Jonathan Edwards and Patrick Henry’s biographies and speeches showed a lot of
similar characteristics, but also many differences, Their speeches both
contained incredible power and impact. Yet the effects and results were hardly
on the same subject. Jonathan Edwards was a powerful speaker. He made his
audience feel the words that he spoke. An example of this is in his speech,
“Sinners in the hands of and angry God” when he says “...hell is gaping
for them, the flames gather and flash about them, and would fain lay hold of
them and swallow them up...” Jonathan’s speeches influenced the lives of
many people. His congregations feared sinning. They fainted and cried at his
services. Edwards was one of the pastors who were greatly involved in the Great
Awakening. 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 Virginia
Convention, he was said to have grabbed an ivory letter opener and plunged it
towards his breast with the word death. Henry’s speeches influenced many
people. A clergyman who was present at the time of Henry’s speech recalled
that during it he felt “sick with excitement.” He convinced the United
States and Virginia governments to fight for the freedom 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 Great Awakening too.
As a child he and his mother often sat in congregations to hear the great
traveling speakers. Patrick Henry found his calling in the law. He at first
tried farming, but failed. He was said to have one of the best law minds in the
country at that time. Henry spoke about government issues, like his speech to
the Virginia Convention, trying to convince the men to fight for our freedom. He
pointed out faults in government system, rather than pointing out the faults of
the people in the government. Jonathan Edwards turned to his grandfather’s
profession, as a preacher. It was his calling, even in his early childhood years
he knew he would become his grandfathers successor, and he did. He spoke on
religious matters such as in his speech “Sinners in the hands of an angry
God.” He didn’t point out the faults in religions as a whole, but he pointed
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.
They spoke on different subjects and affected people in different ways but had a
great influence on the way those people lived.