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'Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry God'

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Though both stories illustrate the fundamental principles of Christianity, there are several variations in which the concepts are exhibited. Jonathan Edwards, the author of the short story, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”, employs a direct manner of confronting his audience. Nathaniel Hawthorne, the author of the short story, “Young Goodman Brown”, on the other hand,implements an enigmatic and dark manner of exerting a moral influence on his readers. Edwards straightforwardly points out to his congregation in a “fire and brimstone” fashion the punishment in Hell that awaits the unconverted. He repeatedly insists the precarious nature of falling into Hell, which he compares to the risk of one falling as a result of standing or walking in slippery places as he expresses in Psalm 73:18, “Surely thou didst set them in slippery places; thou castedst them down into destruction.” …show more content…

The story that has its main character as Goodman Brown, a rather pious and young naïve man, entwines both religion and the fear of evil. Edward considers a direct approach the best method of achieving an adequate portrayal of God’s anger with proliferating sin as opposed to the rather gentle protestation about sinful behavior that Hawthorne applies. Edward is of the notion that his sermon as a clergy would change the behavior of his congregation by reminding them that their unforeseen ultimate fate of falling into Hell for their unbelief is in the hands of God. He insists that wicked men can do nothing to prevent God from casting them to Hell as is in the statement, “Men’s hands cannot be strong when God rises. The strongest have no power to resist him, nor can any deliver out of his

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After reading both of the text “The Minister 's Black Veil” by Nathaniel Hawthorne and “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” by Jonathan Edwards they’re various similarities and differences can be noted, especially toward the attitudes of sin and guilt. In the story’s the are just portrayed a little bit different. In both stories the feel that sinning is horrible and should be frowned upon. In the story the “Minister 's Black Veil” Nathaniel Hawthorne wants the reader to know that Reverend Hooper is wanting to hide his past sins.

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Jonathan Edwards’s sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” and Anne Bradstreet’s “Upon the Burning of Our House” seem at first glance quite similar to one another regarding context, however, after taking a closer look, it becomes apparent that there are some substantial differences. These differences cannot be understood without the knowledge of cultural context concerning the Puritan belief system and their lifestyle. “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” was written with the sole purpose of scaring and intimidating the people that purtinans believed to be sinners. Edwards’s work contributed to a movement called “The Great Awakening”. It’s objective was to make the so-called ‘sinners’ aware of their wrongdoings and compel them to repent.

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It is explained that God is the only one who is able to save people from going to Hell. Edwards wants people to imagine how evil and distressed life would be without Gods love and mercy. He explains that to not burn in Hell people need to ask for forgiveness from God, experience Gods mercy, and continuously practice the Lords word. Edwards really lets the message of “Gods wrath” sink into our minds to show how mighty, powerful, and capable the Lord is. The Lord gives us many opportunities to rely on Him and when we need his love and mercy the most.

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Rhetorical Analysis "Fear is an instructor of great sagacity and the herald of all resolutions. "- Ralph Waldo Emerson. “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” was a sermon written and delivered by American reverend Jonathan Edwards in 1741, and was an outstanding example of the potentially dominant convincing powers of the use of Rhetoric. The sermon, even when read silently, is effective in projecting a specific interpretation of the wrathful nature of God and the sinful nature of man.

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Through Goodman Brown’s awakening to the evil nature of those around him, Hawthorne comments on what he sees as the hidden corruption of Puritan society. Goodman Brown believes in the public professions of faith made by his father and the elders of his church and in the societal structures that are built upon that faith. Hawthorne suggests, however, that behind the public face of godliness, the Puritans’ actions were not always Christian. The devil in the story says that he was present when Brown’s father and grandfather whipped Quakers and set fire to Indian villages, making it clear that the story of the founding of New England has a dark side that religion fails to explain. The very fact that Goodman Brown is willing to visit the forest

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