Rhetorical Analysis Of Sinners In The Hand Of An Angry God By Jonathan Edwards

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Jonathan Edwards, a prominent theologian during the Great Awakening, delivers a sermon entitled “Sinners in the Hand of an Angry God” in the year 1741. As the title points out, the sermon is based on the wrath of God in their Colonial America lifestyle. Edwards uses many analogies throughout his sermon to scare his audience of churchgoers into obedience to the laws of God. Throughout his sermon, Edwards uses rhetoric and an intimidating tone to impart a fear of God in his listeners. Edwards begins his sermon by comparing “the wrath of God” to the “great waters” being held back by a large dam. He uses an intimidating tone to make his audience feel scared of God and want to do good in order to be saved from God’s immense powers. Throughout his sermon, Edwards uses a conceit of great “floods” and …show more content…
This allows his listeners to visualize what God can and may do to them if they don’t follow in his way. Later, he creates an image in the audience’s mind when he states that if God might release his hand from the floodgate, then the “fiery floods of fierceness” will come over you. Edwards uses imagery to let the audience realize that they are infinitely weaker the God and at any moment, the could be cast aside by their God. At the same time, Edwards uses alliteration of “fiery floods” to increase the flow and better the structure of his sermon. Furthermore, themes and motifs start to take hold of his speech and create it into a famous sermon out of the Great Awakening. One theme that is repeatedly shown is the power and “wrath of God” that he could give unto them. This motif utilizes a condescending tone which puts his audience in a feeling of weakness. Edwards wants his audience to feel weak so that they can be more receptive for help. He
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