Jonathan Edwards uses several types of writing skills to persuade his audience of God’s intentions. His use of figurative language, analogies, imagery, and repetition all emphasize Edwards’s views. He uses fear, anger, and apathy to appeal to the audience in attempt to warn his audience of God’s intentions.
Jonathan Edwards was a great American theologian who was an eighteenth century Puritan preacher who delivered a six hour sermon in 1741, Connecticut to a congregation of Puritans. The purpose was to convince the congregation into seeking salvation by accepting God and to convince the unholy if they continued their ways they would end up in hell. To convince his audience Edwards uses rhetorical devices such as metaphor repetition and bandwagon to invoke fear into his audience.
There are many basic and major tenets of Christianity that were emphasized in Jonathan Edwards’ sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” He used a lot of terms and concept throughout the whole entire sermon. The term “monotheistic”, which means a belief that there is only one God is used throughout the sermon. Monotheistic exists in three beings. Edwards’ also used the concepts of omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent throughout the whole entire sermon.
On antor note, Edwards development in “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” has a frightful and archaic language usage which help his sermon develop. To explain, Edwards usage of imagery/symbolism help develop the mode. “... hell is gaping for them… ”(Edwards)
In crafting his highly effective sermon, Edwards utilizes his authority as a man of God and as an interpreter of the scriptures, a logical and direct organization of arguments, and violent imagery to convince his audience of the vengeance of God against man. Jonathan Edwards begins his sermon by quoting
Edwards was a preacher and when he gave the sermon, he gave it in complete monotone. People were even more frightened and scared because of his emotionless sermon and more people paid attention. Jonathan Edward’s sermon speaks of how sinners should be cast off and be destroyed by God because it is God who is everything and if someone were to turn against God why should he or she get another chance. Some values that Edward’s puts in his sermon are yet similar to John Winthrop’s sermon but Edward’s sermon is very negative and was made to scare people into changing their ways. God is almost everything to people of the colonial period because of their fight for survival and if someone is a sinner or goes against God then they will be punished.
Rhetorical Analysis of Jonathan edwards’s Sinners in the hand of an angry god: jeremiad Jonathan edwards, is known as one of the most important religious figures of the great awakening, edwards became known for his zealous sermon “sinners at the hand of an angry god”. During his sermon he implies that if his congregation does not repent to christ they are in “danger of great wrath and infinite misery”. Throughout this sermon edwards uses literary devices such as strong diction, powerful syntax and juxtaposition to save his congregation from eternal damnation. Throughout Edwards’s sermon the use of turgid diction is exceedingly prevalent.
The most important feature of a sermon is the application of a scripture text to the personal experience of the listener. Especially this last part is what reduced many of Edwards’s listeners to tears. In Edwards’s sermon the scripture text is “Their foot shall slide in due time”. This meant that eventually, all sinners would be punished by God, which could be at any time. Edwards speaks of a wrathfull God, a God who by Puritan standards is considered forgiving for not letting all of humanity fall into the deepest pits of hell.
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
He plys many different rhetorical strategies to convince his listeners to follow his word. He uses strategies including, repetition, appeal to fear, appeal to urgency and problem solution. Johnathan Edwards uses many rhetorical strategies in "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God". He uses repetition throughout the sermon. The main idea that he repeats is that if you do not love and believe in God, then you are going to hell.
At the very beginning of the sermon, Edwards explains, “there is nothing between you and Hell but the air; it is only the mere pleasure of G-d that holds you up.” Edwards personifies power to make a point that G-d is above everyone, and there is nothing anyone can do about it. This is the opening to the sermon, where the audience feels their inferiority to G-d right away, realizing that G-d is the only form of salvation they cam possibly receive. Additionally, “if your strength were ten thousand times greater than the strength of the stoutest, sturdiest devil in Hell, it would be nothing to withstand or endure it.” This time, Edwards personifies strength in relation to Hell, working up his audience mid-way through the sermon to get them to fight back against their guilt and petty attempts at ‘spirituality’; and therefore be in G0d’s good graces.
Edwards uses personification throughout the sermon to get his purpose across to his audience. For example, he says “The bow of God’s wrath is bent, and the
In Jonathan Edwards' fiery sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," he describes the horrible fate of those who do not open their hearts to God. He accomplishes this by employing the persuasive techniques of fear and guilt and by creating frightening imagery. By repeatedly reminding his parishioners of God's anger and their transgressions, Edwards uses fear and guilt to accomplish his goal. Edwards states that the unconverted "are now the objects of that very same anger and wrath of God" to demonstrate the abhorrence God has for them. God's anger and the consequences of transgressions are used repeatedly to produce fear; Edwards actively induces fear by describing the dead unconverted as "those who are now in the flames of hell."
He continues this metaphor by showing how God makes them into dedicated Puritans. Taylor used metaphors and personification in these writings. Taylor’s use of figurative language consisted more of personification and similes. In “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”, Edwards used personification: “there is Hell’s wide gaping mouth open” (87). Edwards uses personification to show God scary and unmerciful.
Jonathan Edwards speech "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God." is a speech that uses techniques to attract the puritans attention I found him using Personification, Metaphors and also Imagery. Jonathan Edwards incorporates personification in his speech. "And the world would spew you out." This gives the world personification by allowing the world to spew as a human would. This pursuades the puritans that they will be forgotten an be taken out from the world.