Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God

Last night's homework was to read and annotate to the top of page 5. 
 First and foremost, we read in order to understand and make meaning, or sense, of the text as a whole; however, an ability to deconstruct the rhetorical situation, structure, and language of a text can help us understand it.

Teacher's Tip...Note that Edwards is engaging in the a form of synthesis and rhetorical analysis for the purpose, ostensibly, of warning sinners of the precarious danger that they have put themselves in.  He synthesizes passages from Amos, Deuteronomy, and the Psalms, all Old Testament texts, and performs very pointed rhetorical analysis of them, seeking to understand what the mix of theses texts might mean for the souls of his audience.  At the top of page 5, he shares his thesis, his conclusion, as a result of his study of the passages he selected.

Selection of details/content...How does his selection of the biblical passages for study influence his conclusion or message? 
What might his sermon look like if someone else had selected the biblical passages, and they chose passages which emphasized God's forgiveness and love?


What rhetorical elements did you notice and did any of them help you deconstruct the text?  (rhetorical elements, strategies, appeals, audience, purpose, main points,  structure of arguments and textual support he draws upon) 

Homework: Read the Preface and the beginning of Act One of The Crucible

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