Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God A Review of Sound Devices Emma Jaques, Akshat Gokhale, Ajaita Saini

Device #1 Alliteration - The occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words.

Alliteration “That world of misery, that lake of burning Brimstone.” (pg 80) “and if your strength were Ten Thousand Times Greater than the strength of the sturdiest devel in hill, it would be nothing to withstand or endure it.” (pg 80,81) “God’s hand has held you up.” (pg 81)

Effect of Alliteration on the Reader Gives emphasis to certain phrases Keeps reader engaged Rolls off tongue For both the reader and the audience

Device #2 Cacophony - A harsh, discordant mixture of sounds.

Cacophony “ If God should only withdraw His hand from the floodgate, it would immediately fly open, and the fiery floods of the fierceness and wrath of God, would rush forth with inconceivable fury, and would come upon you with omnipotent power; and if your strength were ten thousand times greater than it is, yea, ten thousand times greater than the strength of the stoutest, sturdiest devil in hell, it would be nothing to withstand or endure it.” (pg 80)

Cacophony (2) “O sinner! Consider the fearful danger you are in: It is a great furnace of wrath, a wide and bottomless pit, full of the fire of wrath, that you are held over in the hand of that God, whose wrath is provoked and incensed as much against you, as against many of the damned in hell.” (pg 81)

Effects of Cacophony Creates a harsh sounding mesh of words Truly reflects the author/speaker’s meaning Edwards wants to sound harsh- he does Sounds like grating chalk on a board Purposely hard to read to emphasize point

Device #3 Euphony - The quality of being pleasing to the ear, especially through a harmonious combination of words.

Euphony “...and if God should let you go, you would immediately sink and swiftly descend and plunge into the bottomless gulf, and your healthy constitution, and your own care and prudence, and best contrivance, and all your righteousness,...”(pg 80)

Euphony (2) “But indeed these things are nothing; if God should withdraw His hand, they would avail no more to keep you from falling, than the thin air to hold up a person that is suspended in it.” (pg 80)

Effects of Euphony Sounds smooth, like silk Brings reader back from cacophonous statements to sooth them into continuing to listen A good balance of Cacophony and Euphony draws attention to the meaning of the text

Device #4 Assonance - The repetition of the sound of a vowel or diphthong in non-rhyming stressed syllables near enough to each other for the echo to be discernible.”

Assonance “Would come upon you...” (pg 80) “ This use of this awful subject may be for awakening unconverted persons in this congregation…” (pg 80)

Effects of Assonance on Reader Creates better flow for the writer Helps the reader understand the author’s language through similar sounds Entices the reader to read on in the sermon

Device #5 Consonance - The recurrence of similar sounds, especially consonants, in close proximity.

Consonance “The use of this awful subject may be for awakening unconverted persons in this congregation.” (pg 80) “Your wickedness makes you as it were heavy as lead, and to tend downward with great weight and pressure toward hell;”(pg 80)

Effect of Consonance on the Reader Creates flow, like assonance Creates anticipation Thus generating interest Draws attention back to speaker

Device #6 Onomatopoeia - The formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named.

Onomatopoeia “You hang by a slender thread, with the flames of divine wrath flashing about it,...”(pg. 81) “If God should only withdraw His hand from the floodgate, it would immediately fly open, and the fiery floods of the fierceness and wrath of God, would rush forth with inconceivable fury,…” (pg. 80)

Effects of Onomatopoeia Helps the reader understand the author’s language through sounds In the second quote, the reader can hear the fiery and fierce floods This also helps the reader visualize and put themselves into the sermon