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ENG-105, Grand Canyon University
English 105
, 2
Rhetorical Analysis of a Public Document
During the Enlightenment, religious believes decreased significantly. Individuals started
valuing science and departed away from the path of God. Jonathan Edwards was a pastor and
Yale graduate. One of his most famous sermons to this date is “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry
God.” This sermon has had an enormous impact on the Christian church. Jonathan Edwards
effectively persuades thousands of people back to Christianity using Ethos, Pathos, and Logos.
Edwards carefully used toneto make people aware of the consequences that they will
have in presence of God. This strategy worked well with the audience that it was intended to be.
This sermon meant to be for all of those who walked away from God during the Enlightenment.
Those who accepted the writing of Spinoza, one of the most influential atheist writers before the
great awakening (Schultz, 2012). People tended to believe in scientific theories and stopped
believing in the existence of God. There is a shift between tones in this document; it goes from
condemnation to redemption. At the beginning of Edwards’ sermon, he used strong language to
inform people of the consequences that they will have if they continue in the path of sin. For
example, he states that the devil will wait for them “like greedy hungry lions that see their prey,
and expect to have it...” (Edwards, para. 12). Edwards wants to make sure that the audience has a
clear image of what could happen in the afterlife. In about two-thirds of the sermon, Edwards
shifts his tone to redemption. For instance, he states that because we are still alive, we have an
immense opportunity because we can still readapt and gain a place in heaven (Edwards, para.
36). This is an effective manner to use tone because he caught the attention of many from the
beginning of the sermon, and he showed them that they still had the opportunity to change for the
better. The use of tone effectively persuades the audience.
ENG-105, Grand Canyon University
English 105
, 2
Rhetorical Analysis of a Public Document
During the Enlightenment, religious believes decreased significantly. Individuals started
valuing science and departed away from the path of God. Jonathan Edwards was a pastor and
Yale graduate. One of his most famous sermons to this date is “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry
God.” This sermon has had an enormous impact on the Christian church. Jonathan Edwards
effectively persuades thousands of people back to Christianity using Ethos, Pathos, and Logos.
Edwards carefully used toneto make people aware of the consequences that they will
have in presence of God. This strategy worked well with the audience that it was intended to be.
This sermon meant to be for all of those who walked away from God during the Enlightenment.
Those who accepted the writing of Spinoza, one of the most influential atheist writers before the
great awakening (Schultz, 2012). People tended to believe in scientific theories and stopped
believing in the existence of God. There is a shift between tones in this document; it goes from
condemnation to redemption. At the beginning of Edwards’ sermon, he used strong language to
inform people of the consequences that they will have if they continue in the path of sin. For
example, he states that the devil will wait for them “like greedy hungry lions that see their prey,
and expect to have it...” (Edwards, para. 12). Edwards wants to make sure that the audience has a
clear image of what could happen in the afterlife. In about two-thirds of the sermon, Edwards
shifts his tone to redemption. For instance, he states that because we are still alive, we have an
immense opportunity because we can still readapt and gain a place in heaven (Edwards, para.
36). This is an effective manner to use tone because he caught the attention of many from the
beginning of the sermon, and he showed them that they still had the opportunity to change for the
better. The use of tone effectively persuades the audience.
