“Sinners in the Hands of an angry God” In the “Sinners in the Hands of an angry God” Edwards talks to the puritans in a form of imagery, stating how God has us in his hands and at one point he might just have to let us go because of our sins. Edwards tries to get his point across by stating the awful weight of sin, the wrath of an angry God, and the power of God and his ability to do horrible things to sinners. He wants to put fear into the unconverted people of the church. As he starts his sermon, he beings to talk about the unconverted people in a different way using the words “they” or “them” but the people already knew that sermon was referring to them. He uses this topic to penetrate main point inside the people’s hearts.
Examining Inherent Sin in Hawthorne’s Short Stories Nathaniel Hawthorne often presents his readers with myriad references to hidden sin in both his short stories and novels. In his short stories, protagonists Mr. Hooper in “The Minister’s Black Veil” and Georgiana in “The Birthmark,” experience the negative social gaze of those around them. For Reverend Hooper, it is his congregation that views his black veil as the symbol of sin or imperfection – there is something abnormal about his wearing of the veil. In Georgiana’s case, her husband, Alymer, views her birthmark as an unnatural imperfection which has manifested itself into the shape of a hand on her cheek. Both stories arguably demonstrate the idea of unnatural, abnormal objects overpowering
For sinning he gives consequences which are most likely being sent to hell, but god gives forgiveness. Jonathan Edward’s use of the imagery helps the reader understand the motives in “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”. The title itself explains its self ,”Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” , god is holding the people who sin in his hands and is angry which means he would like to drop us into hell. Edwards hoped that the imagery and message of his sermon would awaken his audience to the horrific reality that awaited them should they continue without Christ. The imagery puts an picture or image inside the readers mind so they could get a better understanding in what’s actually going on in the story which is sinning.
“The God … abhors you!” Imagine a preacher who would openly insult the congregation, tell them they were all damned, and that they could and should go to hell. Jonathan Edwards was one of these preachers. In “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” Jonathan Edwards uses strong imagery to “excite” his audience into stronger religious devotion and sometimes even move them to hysteria. These powerful sermons sparked the religious revival in which people lived more devoted, spiritual lives. This “Great Awakening” spread throughout New England during the eighteenth century.
Matteson. The Minister’s Black Veil is being used to show another example of a man who is trying to hide and cover his sins. I am using The Woman Caught in Adultery biblical account to explain how Jesus faced the woman’s sins openly and how people should as well. The biblical account tells how people can be so quick to judge (much like the community in The Scarlet Letter), and how we shouldn’t be that way. The Scarlet Letter was meant to show the hypocrisy in Puritan society (and the people in the society) and how it causes so much pain and
Edwards applies pathos by using imagery that appeals to his audience's fear. Fear is a very potent emotion which can easily drive people to act. Edwards uses this to his advantage and creates a stern tone; his tone is grim and harsh throughout the sermon. One of Edwards's metaphors that best uses fear is his image of God's bow: “The bow of God's wrath is bent, and the arrow made ready on the string...and it is nothing but the mere pleasure of God, and that of an angry God, without any promise or obligation at all, that keeps the arrow one moment from being made drunk with your blood” (47-48). The idea Edwards tries to convey is that God is ready to kill you, and your death could occur at any given moment.
Captivating someone’s emotions is most effective to catch and keep their attention. In the accomplished sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” Jonathan Edwards applies extensive use of rhetorical strategies, but the most persuasive are metaphors utilized through pathos in an attempt to sway the acts of sinners, the natural men to be morally correct. While discussing the natural men’s wickedness, Edwards states “All your righteousness, would have no more influence to uphold [the natural men], and keep [the natural men] out of hell, than a spider’s web would have to stop a fallen rock” (Edwards 8), giving his unconverted audience the idea that God is the single force who is the deciding factor of whether they are saved, or dropped to eternal damnation. Edwards compares sinners to spiders, creatures despised by humans just as sinners are detested by God, displaying to Edwards unconverted congregation how poorly God thinks of them. Righteousness is showcased as the natural men’s sin and weakness.
Sermons were written and read so that even the simplest, or even illiterate of Colonist could understand, language that they could relate too. It was very sensory and vivid, used to evoke fear, pity and guilt in a group of people that had survived and were facing all manner of unknowns as the shaped a new nation. Like any writer that is trying to persuade his audience he begins his emotional appeal from the very beginning, as he very directly addresses the audience. "Yea, God is a great deal more angry with great numbers that are now on ear; yea, doubtless, with many that are now in this congregation, who it may be are at ease, than he is with many of those who are now in the flames of hell." This statement was not on an attention grabber, but evoked fear in the congregation, fear of hell and their own safety from Gods wrath, as well as fear and pity for those sitting around them.
King also states the question of their condemnation because they are the minority. "Isn't this like condemning Jesus because His unique God-Consciousness and never-ceasing devotion to His will precipitated the evil act of crucifixion?" At this point King compares his cause to Jesus' cause. He says, in essence, that the civil rights movement is a God-like event. he also talks of the injustices towards blacks.
If you were to read through ‘Sinners in the hands of an angry God’ today, you would see many common themes, all including the wicked and their long be-waiting fate. Here are many excerpts from the sermon that point to