In the sermon, “Sinners In The Hands of An Angry God,” Jonathan Edwards utilizes imagery as one of the rhetorical devices in order to scare his audience back to the pious ways of the first generation Puritans. Edwards’ vivid descriptions of hell and eternal torment are examples of the emotional appeal pathos. He uses figurative language including metaphors, similes, and personification to illustrate this unfortunate scenario in the minds of his listeners. For example, Edwards’ states, “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…” (8-10). In this example the audience can clearly imagine the horrors of hell, which encourages them to look to God for salvation, thus also making use of logos as the audience rationalizes and considers the situation. Hell is described as a “world of misery, that lake of burning brimstone…” (19-10), among many other things. The speaker/writer’s depictions of hell work to keep the audience members on their toes so they remember what they are doomed for if they dare to stray further from the Church or anger God even more than they have already done so. The rich imagery in this sermon is significant to the uniqueness of the piece because Edwards’ uses this literary device to scare the audience into compliance, and it serves as a main support for the author’s overall purpose, which is to get people to solidify ties to the…
During the correspondence, Antipas receives a copy of the Gospel of Luke, seeks out and finds Christians, sees life from the perspective of other classes, and questions his own life. Antipas encounters two different groups of Christians: those who do not understand the gospel message, which ends with compromise, and others who hold fast to their convictions despite difficulties. In the letter, Antipas sees how genuine faith works itself out in practice. This group’s lifestyle is…
Furthermore in this particular chapter, Screwtape goes on to talk about the patient’s state of mind. He states that the patient can still come to the Devil’s side. This part of the chapter made me realize that no matter how long you have been a Christian, the devil is still going to try to tempt you to come back to Satan’s side. Another thing that really caught my attention was the fact that Screwtape refers to God as the enemy. “The Enemy takes…
May, R. (1982). “The Problem of Evil: An Open Letter to Carl Rogers.” Journal of Humanistic Psychology. Vol. 22 (3). Pg. 10-21.…
In The Screwtape Letters, the story is stylized to be read as a series of letters sent to a devil's nephew. The devil's knowledge of what is wrong with humanity is imparted to his nephew through the letters, and at the same time the reader receives C.S. Lewis's views of humanity in the modern age. The true cleverness of the book is that it presents Lewis's ideas as a satirical criticism of humanity. C.S. Lewis writes in the letters exactly how to bring men to their knees through tactics that take advantage of the human nature. Simultaneously, the reader is attacked by the devil's strategy to bring the worst out in people. Who would argue that if the demons of hell use a human weakness drag people to the fiery depths, it is okay to embrace this weakness? C.S. Lewis intended this structure and the reader can't argue against him because the book is written as a series of letters between demons, not as a direct message from Lewis about what people should and shouldn't…
Overall, this story represents many people in the world and gives the allusion that most Christian’s are good people, but proves that many have hidden curiosity about the things of the world, and how easily each can be seduced into a path of…
The Screwtape Letters is a satirical book written by C.S. Lewis with the intent to deliver practical lessons on a person’s daily exercise of his or her faith. The book’s overall theme is “God vs. the devil” or “good vs. evil” in the human experience. In the book, two devils – Screwtape, an elder tempter, and Screwtape’s novice nephew Wormwood -- are in a fight to claim as many souls, or ‘patients,’ as they are referred to in the book, and Screwtape advises Wormwood on the particulars of his job through a series of letters to his nephew, which are then “published” as this book. When Luke Johnson says in his essay “Powers and Principalities: The Devil is No Joke” “When Satan’s power is portrayed in terms of individual temptation and seduction rather than systemic evil and social oppression, when the cosmic battle between the angels of Michael and of Satan pictured by Revelation is reduced to “My guardian angel” and a nemesis imp competing for a moral victory…the way is cleared for devil jokes,” (Johnson 3) he captures what Lewis was trying to deliver…the simplistic and overlooked talents of the devil to win the hearts and minds of people. What will be examined today are the lessons presented by C.S. Lewis in the book The Screwtape Letters, the relevancy to Christian life, and the main point of the book in reference to theology.…
The question of evil is a common hot button topic among atheists and non-Christians who attempt to disprove Christianity. They argue that an omnipotent and omniscient God cannot exist in a world with so much evil. The argument is used by them to try to prove that Christianity is “internally self-contradictory and thereby to be rejected.” Many claim that a benevolent and caring God would certainly not create evil or allow it to flourish in the world that He created. So, the problem of evil is how to explain that there can be a perfect, all-powerful, and all-loving God that exists in a world with so much moral and natural evil.…
In conclusion, A Prayer for Owen Meany is a very powerful novel that creates a comparison of similarities between Owen Meany and Jesus Christ. Throughout the novel, Owen shows many Christ-like characteristics. For example, both Christ and Owen were born to a virgin mother. They both knew how and when they were going to die, but they chose against altering these events and just letting fate lie in God’s hands. They each sacrificed their lives to save others. These similarities are not the only ways that Owen and Jesus relate. Although, these are the most remarkable similarities shown in the…
Dimmesdale, on the other hand, is the secret sinner whose public and private faces are opposites. Even as the beadle — an obvious symbol of the righteous Colony of Massachusetts — proclaims that the settlement is a place where "iniquity is dragged out into the sunshine," the colony, along with the Reverend Mr. Wilson, is in awe of Dimmesdale's goodness and sanctity. Inside the good minister, however, is a storm raging between holiness and self-torture. He is unable to reveal his sin.…
Has a seamlessly ordinary story invaded libraries and overrun bookstores, with those who have not read the latest literature fad confused about its appeal? These simple tales’ authors use elements of human nature, which are qualities and aspects all humans, regardless of circumstances experience, in their works as a social commentary on everyday topics. The characters that the authors manufacture are a way to connect to with patrons on a global scale. Authors reveal elements about human nature through characters’ belongings and their relationships with others, where readers use characters' fleshed out back story to understand their motivation throughout the story, reflecting modern standards of perspective and oppression.…
Does this novel characterize evil? What is the nature of evil from the point of view of the book?…
Must contradictory personalities get the best of us? “The Possibility of Evil”, a short story by Shirley Jackson focused on the odd behavior of Miss Strangeworth. Though Miss Strangeworth do not change throughout the story, people just don’t know how awful she is. Miss Strangeworth has written small anonyms notes filled with cruel comments about toward her towns folks throughout the story.…
In the opening scenes, Shakespeare portrays Othello as a noble character. Othello maintains his calm behavior until Iago taunts him with lies. Othello’s language transforms him into a monster due to his jealousy. "Oh, beware, my lord, of jealousy; It is the green eyed monster which doth mock" At first, he simply doubts his wife's loyalty. Othello starts to use the animal imagery that Iago used throughout the play (3.3.407).…
In many cases seen through history, wherever there is Christianity present, there is also corruption present. “The Hammer of God”, a narrative by G.K. Chesterton, examines the imorality that can occur from the those holding positions over others in the Christian religion. The narrator describes the character Reverend Bohun as a man who constantly practices pious behavior. However his brother, Colonel Bohun, is introduced as his total opposite.…