Overview

Lesson Procedure

65-75 minutes of class time across 5 phases.

1. Warm-Up10 minutes
2. Direct Instruction20 minutes
3. Guided Practice15 minutes
4. Independent Practice15-20 minutes
5. Closure5-10 minutes

1. Warm-Up10 minutes

   Show two versions of the same message and ask students to decide which is more powerful and why.

   Warm-Up Prompt

   "(1) Please drive carefully near the school, because children cross the street here. (2) Slow down. Somebody's child is crossing this street, and one of them could be yours. Both signs ask for the same thing. Which one would change how you drive? Name two choices the writer of the second sign made."

   List students' answers in two columns without labels, then add the labels: style (short sentences, the command "Slow down," direct address with "yours") and content (a child instead of "children," the driver's own family). Tell students that RI.11-12.6 asks them to explain exactly this: how an author's choices of style and content serve a purpose.

2. Direct Instruction20 minutes

   Part 1: Point of view, purpose, style, content. Present Diagram 1. Point of view is where the author stands toward the subject; purpose is what the text is meant to do to its audience. Style is how the text is written; content is what the author chooses to include. Give the frame for every analysis: device or choice + quotation + effect on this audience + link to the purpose.

   Rhetorical choices to look for

   Choice	Style or content	What it can do
   Rhetorical question	Style	Makes the audience supply the answer, so the conclusion feels like its own
   Parallelism and anaphora (repeated openings)	Style	Builds rhythm and momentum; makes items feel equal and cumulative
   Antithesis (contrast in matching form)	Style	Sharpens a difference so it cannot be missed
   Sentence length	Style	A short sentence after long ones lands with force
   Imagery and metaphor	Style	Makes an abstract wrong physical and visible
   Allusion (to the Bible, founding documents)	Content	Borrows the authority and emotion of a text the audience already honors
   Concrete detail and fact	Content	Grounds claims in things the audience cannot deny
   Tone and word choice	Style	Signals the author's attitude: grief, anger, humility, irony

   Part 2: Model with Douglass. Explain the setting: Douglass, who had escaped slavery, was invited to give a Fourth of July address in Rochester in 1852, and he spoke on July 5. Read the excerpt aloud (it continues directly from the questions that open this part of the oration: "why am I called upon to speak here to-day?"). The italics on yours in "This Fourth of July is yours, not mine" are Douglass's own. Then model the worked examples, pausing after each to ask how the choice serves Douglass's purpose. Use Diagram 2 with example 2.

   Would to God, both for your sakes and ours, that an affirmative answer could be truthfully returned to these questions! Then would my task be light, and my burden easy and delightful. For who is there so cold that a nation’s sympathy could not warm him? Who so obdurate and dead to the claims of gratitude, that would not thankfully acknowledge such priceless benefits? Who so stolid and selfish, that would not give his voice to swell the hallelujahs of a nation’s jubilee, when the chains of servitude had been torn from his limbs? I am not that man. In a case like that, the dumb might eloquently speak, and the “lame man leap as an hart.”

   But, such is not the state of the case. I say it with a sad sense of the disparity between us. I am not included within the pale of this glorious anniversary! Your high independence only reveals the immeasurable distance between us. The blessings in which you this day rejoice, are not enjoyed in common. The rich inheritance of justice, liberty, prosperity, and independence, bequeathed by your fathers, is shared by you, not by me. The sunlight that brought life and healing to you, has brought stripes and death to me. This Fourth of July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn. To drag a man in fetters into the grand illuminated temple of liberty, and call upon him to join you in joyous anthems, were inhuman mockery and sacrilegious irony. Do you mean, citizens, to mock me, by asking me to speak to-day? If so, there is a parallel to your conduct. And let me warn you that it is dangerous to copy the example of a nation whose crimes, towering up to heaven, were thrown down by the breath of the Almighty, burying that nation in irrecoverable ruin! I can to-day take up the plaintive lament of a peeled and woe-smitten people.

   • Point of view and purpose

     Where does Douglass stand toward the celebration, and what does he want his audience to feel?

     Result: Point of view: an outsider to the holiday, "not included within the pale of this glorious anniversary." Purpose: to make a celebrating audience feel the gap between its ideals and slavery. The antithesis "This Fourth of July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn." states both at once.

   • Style: rising questions and a short answer

     Three questions ("For who is there so cold ...", "Who so obdurate ...", "Who so stolid ...") grow from 14 to 18 to 30 words.

     Result: Then comes "I am not that man." (5 words). The questions describe the grateful speaker the audience expected; the short sentence refuses the role. The contrast in length gives the refusal its force (Diagram 2).

   • Style: antithesis and imagery

     "The sunlight that brought life and healing to you, has brought stripes and death to me."

     Result: The same sunlight produces opposite results, in matching halves. "Stripes" (the marks of the whip) turns an abstract injustice into a physical image the audience cannot look away from.

   • Content: allusion

     Douglass quotes Isaiah ("lame man leap as an hart") and warns of a nation "whose crimes, towering up to heaven, were thrown down by the breath of the Almighty."

     Result: The Bible was a text his audience honored. By drawing on it, Douglass makes his warning speak with an authority the listeners already accept, so rejecting it would mean rejecting their own scripture.

   • Purpose stated outright (second excerpt)

     "For it is not light that is needed, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder."

     Result: Douglass names his method: not proof but rousing. The paired antitheses (light/fire, shower/thunder) perform the heat they describe, so the style matches the stated purpose.

3. Guided Practice15 minutes

   Pairs read the second Douglass excerpt, from later in the same oration, where he explains why he will not argue that slavery is wrong. Pairs highlight style in one color and content in another, then write two analysis sentences using the frame from Part 1. Circulate and push for effect: "It uses parallelism" is a start; "The five matching clauses ('the feeling of the nation must be quickened; the conscience of the nation must be roused ...') pile up demands, so the audience hears a list of duties it has neglected" is analysis.

   What, then, remains to be argued? Is it that slavery is not divine; that God did not establish it; that our doctors of divinity are mistaken? There is blasphemy in the thought. That which is inhuman cannot be divine. Who can reason on such a proposition! They that can, may! I cannot. The time for such argument is past.

   At a time like this, scorching irony, not convincing argument, is needed. Oh! had I the ability, and could I reach the nation’s ear, I would to-day pour out a fiery stream of biting ridicule, blasting reproach, withering sarcasm, and stern rebuke. For it is not light that is needed, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake. The feeling of the nation must be quickened; the conscience of the nation must be roused; the propriety of the nation must be startled; the hypocrisy of the nation must be exposed; and its crimes against God and man must be proclaimed and denounced.

   Debrief with one question: Douglass says "scorching irony, not convincing argument, is needed." Is the paragraph itself irony, argument or something else? What does that tell you about his purpose? Students should see that he states a purpose (to rouse, not to prove) and that the paragraph's style carries it out.

   For Activity 1 (Style Strip). The plain version below was written for this page. It is a paraphrase of the first Douglass excerpt, not his words.

   I have been asked to speak at your Independence Day celebration, and I wish I could simply thank you for the invitation. If the freedoms in the Declaration of Independence applied to people like me, I would gladly join in, and anyone in that position would feel grateful.

   But they do not apply to me. The freedom and prosperity your ancestors left you have not been shared with enslaved people. The same country that gave you liberty keeps millions of people in slavery, so this holiday belongs to you and not to me. You are celebrating, and I am sad. Asking an enslaved person to celebrate liberty with you would be cruel and hypocritical. If that is what you are doing by inviting me, I should point out that nations that committed great wrongs have been destroyed before, and the United States should take that as a warning. I can only share the grief of people who have been taken captive.

4. Independent Practice15-20 minutes

   Students read the final two paragraphs of Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address, delivered March 4, 1865, about five weeks before Lee's surrender at Appomattox. They answer quiz questions 1-14 on their own with the passage open, then compare Lincoln's purpose with Douglass's in question 17. The passage uses the terms of 1865, including "colored slaves." Tell students the words are quoted as Lincoln spoke them, and use "enslaved people" in discussion.

   One eighth of the whole population was colored slaves, not distributed generally over the Union, but localized in the southern part of it. These slaves constituted a peculiar and powerful interest. All knew that this interest was somehow the cause of the war. To strengthen, perpetuate, and extend this interest was the object for which the insurgents would rend the Union even by war, while the Government claimed no right to do more than to restrict the territorial enlargement of it. Neither party expected for the war the magnitude or the duration which it has already attained. Neither anticipated that the cause of the conflict might cease with or even before the conflict itself should cease. Each looked for an easier triumph, and a result less fundamental and astounding. Both read the same Bible and pray to the same God, and each invokes His aid against the other. It may seem strange that any men should dare to ask a just God's assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat of other men's faces, but let us judge not, that we be not judged. The prayers of both could not be answered. That of neither has been answered fully. The Almighty has His own purposes. "Woe unto the world because of offenses; for it must needs be that offenses come, but woe to that man by whom the offense cometh." If we shall suppose that American slavery is one of those offenses which, in the providence of God, must needs come, but which, having continued through His appointed time, He now wills to remove, and that He gives to both North and South this terrible war as the woe due to those by whom the offense came, shall we discern therein any departure from those divine attributes which the believers in a living God always ascribe to Him? Fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray, that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away. Yet, if God wills that it continue until all the wealth piled by the bondsman's two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said, "The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether."

   With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.

5. Closure5-10 minutes

   Exit ticket: "Choose one sentence from either Douglass excerpt. Write one sentence naming its purpose and one sentence explaining how one choice of style or content helps it achieve that purpose." Collect and sort the tickets into "names a device only" and "explains the effect" to plan the next lesson.

   Homework passage. Introduce the Declaration of Sentiments, written mainly by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and signed at the women's rights convention in Seneca Falls, New York, in July 1848. Ask students to keep a copy of the Declaration of Independence nearby: the homework asks how Stanton's use of it serves her purpose.

   When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one portion of the family of man to assume among the people of the earth a position different from that which they have hitherto occupied, but one to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes that impel them to such a course.

   We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men and women are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; that to secure these rights governments are instituted, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. Whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of those who suffer from it to refuse allegiance to it, and to insist upon the institution of a new government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they were accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their duty to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security. Such has been the patient sufferance of the women under this government, and such is now the necessity which constrains them to demand the equal station to which they are entitled.

   The history of mankind is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations on the part of man toward woman, having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over her. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world.

   He has never permitted her to exercise her inalienable right to the elective franchise.

   He has compelled her to submit to laws, in the formation of which she had no voice.

Differentiation Strategies

Assessment Guidance

1. Question 1 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   Which statement best describes Lincoln's purpose in the two paragraphs of the Second Inaugural Address printed in the lesson?

   ATo celebrate the coming Union victory and the defeat of the South BTo present the war as a judgment on the whole nation for slavery and to call for a just peace without revenge CTo announce a detailed plan for rebuilding the Southern states DTo argue that the South alone is to blame for the war and must be punished

2. Question 2 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   "It may seem strange that any men should dare to ask a just God's assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat of other men's faces, but let us judge not, that we be not judged." What does this sentence show about Lincoln's point of view?

   AHe condemns slavery but declines to claim moral superiority over the South BHe believes slaveholders were right to ask for God's help CHe is indifferent to whether slavery is wrong DHe thinks the North has no share in the nation's guilt

3. Question 3 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   "Both read the same Bible and pray to the same God, and each invokes His aid against the other." Which technique is Lincoln using, and to what end?

   AHyperbole, to exaggerate how religious Americans were BA rhetorical question, to make the audience answer for itself CUnderstatement, to make the war seem smaller than it was DParallel structure, to stress what the two sides share even as they fight

4. Question 4 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   "Fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray, that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away." Which features of style make this sentence memorable?

   AInverted word order, alliteration and two parallel clauses BAn extended metaphor that runs through the whole paragraph CIrony that says the opposite of what Lincoln means DA list of statistics about the war

5. Question 5 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   Why does Lincoln quote "Woe unto the world because of offenses; for it must needs be that offenses come, but woe to that man by whom the offense cometh"?

   ATo prove that the war would end within months BTo show that he was trained as a minister CTo ground his explanation of the war in scripture that his whole audience, North and South, accepts DTo blame the Southern churches alone for slavery

6. Question 6 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   "Until every drop of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword." What is the main effect of this balanced image?

   AIt celebrates the Union army's military skill BIt links the violence of slavery to the cost of the war, suggesting the war may be a just payment CIt gives an exact count of soldiers killed in battle DIt promises that the war will end without further bloodshed

7. Question 7 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   Lincoln frames his central idea as a question: "If we shall suppose that American slavery is one of those offenses ... shall we discern therein any departure from those divine attributes ...?" Why is this framing effective?

   AIt shows that Lincoln doubts that slavery was wrong BIt lets him avoid mentioning slavery directly CIt hides his opinion so that no reader can tell what he believes DIt lets him propose that the war is divine judgment without claiming to know God's will

8. Question 8 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   What does the short sentence "The Almighty has His own purposes." do at this point in the paragraph?

   AIt turns from what both sides expected and prayed for to the idea that the outcome is in God's hands BIt announces that God is on the side of the North CIt introduces statistics about the war DIt changes the subject to the next election

9. Question 9 of 20 · Multiple Choice

   Paragraph 1 of the passage opens with a plain fact: "One eighth of the whole population was colored slaves." Why is opening with this fact effective?

   AIt proves that the war was fought only about taxes BIt shifts attention away from slavery to population growth CIt grounds the later moral and religious reflection in a fact no listener could deny DIt is a joke meant to relax the audience

10. Question 10 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    The final paragraph is one long sentence built on "to finish ... to bind up ... to care for ... to do all." What is the effect of this structure?

    AIt shows that Lincoln was rushing to finish the speech BIt lists the grievances the North holds against the South CIt hides the main verb so the meaning is unclear DThe parallel phrases move from finishing the war to healing the nation to a lasting peace, so the sentence enacts the path it describes

11. Question 11 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    "Neither party expected for the war the magnitude or the duration which it has already attained. Neither anticipated that the cause of the conflict might cease with or even before the conflict itself should cease." Which device links these two sentences?

    AOxymoron BApostrophe CAnaphora: the same opening word repeated at the start of successive sentences DUnderstatement

12. Question 12 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    Lincoln ends with the duty "to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan." Why does this concrete content matter to his purpose?

    AIt turns an abstract call for peace into specific duties to real people hurt by the war BIt shows that he only cares about Union soldiers' pensions CIt adds a new argument that the war must continue DIt uses humor to lighten the speech

13. Question 13 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    Lincoln uses "we" and "us" ("Fondly do we hope," "let us strive on"). How does this choice support his purpose?

    AIt shows that he speaks only for the Republican Party BIt includes himself and his listeners in one people with shared responsibility, which prepares the call for reconciliation CIt avoids naming any subject so the speech sounds vague DIt signals that he is quoting another speaker

14. Question 14 of 20 · Multiple Choice

    Which words best describe the tone of the two paragraphs?

    ATriumphant and boastful BSarcastic and bitter CSolemn and humble DCasual and indifferent

15. Question 15 of 20 · Short Answer

    Describe Lincoln's point of view toward his own side, the Union, in these paragraphs. Quote two phrases that show it and explain what this point of view contributes to his purpose.

    Show model answer

16. Question 16 of 20 · Short Answer

    Lincoln ends paragraph 1 with a line from Psalm 19: "The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether." Explain how ending on this allusion made the paragraph more persuasive for an audience in March 1865.

    Show model answer

17. Question 17 of 20 · Short Answer

    Douglass says, "At a time like this, scorching irony, not convincing argument, is needed." Compare his stated method with Lincoln's method in the Second Inaugural. How does each method fit the author's purpose and moment?

    Show model answer

18. Question 18 of 20 · Short Answer

    Lincoln writes, "The prayers of both could not be answered. That of neither has been answered fully." Analyze the style of these two sentences and explain what they contribute to the passage.

    Show model answer

19. Question 19 of 20 · Short Answer

    Rewrite "With malice toward none, with charity for all" in plain modern words. Then explain what is lost in your version.

    Show model answer

20. Question 20 of 20 · Short Answer

    The final sentence ends with "a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations." Why might Lincoln end by widening the peace from "ourselves" to "all nations"? Explain the effect of this final step on the passage.

    Show model answer

These standards connect to RI.11-12.6: prerequisites to review first, parallel standards at the same level, and next steps that build on it.

Standard text: Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy. © Copyright 2010. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved.