Batter My Heart Diction

At the very core of humanity and its behavior lies mistakes and wrongdoings. No matter how intensively they may try to stay faithful, every person occasionally betrays their moral conscience. This trespass has been interpreted in countless forms of literature and media ever since the written and verbal word has existed. Gary Soto’s A Summer Life is a powerful example, using diverse forms of rhetoric to convey his cycle of initial pleasure, guilt, and eventual remorse over the measures taken place in the autobiographical narrative. The author uses vivid imagery, allegorical symbolism, and thought provoking biblical allusions to change a recreation of something one-dimensional, such as stealing a pie, into a six-year-old undergoing an ethical dilemma.

Jonathan Edwards work “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” is highly persuasive. He manages to convey a strong emotional connection to his beliefs while keeping his composure in his preaching. He was able to strike fear into the hearts of the Puritan people with his beliefs,in fact his sermon caused many people to go into hysterics. The sermon is so persuasive because he expertly uses Pathos and biblical allusion.

“Tattoos on the Heart” by Gregory Boyle, exemplified God’s work, compassion, and kinship. Father Boyle expressed God’s work when he created the Homeboy Industries while back to help turn Homeboys’ lives around. God’s work is in us all. “God can get tiny, if we’re not careful. I’m certain we all have an image of God that becomes the touchstone” (19). Father Boyle is my touchstone. I think of him when I think of God’s work. Father Boyle is living a life Jesus wants us to. He has put himself in danger to help the homies. He also has sacrificed the life he could have had to live with them. God, I guess is the reason we have compassion and kinship. One story Father Boyle tells in “Tattoos on the Heart” was about Rascal. He is not one to take advice.

In his essay, Visible Sanctity and Specter Evidence, Michael J. Colacurcio illustrates how Hawthorne’s work reveals how “the Calvinist doctrine of election looks very much like the traditional sin of presumption” (393). The fact that Calvinist epistemology resembles the sin of presumption indicates that the notion of absolute certainty in of itself produces uncertainty. The first generation of Puritans, and those who followed, presumed they were God’s chosen people, yet in the same vein, they assert that God’s grace is not certain. Uncertainty then leads to a search for certainty; in certainty’s absence, there arises the path to the unpardonable sin, for there is no certainty without a singular, clear meaning to everything in the world. The

What politician hasn’t used religion as an unwavering piece of justification in an argument? All throughout history, politicians have used religion countless times to justify behavior or simply to avoid unflattering questions. Authors and characters are guilty of this as well. “The Crucible” and “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” include evidence that individuals use religion as justification to prey on other’s fears and insecurities, to use as evidence to explain an occurrence or phenomenon, or to pass judgement on another person because Miller wishes to shed light on the manipulation of ideas and religion, and Edwards wishes to persuade his audience through these tactics.

Many short stories convey a very strong message through the use of literary techniques. These techniques can range from the use of allegorical ideas to the use of symbolism to get across the interconnected message that is associated with the story. “The Minister’s Black Veil”, a very powerful allegory, portrays strong symbols like the mirror, pale-faced congregation, and veil that move the story along while getting the interconnected message across. These symbols in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s romantic story all represent more than one idea that relates to the theme or message of this short story, about individual sin.

"In the depth of his heart he knew he was dying, but not only was he not accustomed to the thought, he simply did not and could not grasp it", Ivan's past life has not prepared him to face his death because he still struggles to face the reality of his pending death. Ivan tends to feel sorry for himself and continuously blames those around him and the doctors for not being able to cure his illness. He has felt nothing but emptiness in his past but blames everyone around him for not being there for him and those who actually attempt to help him he pushes away and treats them very rude like. "And to save himself from this condition Ivan Ilyich looked for consolations — new screens — and new screens were found and for a while seemed to save him,

Donne is damned with the possibility of burning in hell with his sins being odious if not equal to that of “serpents, lecherous goats, and poisonous mineral. As Bearing recites “If poisonous minerals, and if that tree” the poem is projected on her, as she lectures her students about John Donne. Edson uses this device to convey intertextuality that promotes a number of impressions to the audience; that Donne’s poetry is found within Bearings character, it reflects not only on Vivian but Donne too. Edson demonstrates a bias towards intellects and wit over the emotions and poeticism of Donne’s purpose, insisting that the “Christian doctrine assures that no sinner is denied forgiveness” Alluding to one’s moral and ethical behaviours, thus enhancing our understanding one the principle of the human nature. It also contradictory to Donne’s assertion that serpents, lecherous goats, and poisonous minerals have unequal sins if “no sinner is denied forgiveness”.

Philip Levine’s poem Gospel is about a man’s viewpoint on life while receiving bad information. Throughout the poem the speaker uses similes, metaphors, synechdoches, rhetorical questions, and personification to explain more to the readers. The beginning lines explain and give background information to the readers on how the man viewed the world. As the poem goes on the tone of the poem starts to shift to a sense of depression.

Puritan religion is adequately portrayed in both Jonathan Edwards’ sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”, and Nathaniel Hawthorne’s story, “The Minister’s Black Veil”. Edwards’ sermon is preaches about how God’s wrath will send sinners, who do not repent and truly believe in God, to Hell for all eternity. Hawthorne’s story is about how people try to hide their sins inside themselves as if behind a curtain or veil. Through use of details, tone, and figurative language, these literary giants discuss their topics.

Through connecting psychological principles with accentuated rhetoric, Jonathan Edward’s delivers “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” initially stirring the First Great Awakening. The basis of his sermon relies on a mix of imagery and rhetoric with an impassive delivery to condemn those currently who do not have the spirit of God striving within them. He further sentences those who resist and sin, by speaking of God’s sovereignty with severity, using graphic metaphoric language, thus hyperboles descriptions of God and the fate of the congregation.

In “Sinners…” the theme focuses on asking God to take away your sins, and focuses upon what will or may happen if you don’t let God take

(1) Read “God: The Villanelle”. Research the structure of a villanelle to understand how the poem works and post a comment on its structure. Next, consider the title and the message conveyed throughout the poem, as it pertains to God. Finally, listen to the reading of Marvin Klotz - "An Open Letter to the One True God, Whoever She, He, Or It May Be" and post a comment.

“Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” is known as the climax of The Great Awakening, which was the biggest religious movement in history. In 1741, Jonathan Edwards preached his sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”, to his church, which left his listeners crying and even contemplating suicide. On the surface, “Sinners” has basic religious meaning but, deeper down, he is talking about more than just a religious conversion. Edward’s message to his audience was that there is a wrathful God who will punish all who have not had a change of heart. He portrays this through imagery, repetition, and figurative language.

“When I compare Donne’s poetry and W;t, I find that the differences between them are more significant than the similarities.”