In Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, Jonathan Edwards creates via great imagery the wrath of God upon sinners. Which image, metaphor, simile, personification, etc., did you find to be most effective in conveying Edwards' message? Explain how it made you feel and how you think the members of the congregation must have felt hearing this. (The deadline to post a response to this blog is midnight Saturday, March 5, 2011.)
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
And it shall come down...
In Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, Jonathan Edwards creates via great imagery the wrath of God upon sinners. Which image, metaphor, simile, personification, etc., did you find to be most effective in conveying Edwards' message? Explain how it made you feel and how you think the members of the congregation must have felt hearing this. (The deadline to post a response to this blog is midnight Saturday, March 5, 2011.)
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7 comments:
I believe Edwards imagery of the sin building up like the water behind a dam was the best "threat" he proposed. It really shows how humans continue to sin even when we know it is wrong and makes God angry. He, like the dam, is in control and stops our sin from flooding us out. I believe the crowd was probably feeling guilty for continuing to sin. I also believe they felt scared of the dam bursting and his wrath destroying them.
I think what was most effective in conveying Edwards' message was the image of God withdrawing his hand and allowing the people of the world to fall into Hell. He is basically saying humanity is one sin away from falling into the pits of Hades. This made me feel frightened and afraid to make any mistakes. I am sure it had the same effect on his audience.
I believe the most effective imagery used in Edward's speech was whenever he spoke of the sins being an enormous rock falling through the spider web. It made me feel as though there was nothing I could do to stop my ultimate damnation, and the other members of the congregation must have been devastated as they realized they were going to Hell.
I think the most effective imagery in conveying Edwards’ message was when he described God’s wrath as a bow and arrow. I thought this use of imagery was the most effective because it helped the congregation see how God has the control to end their lives in a moment. It made me realize that God has control over everyone’s lives. I think it made the congregation realize this also, and it probably made them feel scared and helpless.
The imagery that most effected me in Edwards's speech was "...you would immediately sink and swiftly descend and plunge into the bottomless gulf..." This quote brought up one of my biggest fears, drowning, and I believe when the congregation heard this they were probably frightened. They probably really opened their ears and listened so he could tell them how to save themselves. I believe he really caught their attention by using this image to scare them.
I think that the most effective image in his speech was when he compared God's wrath to built up water behind a dam. This seems the most effective because it is intended to put great fear into the audience, and it does this very well. By thinking of dammed waters about to burst and relating it to God's wrath, pure destruction and devastation can clearly be seen. A realization is presented that like the dam, God is in complete control. At any moment, God could let go and allow everything to be destroyed. I think that his imagery definitely provoked intense fear.
I think that the imagery of God pointing an arrow at the heart of sinners is the most effective. It shows that his judgement came come instantly and at any time, with no warning whatsoever. It also shows that it is not a question of 'if' he is going to shoot, the bow is already bent, making it a question of when. I think that this definetly invoked large amounts of fear in the congregation.
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