Rhetorical Analysis Of The Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry God

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Many people know the Christian God as happy, forgiving, and accepting of others. In the Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, Jonathan Edwards’ sermon completely shocks and scares people by claiming that the Christian God is the only God, and if you weren’t to believe in him, you would burn in Hell and be destroyed. The tone of this piece in the eyes of Edwards is dedicated, passionate, and pro-Christian God. Edward achieves his purpose by using metaphors, repetition, personification, and visual imagery numerously throughout the sermon.
Edwards starts his sermon stating his claim and intentionally scaring people by saying, “There is nothing that keeps wicked Men at any one Moment, out of Hell, but the meer Pleasure of GOD”(5) Edwards says that there is nothing that is keeping a person that does not believe in God out of Hell, but the feeling of God at that moment. He is trying to scare the audience and say that at any moment God could change His mind and throw you into Hell and would not have a second thought about it. The tone of the piece can be easily seen through this quote as very dedicated and devoted to God, while the mood for the audience …show more content…

Edwards uses personification to over exaggerate and phrase his point into a more elaborate or in this context, a more dangerous way. For example, “...the Devil is waiting for them, Hell is gaping for them, the Flames gather and flash about them, and would fain lay hold on them, and swallow them up; the Fire pent up in their own Hearts is struggling to break out.” (11-12) Using this personification make what Edwards is saying more realistic and treacherous, like giving the Devil lifelike qualities and saying that he is waiting for the sinners and that Hell has opened its mouth, and the flames are gathering around to swallow the sinners up as they come. Personification collectively “glams up” and makes the writing have a life of its

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