
clothes form start to finish.
What does the term “Huswifery”
mean, and who in the poem is
practicing “huswifery”? What does
this imply about the speaker?
“Huswifery” means the care and
maintenance of a household. It also
has a connotation of thriftiness or of
making do with what one has. It
implies that God is practicing
“huswifery” with the speaker, in that
the speaker knows he/she is not
perfect, but wants God to do the best
He/She can with him/her.
Describe the form, rhyme
scheme, and meter of
“Huswifery” by Jonathan
Edwards.
The poem contains 3 stanzas.
Each stanza is 6 lines long with
alternating rhyme for the first four
lines of each stanza, and a couplet
for the last two lines of each
stanza. The poem is written in
iambic pentameter, except for the
couplet of stanzas 1 and 2 which
contain an extra syllable.
“We have petitioned; we have
remonstrated; we have
supplicated; we have
prostrated ourselves before
the throne.” What is this an
example of?
Parallel Structure.
What is the appeal to pathos
and give an example of one
from Henry’s “Speech to the
VA Convention.”
The appeal to pathos is persuasive
evidence that appeals to the
audience’s emotions. There are
many examples from the speech,
one being, “If we were base enough
to desire it [not fighting], it is now
too late to retire from the contest.
There is no retreat, but in
submission and slavery!”
Describe the context and
purpose of Patrick Henry’s
“Speech to the Virginia
Convention.”
Patrick Henry was addressing the
Virginia Convention in 1775 as they
debated whether or not to send
Virginian soldiers to fight in the
Revolutionary War. His purpose was to
convince them to send the troops.
“I have but one lamp by which my feet
are guided; and it is the lamp of
experience. . . . And judging by the past.
I wish to know what there has been in the
conduct of the British ministry for the
last ten years, to justify those hopes.”
Which persuasive appeal does this
develop and why?
Logos – appeal to logic
AND/OR
Ethos – he is a
knowledgeable speaker.
In the opening of Patrick Henry’s
“Speech to the Virginia Convention,”
how does he develop the appeal to
ethos?
Henry develops a respectful persona by
honoring the patriotism and ideas of the
“worthy gentlemen” whom he is trying
to persuade.
Give at least three
characteristics of
Puritan writings.
Puritan writing:
-Personal
-Praises God
-Wrote to discover
God’s working in
their lives.
-Uses plain style
Describe rationalism.
Rationalism is the enlightenment belief
that truth can be discovered by using
reason and logic (much like the
scientific process), rather than by
relying on the authority of the past, on
religious faith, or on intuition.
Describe the rhyme scheme and
meter of the following two lines
of poetry:
“I prize thy love more than whole mines of gold, /
Or all the riches that the East doth hold.”
The lines are a couplet (A, A) and
they are composed of iambic
pentameter.
The following lines of poetry contain
what feature that is very common of
writing from this time period?
-“In silent night when rest I took”
-“The world no longer let me love.”
They are examples of inversion.
Explain the connection between
the subject matter and genre of
most Puritan writings and Puritan
religious beliefs.
Most writings by Puritans is highly personal
(subject matter). In fact, much of what has
been left to us are journals/diaries (genre).
This is appropriate since Puritans believed
that their religion and their relationship with
God was highly personal. Also, they did
not believe in the need for the church or
government to interpret God for them.
Therefore, they examined their lives in their
writing in order to discover God’s work in
their lives.