English week 3 response

1.English 205 week 3B

Jonathan Edwards was a  Puritan preacher who felt that in order to convert the unbelievers in his church, he had to make his congregation feel the weight of their sin. In contrast, John Woolman the Quaker journalist writes of his own story., and seeks to emphasize the mercy of God. Edwards seeks to create the imagery of the destruction to come upon the sinners of this world. Woolman seeks to show the fatherly nature of the Lord by showing how his natural father instructs him, and how the merciful guidance of the spirit of god mirrors that. 

Edwards is baring his teeth towards any that have not converted to the faith. He says the infinite might and strength an might of God will be inflicted upon the angels and the lamb of God. He talks about ho the Lord will treat those who have not repented on the day of judgment. “If you seek the mercy of God… He will crush out your blood and make it fly…”. Edwards tries to explicitly scare his flock into the arms of God through the fear of judgment. The key imagery of Edwards message is that the Great Judge is one to be feared for his might. His Puritan beliefs focus on the depravity of sin and the anger of God with it and those who commit it. He speaks often of fire, and focuses the message on his congregation. He says that the congregation is responsible not only for their own sins, but allows for not caring about their fellow members sinning. He says that damnation may come upon the congregation very swiftly and without expectation, using the uncertainty of the future to drive souls into the arms of Christ.

Woolman takes a very different approach. He talks about the time when he at twelve years old was disrespectful to his mother while his father was away. The next time he saw his father, his father did not rain anger down on him, but told him that he should be more careful to respect his mother. He describes a shame coming over him. He describes the change of heart that he comes into by the conversation with his father, which is more of a redemption story than Edwards talks about. Woolman describes his changes of heart and the journey through life that he experiences through the mercies of God. He describes an incident where his own convictions had grown so strong, that he refused to write a will for an elderly man who owned slaves even though he would not have been the one committing the actual sin for passing on slaves. It is in stories like these that Woolman seeks not to describe the horrors of sin and the judgment it brings, but the life altering views on life that the mercy and grace of God can imbue on a soul who is willing to receive the lessons. Edwards would have condemned the man owning slaves for committing sin. Woolman told the man why he could not be a part of it, and trusted his own conscience would be poked at by God. These are two very different approaches to inspiring the path to God in a reader.

In conclusion, Edwards and he Puritan approach drives people to the faith through warning and through opening their eyes to the horror of sin and the severity of God’s justice, through imagery that resembles destruction, fire, and pain. On the other hand, Woolman and the Quakers seeks to pull people to Christ using the imagery of a loving father, a kind teacher, and an undeserving sinner who has found grace through God.

2. English 325 week3A

     One of the most important aspects in my life that I cherish are the friends that I surround myself with.  I have number of friends that I have known since I was little and others that I have met only months ago. No matter how long  I've known them for, they all are play an important role in my everyday life. Friendship is really the 'glue' that makes life worth living. Having fun on the weekends or going out to ball game would be nothing if not for the friends that you go with.       

            I value friendship greatly.  There may be times when you don't feel so great, and having a friend to talk to can make all the difference.  Some people may value friendship in quantity, but my preference is the quality of friends you have.  I consider myself to have 5-6 very close friends that I would be there for at the drop of a hat. That assurance that they would be there for me makes me feel great.

            Life without friends would be pretty difficult to say the least. Not having someone to talk to about your day or catch up with would be a pretty depressing thought. As I get older, I can see more and more people drifting out of my life that were once very important but as one door closes, another opens. It's always important to have a friend base that will support you through the ups and downs.  I also consider myself a good friend. I sum up my friendship in a formula that goes as follows: you only get what you give. Quality friendships are built on mutual relationships, not one sided ones.

3. English 325 week3B

 It seems that both Michel de Montaigne and Shakespeare were both firm believers in being true to oneself. Being able to look in the mirror everyday knowing that you are being true to yourself would have been very important to Michel de Montaigne.  He understood that the viewpoints from others do matter to an extent and he cannot purely base his own judgements on what he thinks is morally right or wrong. However, he will not break his own rules just to please others by any other rule than his own.  I also agree with both of them that only you are able to truly judge your own character.  The way other people view you is primarily based on certain actions they have witnessed or news they have heard from other sources.  The true character of someone lies in themselves and no one is able to reconcile outside viewpoints with those that are true expect from the source itself. 

I also remember seeing this same Shakespeare quote before back in high school.  My 9th grade English teacher was going over Shakespearian literature and took a day off late in the spring to just talk to us about our high school experiences so far. She stressed, just as Shakespeare did, to be true to oneself and did not conform to the views of others just to fit in or be a part of a certain group of friends.  Being yourself and living by your own set of proper morals is important to living a happy and successful life.  Both of these men would most likely agree that is it vital for one to feel comfortable in their own skin and to be content that their actions to others reflect the morals they believe in.