A hand that is only kept steady by his pleasure and if he should remove his hand, it would be the end for the entire congregation. This imagery describes how the congregation was not living virtuous lives and how God’s wrath was building up as time passed. This incited a sense of fear of damnation in the congregation as they realized how much danger they were in and pushed them to become more devoted. The second example of imagery is found in paragraph nine. Jonathan compares God’s wrath to a taunt bow, ready to fire at any moment.
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 idea Edwards tries to convey is that God is ready to kill you, and your death could occur at any given moment. The words Edwards uses also serve in striking fear into the congregation: bow, arrow, angry, blood. Both the bow-and-arrow image and Edwards's diction combine to create a stern, harsh tone. While Edwards sets a stern tone, he also sets a benevolent, compassionate one. He doesn't write Elias and Nichols 2 this sermon
For example, states in his sermon that, “The devil is waiting for them, hell is going for them, the flames gather and flash about them,” (pg.46), which is basically explaining how sinners are going to burn in hell and they deserve it. Also Edwards states that, “the fire bent up in their own hearts is struggling to break out,” (pg.46-47), which he means that those who sin deserved to struggle in their own hell. Edward is telling the sinners to burn up in hell because they sin. Edwards explain to sinners what is going to happen to them and he also describes how sinners were going to hell. For example, he states, “The wrath of God is like great waters that are damned for the present; they increase more and more, and rise higher and higher, till an outlet is given; and longer the stream is stopped, the more rapid and mighty is its course, when once it is let loose.” (pg.47), he explains how sinners’ lies spread quickly and makes them sinners.
In the story, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” a homily from a Puritan minister, named Jonathan Edwards, the symbol of God’s Wrath is broken down and reformed into a thousand different facets. From an arrow drawn and ready, to malicious waters kept at bay by inches, one thing is clear: the sinner has no power to control their destiny; they are in the hands, literally, of a ruthlessly enraged puppet-master. Imagine the entire state of aforementioned sinner; bound and gagged, like cattle on a meant hook, agonizing over the final seconds before slaughter. The sinner is a doll, with limbs attached by string to a wooden cross; it is a situation flooding with irony. Imagine living an eternity filled with strangers with ugly faces.
“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.
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.
He immediately assumes that the plague has come to punish the sinners of Oran. He says “you” instead of “we” in his first sermon, signifying that the plague is the sinners problem not his own. He preaches that everyone will suffer and he actually frightens people instead of comforting them. He is basically telling the people to become self reliant because no one is going to be there to help. After his first sermon Rambert was so disturbed by the priest’s words that he tried to escape the town.
I heard many things in hell.” Through his denial of the hold lunacy has on him, the Narrator establishes the very nature of his madness. His contradictions’ such as denial of being afflicted by the disease, then the very next thought is to defend the nature of the illness by praising it for moulding his senses is evidence towards his increasing madness and the inevitable doom of the Narrator. The Mad Man’s seemingly unprovoked rage towards the Old Man is blamed upon his dead, hazy eye. The Narrator in a fit of Madness trying to explain his actions, claims his motivation; “One of his eyes resembled that of a vulture – a pale blue eye, with a film over it. Whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran cold: and so by degrees – very gradually – I made up my mind to take the life of the old man, and thus rid myself of the eye forever.” The Narrator again proves his madness through his apparent lack of solid intent coupled with his explanation of the rage within him.
The lines that follow will clarify the poem and the violent imagery, so as to help the reader understand Donne’s motivations. Batter my heart, addressed towards God, portrays the writers confused and conflicted state of mind. He appears guilty for his sins he has committed in his life but has come to realise that he has no chance of redemption without the help of God’s love, “imprison me…never shall be free”. He also strongly considers he has been wrongly taken by “your enemy”, Satan through his use of metaphors “imprison me”. Satan has captured him “take me to you” through temptation and sin “unto your enemy”.