“Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” Sermon Project: Persuasive Speech American Literature 11 – Mrs. Raglow Overview: Now that you have studied the structure and delivery of a Puritan sermon, it’s time to try your hand at the genre that Jonathan Edwards used to such great advantage. Choose a current issue that you are passionate about, such as environmentalism, public education, a local political issue, etc. Your topic does not necessarily need to be related to God or religion, but it should be something that you think is important for your audience to be informed about. Make sure that you have a speci ic opinion in mind that you want to argue to your audience, or ‘congregation.’ Make sure that your ‘sermon’ is as persuasive as possible and contains the ive parts of a Puritan sermon (epigraph, doctrine, reasons, application, and epilogue). Substitute the Biblical epigraph with a compelling quotation that you want to challenge or support, and substitute scriptural references with quotes from reliable sources. Assignment: Compose a sermon/ persuasive speech about a current issue. In this speech your purpose is t o persuade your audience to adopt or reject a particular behavior or belief, based on the topic. You should develop a clear and focused rhetorical strategy using rhetorical and literary devices to help achieve your purpose. Give particular focus to incorporating description to persuade your audience, as Jonathon Edwards does. You need at least 2 devices, must use Ethos, Pathos, or Logos in order to persuade your audience, and follow Puritan sermon structure. Before You Begin: (Consider the following questions) Purpose: State precisely and completely the purpose of your sermon; what exactly are you attempting to make your listeners understand or believe? Audience: Brie ly, but speci ically, describe the members of the audience that will hear your sermon. What do you imagine they think or feel in particular about the subject of your sermon? How do you think you can in luence their feelings, thoughts, beliefs, or behavior concerning your subject? Content: What speci ic details and examples should I use to illustrate the sermon’s purpose, and how can I make those illustrations vivid, accessible to the audience, and persuasive? What logical explanation do I need to provide for my audience to understand both the importance of the subject and why my thoughts and feelings about the subject are valid? Organization: How should I organize all the elements of my sermon? What should come irst, last, in the middle? What items should be connected to each other? Where should I provide examples, speci ic details, and explanation in the development of my purpose? What transitions would make my sermon coherent? Style: W
hat speci ic diction, syntax, and igurative devices should I use to accomplish the goals of my sermon? Requirements: 1. Approximate length: 2 pages max in MLA format (typed)/Speech no more than 3 minutes 2. All devices/persuasive techniques must be highlighted and labeled on the inal document using comments (Uploaded to Google Classroom) 3. Clear purpose, based on a current event 4. Persuasively written with a strong voice 5. Uses strong descriptive sensory imagery 6. Structure re lects the Puritan sermon structure Points: 25 in the 90% for speech 5 points in the 10% for the current event _____________________________________________________________________________________ Structure & Delivery of a Puritan Sermon Compiled by Chris Torino, information from www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/sermstru.htm "The Puritan sermon quotes the text and "opens" it as brie y as possible, expounding circumstances and context… setting forth its logical implications; the sermon then proclaims in a at, indicative sentence the "doctrine" contained in the text or logically deduced from it, and proceeds to the rst reason or proof. Reason follows reason, with no other transition than a period and a number; after the last proof is stated there follow the uses or applications, also in numbered sequence, and the sermon ends when there is nothing more to be said." - Perry Miller, “The New England Mind” Delivery of a Puritan Sermon: The Puritans believed that the real power of a sermon was to be found in its words, rather than its delivery. Since the words were thought to be divinely inspired, it was believed that the words alone carried enough power to a ect the congregation. As the preacher was simply a awed agent of God’s work, his presentation of the sermon was expected to be as unadorned as possible, so that the delivery of the sermon would not distract listeners from the words. Preachers usually spoke their sermons in a deliberate monotone. Consider this e ect as you read “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” Traditional Structure of a Puritan Sermon: Most Puritan sermons were modeled after this structure. Examine “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” for the ve main sections of the sermon – epigraph, doctrine, reasons, application, and epilogue. I. Epigraph1 a. Grammatical Reading - Restatement of the epigraph in easily accessible terms b. Logical Meaning - Explanation of the epigraph’s Biblical context and its meaning within that context c. Figurative Meaning - Précis of the epigraph’s theological and real-world implications 1
The epigraph was always a Biblical quotation, no more than a few verses in length. This passage was selected by the preacher and was intended to address a speci c problem or concern in the community. II. Doctrine a. Breaking Down the Topic - Division of the sermon’s message into clear subsets b. Demonstration of Scriptural Evidence - Reference of relevant scriptural passages that support the meaning that the preacher has drawn from the epigraph III. Reasons a. Establishing the Validity of the Doctrine - Coherent explanation of why the doctrine is rational and true b. Why Listeners Should Be Convinced - An extension of the above. Involves an explanation of why the listeners, speci cally, should believe in the truth of the doctrine. IV. Application a. Personal Life - Statement of how the doctrine applies to one’s own personal, spiritual, and family lives b. Community and World - Statement of how the doctrine applies to the immediate community, as well as the greater world V. Epilogue a. Emphasis of Arguments - Persuasive and bolder restatement of the main points of the argument b. Call to Action - Stimulation of the congregation to meaningful action and continued awareness of this issue c. Emotional Appeal - Final attempt to convince congregation of the unassailable truth of the message/doctrine Sermon Project: Persuasive Speech RUBRIC
American Literature 11 – Mrs. Raglow Objective: Format 5 points Objective: Content 10 points Objective: Argument 5 points Objective: Length 5 points NAME: Exemplary Accomplished Developed A B C The Sermon is typed The Sermon is typed, The Sermon is not and all but the typed or labeled. devices/persuasive devices/persuasive techniques are techniques are not highlighted and highlighted or labeled. labeled. 5 pts 2 pts 0 pts The speech has all of The speech has 3‐4 of The speech has 0‐2 of the following: the following: the following: ­ Clear purpose ­ Clear purpose ­ Clear purpose ­ 2 Rhetorical ­ 2 Rhetorical ­ 2 Rhetorical devices devices devices ­ Ethos, Pathos, ­ Ethos, Pathos, or ­ Ethos, Pathos, or or Logos Logos Logos ­ Sensory ­ Sensory Imagery ­ Sensory Imagery Imagery ­ Strong Voice ­ Strong Voice ­ Strong Voice 10 pts 5 pts 0 pts The speech is The speech is The speech is NOT extremely somewhat persuasive persuasive in nature. persuasive in nature. in nature. The structure The structure does NOT The structure may be a bit c hoppy low. utilizes the Puritan and detract from the sermon format audience’s experience. which enhances the audience’s experience. 5 pts 2 pts 0 pts 2 pages max in MLA 2 pages max in MLA Page length and Speech format format (typed) length go way over or (typed)/Speech no ‐or‐ under 2 pages and 2 more than 3 minutes Speech no more than 3 minutes minutes (But not both) 5 pts 2 pts 0 pts Total Points: /25 points in the 90%