Persuasive Speech Ethos

Jonathan Edwards, a famous preacher in pre-colonial times, composed a sermon that was driven to alert and inject neo Puritanical fear into an eighteenth century congregation. This Bible based and serious audience sought after religious instruction and enlightenment. Through the sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," Edwards offers a very harsh interpretation to humankind. Edwards utilizes various rhetorical techniques to evoke an emotional response in his audience and to persuade the members of his congregation that their wicked actions will awaken a very ruthless and merciless God.

On July 8th 1741, Jonathan Edwards preached the sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” in Enfield, Connecticut. Edwards states to his listeners that God does not lack in power, and that people have yet not fallen to destruction because his mercy. God is so forgiving that he gives his people an opportunity to repent and change their ways before it was too late. Edwards urges that the possibility of damnation is immanent. Also that it urgently requires the considerations of the sinner before time runs out. He does not only preach about the ways that make God so omnipotent, but the ways that he is more superior to us. In his sermon, Edwards uses strong, powerful, and influential words to clearly point out his message that we must amend

Edwards illustrates the power and wrath of God by using emotional language and playing on his audience’s fears in order to persuade them to believe in Christ. He explains all of these potential dangers and tragedies that might happen and if it wasn’t for “God it would immediately burst forth upon you” (3). Edwards uses their uneasiness to better educate the readers of God’s power over their lives. He not only instills a sense of nervousness in the reader, but also motivation to act upon those feelings. By

Edwards begins his sermon by alluding to the Bible to recount the mistakes of the Israelites and explaining how God has saved the Israelites from hell, but could easily cast them into eternal suffering. He appeals to the fear of the audience by referring to the Israelites in vivid metaphors, explaining that they are vulnerable to hell as “one that stands or walks in slippery places is always exposed to fall.” He establishes his ethos by referring to the Bible through the Psalms and interprets them. He demonstrates his knowledge and intimidates the audience in order to grab the audience’s attention and warn them about the dangers of abandoning God. This factual tone forces the congregation to respect Edwards, even though he describes their destruction by God.

He uses his vivid imagery to project what he’s thinking to his audience. He wants to make his audience feel scared like they are not following the right religion. Edwards also makes his audience feel upset that their lives will end soon and they didn’t get to live out their lives. Edwards calls attention to his writing by using repetition, metaphor, and extreme imagery.

Edwards uses imagery as a way to frighten his audience back into the pious ways of the Puritans. He uses darkly connotated words to vividly describe hell and the torment that it brings to appeal to the audience's emotions and senses. When referring to God sending the sinners to hell, there is a great deal dark images drawn in the readers mind to help them picture what they are doomed to. "God has so many different, unsearchable ways of taking wicked men out of the world and sending 'em to hell, that there is nothing to make it

It is year 1741, in Enfield, Connecticut, and Puritan Pastor Jonathan Edwards gives one of his best sermons- Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God. Reverend Edwards was a religious leader during “The Great Awakening”, a time of spiritual revival, and desperately wanted all of his congregation to have faith, and be saved in the Heavenly Father. As a result, Edwards crafted a sermon rich in figurative language. By constructing a sermon that relied heavily on imagery and repetition Edwards created an enduring image of hell and how one can be saved from its wretched realities.

Jonathan Edwards's sermon, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" is moving and powerful. His effectiveness as an eighteenth century New England religious leader is rooted in his expansive knowledge of the Bible and human nature, as well as a genuine desire to "awaken" and save as many souls as possible. This sermon, delivered in 1741, exhibits Edwards's skillful use of these tools to persuade his congregation to join him in his Christian beliefs.

In the sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”, Edwards displays controversial viewpoints and ideas concerning heaven and hell. As Edwards speaks to the congregation he warns them of the misery and suffering they will face if they do not repent of certain sins. He also describes God as angry which probably struck fear into the hearts on many. To illustrate his own point that hell is unenviable without repentance Jonathan Edwards creates the idea of an angry God using intense similes, a harsh tone, and strong emotional appeal in “Sinners in the hand of an Angry God”.

Edwards establishes a feeling of hopelessness throughout his sermon by applying figurative language to emphasize his purpose. His

Jane Austen once said, “My style of writing is very different from yours, ” which reveals how every writer uses different writing styles in order to express their individual intended messages. Writers use numerous stylistic techniques to communicate a particular message to their audience. Jonathan Edward’s Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, especially, is a powerful and strong example of a writing piece with stylistic techniques that enhances the intended message. Jonathan Edwards first delivered this writing piece in Enfield, Connecticut in 1741. During the time he wrote this sermon, an event called the Great Awakening had sparked, which was a series of religious revivals. Edwards played a major and important role in the Great Awakening

The author Jonathan Edwards, wrote a sermon titled Sinners in The Hands of Angry God which takes place in 1741 in Enfield, Connecticut. In this sermon The main character, God, has his wrath descriptively portrayed by Jonathan Edwards. The overall theme of the story is God's judgement and how he is seen by his followers.

Edwards’ sermon Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, the content of his speech is very heavily affected by the persuasively intense visuals he includes. While the sermon may or may not have been powerful on it’s own, by creating a visual representation of the suffering he is preaching will come, Mr. Edwards is able to manipulate the emotional connection his audience has. Within his sermon, Mr. Edward delivers a series of metaphors that tie the wrath of God to the disaster of a flood. In lines 46-53 of Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, Mr. Edwards declares, “If God should only withdraw his hand from the floodgate, it would immediately fly open, and the fiery floods of the fierceness and wrath of God would rush forth with inconceivable fury, and would come upon you with omnipotent power; and if your strength were ten thousand times greater than it is, yea, ten thousand times greater than the strength of the stoutest, sturdiest devil in Hell, it would be nothing to withstand or endure it.” By using such an intense word picture, Mr. Edwards moves one step closer to persuading his audience to believe every word falling from his

Jonathan Edwards Sermon “ Sinners in the Hands of an angry god” contributed into the Great Awakening, showing that Hell was real, and whoever defied god was put down. Edwards used dark imagery to get his our heads, the meaning that everyone is predestined and anyone can be sent to hell. Edwards says in his sermon that “ God's enemies are easily broken into pieces, they are a heap of light chaff before the whirlwind”(2). Edwards hoped that the imagery and language of his sermon would awaken audiences to the horrific reality that he believed awaited them, should they continue life without their devotion to Christ? This made many people horrified and help start the great Awakening, making Christians more aware of the power of Christ, and increase their devotion to Christ.

Jonathan Edwards, a negative and realistic man, focused on how God is a judgemental god and sinners will be put to a painful death, they should be fearful. He says in the first few lines of his speech, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, “So that, thus it is that natural men are held in the hand of God, over the pit of hell; they have deserved the fiery pit.” (Edwards, Pg. 23) Edwards implies that everyone deserves to be in hell and he goes on to say that God is an angry God and that no one had done anything to try to ease His anger. Edwards also played a large role in the Great Awakening. He wanted people to experience Christianity in an intense and emotional way. In his speech, he said, “O sinner! Consider the fearful danger you are in: It is a great furnace of wrath, a wide and bottomless pit, full of the fire of wrath, that you are held over in the hand of that God, whose wrath is provoked and incensed as much against you, as against many of the damned in hell.” (Edwards, Pg. 26) Edward’s speech was opportunity knocking at everyone’s doors. He influenced people to want to be saved in a way that made many fearful of what could happen to them if they weren’t saved or a child of God. Edwards believed that God set the world in motion, but was not active in everyone’s life. Edwards believed that God created the world and