Writing assignment: Argument

Read Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God by Jonathan Edwards, looking for elements of
rhetoric. Pay attention to the use of figurative language and appeals to emotion or logic.
After reading and discussing the sermon, students will write an analysis of the effects of the tone,
using evidence from the text, to support their claim.

Key literary terms to address in reading and analysis:
Rhetorical devices: logos, ethos, pathos
Emotional appeal: scare tactics, cataplexis
Figures of speech: epic simile, metaphor, imagery, allusion, symbol
Syntax: parallel structure, rhetorical question, isocolon
Sound: homonym, alliteration
Repetition: anaphora, polysyndeton

Extension: Write a speech and include figurative language. Pay attention to the tone of your
speech and the literary devices you use in your speech.

Common Core State Standards addressed:
LS 11.1.a-b
LS 11.2.a-b
LS 11.3.a
LS 11.4.a-d
LS 11.5.a-b
LS 11.6
RI 11.5
RL 11.3
RL 11.5
RL 11.9
SL 11.3
W 11.1.a-c
W 11.4
W 11.5
W 11.6
W 11.9.b
W 11.10