Jonathan Edwards and the art of persuasion

In this lesson, students will study the elements of persuasive writing in Jonathan Edward's “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” according to the following criteria: speaker, audience, occasion, and means of persuasion, and then analyze a contemporary piece of writing, such as an advertisement, for similar elements.

A lesson plan for grade 11 English Language Arts

By Dave Guiley

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Learning outcomes

Students will:

• learn the basic tools necessary for the evaluation of persuasive writing.
• learn to identify the speaker, audience, occasion, and means of persuasion used in a piece of persuasive writing.
• apply those skills to Jonathan Edward’s sermon in guided practice.
• apply those skills independently to contemporary persuasive writing, such as an advertisement.

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

90 minutes

Materials/resources

• Jonathan Edwards’ speech “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”
• magazines (a wide range of different kinds such as Field & Stream, Surfer, Southern Living, etc. are especially effective
• copies of editorials from recent newspapers or magazines

Pre-activities

Students will already be familiar with the following:

1. the basic tenets of Puritanism
   • The desire to have one’s feelings or life changed radically was an experience called grace. Grace involved a cleansing of the individual — a purging of sinfulness. Grace also entailed much self-examination as the Puritan sought signs that God was working within him &mdash a key to understanding Edward’s point of view.
   • Puritans valued plainness, especially in religion. This extended to their writing. For examples, see in particular, Ann Bradstreet, though is not as clearly seen in writers like Cotton Mather. This insistence on plain speaking shapes much of American literature (Benjamin Franklin, Ernest Hemingway, etc.)
   • The Puritans were convinced that they were carrying on God’s work in settling the New World. Their lives in the New World were a divine mission (very evident in William Bradford’s writing).
2. the four forms of discourse (narration, description, exposition, and persuasion)
   • narration: telling a story, developing a sequence of events (plot)
   • description: writing that appeals to the senses
   • exposition: writing that communicates information
   • persuasion: writing meant to modify behavior

Activities

1. Class discussion begins with a biographical overview of Jonathan Edwards and his place in eighteenth-century American literature.
2. Discussion continues with a review of the forms of discourse. This leads to an analysis of “Sinners” as persuasive writing and the need to evaluate persuasive writing according to the following criteria: speaker, audience, occasion, and means of persuasion.
3. The teacher will begin with a comparison of “Sinners” with modern advertising, drawing on student experiences. Class discusses Edwards as a speaker, addressing questions of credibility, then moves on to look at modern advertising and the need for companies to speak through spokespersons and the need for credibility. (students invariably mention Michael Jordan).
4. Even more fruitful is a discussion of the audience. Edwards clearly demonstrates an awareness of his audience in the way he frames his argument. God’s wrath is compared to a flood, a storm, and an Indian attack. All these images would have been familiar and alarming to an 18th century audience. (There is an opportunity here also to discuss extended metaphor). The repeated reference to fire is another example. Again, discussion expands to look at how advertisements are targeted to particular audiences (after-school advertisements, football games versus a new program such as “60 Minutes”).
5. The third point of discussion is occasion. Edwards is writing as part of the Great Awakening, and specifically for a revival. The selection is appropriate in both contexts. Once again, the discussion shifts to a look at contemporary advertising. Specific occasions include Christmas, back-to-school time, and the Super Bowl. Also discuss the concept that some (most) advertising is not keyed to a specific occasion.
6. Finally, we talk about Edwards’ means of persuasion. Most obvious is his reliance on fear, but there are others (repetition, limited opportunity, bandwagon). These are also popular means of persuasion in advertising.
7. Following this discussion, students are placed in groups of two or three, given a magazine, and asked to analyze an advertisement. I give an example: This is an advertisement for Nike, the spokesperson is… she/she was well-chosen because…The audience for this publication is… which is well suited for this product for the following reasons… The occasion is… The means of persuasion are… which are especially effective for this product/audience because…
8. Students then work together for about 10–15 minutes to prepare their responses. These are then presented to the larger group. One student reads the group’s findings while another walks around with the ad so all can see.
9. Teacher directs questions to ensure understanding. For example, if the students fail to appreciate why a particular advertisement is in Popular Mechanics, a question like, “Who buys/reads this magazine?” would be appropriate. If the students missed a bandwagon type appeal (“The number one brand of tires in America”), a question like, “How does Goodyear appeal to our desire to be in the majority?” would address this.

This lesson has carryover benefits for the study of Patrick Henry and Thomas Paine, which, in a sequential course, follow shortly.

Assessment

Initially, the teacher can assess student understanding by listening to the group presentations. In looking at and presenting their analysis of an advertisement, have they:

• correctly identified the speaker (company, spokesperson, etc.) and addressed the question of credibility? Why was this person chosen?
• correctly identified the target audience? What is the relationship between the targeted audience for this advertisement and the publication in which it appeared?
• determined if this advertisement is dependent on a particular occasion, and if it is, how is that apparent? Or is it a nonspecific occasion?
• correctly identified the means of persuasion (fear, limited opportunity, bandwagon, sex, popularity, status, etc.)

A rubric for evaluating student presentations is included.

Further assessment comes from the next unit test in which students are given an advertisement, editorial, or other persuasive document and asked to evaluate it according the four points discussed in class. See the sample test.

Supplemental information

The greater the variety of magazines, the more interesting the discussion generated.

Comments

I have had students do this for homework as well. In this case, it is individual rather than group work.

I have also had students bring in their own magazines. That way they can chose an advertisement that is more relevant.