Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry God Rhetorical Analysis

Samantha Delgado
Mrs. Shreiner
English III: American Literature
November 8, 2013
The Effectiveness of Rhetoric Persuasive writing has been often used to change an audience’s opinion on the writers’ topic of choice. Arguments are mainly supported by using the rhetorical devices of ethos, pathos, and logos. Jonathan Edwards spoke persuasively in “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” by using pathos to better the behaviors’ of his congregation. Olaudah Equiano wanted to persuade others to stop the Triangular Slave Trade in, “The Interesting Narrative of Olaudah Equiano” by using mainly logos. And lastly, “The Middle Passage” video documentary by PBS uses ethos and pathos to express the inhumanity of the slave trade. Each of these works have
a different purpose to invoke change, but all use rhetoric to convince their audience to support the authors’ opinion. Edwards’s sermon is persuasive in his sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” because he invoked emotion in his congregation to make them change.
For example, Edwards first uses pathos when he describes what hell is like for sinners who do not repent, “There is the dreadful pit of the glowing flames of the wrath of God; there is Hell 's wide gaping mouth open; and you have nothing to stand upon, nor any thing to take hold of; there is nothing between you and Hell but the air; it is only the power and mere pleasure of God that holds you up” (Edwards 108). This example clearly manipulates the fear of the Puritans as most did not know if they were saved or not. Edwards exploits the feelings of his audience with pathos by appealing to their fear of the power of God. Also, Edwards uses pathos when he explains how God holds the power and choice for them to live as he states, “The bow of God’s wrath is bent… and justice bends the arrow at your heart, and nothing but the mere pleasure of God, and that of an angry God, without any promise or obligation at all, that keeps the arrow one moment from being made drunk with your blood” (Edwards 109). He explains that God can simply change his decision and kill them if they do not change their ways. This quote shows pathos by appealing to the Puritans’ fear of death. In conclusion, pathos is an effective method for Jonathan Edwards to persuade his
congregation. In “The Interesting Narrative of the life of Olaudah Equiano” the author uses logic to convince his audience that the slave trade was irrational. For instance, Equiano shows logos by explaining that the slaves were a mistreated product, therefore, bad for business, “This produced copious perspirations so that the air soon became unfit for respiration… brought sickness among the slaves, of which many died – thus falling victims to the improvident avarice, as I may call it, of their purchases”(Equiano 45). Equiano uses general logic to support his point and persuade his readers. This is effective in establishing logos because it shows that the ill-treated product is bad for business and that is a common business fact. Likewise, the author shows logos by comparing the slaves to cargo, “At last when we were in, had got in all her cargo, they made ready with many fearful noises and were all put under deck, so that we could not see how they managed the vessel” (Equiano 45). The traders would hide their product under the deck and mistreated them. This is a convincing use of logos because it explains how the traders loaded the ships with slaves as their product and put under the deck. In conclusion, Equiano effectively uses logos to persuade his audience that the Triangular Slave Trade was a worthless business. The PBS video documentary “The Middle Passage” educates people about the horrors of slavery with the use of ethos and pathos.
Markedly, the video expresses ethos by having a direct quote from one of the ship captains, “Every morning, perhaps, more instances than one, the living and the dead are found fastened together”(PBS 1:34). The slave ship captain, John Newton, witnessed the tragedies and horrors of the Middle Passage of which many die overnight. This is an effective use of ethos because a first person perspective accounts that the middle passage really was unscrupulous. In addition, the PBS documentary shows a drawing at 1:16 with a small, frail, child who looks unhappy. He is alone, unclothed, and surrounded by poor conditions. This image shows pathos by invoking pity. It is effective because the audience feels sorry for the boy having to live through the horrendous struggles of slavery. Altogether, PBS has done a successful job to persuade their audience that the slavery was an atrocious
time. The works visited use ethos pathos and logos to reinforce different purposes. Jonathan Edwards evokes change in his Puritan assembly by speaking persuasively with the use of pathos. Also, “The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano” is effectively persuasive by using logos to describe the corrupt business of the Triangular Slave Trade. Lastly, PBS’s video documentary uses pathos and ethos to reveal the brutality of slavery on “The Middle Passage” to their audience. Having a deeper understanding for ethos, pathos and logos is imperative for anyone to successfully and appropriately make an effective persuasive piece; Edwards, Equiano, and PBS have correctly executed just that.

Works Cited
Kinsella, Kate. "From Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God." Prentice Hall Literature: Timeless Voices, Timeless Themes. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, 2002. 108-112. Print.
Kinsella, Kate. "From the Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano." Prentice Hall Literature: Timeless Voices, Timeless Themes. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, 2002. 44-48. Print.
The Middle Passage. History Slideshows, 2008. YouTube.