John Edwards PDF

Title John Edwards
Course Literatura Norteamericana I: Siglos XVII-XIX
Institution UNED
Pages 3
File Size 44.9 KB
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John Edwards summary ...


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The 18th century Enlightment: An 18th century philosophical movement characterised by reliance on reason and experience rather than on traditional dogma , and by emphasising on humanitarian principles and social progress. Its ideals were Justice, liberty and equality. Rationalism: The belief that knowledge of the world can be obtained primarily through reason , so that logic leads to truth. Rationalism was opposed by empiricism (the theory that sensory experience is the only source of knowledge. It opposes rationalism. Sermon: religious text in which a speaker exhorts and persuades listeners to behave in a more spiritual way. They are meant to be spoken and heard.

Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) Sinners in the hands of an angry god Jonathan Edwards , philosopher and theologist and, is the greatest advocate of the great Awakening. He is most well-known by his brilliant use of rhetorical strategies to move audiences whose immediate reaction he wanted to provoke. In fact,he struggled to reconcile reason with emotion. In opposition to Deism , which supported a rational religion (the existence of God could be proved without the aid of the Bible) edwards focused upon the importance of the emotional side of religious conversion. Therefore , he communicated his ideas in a language of sensory experience so as to make his audience not only understand but feel. The imagery is based on kinesthetic learning: feeling things in order to learn them. To this end he uses a spider to better illustrate , convince and persuade his audience. His most well-known sermon (sinners...) follow the tripartite structure of a puritan sermon: Text , doctrine and application. The text is a biblical quotation. ‘’Their foot shall slide in due time’’ (Deuteronomy 32:35). He uses this image as a metaphor for people risking their lives by walking on the slippery slope of sin. The doctrine is the discussion of the doctrine derived from the text and a series of ten considerations to demonstrate its truth. He argues that men live and die at the mercy of God and he is the one who decides whether a man goes to Heaven or Hell. The application consists in applying those principles to every day affairs. At the end , a simple conclusion is added. Edward uses metaphors and similes intending to fill people with fear and revulsion when thinking about hell ('' that Lake of burning brimstone'' , '' the dreadful pit of the glowing flames of the wrath of God'' , '' a wide and bottomless pit'' , '' a great furnace'' and '' the bottomless gulf'') sin ('' bitter and poisonous fruit'') and the sinner ('' a spider'' , '' some loathsome insec'' and '' the most hateful venomous serpent''- snake= satan). Metaphors refer to the Wrath of God in terms of a '' dreadful storm'' , '' a whirlwind'' and '' great Waters that are Damned'' but can be ' let loose''. The vulnerability of humans '' the chaff of the summer threshing floor''. He also uses biblical allusions. Imagery: Consumed by fire , by sin in the Flames of Hell. Nature: Slippery places , men liable to fall (what is the synonym for a sin). Slippery grounds ,pit , fire (glowing flames) , bottomless gulf , falling Rock , spider's web , storm , thunder , fury of a whirlwind , floods , spider , serpent , flames of wrath. Or images are negative , either of destructive natural phenomena or

destructive animals. However the Sermon ends in a positive light: There is still time to repent and convert. The focus on a sermon is not on hell , but on the sinner who is dangling over the abyss suspended on a slender thread. The key image of the sermon is that of the spider. He uses imagery to give his congregation a mental picture of God holding Sinners above the fiery pits of Hell. After a filling Their Hearts with fear , he uses this image to show them that there is indeed a light at the end of the tunnel in the form of God's mercy and forgiveness. He uses several rhetorical devices that contribute to the effectiveness of this sermon , searches figures of speech to compare abstract concepts of God's wrath and The Sinner's evil to come and experiences. Vivid metaphors are presented his parishioners , creating within their minds pictures of hellfire and eternal damnation,. Similes are presented to them , allowing Edwards to describe intangible objects such as love and God like a light or as the will of the soul. Apart from metaphors , imagery and similes , he uses repetition parallelism to get his point across. In this ceremony is trying to persuade the people to have a change in attitude and stop being sinners. '' the foot shall slide in due time'' example of figurative language . ''they brought forth bitter and poisonous fruit'' controlling metaphor. In the opening paragraph of sermon '' they'' reference to the wicked israelites. ''his Wrath towards you burns like fire'' is a conventional simile. Throughout the text the sinner is compared to an insect ,spider and a snake. As for the narrative modes , he uses description (language of sensory experience) and comment (doctrinal). Although both Anne bradstreet and John Edwards were Puritans , they wrote using metaphorical language and moving away from the plain Style. They had different purposes and audiences in mind. And bradstreet started writing for her family. In the author to her book she develops an extended metaphor through the poem. The speaker in this poem is the author who is compared to a mother whose child is her book of poems. Since Bradstreet was aware of women's role in society at those times she presents her book humbly and apologising for such a poor and illegitimate child. In To my dear and loving husband , the poet again is the speaker who expresses her passionate love for her husband and there she is biblical allusions(1,7) and imagery of wealth (5,6). Alternatively , edwards was a preacher whose main aim was to Awaken the audience in his congregation. He expressed his thoughts and ideas using metaphors , similes and figurative language , because he believed that conversion could be achieved through the senses , not only through reason. His sermon starts with a biblical quotation: '' their foot shall slide in due time'' , which is an extended metaphor present in the first part of the text. This metaphor is supported by biblical allusions (13,19) , other metaphors (6,29,30) and an explanation from the author so his audience could understand the message clearly. In the second part of the text , application , find more metaphors that have different vehicles with the same tenor: The hell (41,42,56,128,129). We also find similes (75,76,77,78). Other metaphors present in the text are

the ones that refer to sinners (56-59,112-13,116-17). This metaphor is referred to animals that most people find repulsive and in this way the author is creating a feeling of disgust towards them....


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