Analyzing Edwards “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”

Question: According to Edwards, who is responsible for your soul and your decisions: you or society? (Hint: who will have to suffer the consequences of your actions) Justify your answer

Regardless of how the people around you live or die, you are responsible for your own actions. Edwards makes this clear by emphasizing the torment an individual will receive and using the second person pronoun “you” throughout his sermon. By doing so, Edwards is directly addressing each member of his audience.

From Yesterday By repeating “there is” before multiple descriptions of Hell, Edwards is emphasizing the here and now of Hell - there is no room for debate about where or when it might happen - thereby creating an urgency for the audience to respond.

Example Edwards continuously uses images of __________________, such as ______________________, in order to _________________.

Example Edwards continuously uses images of pain and eternal damnation, such as going into detail about what Hell is like and what kind of tortures await sinners, in order to frighten those present into leaving their old ways and converting.

Pathos/Emotional Appeal The speaker appeals to the reader’s ___________ (specific emotion) with words such as “ _______” and “_________” which express/evoke/recall ________________________________________ ____________ (what they do SPECIFICALLY).

Imagery The vivid imagery dramatizes the ______________ (idea being described) in order to ______________________________ (specific outcome Edwards is going after)

Comparison By comparing ________________ to _________________, Edwards wants his readers to ________________________________________ ________________ (specific reaction or realization Edwards is trying to get from his audience)

What Jonathan Edwards’s (1741) sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” focuses on the horrors of Hell and asserts that it is the individual’s own doing that will lead him or her there unless he or she repents.

How Through the use of extensive and vivid imagery and similes, Edwards paints the picture of a place of eternal damnation that leaves its inhabitants wailing and wishing for a reprieve that never comes. He also uses the second person pronoun “you” throughout to emphasize to the hearer that he is talking directly about and to each person.

Why Edwards explains the horrors of Hell in order to get his audience to repent and follow Christ so that they can escape this fate and live a pure life. He also wants them to understand that is up to the individual alone to make this choice.

For Whom His audience, made up of people with a Puritanical foundation, would be used to this religious content and, in fact, responded favorably to his argument and call to change.