The time period known as The Great Awakening brought upon the revival of the Christian beliefs and many converted during this time. One of the most famous figures during this time was Jonathan Edwards, who was recognized for his sermon, “Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry God”, where he uses frightful and powerful visuals to make the people convert. Edwards uses a scornful tone and dramatic imagery to clarify and intensify his argument that if the unconverted do not change their ways, they will plunge into the fiery pits of hell.
Throughout the excerpt, Edwards uses a scornful, intimidating tone to convey his message to the unconverted. Edwards declares that, “The God that holds you over the pit of hell.. his wrath towards you burns like fire; he looks upon you as worthy of nothing else, but to be cast into the fire.” Edwards elucidates that God has no interest in the pardon of the unconverted offenders. By stating that the unconverted hold no chance of salvation, Edwards pressures them to change their unholy ways by installing fear into their hearts with his disdainful mannerism. Also, Edwards goes on to state, “O sinner! Consider the fearful danger you are in: it is a great furnace of wrath, a wide and bottomless pit, full of fire of wrath, that you are held over in the hand of that God.” He stresses the fury the unconverted will face if they continue down the path of eternal damnation. Edwards creates a worst case scenario in hopes of kindling the fear within the unconverted so that they see the light and become devoted Christians. With the immense amount of terror and shame implemented upon the non-believers, Edwards enticed the unconverted to becoming pure, dedicated Christians. Likewise, another key technique Edwards used to express his statement was through his vivid imagery. From beginning to end, Edwards creates the image of the unconverted being held over hell by God's hands. He demonstrates that God is in charge of