Sinners, Duck and Cover!

1. Sinners, Duck and Cover! Comparison/Contrast Essay

2. Introduction to this paper… • Include Titles and Authors • “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” a sermon by Jonathan Edwards • “Duck and Cover” a film by the Federal Civil Defense Administration • Provides background • A brief description of the sermon and its message • A brief description of the film and its message • Thesis Statement

3. Thesis Statement • Be sure to make an argument • Seek to answer this question… • Despite the fact that they have obvious differences and are seemingly unrelated, in what ways are these texts similar?

4. Ideas for the content of your paper • Compare these texts on the following things • Similarities in their messages • Similarities in their intended audiences • Similarities in their persuasive techniques and rhetorical devices • Similarities in the historical context/setting in which each text occurred • Other similarities???

5. What goes into the conclusion? • Briefly restate your thesis • Summarize the evidence that you found to prove your thesis • Make a bigger point… • Does history tend to repeat itself? • Is it possible that many seemingly unrelated texts are actually trying to achieve the same purpose? • Are people motivated best by fear? • Are people wise to be so trusting? Were these threats real? Did they actually occur?

6. Reminders… • Double-check spelling • No “as you can see” or “it is obvious that…” • Complete sentences – avoid fragments and run-ons • Organize content into paragraphs with topic sentence, support and concluding/transition sentence • No first person language (I, me, my, we, us, our) • No contractions (do not instead of don’t) • Avoid abbreviations • Proper punctuation • Avoid slang expressions and overused cliches • Make original word choices, but avoid being too “wordy”