How Does Jonathan Edwards Use Figurative Language In Upon The Burning House

In using these metaphors, Edwards is enabling the reader(s) to understand the tone by putting it in a situation and context, which is more easily correlated. Subsequently, he uses imagery in the opening paragraph stating that when men are on Gods’ hands and they could descend to hell. Natural men are held in the hands of God, over the pit of hell knowing that you might descend into the abyss at any moment should scare you. God chose to save you until he wants to let you slope into an eternity of sweltering flames.

Correspondingly, since both Puritan writers describe their individual Gods in a certain light, it results in an unmistakable discrepancy among the audiences each type of writing is intended to be delivered to. To Edward Taylor, writing is purely for the glory of God and for the expression of feelings towards Him. Generally, Edward Taylor’s works are considered too bright and too jaunty for the Puritan conservatives at the time and do not serve for moral instruction as most literature should. In Taylor’s work “Upon Wedlock, and Death of Children” he describes,

Every now and then in our lives, we may stumble across someone who has the same belief system as ourselves but surprisingly take upon life in a whole different manner. Both devotees in the idea of Puritan Faith, Anne Bradstreet, author of To My Dear and Loving Husband, as well as Upon the Burning of Our House, and John Edwards, writer of the jarring sermon Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, are a direct example of this correlation. In spite of the fact that the two writers adhere to the same acknowledgment of life in preparation for eternalness in the afterlife, they tend to differentiate from each other when it comes to

Puritans believed in hard work and pleasing God. Therefore in this essay I will be comparing and contrasting three Puritan writings that were written by Anne Bradstreet, Edward Taylor, and Jonathan Edwards. Their writings express perspectives of Puritan beliefs, however the differences in the writings show the variations between the purpose of their writings, the language, and the tone. In this essay I will first look at Bradstreet’s poem, second I’ll review Taylor’s poem, third I will analyze Edward’s sermon, and finally I will state the similarities between the three.

Anne Bradstreet and Edward Taylor are two of the most distinguished and fervent Puritan poets. Yet this similarity has proven to be one of the few, if not only between these two. One cannot help but find it intriguing that poets who belong to the same religious group and style would write so differently. Many of these differences are not even subtle or hidden beneath the text itself. The differences themselves hold implications and ideas that differ between each poet.

Nearly a century later, Jonathan Edwards realized that his congregation were acting the same as Bradstreet’s; they were not putting their faith in God and keeping a strong relationship with Him. In his sermon, “Sinners In the Hands of An Angry God”, Edwards used a completely different approach to convince his sermon to get closer with God. Instead of using a story of grief to convince his people to get closer to God, Edwards uses phrases like, “...you find you are kept out of Hell, but do not see the hand of God in it…” (108) and “...if God should let you go, you would immediately sink and swiftly descend and plunge into the bottomless gulf…” (109). Edwards tries to convince his people that if they do not become closer to God and start obeying Him, they will be cast into the depths of Hell. Unlike Bradstreet, Edwards is aggressive and upfront with his claim. Edwards states, “There are black clouds of God’s wrath now hanging directly over your heads, full of the dreadful storm, and big with thunder, and where it not for the restraining hand of God, it would immediately burst forth upon you” (109). Unless citizens of the congregation begin to follow God more devoutly, they will not be allowed into

Joseph Prince once said, “ Sin does not stop God's grace from flowing, but God's grace will stop sin.” It is funny how idea about a god has changed over time. Back then Puritans believed that all people were born sinful but now God is known for saving people from sin. Joseph Prince is New Creation Church founder and his book was listed as one of Christian retailing's top 100 books. Famous Puritans writers Anne Bradstreet and Jonathan Edward view Christianity so different unlike present writers like Joseph Prince. Both Anne Bradstreet “ upon the Burning of our House” and Jonathan Edward’s “ Sinners in the Hands of an God” are representative of Puritan literature. Bradstreet and Edward works teach a lesson, and both give all glory to God.

Bradstreet uses imagery to describe that her house is completely burned to the ground and that her once flourishing home can no longer house her or her guests. “ The bow of God’s wrath is bent, and the arrow made ready on the string, and justice bends the arrow at your heart”, Edward’s wrote his sermon to poise fear into one's heart just like how God’s bow and arrow are ready and pointed straight at the non converted chest. Edwards uses his choice of words to depict an image of hate and wrath of God against any man that He could not bare to look at.

Jonathan Edwards and Anne Bradstreet both pursue the Puritan lifestyle; however, the way they perceive God religiously and stylistically is completely different. Puritan literature contains emotional, logical, and ethical appeal straight from a person's interpretation of the bible. Anne Bradstreet and Jonathan Edwards, two authors of Puritan writings differ in their religious views and style: each author conveys a construaled message of God being either loving or crude.

The Puritan life, although simple, demanded diligence both mentally and spiritually which put stress on even the most faithful of followers. Although the common practice entailed brushing religious struggles under the rug, few writers bravely wrote of their religious doubts and endeavors to become better Puritans. Author Anne Bradstreet shows in her work “Here Follows Some Verse upon the Burning of Our House, July 10th, 1666” that religious struggles are often met by Puritans and it takes brave souls to admit their difficult time with their religion. This poem shows a woman dealing with a religious crisis and how even though she struggles her faith still holds strong in the end. Bradstreet’s poem displays a crisis of faith in her content

Religion during the 1600’s seemed to dominate the literary world at the time. Poems by Anne Bradstreet such as, “On the Burning of Our House” and “To My Dear and Loving Husband” display the significance of Puritan belief within her life. Eavan Boland’s “Becoming Anne Bradstreet” speaks of the influence that Anne Bradstreet’s works had on her own world views. Though the titles of Anne Bradstreet’s writings are vivid, the religious meanings within the stanzas of both are fairly contradictory. “On the Burning of My House” mentions the involvement of religion while “To My Dear and Loving Husband” only briefly speaks of religion within her marriage.

You never know when you’re going to fall in the pits of hell. The last example provided is the place of hell. “…dreadful pit of the glowing flames of the wrath of God…” If he wanted to say hell, he would’ve say hell but he didn’t. Instead, he described it even further but using adjectives and repeating “the wrath of God” to frighten us. Jonathan Edwards not only used imagery. He used figurative language.

John Edwards and John Winthrop were two Puritan writers who tried to take on the new world, with only the rudimentary tools of the unfinished society from which they came. While both authors are renowned for their sermons during this time, Edwards is known for his drastic and dramatic, “Sinners in the Hands of An Angry God”, and Winthrop for his vision of society in, “A Modell of Christian Charity”. Edwards appeals to all sinners in his sermon, where he warns them that God will be the judge of their actions, and that their consequences may be severe. While Winthrop on the other hand, carefully laid out the religious and social principles that would be the Puritan foundation of their beliefs, stemming from his understanding of the Holy Bible. In Edwards, “Sinners in the Hands of An Angry God”and Winthrop’s, “A Modell of Christian Charity”, we see that both writers had similar beliefs that stemmed from their Puritan background, yet their interpretations of the bible differed in the way that they expressed these ideologies to the public.

The two early American literature writers Jonathan Edwards and the other John Winthrop were writers in the issue of principles in Christianity but had very little factors those were common between them. The difference between them might have been brought about by the issue of time and region in which the two wrote their sermons. Edwards wrote in the feeling that the given ideals of the world are slipping away while his given predecessor wrote on the time when the new ideals of religion and the social experience were being used in the new world. However, while writing on the principles the two had in their literature it is wise to note that they had some common characters in regards to the Puritan characters (Winthrop, 1996).

Puritan values, ideas, and beliefs are evident in the works of Anne Bradstreet, William Bradford, and Jonathan Edwards. Through her poetry, Bradstreet reveals her Puritan values and ideals. Bradstreet was aware of a woman’s role in Puritan society and tried to portray herself as a humble, pious, obedient, and modest wife. William Bradford’s work also encompasses beliefs, values, and ideas of Puritan life. One can see that in Bradford’s writing such as Of Plymouth Plantation, Bradford emphasizes Puritan suffering specifically through the Mayflower journey and how, with the grace of God, they prevailed. Jonathan Edwards’ work also displays Puritan beliefs, values, and ideals through the installation of fear. In an excerpt from Sinners in the