Rhetorical Analysis Of Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry God

​In Jonathan Edward’s sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”, Edwards uses fear and intimidation to persuade his congregation to escape the wrath of God. In the sermon he uses metaphors to gain control over the congregation. Another reason why Jonathan Edwards uses metaphors is to prove his point to the congregation. Edwards also links the spiritual world to the physical world of the listeners. He uses metaphors to dramatize human powerlessness. He states that human has much chance of keeping out of hell.

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”.

The wilderness is very dangerous. Rowlandson’s journey begins with an uphill climb. At the top of the hill she gets her last glimpse of civilization for weeks to come. She relies on the Indians for safety, but attributes her safe passage through freezing rivers and dark swamps to god. When she cannot find her way to her son her master helps her find him, but she attributes this to god as well. She does not believe the Indians are helping her. She ignores all the things they do for her and thanks, in traditional Puritan fashion, god for all her good fortune.

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 Of Plymouth Plantation, William Bradford writes of multiple acts of God’s divine providence acting on the Pilgrims during their journey to Virginia and the subsequent founding of Plymouth Plantation. Bradford’s portrayal of events he labels providence, such as the death of the lusty seaman, the finding of the corn seeds by the exploring party, and the repulse of the Native American attack, shows his belief that God acted through natural events and reveals aspects of Puritan theology and thinking.

William Braford used allusions to the bible and referenced God’s intervention in “Of Plymouth Plantation”. In the 4th chapter, Bradford alludes to Proverbs 22:3 when he says “a wise man seeketh the plague when it cometh, and hideth himself” (Bradford A: 125). This statement basically says that when intelligent men know that evil is near they should seek refuge or hide. An example of God’s intervention can be found in Chapter IX when he states “But it pleased God to smite this young man” (Bradford A: 131). He then reinforces the notion of God’s intervention when he follows the statement with the assertion that the young man’s friends believed what happened to him was God’s will.

Edwards uses words like “wrath” and “omnipotent” to display the power that God posses, and chooses negative connotation words to describe the relationship between God and man (para. 15, 46). Making the comparison of the relationship between God and humans like a spider web or thread, the author wants the audience to know that it can be broken at any time, and that the “pit is prepared” down in hell for sinners (para. 17). Edward chooses diction that leaves humans hopeless, and at the mercy of God. He wants the audience to know that God is always in control, using words like “if God should permit” and “the mere pleasure of God” (para. 13, 7). Additionally, Edwards uses diction to portray God as merciless and immoral, saying that has God is “without pity” and “will have no compassion upon you” (para. 41). This leaves the audience despaired, and they feel as if they have no choice but to reestablish their relationship with God, or certainly face an “everlasting destruction” at any time God pleases to (para.

The central theme of both John Winthrop’s “City Upon a Hill” and Jonathan Edward’s “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”, is the prospect of religion in one’s everyday life influencing their future. In order to build up their ideas about acting in a way that pleases the Lord, both these authors use repetition, diction, allusions, and metaphors as a way to build momentum in their speech as they allude to teachings of the bible and their diction install a notion of uncertainty. However, while Winthrop uses his notion of uncertainty to give the audience a sense of security, in their endeavors to the Americas, with the prospect of religion, Edwards does the opposite and makes the audience fear God even more as he talks about his

Figurative language is another important factor for the story. In the story, he talked about wickedness in a person’s body. “Your wickedness makes you as it were as heavy as lead.” This will make you think that the amount of wickedness in one’s body is equivalent to the weight of lead. This might persuade people to go be “reborn” since they would want to get rid of most of that wickedness. Another example is the comparison of a person to a spider. “The God that holds you over the pit of hell, much as one holds a spider.” Edwards use this to say that we’re no different than spiders in God’s eyes. We could be squished or dropped to our doom in a mater of seconds. Edwards also compared God’s wrath to the great waters. “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 the longer the stream is stopped, the more rapid and

The literature in the Colonial times was heavily focused on the people's belief in God and his rule over humans. They viewed God as a kind sympathetic God that could turn ruthless at any misbehavior. God is portrayed almost like a person in the fact that he has his moods and can be kind or angry when provoked.

In using these metaphors, Edwards is enabling the reader(s) to understand the tone by putting it in a situation and context, which is more easily correlated. Subsequently, he uses imagery in the opening paragraph stating that when men are on Gods’ hands and they could descend to hell. Natural men are held in the hands of God, over the pit of hell knowing that you might descend into the abyss at any moment should scare you. God chose to save you until he wants to let you slope into an eternity of sweltering flames.

Colonial times in America expressed strong religious beliefs. Many were devoted to God and those who weren’t would feel a pressure to. In order to persuade the public into committing to God, speakers would use pathos to impose the fear of God in the individual. To appeal to the community’s fears, Edwards would often exemplify how one’s life hangs in the hands of God, “[God] holds you over the pit hell, much as one holds a spider, or some loathsome insect over the fire, abhors you and is dreadfully provoked.” (Edwards 50-51). The rhetorical impact of using such metaphor provides the individual a chance to envision his irrelevance, as an inferior creature, in God’s agenda. The life of a sinner is in severe danger, thus frightening the public

Bradford was trying to tell his audience, the younger generation, that God is always with them by describing the Pilgrims voyage to America. Edwards’ terrified his audience by describing hell. He wanted all of those who weren’t saved to realize what would happen if they didn’t change there ways.

The powerful words that Edwards used to amplify that God is using this arrow to make the sinner suffer are wrath, strains, and mere pleasure, because he points out how extremely angry God is feeling by straining which means to damage to a certain degree for his pleasure. “But your guilt in the meantime is constantly increasing, and you are every day treasuring up more wrath.” Sinners treasure God’s wrath every day, and they don’t notice how this guilt increases more and more, until God finally decides to let go of them to the burning fire of hell. Once again, Edward uses wrath to make the sinners understand that God is not only angry at them, he is extremely angry at them for increasing their guilt day by day. “God’s creatures are good, and were made for men to serve God with, and do not willingly sub serve to any other purpose…” Every men and women God created were made to love and serve him, and not fall to the hands of the devil himself or to search for a life full of sin. Edwards points out how God’s men were born free of sin, connect this to Adam and Eve, born free of sin yet they seek for the answers that where not to be questioned, as every sinner does by making the choice of following the devil instead of listening to what God has for them.

Puritan writers display their opinions on how God treats humans using metaphors. Many of these metaphors describe the complete control of God by having him hold humans by a small thread. On page 16 of her narrative, Rowlandson describes God “cutting off the thread of her life.” Jonathan Edwards similarly states in his sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God that God” is “holding you over the pits of Hell” (2). Both pieces assign the role of God to be all powerful and actively involved in the fates of humans by giving God the power to cut off human life or drop humans into the pits of Hell whenever He pleases.