...Akil Hodge 9-17-10 2nd / U.S. Lit. Analysis: Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God The Great Awakening was a religious movement that shocked the world and brought unbelieving people into the life of a Christian. Jonathan Edwards was a powerful, influential figure in this movement and was known for his visual sermons. His method of preaching was using fear to frighten people to convert. One of his most powerful sermons, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”, used many rhetorical strategies to persuade his unsaved audience to become saved to avoid the torment of hell. One productive approach that was substantial in scaring the unsaved people in the audience is through the use of imagery. Imagery is the usage of words to make an image in the mind of the listener(s); with which Edwards uses adequately to defend his reason. In his case, he utilizes this technique to penetrate the hearts and minds to everyone present. This strategy terrifies his listeners into following his directions and method of redemption. “There are black clouds of God’s wrath now hanging directly over your heads” is an excellent example of imagery because it displays an image of hater from God. Metaphors are applied often in this distinctive speech about God and his anger. This figure of speech spans over the whole account through all paragraphs and is a very unique way of influence. I feel that “The bow of God’s wrath is dent” presents the meaning of the word metaphor, which is the using of words...
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...will be comparing and contrasting the two stories, “ The Minister’s Black Veil” by Nathaniel Hawthorne and “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” by Jonathan Edwards. The literary devices I will be using to express these differences and similarities will be symbolism, imagery , and foreshadowing. While I would characterize Hawthorne’s style as mysterious and dark Jonathan Edwards reveals the reader’s understanding of Puritan ideals of religion by giving the readers a new perspective on the ideal of God. In the book “The Minister’s Black Veil” Hawthorne uses symbolism to disguise a person visage . It states “ so far as my vow may suffer me know, then, this veil is a type and a symbol, and I am bound to wear it ever both light and darkness in solitude before the gaze of multitudes and as with strangers so with my familiar. No mortal eye will see it withdrawn.”(Hawthorne 5). He’s stating that the veil is keeping him who he is and will...
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...Rhetorical Analysis of Sinners in the hands of an angry God Preacher, Jonathan Edwards author of Sinners in the hands of an angry God (1741) reveals that God is approaching mercy on people who sin. He’s trying to convince Puritan congregation that if you sin you will be damned to hell. Edwards develops this claim by clarifying that if the people in this congregation do not follow God’s will they will result in death by being sent to hell. His purpose is to convince Puritans that God is wrathful God and to also warn the people of the dangers of damnation. He uses structure, pathos and imagery to satisfy the reader that the people who are unrepentant may reject God. Edwards perspective of sin is like a force in a world that is dictated by the devil....
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...Faith Halverson Mr. Woolwine Period 4/ AP English 11 2 October 2014 “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” – Rhetorical Analysis Christian revivalist speaker, Jonathan Edwards, in his sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” (July 8, 2014) persuades that his audience is doomed to hellfire if they fail to head his message of repentance. He supports his claim by first using angry and fear inducing diction that is full of imagery, then he uses figurative language to emphasis the images and experiences of hell, and finally he shifts the tone at the end to provide hope for salvation. Edwards’ purpose is to convert individuals in order to bring more people to his view of salvation. He creates an aggressive and fearful tone for an audience of Christians that he believes is sinful and must repent. In order to create strong diction, Edwards uses long, powerful sounding words to put authority, fear, and describe images in his sermon. Since this passage is meant to be heard, and not read, these words sound strong when spoken aloud, especially with a harsh voice, like Edwards most likely did to evoke fear. Examples of this include: “lake of burning brimstone” (14), “the floods of God’s vengeance” (46), and “punishment will indeed be infinite” (101), each of these phrases, along with many others in the sermon, uses words that one should fear, like vengeance, which means inflicted punishment. Some of these phrases threaten the reader with punishment and eternal suffering; this...
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...immutable Rule of Righteousness that God has fixed between him and Mankind, is gone out against them, and stands against them; so that they are bound over already to Hell.” (Edwards, 6). Puritanism had a large impact on the development of the American identity, during and after the American Revolution which is evident in Jonathan Edwards's sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God." In his sermon he states how Americans need to fight for their freedoms that are not only given to them by the nation and new government, but also by God himself. His sermons are compelling enough to change the course of the nation and cause it to...
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...By looking at the Virginia Convention and Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry God one can see rhetorical devices which is important because you need to compare and contrast the two stories by using rhetorical analysis. Both stories are very emotional and persuasive, and have two completely different but very strong arguments. The Virginia Convention, written by Patrick Henry who at the time lived in a british ruled america. Henry wanted to break free from the british, and felt strongly about his point, but there were other people who felt strongly that the thirteen colonies should stay with the british. Henry needed a very emotional and persuasive speech if he was going to get anybody to see his way of thinking. Henry states “ give me liberty or give me death” this part of the speech is very emotional, because it is basically saying that they better give him freedom or just let him die. “ should i keep back my...
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...Edwards who wrote Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God. Bradford’s piece is a Separatist’s interpretation of the Reformation in England and the early years of the newly founded Plymouth colony. Edward’s piece touches upon the topic of the seriousness of sin in his Puritan congregation. One common theme among the pieces, Of Plymouth Plantation and the Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, is that Puritan faith, beliefs, attitudes, and values is based on charity and hard work involving...
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...Question Six The forthright sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”, is very directly written to strike fear in his listeners. This sermon was written by Jonathan Edwards, a Puritan preacher. With his very elaborately spoken, yet very brutally worded sermons, Edwards tried to scare his listeners into continue following the religion, or start following it again. He used two main techniques to do this, firstly, by speaking how awful hell would be, and secondly, how horrific God’s wrath would be, Jonathan would even use both ways to strike more fear too. The idea of hell was very frightening to many already. Jonathan was a man who thrived on this fear of many. In the first few sentences, he sermonized,“That world of misery, that lake of...
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...The Great Awakening was a movement in colonial times influenced by leaders such as George Whitefield and Jonathan Edwards. One of Jonathan edwards’ most influencial sermon was “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”. In this sermon, he demonstrates how God’s wrath is unstoppable and only Christ can save you from an eternity of misery. In his sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God’, Jonathan Edwards impacts religious beliefs of colonial American people through rhetoric and persuasion during the Great Awakening. Edwards’ sermon revolutionizes the religious beliefs during the Great Awakening. Edwards uses the simile: “ The God holds you over the pit of Hell, much as one holds a spider, or some loathsome insect over the fire, abhors you, and is dreadfully provoked: his wrath towards you burns like a fire… you are ten thousand times more abominable in his eyes than the worst venomous serpent is in ours” (Edwards 89). This new idea of God being a God of fury and relentless wrath revolutionized the belief of colonial Americans. William Farley states in his article on the Great Awakening that “Overnight, the town was transformed. The citizens sang hymns in the streets, the tavern closed, young people pursued God in bands, and it...
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...In the sermon of Reverend Jonathan Edward’s ,“Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” Edwards talks about eternal damnation for people who do not believe in Christ. In his opinion, people who don’t turn to the path of salvation will face the wrath of God. His use of imagery and literary devices contribute to the effectiveness of his preachings. Edward uses imagery to instill fear into his audience, his wording paints vivid pictures into people’s brains. He begins to talk about the horrors that are awaiting the sinners, “the devil is waiting for them, hell is gaping for them, the flames gather and flash for them…”(4). Edward wants the sinners to know that if they do not begin to accept God into their lives, the devil will be awaiting their...
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...Awakening, a time of religious revival and fervor during the 1730s and 1740s. In his sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” Edwards uses the rhetorical devices of imagery and repetition to convey the pilgrims’ attitude toward God and their way of life. Edwards’ profuse usage of imagery throughout his sermon conveyed the pilgrims’ attitude towards God. Imagery is a rhetorical device which consists of descriptive language that appeals to a person’s five senses and their emotions. In his sermon, Edwards creates vivid images of an angry God and of God’s frightening wrath in order to induce fear among his audience to persuade them to reform their ways. Edwards states,...
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...The verbalization, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” by Jonathan Edwards, is set in the time of the Great Awakening. Although this time period was after the Puritans, it sets the stage for the abundance of Edwards’ notions. Edwards’ speech, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”, speaks to the audience because of the harshness and the ability to create trepidation in people. He strategically lowers the audience’s self-love and makes it feel guilty until eventually when hearing the horrors of hell, you endure fear. The speech begins by making you terror hell and then gives you the loophole out of it. Although the message is not distinctly stated, Edwards’ vigor in speech blows the audience into believing every single word. Given the setting and circumstances of his time, Edwards' speech, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God", is an example of an effective argument due to his allusions to the past and polished use of visual imagery to engender fear in his audience. Edwards’ speech uses visual imagery, therefore leaving a mark and creating guilt in the audiences’ conscious. After creating multiple emotions like: guilt, fear, self-realization, he gives them a mode to be saved from it all. Although each of these images were diminutive and concise, when allied with the allusions they create the trepidation Edwards worked...
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...Jonathan and Patrick " Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" by Jonathan Edwards and " Speeches to the Virginia Convention" by Patrcik Henry are phenominal speeches. Both of the speeches make readers think critically about what they are saying. These speeches have there similarities, differences, and have various ways of persuation. The persuasive speeches by Jonathan Edwards and Patrick Henry have many differences but also a strong amount of similarities. Henry and Edwards are similar in many ways in both of their writings. Both of their speeches are very bold and spoken with confidence and a purpose. In their writings, they both talk about the people pleading for peace. " Peace and safety: now they see that those things on which they depended...
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...the Sermon Sinners in the Hands of an angry God by Jonathan Edwards he doesn’t agree with the idea of the puritans about pre-destination. When Jonathan Edwards gave this sermon in 1741 he emphasized the idea that God gives us a choice of free will, wether we decide what choice to make, heaven or hell. But this statement contradicts puritan beliefs in that time, Puritans believed that God already decides who goes to heaven and who goes to hell. Signifying that Jonathan didn’t support puritan beliefs even tough he was considered one. He was part of the first great awakening that rejected puritan ideas, and spread the idea of christianity and how pre-destination does not exist. In the sermon he says: O sinner, consider the fearful danger you are in it is a great furnace of wrath, a wide an bottomless pit, full of the fire of wrath, that you are held over in the hand of God.(Sinners in the Hand of an angry...
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...Persuasion is a major part of Jonathan Edwards sermon he uses many metaphors, hyperbole, and other rhetorical devices to convey the Puritans. Edwards used a fearful and wrathful tone to persuade the unconverted to convert. He forcefully wanted people to convert thus feeling shameful. Edwards instilled biblical allusions into his sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,’’ such as spending eternal life in the fiery mouth of hell (line 50-51). He is presenting this sermon to the Puritans and is preaching the word that God has provided us with (the bible). Puritans and anyone who was in that same era did not really think about what they themselves wanted, they just went with the crowd. Edwards has an opinion and he might have been opinionated and wanted to help them for the greater good but, at the end everyone was just so fearful. He provided them with biblical allusions that were taken into an exaggeration. In reality nobody really knows what is to come after death. Everyone now in the modern day has their own opinion but is all about the faith you have. He was grabbing the attention of the audience by using imagery of being dropped out of God’s hand and falling into hell. Edwards used reverse psychology he offered information about hell and everything about the Puritans that was wrong but was only doing that so he...
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