Adapted from Ian McEwan’s novel Atonement. In 1935, thirteen-year-old Briony Tallis (Saoirise Ronan) changes the lives of her sister Cecilia (Keira Knightley) and lover Robbie Tuner (James McAvoy). She accuses Robbie of a crime he didn’t commit, which has damaging consequences and guilt which affects Briony’s entire life.
Cinematography is implemented in a variety of different ways to convey Briony’s character. Even before the introduction of Briony, an overview of her bedroom and of the dollhouse, filled with model figures carefully arranged, reveals much about her personality. This is the first evidence regarding the creative yet manipulative personality of Briony. She has arranged her toys to replicate Noah’s Ark, demonstrating the side
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In the beginning of the film, 13-year-old Briony witnesses the sexual tension between her sister and Robbie; however, she does not completely comprehend what she is seeing. As a result, this leads to the arrest of Robbie, as Briony believes that what she saw was he assaulting both her sister and cousin Lola. This incident leads to the concept of perception in which lighting is utilised in a clever way to illustrate this. When Briony encounters Cecilia and Robbie in the library, the light shone on half her face contrasts against the face shadowed on the other half. This is symbolic to her perception of the situation, as she is only observing a portion of what has happened. As Briony is only aware of half of the complete situation, this causes her to misjudge the event. Similarly, when she discovers Lola being assaulted, light is utilised through her torch – when she discovers Lola, the torch blinds her momentarily, throwing her into the light and then darkness. This causes Briony to fade, emphasising the idea of how one’s sight can affect your perceptions. These events are critical, as Briony's incorrect perception of occasions is the catalyst for the whole film and the consequences that are to come. Additionally, light is used when Briony goes to Paul Marshall – the man who assaulted Lola – and Lola's wedding. Briony gazes upwards as light falls upon her from above, implying a sudden comprehension of her understanding of who assaulted Lola. Here, light depicts the understanding of the truth. Throughout the film, light is used to illustrate various ideas, and it tells its own particular story underneath the action of the main
The existence of pain and suffering in a world created by a good and almighty God is a fundamental theological dilemma and may be the most serious objection to the Christian religion. In the book, The Problem Of Pain , author C.S. Lewis addresses the issue of pain as a mere problem that demands a solution; he formulates it and goes about solving it. "If God were good, He would make His creatures perfectly happy, and if He were almighty He would be able to do what He wished. But the creatures are not happy. Therefore God lacks either goodness, or power, or both" (p. 16). According to Lewis, this is the problem of pain in its simplest form. In his attempt to solve the problem of pain Lewis evaluates the past and the origin of religion, he
The incarnation and atonement of Jesus Christ are the enduring elements of the Christian theology. Many theologians have spent their time discussing and developing these Christian doctrines on how they came about, and how relevant they might be. According to Anselm, incarnation is a central doctrine of Christianity, followed by atonement. In order to ponder on the relationship between atonement and incarnation focusing on Anselm’s idea of satisfaction, we are supposed to look at the meanings of atonement, as well as incarnation. However, the doctrines of incarnation and atonement are interrelated as elucidated by many theologians.
Jonathan Edwards's sermon, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" is moving and powerful. His effectiveness as an eighteenth century New England religious leader is rooted in his expansive knowledge of the Bible and human nature, as well as a genuine desire to "awaken" and save as many souls as possible. This sermon, delivered in 1741, exhibits Edwards's skillful use of these tools to persuade his congregation to join him in his Christian beliefs.
She takes advantage of her passion for the darkness as a way of persuading her side of the argument, placing greater favor upon the peacefulness in darkness versus chaos in the light. Also her description of her emotions when she is surrounded by darkness suggests that our busy lives in the light have taken relaxation away from our lives; darkness helps us fall back into simpler times and serenity.
• Writes about James, brother of Jesus, who was called the Christ. Stoned to death in A.D. 62. Pg.78
In the beginning, there is very little light. It is almost dusk, and the speaker describes the smell as “dark” (7). Towards the middle and end there are various lights: lanterns, lamplight, fireflies, lamp (9, 11, 13, 20). This change over time depicts the storyteller’s significance to the speaker, because she brought enlightenment to his life. In this poem, light is a metaphor for knowledge, while darkness is a metaphor for ignorance. At the end, the old wise storyteller, who is the embodiment of wisdom, “was the lamplight” (20). In contrast, the two boys, who are young and ignorant, are “in one shadow” (21). The juxtaposition of light with darkness shows that the speaker and storyteller are opposites in their insight. Additionally, it is strange that she is a light before them, yet they are still shadowed. What is blocking the light from them? This metaphor illustrates that it takes time for people to become sage like their elders. As the speaker says, adulthood is “childhood’s aftermath,” which means that the knowledge people gain in childhood will lead them to be wise adults such as the storyteller
The belief that morality requires God remains a widely held moral maxim. In particular, it serves as the basic assumption of the Christian fundamentalist's social theory. Fundamentalists claim that all of society's troubles - everything from AIDS to out-of-wedlock pregnancies - are the result of a breakdown in morality and that this breakdown is due to a decline in the belief of God. This paper will look at different examples of how a god could be a bad thing and show that humans can create rules and morals all on their own. It will also touch upon the fact that doing good for the wrong reasons can also be a bad thing for the person.
Edwards' creative choice of words that he uses describes the power of God and the terrible Hell awaiting sinners. These words easily infiltrate into the minds of his congregation and frighten them beyond belief. These choices of words and his use of such vivid images are mostly successful in their intent, to scare and put fear into his audience. Edwards held his audience locked up with his promises of eternal damnation if proper steps were not taken. The congregation felt the intense impact of his rhetorical strategies and lived on the fear of the power of God. In this way, he was able to keep his followers from sin and away from the fiery pits of Hell.
Atonement, by Ian McEwan, explores the theme of love through a variety of techniques such as symbolism, metaphors and repetition delve into various aspects of love, such as misspent, newfound and unavailable love. Uniquely, McEwan intertwines these techniques with foreshadowing and imagery to convey complex emotions such as love, guilt and jealousy. Additionally, the theme of reality and the imagination is established through repetition and Cecilia’s characterisation.
"Atonement" by Ian McEwan Atonement comes from an "at onement", the idea being that penance and suffering allows us to be "at one" with God or ourselves. The central theme of atonement is that of seeking forgiveness. This is manifested through the characters and their actions. In the book "Atonement" by Ian McEwan, the act carried out by Briony sets of a chain of events, for which either atonement is sought or society seeks atonement from. Briony's character is described as being compulsively orderly, "She was one of those children possessed by a desire to have the world just so."
Four main themes are the most important in the assigned section of The Apology. I will begin with a brief synopsis of each major theme, with an analysis and my opinion following, and ending with the question of Socrates' own death.
Everybody sins, and we are no different. But unlike some churches, we believe that we are able to repent from the sin or sins we commit. The process we use is called the atonement, and it is the supreme expression of the love of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. We can feel this love after we repent, and it is also described as the grace of God or Jesus Christ. Christ loves us and wants us to come back to him, as Moses 1:39 states, it is his work and his glory to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.
In the movie God on Trial, director Andy de Emmony has the actors in the setting of the concentration camp, Auschwitz, where they have to face the challenging and controversial issue of God’s goodness. The characters hold a trial to judge God, the room is full of tension and division where some of the prisoners defend God and the others accuse God with murder and evil. Those who come to God’s defense restate numerous biblical stories which are full of miracles and beautiful natural stories full of hope. On the other hand, the others accuse God with devastating personal experiences and horrendous biblical stories. The movie is not the only time people tried to defend or question God’s goodness. In the article, “ Did God Command Genocide?”
It can be said that in God's eyes, Christians are only dirty glasses which are stained inside and out with their own sin. These glasses were once clean, not plagued with stains. Now the glasses bear with them these ugly stains, the stains of sin and wrongdoing. The dirty glasses had to accept their punishment for becoming dirty, and the punishment was being destroyed by a hammer. The hammer is God's instrument against sinners. As the hammer made its decent on the glass, a pan covered the glass and took the blow of the hammer to save the glass. This pan represents Jesus because Jesus sacrificed himself to God so that God would forgive us for our sins.
Christianity is the religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Most followers of Christianity, called Christians, are members of one of three major groups--Roman Catholic, Protestant, or Eastern Orthodox. These groups have different beliefs about Jesus and His teachings. But all consider Jesus central to their religion. Most Christians believe God sent Jesus into the world as the Savior. Christianity teaches that humanity can achieve salvation through Jesus.