Rhetorical Purpose in the Works

¶ … rhetorical purpose in the works of Edwards (Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God), Henry (Speech to the Virginia Convention), and Emerson (Nature). Show how the author's style reflects his rhetorical purpose in the works of Edwards ("Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God"), Henry ("Speech to the Virginia Convention"), and Emerson ("Nature") Jonathan Edward's "Sinners in the Hand of an Angry God" is a famous sermon from what was called the 'Great Awakening' in early American religious life.

Edwards' sermon was designed to cause a hard-hearted congregation to feel real fear about the sinful ways in which they had lived their lives. The sermon makes use of powerful metaphors and similes to make theological concepts real to the listener. Edwards paints a picture of a spider in the hand of a human being, stressing that the tiny spider's vulnerability is analogous to the vulnerability of a human being when faced with God's wrath and only "the mere pleasure of God" keeps wicked men from hell.

Edwards thus takes a somewhat adversarial stance towards the congregation he is lecturing -- he does not have to make his listeners like him, merely make them fear and respect his concept of divine justice. In contrast, Patrick Henry's speech is a motivational political text, designed to incite revolution with fiery words that resonate in the hearts of the listeners who are frustrated with England's rule and the denial of its colonist's economic and political rights.

Henry uses stirring words about the value of liberty, but he also attempts to win over people who are uncertain if revolution is the correct path: "I know of no way of judging of the future but by the past," he states, and notes a real-life event in his persuasive efforts, namely England's lack of consideration of the colonialist's recent petition, comparing England's action to the false kiss of Judas on Christ's cheek.

While Edwards and Henry's speeches were oral, and delivered in theological and political settings, Emerson's "Nature" is a written essay. While all writers use metaphors, Emerson makes use of much more elaborate metaphors, because his work is designed to be read over a long.