How to Proclaim Your Religion-Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God

Religion should not be forced upon a group of people or an individual. Instilling fear or guilt is a false direction to bring somebody into a religion. Instead of personal beliefs and interest, the person is instead driven by selfish ambition.

Jonathan Edwards’s Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God uses persuasive strategies that forces terror and shame upon the listener. He uses this to draw listeners into his religion through negative emotion and manipulation. He focuses his piece mainly on the negative consequences of not joining his views, rather than the positive consequences of joining. The fact that some of his listeners considered suicide after his sermon shows that he targets the wrong emotional appeal in his audience. This radical behavior is deceitful and controlling. His perspective creates God as punishing and hateful; this diverges from respect through a relationship between the listener and God. Instead, it is a respect that comes from a fear of the listener’s own life.

This mind is commonly found in society today: groups of people standing with signs of “Repent or Die!” on the streets or the infamous Westboro Baptist church’s offensive picketing. These groups and their activities are generally frowned upon and rarely achieve anything except profound hatred from those around them. People these days are more independently-minded, unlike Edwards’s time. Puritans began questioning the rules of their faith and Edwards took advantage of this and their confusion. Although Edwards had good writing, he used it in a poor moraled fashion to support his cause.

Trickster: Coyote and the Buffalo

Tricksters are the fine line between the innocent and the loathed. Tricksters are well loved and disliked throughout history, as they bring humor and annoyance to all those around them. Tricksters bring action and drama within every situation they interact in, driving the plot in a way that no other type of character could.

In Mourning Dove's Coyote and the Buffalo, Coyote is the obvious trickster of the story. Without Coyote's trickery and immature deceit, the story would lose an element of interest and plot. Coyote’s reckless nature puts him in threatening situations in which he must use his quick wit to save himself. He fits the description of an “act-first-think-after” kind of character. Coyote, as the the trickster, adds flavor to the story that the reader can relate to. The reader finds humor in his cockiness and rash behaviour while also finding admiration for his quick wit. His contrast to characters such as the Buffalo, sets him apart as a unique character, drawing attention and interest.

Tricksters have been infamous since the beginnings of times. From old fables to contemporary media, trickers have been a prominent part of society; tricksters range from characters like Rumplestiltskin to Bart Simpson. A stable consistently is the punishment and “learning your lesson” for tricksters, as Coyote is shown to have when he loses his baby buffalo and food. Apart from entertainment, tricksters are also perfect as examples for life lessons and cultural morals. From the chastising of their behaviour, the reader can assume and learn from their actions. Stories just could not be the same without tricksters.

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