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What is the central message of "sinners in the hands of an angry god
What is the central message of "sinners in the hands of an angry god
Analytical writing on sinners in the hands of an angry god
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Jonathan Edwards, in the sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" presents his beliefs through the usage of repetition and imagery. He expresses his thoughts to persuade readers of the wrath of God. Edwards usage of words and his repetition allows the reader to undestand what he wants the congregation to grasp from the text. In the sermon Edward repeats the phrase " the wrath of God" he emphasizes on the wrath of Almighty God to make it known that no one has the power to resist God, a persons actions can dertermine their destiny which can either be hell or heaven. the purpose of his repetion was to terrify the potestants into obeying his demands and prevent them into commiting a sin and burning into the firey pot of
Jonathan Edwards’ “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” and Benjamin Franklin’s “The Way to Wealth” while having a drastically different topic had similar subtopic and rhetoric language. While Jonathan Edwards warned his congregation of the eternal damnation that will be faced if they did not change their ways, Benjamin Franklin warned and gave advice on financial arrangements. Edwards communicates to his audience how their behavior has consequences, in this case, eternal damnation. Throughout his sermon, his use of pathos is overwhelming. Edwards uses confrontational language, descriptive images, strong fierce language to ingrain his warning into the hearts of his congregation.
Jonathan Edward’s purpose in Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God is to persuade others that they must eliminate their sinful ways and turn to God for forgiveness before it is too late. Edwards combines imagery and pathos to appeal to his audience in the sermon to achieve his persuasive purpose. One important example of imagery in his speech is at the very beginning of the story. Edwards describes sinners as “heaps of light Chaff before the Whirlwind; or large Quantities of dry Stubble before devouring Flames” (line ), choosing this imagery because he knows that a majority of his audience are farmers and understand this analogy about corn and grain husks. Edwards choice of using the word “devouring” to illustrate the flames of hell creates
In his sermon he said, “The bow of God’s wrath is bent and the arrow made ready on the string and justice bends the arrow at your heart…it is nothing but the mere pleasure of God…that keeps the arrow one moment from being drunk with your blood'' (Edwards 126). Edwards believed that God could send you to
To show God’s hatred towards his listeners, he uses an aggressive tone. When explaining God’s wrath, Edwards exclaims, “His wrath toward you burns like fire; he looks upon you as worthy of nothing else, but to be cast into the fire”(Edwards). Edwards uses this tone for a larger impact on the listeners, making them understand his point. The author uses many images of dark storms in his sermon, as a dark and gloomy tone. Helping his listeners understand God’s hatred, Edwards proclaims, “There are the black clouds of God’s wrath now hanging directly over your heads, full of the dreadful storm”(Edwards).
In “sinners in the hands of an angry God”, Jonathan Edwards uses different types of literary techniques, such as, imagery, metaphor, similes, repetition, and rhetorical questions to emphasize his point. His point is to scare the people and make them want to repent, which is the theme of the sermon. In the sermon “Sinners in the hands of an angry god,” Edwards uses different types of
In Edwards’s sermon, he uses the concept of punishment as a negative reaction to the listener’s negative actions. He portrays that “The bow of God’s wrath is bent and the arrow made ready on the string. but the pleasure of God, and that of an angry God. Keeps the arrow. from being made drunk with your blood” (Edwards 80-81).
Edwards uses the image to convey his point: a person’s sins will always outweigh any amount of righteousness a person may have. God’s hand comes into play to protect a person from falling into the pits of Hell. And though their sins are much greater than their righteousness, God saves them. Edwards believes images similar to
He knows that if an ordinary person would tell the them the same thing they wouldn't listen because they don't know if he is actually educated or not. Edwards also uses logos when writing this. An example of when he uses logos is when he says “without any promise or obligation at all, that keeps the arrow one moment from being made drunk with your blood.” When he says this Edwards is creating the argument that God is giving them a second chance by keeping the arrow from being made drunk with your blood.
Bradstreet frequently uses imagery and strong diction to paint a picture with her words. In, “Upon the Burning of Our House,” Bradstreet states, “Thou hast an house on high erect,/ Framed by that mighty Architect,/ with glory richly furnished” (43-45). In this quote, Bradstreet is describing God in a positive light, as someone who will take care of you and someone who will look out for you. Edwards also includes a lot of imagery in his writing, but he uses it to paint a completely different picture. In his sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” Edwards states, "The bow of God’s wrath is
Oh, my cursed foolishness!”, and “The wrath of God is like great waters that are dammed for the present…” In fact, the word “wrath” is repeated an astonishing 51 times in the sermon. Another word repeated throughout the sermon is “restraint”. For example, “By the mere pleasure of God, I mean his sovereign pleasure, his arbitrary will, restrained by no obligation, hindered by no manner of difficulty…” and “God restrains their wickedness by his mighty power, as he does the raging waves of the troubled sea…” By repeating the word, Edwards convinces the audience how perilous their situation is that they convert while God is still showing “restraint” so they do not experience the wrath of
In this picture, God’s hand is above the fire of Hell, which means that he could drop the person, us, anytime we turn away from him. Every time we sin, we’re always closer to going to hell, but we turn and ask God for forgiveness. Like Edward says, “…natural men are held in the hand of God, ver the pit of Hell”, this figurative language means that we are all over the pit of Hell. When he quotes this, I imagine a hand, God’s hands, holding us and trying to save us from going to Hell. Johnathan Edward wants people, but also sinners especially to know this.
This interpretation of God becomes the reference point for the rest of the sermon. All of the commands and accusations in the sermon rely on Edwards' portrait of God as an angry, all-powerful being that has no obligation to have mercy upon his creations. By convincing his congregation of God's wrathful character, Edwards is then able to convince the congregation that they are in danger of damnation and severe punishment at the hand of this wrathful God. Edwards characterizes God as a being that "abhors" mortal men and "looks upon [them] as worthy of nothing else but to be cast into the fire" (200). Edwards then uses scriptural references to support his claims about the nature of God.
Edwards wanted his audience to mentally understand his attitude towards God, and for them to not underestimate God’s Powers. He painted a mental picture of an enraged and angry God when Edwards preached that “There are black clouds of God’s wrath now hanging directly over your heads, full of the dreadful storm… and were it not for the restraining hand of God, it would immediately burst forth upon you” (Paragraph 3). The black clouds and the description of the storm demonstrated God’s anger building up inside him waiting to unleash. God’s merciful act was the only reason he did not release his true wrath. There was no say when God will become completely fed up with his “sinner.”
“The wrath of God is like great waters that are damned from the present; they increase; more and more, and rise higher and higher, till an outlet is give; and the longer the stream is stopped, the more rapid and mighty its course, when once it is let loose." In this quotation, Edwards uses
