Why was "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" more famous than Jonathan Edwards other sermons?

Many people commonly refer to Jonathan Edwards as one of Americas's greatest theoligians.  They say this because he was a powerful, influential figure during the time of the Great Awakening.  The Great Awakening is referred to as a period of religious revival in American religious history.  But was this the only sermon that Edwards was famous for?  He was also famous for many different sermons such as, The Manner in Which the Salvation of the Soul is to be Sought, The Justice of God in the Damnation of Sinners, and Pressing into the Kingdom of God". http://www.jonathan-edwards.org/ 

So why; out of all his sermons was this one so important?  One difference between this sermon and his others is that in this one particular sermon had a great influence on American Christianity http://www.colonialwarsct.org/1740_s.htm.  He tries to scare people into believing that if u sin then God will cast you into hell. You can find these quotes in our book The Norton Anthology (pg. 426)  Some people may ask well why did he have to scare people into not sinning?  He did so because if people fear hell then they are more likely to buy into the whole salvation/heaven scenario. 

But the main reason Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God was so famous was because not only did it have a great impact during the Great Awakening, but because Edwards would literally stand outside in front of crowds of people and preach to them his sermon.  While reading the sermon you could tell that on several occassions Edwards would raise his voice as if to to show how serious and how much heart he had put into preaching what he was saying to the people of his congregation.  An example would be in our book The Northon Anthology on (pg. 432).  That is why I think Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God is the most famous of all the Jonathan Edwards sermons.

To My Dear and Loving Husband: How is the text represented in our popular culture today?

The poem, To My Dear and Loving Husband is one of the many literary pieces Anne Bradstreet has written. This poem can be related to a lot of things in today's culture such as: films, songs, quotes, sitcoms, and other poems. An example of a film that is related to the poem is Titanic. This romantic film is similar to Bradstreet's poem because, just like in the movie Rose preferred to have love over riches and wealth. "http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120338/plotsummary" In the poem Bradstreet says, "I prize thy love more than whole mines of gold or all the riches that the East doth hold." (Line 5 & 6 p. 206) A song that can be associated with the text is Beyonce's song 1+1. This song coincides with the poem, because just like Anne Bradstreet Beyonce is expressing her undying affliction for her husband as well. The only difference is that she is expressing it through song, while Anne Bradstreet is being poetic.

A certain quote that many people use today in our society that can relate to the poem is "Love is when the other person's happiness is more important than your own" H. Jackson Browne. "http://quotations.about.com/od/lovequotes/a/lovequotes19.htm" This quote relates to the poem on (Line 3 & 4 p. 206) when she says, "If ever wife was happy in a man, compare with me, ye women if you can." There are also many different sitcoms that you can compare to To My Dear and Loving Husband.  A poem that reminds me of Bradstreet's poem is, Maya Angelou's poem In and Out of Time. I feel that these two poems are similar because both poets prayed to the heavens hoping that their relationships/circumstances would be all right. For instance, Bradstreet's quote was, "The heavens reward thee manifold, I pray. (Line 10 p.206) and in Maya Angelou's poem she said, "I screamed to the heavens... Loudly screamed... Trying to change our nightmares into dreams." http://hightimes.onsugar.com/Out-Time-Maya-Angelou-3432946

In the end, there are many different ways that our culture of today can relate to Anne Bradstreet's poems. A visual aid to the poem To My Dear and Loving Husband can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbQRMbJmx5g

Why was John Smith not killed when first captured by the Powhatans?

In 1607, a ship containing people looking for new land and a place to start new lives, along with a young wealthy captain by the name of John Smith, arrived at the Chesapeake Bay in what we know today as North America.  During their settlement of the town known as Jamestown the winter weather became an issue.  Smith and some of his men set out to look for trade for food so that they could survivve. Smith and his men came into contact with different Powhatan Indian tribes and villages, raiding them of their food trying to stay alive. Little did they know that they were being watched by Opechancanough (brother of Powhatan the leader of the Powhatans).

In December of 1607 Opechancanough ordered the capture of Smith and his men. All of Smith's men were slain, but Smith wasn't. It is stated in the General History of Virginia, New England, and the Summer Isles that, "He damanding for their captain, they showed him Opechancanough, King of Pamunkey, to whom he gave a round ivory double compass dial." (pg 61) The Indians were amazed by the compass. You would have been amazed also if it was your first time being introduced to that sort of modern technology back then! Smith also explained to them what the dial meant in the same passage, "But when he demonstarted by that globe-like jewel the roundness of the earth and skies, the sphere of the sun, moon, and stars, and how the sun did chase the night round about the world continually, the greatness of the land and sea, the diversity of nations, variety of complexions, and how we were to them antipodes and many other such like matters, they all stood amazed with admiration." They spared him his life. Some people may not know this, but the only reason they spared John his life was because they were looking for trade also. Both the Powhatan and English began trading youths to learn the others language. The Powhatan also traded food in exchange for metal and manufactured goods. http://www.smithtrail.net/native-americans/natives-and-smith/smith-powhatan-pocahontas.aspx

Another story to answer the question is the story containing Pocahauntas. Youtube videos such as the one attached gives a better understanding of how the situation happened. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1PbOM7mZbo But until this day nobody really knows how the story really happened as to why John Smith was kept alive! The picture below shows how Pocahauntas SUPPOSEDLY saved Smith from being killed.

Franklin, Gura, et al. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. New York, 2007. Print. From A Description of New England. Pg 67.

Intro

Hi everybody, if you don't already know me my name is Roderick Cox but everyone calls me Rod! I'm from Birmingham, Alabama (Westside)! I am a very outgoing, funny, and ambitious young man. I am the youngest of my siblings (Meosha Cox and LaQuinta Cox R.I.P.). If I had to describe my self in one word then that word would be SMOOTH! I am looking forward to getting to know all of my classmates. Well, I guess for right now that's enough about me. I look forward to reading everyone's blogs! #To be continued......