Sinners in the Hand of an Angry God Essay Example

sinner! Consider the fearful danger you are in" (Edwards 48) has a negative connotation in the eyes of the reader. This supports Edwards style because it creates a sense of guilt by using the word "sinner", which the average person does not like being called.

In order to express his level of anger in his style and the "extreme" anger of God, Edwards uses this passage "It is a great furnace of wrath, a wit and bottomless pit, full of the fire of wrath, that you are held over in the hand of that God... " (48). With his use of fearful words and negative connotation Edwards attempts to scare his audience into persuasion. Tone contributed heavily to Edwards development of his style. The tone of the author was somewhat angry and demanding. This quote "How awful is it to be left behind at such a day" (Edwards 50) shows the anger of the author and how he is screaming at his audience in anger.

O sinner! Consider the fearful danger you are in" (Edwards 48). That passage described the demanding nature of the author and his anger while he was demanding. Edwards also expresses his anger in the following passage "... while you are pining and perishing! " (50). Edwards attempts to persuade the audience by demanding them to be born again while using an angry tone. Figurative language was used a great deal in this passage in order to make the passage more persuasive.

The metaphor "... all your righteousness, would have no more influence to uphold you and keep you out of hell, than a spider's web would have

to stop a fallen rock... (Edwards 47) effectively compares the wrath of god and how it would be like a rock through a spider's web which helps put the image into the audience'a mind. "The wrath of God is like great waters that are dammed for the present... "(Edwards 47). This simile compares the wrath of God to make it easier to understand for the audience so that Edwards can now scare them into persuasion. The following metaphor shows the how God's wrath is aiming toward the sinner "The bow of God's wrath is bent, and the arrow is made ready on the string... "(Edwards 47).

The author uses similes and metaphors to make the text easier to understand for the reader and also to install a sense of fear in the audience by describing terrible instances. By making the audience afraid, Edwards can persuade them to be born again. With the use of his style, Edwards can persuade the audience. Because he was demanding and made the audience afraid with his style, he defended his purpose. With the use of fearful terms and angry tones the author pushed the purpose that if you are not born again the wrath of God will be bestowed upon you.