1. Speech Unit
Background for reading of “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” “Speech to the Virginia Convention,” “The Crisis,” “Gettysburg Address,” and “I Have a Dream”

2. Timeline “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” by Jonathan Edwards
“Speech in the Virginia Convention” by Patrick Henry
“Crisis, No. 1” by Thomas Paine
July 8, 1741
March 23, 1775
December, 1776

3. Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God by Jonathan Edwards
This speech was delivered in Enfield, Connecticut on Sunday, July 8, 1741
Edwards’s popular religious views began the Great Awakening, a religious revival that swept across the colonies in the 1730s.

4. Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God by Jonathan Edwards
According to Edwards what would happen to people if God withdrew his hand? What would fail to save them?
How does Edwards address those who may doubt his words?
According to Edwards how much control do people who are sinful in the eyes of God have over their destinies?

5. Speech to the Virginia Convention by Patrick Henry
This speech was delivered to the Virginia Convention on March 23, 1775
Less than a month after Henry’s speech, the American Revolution began at Lexington and Concord.

6. “Speech in the Virginia Convention” by Patrick Henry
According to Henry what are the arguments for or against going to war with England?
What is the famous aphorism in this speech?
What allusions does Henry use in his speech?

7. “Speech in the Virginia Convention” by Patrick Henry
Does Henry use religion in his argument?
What guides Henry in his decisions?
Does Henry think there’s still time to make peace with England?

8. Inspiration for “The Crisis”
Washington and his troops had just retreated to Trenton and support for the Revolution was wavering.

9. The Effect of “The Crisis”
Paine’s words were welcomed by the rebels
Washington read “The Crisis” to his troops to lift their morale.

10. “The Crisis” by Thomas Paine
Is there an aphorism at the beginning or end of “The Crisis”?
Does Paine think we jumped into the war too soon?
According to Paine why would God support the colonists?

11. “The Crisis” by Thomas Paine
What is Paine saying about the “summer soldier and sunshine patroit”?
How does Paine compare the Americans to the French? (see the footnote about Joan of Arc)
What does Paine think of war?

12. Literary Elements: Parallelism
What is Parallelism?
Similar words, ideas, or phrases repeated in the same sentence to help prove a point.
Examples:
Perch are inexpensive; cod are cheap; trout are abundant; but salmon are best.
They loved the food, they loved the drinks, they loved the décor.

13. Literary Elements: Personification
What is Personification?
The attribution of human characteristics to animals or other non-human things
Examples:
The tree danced in the wind.
The river ran through the woods.

14. Literary Elements: Alliteration
What is Alliteration?
The repetition of initial consonant sounds in adjacent or close words.
Examples:
Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
The sun suddenly shone on the shore.

15. Literary Elements: Allusion
What is an allusion?
An Allusion is a reference in literature to some aspect of our history or culture.
"As the cave's roof collapsed, he was swallowed up in the dust like Jonah…”
“You’ve really put me in a Catch 22 position.”

16. Literary Elements: Allusion
In “Speech to the Virginia Convention” looks for references to The Odyssey (Greeks/mythology) and The Bible

17. Literary Element: Rhetorical Question
What is a rhetorical question?
A rhetorical question is one that is asked in order to make a point, not in order to receive an answer.
After coming in from the rain, Brett lamented, “Isn’t this a great day?”
The angry teacher bellowed, “Will this class ever be quiet today?”

18. Literary Element: Metaphor & Simile
What is a metaphor?
An implied comparison between two seemingly unlike objects
Her face was the moon, glowing radiantly for all to see.
What is a simile?
A comparison of two objects using ‘like’ or ‘as’.
Her face shone like the moon in the night sky.

19. Identify these literary terms
Parallelism
Alliteration
Rhetorical Question
Allusion
Metaphor/Simile
Personification