“Sinners in
the Hands of
an Angry
God”
 For Edwards, science, reason, and observation
of the universe confirmed for him the existence
of God.
 A brilliant thinker and speaker, Edwards entered
Yale at 13 and became a minister 12 years later.
 His passionate, yet frightening, sermons helped
to bring about The Great Awakening,
 a time when many who attended church were not
“saved” or could testify to an emotional
encounter with God and His grace.
 “Unregenerate” Christians
were those who attended church and accepted
church teachings but had not been “born again”
by God’s grace.
 He was dismissed as
pastor in 1750 because
his sermons were too
extreme; he “called out”
those in the congregation
who were leading lives
“relapsing into sin.”
 Ironically, Edwards died
of a smallpox vaccination,
a modern medical procedure
many Puritans considered
sinful.
Writers often create vivid experiences for their readers by
using imagery, language that appeals to the senses.
Imagery describes
tastes
sounds
sights
textures
smells
The combination of these senses creates a dramatic and
vibrant world.
In his sermon, Edwards uses terrifying imagery.
“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. . . .”
He wants his listeners to experience the horrors he
believes they will encounter if they do not repent of
their sins and obey God’s laws.
Imagery
Personification
Personification
Metaphor
Simile
Simile
metaphor
Imagery
Simile
Simile
Imagery/ metaphor
Simile
Simile
Simile
Simile
Simile
metaphor
In addition to imagery, Edwards also uses repetition to
emphasize his points.
As you read, record
images and words that
Edwards uses
repeatedly, such as
wrath and descriptions
of “the pit of hell.”
“. . . are actually suffering the fierceness
of His wrath in hell. . . .”
“. . . held in the hand of God, over the
pit of hell; they have deserved the fiery
pit, and are already sentenced to it. . . .”
Consider how repetition might affect a listener and how it
contributes to Edwards’s purpose.
• The author’s purpose is the reason that he or she is
writing.
• Authors may write to inform, to persuade, or to entertain.
• Sometimes they state their purpose directly.
• Other times, readers determine an author’s purpose by
paying close attention to the details and images in the
selection.
• As you read, think about how and why Edwards uses
certain images, and monitor your reactions to them.
• Consider what reactions Edwards might want to elicit
from his readers.
From the text:
“O Sinner!
Consider the
fearful danger
you are in: It is a
great furnace of
wrath, a wide and
bottomless pit,
full of the fire of
wrath . . .”
Imagery & Metaphor
 In this fire-and-brimstone
sermon, Edwards uses the
metaphor of fire & the imagery
associated with it to link his
listeners’ experience of fire to
the idea of burning in the fires of
Hell because of their sins.
 Use a chart like the one on the
next slide to record Edwards’s
images and explore how they
help him to achieve his purpose.
 In the first column of your chart, record Edwards’s images.
 In the second column, explore how they help him achieve his purpose
by explaining how and why it is used.
 Finally, in the third column record your reaction or the reaction you
would expect his audience to have to Edwards’s use of imagery.
Imagery & Author’s Purpose Chart
Image
How/Why It’s Used
Reaction
“the flames gather and to show what will happen I find the image
frightening.
flash about them. . . .” to “natural men”
 Option A: Locate three statements from the sermon
that when taken together provide an accurate
summary.
 “That world of misery, that lake of burning brimstone,
is extended abroad under you.”
 “Thus all you that never passed under a great change
of heart . . . are in the hands of an angry God.”
 “Consider the fearful danger you are in.”
 Option B: Write three statements of your own that
summarize the main idea of the selection.
• Edwards’s convictions put him at odds with society.
• Would you risk being an outsider for your beliefs?
• Why or why not?
• What beliefs of yours do you consider most
important?
• Do you think it is necessary to persuade others to
share those beliefs?
• Why or why not?
Imagery & Author’s Purpose Chart
Image
fire pent up in their own
hearts is struggling to get
out
How/Why It’s Used
to show the inherently evil nature
of humans and people’s lack of
control over their behavior
Reaction
That’s overwhelming
pressure.
fear
hell’s wide gaping
mouth instillQuestion
Discussion
open
Temptation seems ever
#4:
present and unavoidable.
Author’s Overall Purpose =
nothing between you and
Mortals are so fragile
to show need for God’s
and
can choose
to people
hell but the air God is all-powerful
intervention and how
ephemeral
it’s a wonder
the natural
at all.if
send humans
to world
the isfiery bowelssurvive
of hell
if God should withdraw His God, not our own efforts, support I must trust God to hold
he so chooses.
Humans are fragile
and
hand
us
me up.
torestraint
stopand
God’sI anger
wrath of God is likecan
greatdotonothing
show God’s
don’t want to incur the
waters that are dammed
power
force of God’s wrath.
except
to
be
reborn.
for the present
a spider’s web would be
unable to stop a fallen
rock
as an analogy to a person’s own
efforts
Christ has thrown the
People who ask God to save
doors of mercy wide open. them will be saved.
Strength comes from
God not from my inner
self.
I want to be one of the
chosen.
• Edwards’s beliefs motivate him to try to change the
lives of others.
• Do you think this desire is common among people with
strong beliefs?
 Why or why not?
• Edwards’s use of repeated words and images helps
convey his message by arousing fear in his listeners.
• Do you see his approach as effective?
 Explain why or why not, giving examples from the text.
• How would you try to convince someone to change his or
her behavior?
 What words and images would you use make your plea
dramatic?