Untitled Essay, Research Paper

Jonathan Edwards and Patrick Henry?s biographies and speeches showed a lot of similarcharacteristics, but also many differences, Their speeches both contained incredible powerand impact. Yet the effects and results were hardly on the same subject. Jonathan Edwards was a powerful speaker. He made his audience feel the wordsthat he spoke. An example of this is in his speech, ?Sinners in the hands of and angryGod? when he says ?…hell is gaping for them, the flames gather and flash about them, andwould fain lay hold of them and swallow them up…? Jonathan?s speeches influenced thelives of many people. His congregations feared sinning. They fainted and cried at hisservices. Edwards was one of the pastors who were greatly involved in the GreatAwakening. He spoke most of his sermons during this time and people listened. Patrick Henry was also a very powerful speaker. In his speech to the VirginiaConvention, he was said to have grabbed an ivory letter opener and plunged it towards hisbreast with the word death. Henry?s speeches influenced many people. A clergyman whowas present at the time of Henry?s speech recalled that during it he felt ?sick withexcitement.? He convinced the United States and Virginia governments to fight for thefreedom of our country, and if that isn?t influencing a few lives, then I don?t know what is!Now you may not have known this, but Patrick Henry was involved in the GreatAwakening too. As a child he and his mother often sat in congregations to hear the greattraveling speakers. Patrick Henry found his calling in the law. He at first tried farming, but failed. Hewas said to have one of the best law minds in the country at that time. Henry spoke aboutgovernment issues, like his speech to the Virginia Convention, trying to convince the mento fight for our freedom. He pointed out faults in government system, rather thanpointing out the faults of the people in the government. Jonathan Edwards turned to his grandfather?s profession, as a preacher. It was hiscalling, even in his early childhood years he knew he would become his grandfatherssuccessor, and he did. He spoke on religious matters such as in his speech ?Sinners in thehands of an angry God.? He didn?t point out the faults in religions as a whole, but hepointed out the faults of the people in his audience regarding religious matters. Patrick Henry and Jonathan Edwards exhibited many of the same characteristics,like being wonderful speech makers. Both men had many differences between them. Theyspoke on different subjects and affected people in different ways but had a great influenceon the way those people lived.