Assignment Brief: The Consequences of Sin in “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”
Course Information
Course Code: ENGL 1301 – American Literature: Colonial Period to 1865
Assignment Type: Rhetorical Analysis Essay
Task Number: Assessment 2 of 4
Word Count: 600–800 words (approximately 2–3 pages, double-spaced)
Weight: 15% of final grade
Assignment Context
Jonathan Edwards delivered “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” on July 8, 1741, during the height of the First Great Awakening—a period of intense religious revival in the American colonies [^21^]. This sermon represents one of the most significant examples of Puritan rhetoric and theological discourse in early American literature. Edwards composed this text to awaken his Enfield, Connecticut congregation to the imminent spiritual danger posed by unrepentant sin, employing vivid imagery and carefully constructed rhetorical appeals to move his audience toward conversion [^2^].
Your task is to analyze how Edwards constructs and develops the theme of sin’s consequences throughout the sermon. Rather than simply summarizing the text, you will examine the rhetorical strategies Edwards employs to convey the gravity of spiritual separation, moral degradation, and social ramifications resulting from unrepentant sin, while also addressing his ultimate message of redemption.
Task Description
Compose a focused rhetorical analysis essay examining the consequences of sin as presented in Jonathan Edwards’s sermon. Your essay should identify and analyze specific rhetorical devices—including imagery, metaphor, repetition, tone shifts, and appeals to ethos, pathos, and logos—that Edwards uses to communicate the severity of sin’s effects on individuals and communities.
Your analysis must address the following elements:
- The immediate spiritual consequences Edwards associates with sinful behavior
- The rhetorical function of Edwards’s terrifying imagery (fire, pits, God’s wrath)
- How Edwards connects individual sin to broader community deterioration
- The tonal shift from condemnation to the possibility of redemption
- The sermon’s intended effect on its 18th-century congregation
Requirements
- Format: MLA 9th edition formatting (double-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman, 1-inch margins, header with last name and page number)
- Thesis Statement: Develop a clear, arguable thesis that makes a specific claim about how Edwards uses rhetorical strategies to convey the consequences of sin
- Textual Evidence: Include a minimum of four direct quotations from the sermon, properly cited with in-text citations (Edwards 432) and a Works Cited page
- Structure: Standard academic essay structure with introduction (including thesis), body paragraphs (each with a clear topic sentence and analysis), and conclusion
- Audience: Write for an academic audience familiar with the text but unfamiliar with your specific interpretation
- Language: Use present tense when discussing the text; maintain third-person perspective throughout
Assessment Rubric
| Criteria | Excellent (A) | Proficient (B) | Developing (C) | Inadequate (D/F) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thesis & Argument (25%) |
Clear, sophisticated thesis making an original claim about Edwards’s rhetorical strategies; argument sustained throughout with logical progression | Clear thesis present; argument generally sustained with minor gaps in reasoning | Thesis present but vague or overly broad; argument inconsistently developed | No discernible thesis; argument lacks focus or coherence |
| Textual Analysis (30%) |
Perceptive analysis of rhetorical devices; quotations well-integrated and thoroughly interpreted; demonstrates deep understanding of Edwards’s techniques | Solid analysis of rhetorical elements; quotations appropriately used with adequate explanation | Surface-level analysis; quotations present but under-analyzed or misinterpreted | Summary rather than analysis; quotations missing or improperly used |
| Evidence & Support (20%) |
Specific textual evidence supports each claim; skillful use of direct quotations and paraphrase | Adequate textual evidence; quotations generally support claims | Limited evidence; some claims unsupported or weakly connected to text | Insufficient evidence; frequent unsupported assertions |
| Organization (15%) |
Logical, cohesive structure; smooth transitions between ideas; effective introduction and conclusion | Clear organization; transitions generally effective; intro and conclusion present | Some organizational issues; weak transitions; underdeveloped intro or conclusion | Disorganized; missing or ineffective introduction/conclusion |
| Mechanics & MLA (10%) |
Flawless grammar, spelling, and punctuation; perfect MLA formatting and citation | Minor errors in grammar or mechanics; minor MLA formatting issues | Noticeable errors affecting clarity; significant MLA errors | Substantial errors impeding comprehension; incorrect or missing citations |
Sample Content: Excerpt from Model Response
Edwards constructs the immediate consequences of sin through a calculated deployment of physical metaphors that render abstract spiritual danger viscerally tangible. When he describes sinners as “held in the hand of God, over the pit of hell,” the spatial imagery generates a sense of precarious suspension that mirrors the psychological instability of the unconverted soul [^9^]. The metaphor of the “slender thread” holding back divine wrath operates not merely as decorative language but as a rhetorical mechanism designed to dismantle congregational complacency. Edwards understood that his Enfield audience—characterized by historical accounts as resistant to revivalist preaching—required sensory shock to penetrate their spiritual defenses [^21^].
Yet Edwards’s rhetorical architecture extends beyond individual terror to encompass collective moral consequences. The sermon implicitly argues that unchecked sin operates as a corrosive agent within social bonds, anticipating what later sociological frameworks might identify as the breakdown of communal trust structures. By positioning God’s anger as simultaneously personal and cosmic, Edwards collapses the distinction between private transgression and public consequence—a rhetorical move that would have resonated powerfully in a colony where church membership carried significant civic implications.
Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this assignment, students will be able to:
- Analyze primary texts from the colonial period using appropriate literary terminology
- Identify and evaluate rhetorical strategies in persuasive religious discourse
- Construct evidence-based arguments about historical literary texts
- Apply MLA citation and formatting conventions correctly
- Demonstrate understanding of the relationship between literature and its historical context
Submission Guidelines
Due Date: Week 5, Friday by 11:59 PM
Submission Method: Upload to course LMS as .docx or .pdf file
Late Policy: 10% deduction per day; submissions accepted up to 72 hours after deadline with penalty
References / Learning Materials
Edwards, J. (1741). Sinners in the hands of an angry god. In P. Lauter (Ed.), The Heath anthology of American literature (Vol. A, pp. 431–438). Cengage Learning. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/etas/32/
Marsden, G. M. (2003). Jonathan Edwards: A life. Yale University Press. https://doi.org/10.12987/yale/9780300106964.001.0001
Noll, M. A. (2019). America’s book: The rise and decline of a Bible civilization, 1794–1911. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780190909737.001.0001
Stein, S. J. (2005). Edwards, Jonathan. In L. Jones (Ed.), Encyclopedia of religion (2nd ed., Vol. 4, pp. 2698–2701). Macmillan Reference USA.
Winiarski, D. L. (2017). Darkness falls on the land of light: Experiencing religious awakenings in eighteenth-century New England. University of North Carolina Press. https://doi.org/10.5149/northcarolina/9781469630863.001.0001
Next Assignment Preview: Week 6 Discussion Post
Course: ENGL 1301 – American Literature: Colonial Period to 1865
Assignment: Discussion Post 3 – “Comparing Puritan Voices: Edwards and Bradstreet”
Word Count: 250–350 words initial post; 100–150 words per response (two responses required)
Description: Building on your analysis of Edwards’s sermon, this discussion asks you to compare his treatment of sin and divine judgment with Anne Bradstreet’s poetic meditations on suffering and faith in “Upon the Burning of Our House, July 10th, 1666.” Consider how gender, genre (sermon versus lyric poetry), and personal circumstance shape each author’s theological response to crisis. Your initial post should identify one specific rhetorical or thematic difference between the two texts and explain how that difference reflects broader Puritan literary conventions. Respond to two classmates by extending their analysis or offering alternative interpretations supported by textual evidence.