“Sinners in the Hands of an Angry
God” by Jonathan Edwards
Emotional Appeal Analysis
Example: The pit is prepared, the fire
is made ready, the furnace is now hot,
ready to receive them; the flames do
now rage and glow…
Analysis: Edwards uses the image of
hell being a pit that is prepared as a
furnace with flames and fire
metaphorically to create fear within
the audience. Hell is not something
that is going to be prepared, but
something that is already waiting for
us as sinners. This creates a sense of
urgency within the audience.
Example: The God that holds you over
the pit of hell, much as one holds a
spider or some loathsome insect over
the fire, abhors you…his wrath
toward you burns like fire; he looks
upon you as worthy of nothing else,
but to be cast into the fire…
Analysis: The image of a sinner being
held over a pit of hell creates a sense of
powerlessness in the audience and
fear. Edwards uses the simile of
sinners being like a spider or insect
being held over a fire to also create a
sense of powerlessness and also make
the audience feel ugly. Edwards
repeats the word fire to create a sense
of fear and urgency.
Example: …singing for joy of heart,
hearts filled with love
Analysis: Edwards repeats the word
heart and personifies it by having it
filled with love and having one sing to
bring it joy to create a sense of hope
and peace within the audience. What
makes this have more impact on the
audience is the fact that he uses the
images of fire, hell, and spiders/insects
when speaking to and about the
audience previously.