2 pt3 pt4 pt5pt1 pt2 pt3 pt4 pt5 pt1 pt2pt3 pt4pt5 pt1pt2pt3 pt4 pt5 pt1 pt2 pt3 pt4pt5 pt1pt Ben Franklin Jonathan Edwards Anne Bradstreet and Taylor Patrick HenryMiscellany

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 t he 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.