Harriet Beecher Stowe: A Comparative Analysis

In the sermon, “Sinners In the Hands of an Angry God” by Jonathan Edwards and the novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe, both authors urge the audience to convert to Christianity. While the works were presented to two completely different audiences during separate time periods, they both succeeded in getting the same message across in their own way. To compare and contrast the method each author uses, I chose a sample of text from each. For the sermon, I chose to contrast Edwards’ seventh point, and for the novel, I picked the conversion of Topsy. In each of their works, Jonathan Edwards and Harriet Beecher Stowe urge their listeners to convert to Christianity by utilizing tactful approaches targeted towards a specific audience. …show more content…
The most prominent rhetorical or persuasive technique used was biblical allusion; references to figures, events or places in the Bible. Edwards was clever to make biblical allusions a major part of his sermons considering he was preaching to a Puritan congregation. Another practice used was emotional appeals, messages designed to persuade an audience by creating strong feelings. An example of his would be when he used the phrase, “The Arrows of Death fly unseen at Noon-Day; the sharpest Sight can’t discern them… ” This piece of text appeals to fear by creating anxiety and unease amongst those listening. By speaking this was, Jonathan Edwards manages to “scare” the audience into converting. The main concern for people of this time period was whether or not they will end up in heaven versus being sent to hell. Edwards builds upon this fear by including sensory language to create vivid imagery and also by using colorful vocabulary to really help push his spiritual message. His sermons were very successfully received by the audience considering listeners often wept and fainted at the descriptions because his words were so powerful. After his preachings, many Puritans left feeling as if they had been “born