ipl-logo

Persuasive Techniques In Great Awakening, By Jonathan Edwards

673 Words3 Pages

In Puritan America, colonists were constantly fearful of what would happen when they died. Since death at a young age was altogether too common in those times, early Americans wanted to be certain that they were in good standing with God. Jonathan Edwards’s sermons were preached during the period of Great Awakening, a time of religious revival. In his sermons, Edwards used a variety of persuasive techniques, including vibrant images and compelling metaphors used to prompt sinners to repent. The author’s style of writing is very appropriate for the specific topic causing a great deal of reactions from his audience. His style also aids him in achieving his purpose by capturing the attention of the audience through his various strategies. Edwards' …show more content…

Edwards purposely uses selective terminology as well as biblical jargon which only strengthened his ability to control his audience by instilling the fear of God. The use of unfamiliar vocabulary made the style more effective for his purpose. This quote "...in the hand of God, over the pit of hell; they had deserved the fiery pit..."(Edwards 46) uses the word "hell" combined with an angry tone in order to make the reader feel apprehensive and more easily persuaded.. The general population does not usually express their religious views with others in efforts of refraining from potentially having an unpleasant discussion. Therefore, Edwards’s choice of diction proves to be an effective persuasive …show more content…

Edwards uses this illustration to convey the power of God to the people, many who were incapable of understanding complex imagery. Through the effective use of metaphors along with gripping imagery, Edwards made comparisons to peoples’ everyday lives. He preached that their state of wickedness was as “heavy as lead” and therefore, pulling them down straight toward Hell. This excerpt has a negative connotation in the eyes of the reader. Because society generally dislikes being classified as immoral, the following excerpt also greatly supports Edwards taunting tactics by implementing a sense of guilt with the strategic use of the word “sinner”; "O sinner! Consider the fearful danger you are in" (Edwards

Show More
Related

Rhetorical Strategies In Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry God

688 Words | 3 Pages

It is 1741. The Enlightenment is spreading worldwide. The puritan people are leaving God. Johnathan Edwards gives a sermon on July 8th , 1741, trying to convince his fellow Puritan people to come back to God. He is going to try and accomplish this by giving his famous sermon, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God '.

Read More

Rhetorical Analysis Of Jonathan Edwards 'Great Awakening'

1032 Words | 5 Pages

He juxtaposes alternatives to the previously mentioned and dreaded scenarios and punishments. Contrarily, he states “[Christ] stands in the door calling and crying with a loud voice to poor sinners” (129). Bringing upon the common idea of God’s acceptance, Edwards appeals to ethos in his final paragraph inserting cheerful thoughts. He establishes juxtaposition, comparing “sins in his own blood, and … hope of the glory of God” (129). Comparing the Devil-like blood with sins sparking the capable ability to reach the hope of God brings a sense of chance and possibility to the audience.

Read More

Rhetorical Analysis Of Edwards By Jonathan Edwards

146 Words | 1 Pages

At this point Edwards has grasped the attention of his listeners by using pathos to pertain to their emotions and feelings. Towards the end of the sermon his tone switches to one of reason in terms of not neglecting his words. He asks a series of rhetorical questions such as those who are unconverted and do not teach their children of Christ that they too will have to witness the wrath of God. As for literary devices such as metaphors, similes, and allegories, Edwards does not disappoint for his use of them most likely whipped a lot of Puritans back into their faith.

Read More

Rhetorical Analysis Of Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry God

462 Words | 2 Pages

Edwards' distinct diction is put to work to descriptively describe the power of the Lord and the unpleasant Hellfire that awaits the sinners. Such words efficiently infiltrate into the minds of his audience and scare them greatly. Edwards held his congregation locked up with his assurance of eternal damnation if the correct course of action was not taken. The church assembly felt the great impact of his rhetorical tactics and had the fear of the power of God on their minds.

Read More

Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry God Language Analysis

529 Words | 3 Pages

Often in Sermons ministers/pastors persuade their audience to behave in a spiritual or moral fashion. Such is the case in “Sinners in the hands of an angry God” by Johnathan Edwards where he says “sinners should repent for their sins or burn in the eternal pit of hell. If sinners repent, they will receive eternal life.” God destroys sinners, but is merciful to the repentant. Edwards wanted to impact his audience by appealing to the fears pity and vanity.

Read More

Comparing Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry God And Upon The Burning Of Our House

1000 Words | 4 Pages

Edwards reminds people that mankind is nothing compared to God and that that all of humankind is guilty and deserves to be punished. This appears similar to Bradstreet’s poem, but there are some

Read More

Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry God Literary Devices

1763 Words | 8 Pages

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

Read More

The Appeals Of The Southern Belle Code: A Look Into The Past

1654 Words | 7 Pages

Isaac Ober Mr. Petrich Honors English, 9 22 December 2022 The Appeals of the Southern Belle code: a Look into the Past Through her primal imagery and employment of substories in To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee conveys that the institution of racism is perpetuated by the Southern Belle code; this code yields even more power to the already immensely powerful patriarchy by degrading women to pure beings that need protection from the outside world, reducing women to only their opinions and making it impossible for them to take action, thereby increasing the prominence of racism in the south. Through her clever word choice, Lee expresses that young girls are pressured to conform to the Southern Belle code through female role models, who heavily

Read More

Rhetorical Analysis Of Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry God

873 Words | 4 Pages

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.

Read More

Sinners At The Angry Hands Of God Analysis

883 Words | 4 Pages

Jonathan Edwards once said: “Resolution One: I will live for God. Resolution Two: If no one else does, I still will.” Since birth (October 5th, 1703), Jonathan has always been a devoted Puritan which explains why he began the Great Awakening, along with George Whitefield. Edwards started preaching and wanted people to reconvert to Puritanism. His work, “Sinners at the Angry Hands of God,” was written on July 8, 1741.

Read More

Jonathan Edwards Rhetoric

817 Words | 4 Pages

Jonathan Edwards, a preacher, wrote the sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God". In the sermon, Edwards argues that everyone was out of God's favor and they needed to return to a righteous path. The tone of the sermon is indignant and authoritative. Jonathan Edwards uses imagery, logos, and pathos to encourage the unconverted audience to turn to God in order to escape his wrath. Elemental imagery is used in the sermon to inspire fear in the audience.

Read More

Figurative Language In Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry God

928 Words | 4 Pages

The majority of this sermon is dedicated to the audience whom Edwards views with repulsion. He uses imagery to describe the awful Hell that he believes the people in the congregation will end up in and calls it a “great furnace of wrath, a wide and bottomless pit, full of the fire of wrath” (Paragraph 8). He illustrates the never ending state of Hell in order to frighten everyone in the audience. He sees each and every person as damned and honestly believes they deserve be sent to Hell to burn for all eternity. He feels no sympathy for them because they are completely free to do what they want and he knows that what they do with their free will is commit sin.

Read More

Rhetorical Analysis Of Barack Obama's Audacity Of Hope

950 Words | 4 Pages

Barack Obama Has a Way with Words Barack Obama’s “The Audacity of Hope” speech was given on July 27, 2004 as the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention. The speech made Obama further known in the world of politics, and a star among the Democratic Party. Though the description of presidential candidate John Kerry’s qualities makes Obama’s belief that Kerry will make the best president his obvious purpose, the quality of his speech boosted his career. Obama uses repetition devices, various sentence structures, and abstract language to create the strength and persuasive aspects of his speech.

Read More

Rhetorical Analysis Of Why Literature Matters By Dana Gioia

506 Words | 3 Pages

In conclusion, Dana Gioia applies vocabulary and rhetorical appeals to actively influence his audience to agree to his argument. Furthermore, connecting his audience to the subject and inspiring them to help his issues and understand his

Read More

Deductive Reasoning Is Reliable

1197 Words | 5 Pages

Reason is applying logic, to constitute and validate factual claims, stemming from new and existing information. Scientific knowledge can be acquired through the most conventional forms such as inductive and deductive reasoning. It is deemed reliable when predictions are faultless, leading to credible scientific knowledge with consistency and repeatability. Reliability is that relevant results must be intrinsically repeatable, resulting in a logical true conclusion. Although using reason as a way of obtaining information is used often, there are limitations that make this way of knowing not as reliable as we think it is.

Read More

More about Persuasive Techniques In Great Awakening, By Jonathan Edwards

Related Topics

Open Document