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Role of religion in english literature
Comparison nathaniel hawthorne and edgar allen poe
Comparison nathaniel hawthorne and edgar allen poe
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Recommended: Role of religion in english literature
Jonathan Edwards, the author of “Sinners in the hands of an angry God” cunningly made his style more effective than Nathaniel Hawthorne's style in “The Ministers of the Black Veil.” Edwards used more of an aggressive style which worked better than Hawthorne’s sad and laid back style. Edwards and Hawthorne both wrote about religious topics, more precisely, Christian topics. In addition, their themes are not far off from each other either. Edward’s theme is that God can strike you down for your sin, However he loves and forgives you. Hawthorne's theme is that everyone has secret sins. Both themes tie into christianity, and furthermore have to do with sin. In contrast, Edwards theme has to do with God's ability to strike you down, yet had such …show more content…
For example, “It is nothing but his mere pleasure that keeps you from being this moment swallowed up in everlasting destruction” (Edwards,79-81). The way Edwards developed his theme is very persuasive and effective. Hawthorne’s theme is developed by the saddening, laid back style he uses. The saddening mood that Hawthorne creates helps to develop the theme, which is people will judge you if you change your appearance.Also Hawthorne was very descriptive, such as in this line “swathed about his forehead, and hanging down over his face, so low as to be shaken by his breath, Mr.Hooper had on a Black veil”(Hawthorne,29-30). The precise description causes a decent image in your head to form. Edwards style was more effective because his aggressive approach was perfect for the text, his aggression could be felt and made for a guilty mood. As a result, the guilty mood caused for the persuasion to work even more. The way Edwards worded his sentences was so demanding, for instance, “However unconvinced you may be of the truth of what you hear,by and by you will be fully convinced of it.”(81-82). With is part of the text he basically stated that it didn't matter if you believed hi9s sermon or not because one day you'll see he was right,consequently that makes for even more persuasion causing Edwards style to be highly
“Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” by Jonathan Edwards and “The Minister’s Black Veil” by Nathaniel Hawthorne are both 1700s Puritan works of literature with similarities, as well as differences, from their theme to tone and to what type of literary work they are. Edwards and Hawthorne are both expressing the topics of how people are all sinners, especially in regards to their congregation and that questions their congregation’s faith.
Jonathan Edwards creates a more effective argument for the intended audience in “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” than “The Speech in the Virginia Convention” written by Patrick Henry, by utilizing various techniques. Patrick Henry makes a strong argument however in the end, Edwards’ sermon grows to be more effective. Edwards creates the argument by strengthening the writing through tone, structure, fallacies and knowledge of the congregation that became his audience. Henry’s piece uses methods of oratory persuasion but the actual topic of “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” has an advantage from the start by appealing to fear, a fallacy of logic. Even with the strong basis “The Speech in the Virginia Convention” by Patrick Henry, Edwards’ “Sinners in the hands of an Angry God” proves the more effective piece in the end.
He first uses this effect when he says, “ if God should let you go, you would sink… and plunge into the bottomless gulf, and your healthy constitution, and your own care and prudence and best contrivance, and all your righteousness,” (1). Edwards continuously uses the word “and” multiple times to emphasize to his audience that they will not only lose their health but everything else that they possess. This gives his listeners the sense of hopelessness by basically informing them that they will have absolutely nothing once they enter the depths of the agony inducing Hell. Not only does he say that they will have nothing in Hell but pain, he also says, “ The wrath of God is like great waters… they increase more and more and rise higher and higher… more and more mighty… the fiery floods of fierceness… would rush forth with inconceivable fury,” (2). The use of a continuously increase of water that would inevitably drown one’s self enforces the sense of powerlessness. This helplessness would then add more terror to Edwards’ message of how one must save themselves through active participation in faith in God otherwise they will fall into the a pit of Hell with no help or hope possible to
In the passages “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” by Jonathan Edwards and “Minister’s Black Veil” by Nathaniel Hawthorne are both powerful texts. Edwards used more of an effective style to get his point across. He used a harsh and blunt tone to prove that the God is a powerful man and can strike at any time but does not. This is why his text is better than Hawthornes. In Edward’s text his theme was God is a very powerful man and can strike at any time but does not, and in Hawthorne's text his theme was don’t judge someone by the way they look.
Within the given sentence excerpt from Edwards' 'Sinners in the Hand of an Angry God'; you may perceive that the speaker is undoubtedly reaching for the audiences attention without sustaining his harsh yet fearful manner. Throughout this controlled harsh tone of voice, he captivates the audience through a deep sense of threat or harm. Within this deep threatening and captivating speech, the speaker uses God as the higher power in order to obtain the audiences attention, to grasp each person's emotions and fill them with fear. The speaker uses fear to complete the assurance of the people to do his intentions.
Hawthorne's text was more effective because, he taught his congregation a lesson. They saw that when you sin and do things that you aren't supposed to do it will reveal itself soon enough. You will have to repay for your sins, which hawthorne wore for the rest of his life. They described the black veil as a grievous affliction and a sign of mourning. Edward’s text was nothing but yelling and offending his congregation. No lesson was really taught like it was in “The Minister’s Black
Beginning with the very first words of The Scarlet Letter the reader is thrust into a bleak and unforgiving setting. “A thong of bearded men, in sad-colored garments,” that are said to be “intermixed with women,” come off as overpowering and all-encompassing; Hawthorne quickly and clearly establishes who will be holding the power in this story: the males (Hawthorne 45). And he goes even further with his use of imagery, painting an even more vivid picture in the reader’s mind. One imagines a sea of drab grays and browns, further reinforcing the unwelcoming feeling this atmosphere seems to inheren...
Both of these stories revolve around a lot of symbolism. These stories, since they really don't make a lot of sense on their own, force the reader to look deeper in an attempt to understand the ideas that Hawthorne tries to get across.
Throughout his literary endeavors, Nathaniel Hawthorne utilizes symbolism to present a certain theme that pertains to human nature and life. In his works, The Scarlet Letter and "The Minister's Black Veil", Hawthorne uses symbolism to present a common theme pertaining to religion; that though manifested sin will ostracize a person from society, un-confessed sin will destroy the soul.
...able to cast enemies into hell: "so it is easy for us to cut or singe a slender thread that any thing hangs by: thus easy is it for God, when he pleases, to cast His enemies down to hell." Edwards relates our abilities with God's in a way that all may comprehend; consequently, when he returns to this analogy in his application, the same understanding rules: "your righteousness would have no more influence to uphold you and keep you out of hell, than a spider's web would have to stop a falling rock." This time, however, the spider and sinner are depicted as equals.
Nathaniel Hawthorne made out his life a source of inspiration. Every event that happened in his life made him think of a way to write about it. The Scarlett Letter was written after his mother died, and it focused on his society and it was used as a strong accusation against the Puritan Americans (Gollin 2605). His works were the results of long-term contemplations of humans and the society of his time, The Minister’s Black Veil is an example of this. A story about a man who decides to walk around his town cover in a black veil that symbolizes sin, and more importantly, “how the guilt we hide from one another and about the dangers of self-absorption” (Gollin 2604). Every major event in his life brought a new theme to his writings and that made it stand out. Just like Irving, he decided that he wanted to pursue of life full of
Hawthorne was also a symbolist who had enormous respect for the material world and for common sense reality. Hawthorne usually established a neutral territory somewhere between the real world and fairy land, where the actual and imaginary meet. His ultimate purpose was always "to open an intercourse with the world" and out of this came symbolism (Kaul 66). For example, the cross -hybridization of the plants in the garden is called "adultery (Newman 267).
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. “Minister’s Black Veil.” Electronic Text Center, University of Virginia Library. http: / / etext.lib.virginia.edu / etcbin / toccer-new2?id=HawMini.sgm & images=images / modeng & data= / texts / english / modeng / parsed & tag=public & part=1 & division=div1
The themes present throughout the sermon are interconnected and intertwined to create a more convincing sermon. Edwards links the themes of God’s grace and strength with the theme of inevitable death to evoke fear in the audience. He tells the audience that only God’s grace can save believers, showing that death is inevitable. These themes are seen throughout the sermon to evoke fear and keep the audience attentive to his sermon. By being connected, the themes create a more persuasive piece of work, because they are able to link together throughout the sermon so that Edwards remains on topic and the audience continues to listen.
The similarities and differences between Poe and Hawthorne both show a dynamic and intriguing method that has lasted through the times. They both show an inner personal look through their writing about their loved ones. The dynamic writing between both writers depict the idea that no matter how morbid the writing love can shine through any view. With both writers there is a vision of morbid curiosity along with a romantic nature for the audience; by depicting death of a loved one to show a sense of connection with the audience. Although both are gothic romantic writers you can easily see that both have a different sense of life and death, and to which one holds more value.