The Biblical Aspecst in the Poems A Stone's Throw and The Woman Speaks to the Man who has Employed her Son

This poem is not strictly about a man who is trying to get a woman to have premarital sex with him. I think this work was more about the use of religious imagery in regards to a sexual act. Starting in the second stanza, we see our first religious imagery and diction. The first line,

I have read various books on Theological Hermeneutics, and one, whose title has slipped my mind, had once suggested the Hermeneutics isn’t only about picking up the Bible, analyzing it, and putting it back down, but also making an application through it. So, in this paper I have followed such a suggestion. First I will mention the background of the book being hermeneutically analyzed. This answers many of the questions needed to contextualize the book into its original socio-cultural setting for better understanding. Secondly, I will do an exegesis, or commentary, on the verses of the book to explain the interpretation that I had gotten out of it. This is done in

Furthermore, Hughes uses the rhetorical device of allusion when he writes about his aunt’s bringing him to the church for a special meeting. When he writes, “Then just before the revival ended, they held a special meeting for children, ‘to bring the young lambs to the fold’’’ (1), he attempts to correlate his invitation to salvation to a Biblical parable. Along with his reference to the Bible, he conveys the church member’s excitement with vivid imagery. He illustrates the church’s setting as being infuse with “all moans and shouts and lonely cries and dire pictures of hell”, and he also describes the preacher’s sermon as a “wonderful rhythmical sermon” (3). Conjointly, Hughes presents imagery of the churchgoers and alludes to a Biblical story in order to demonstrate the magnitude of the religious enthusiasm of the members of the church.

“And now I see the face of god, and I raise this god over the earth, this god whom men have sought since men came into being, this god who will grant them joy and peace and pride.” Page 97, Anthem. The novel written by Ayn Rand is set in a dystopia; a place in which the condition of life is extremely bad, as a result of a society where expression of emotion and individuality is believed to be a sin. The theme that contributes most to the dystopia of Anthem is religion/ beliefs, however, as time progresses the character’s viewpoints of the religion/ beliefs are altered throughout the novel. The purpose of this essay is to explain Rand’s use of religion/ beliefs with the use of examples from her novel, Anthem.

Although not always recognizable, biblical allusions enhance the writing of novels, and connect specific themes to the Bible. Throughout Cry, The Beloved Country, Alan Paton has placed numerous biblical allusions, corresponding to the common theme of Man’s relationship with God. Some of these allusions pertain to actual verses from the Bible placed into the story. Others are abstract and are representations of themes from the Bible. Generally, Alan Paton has ingeniously placed biblical allusions to emphasize the relationship between man and God.

She aspires to be a perfect copy of her father, someone she has looked up to since she was little. It’s easy to see his influence on her through her narration and thoughts. Everything he says, she soaks in, like a sponge willing to accept an unlimited amount of water. When she says of Brother Fowles that “I heard them saying he was a New York Irish, which tells you a lot, as they are notorious for being papist Catholics” (38), her father’s effect on not only her personality but views towards people is evident. Because of his impact on her youth, she looks up to him with fierce intensity, even desiring “his wholehearted approval” (42). Underneath this adoration for her father, however, lies a distinct fear of disapproval, having never “contradicted [her] father on any subject, ever” (66). Here, it is apparent his authoritative influence on her, resulting in a deep-seated anxiety that Leah feels. Furthermore, with Leah’s initial love of her father, it is easier to see the contrast of what she feels towards her father as the book progresses, something that changes directly as a result of her time in the Congo. Her views towards religion are also an aspect that can demonstrate how she has been inclined to feel specific ways. Leah’s most important value in her religion is the sense of justice, something she believes that Christianity is about with every particle on her body. She considers “God’s scale to be vast

People tend to think of religion as one group that shares the same beliefs and perspectives. Anne Bradstreet and Jonathan Edwards, who were devout members of the Puritan faith, demonstrate how diverse a person’s interpretation of a belief system can be. Bradstreet’s poems, To My Dear and Loving Husband and Upon the Burning of Our House drastically contrasts in both perception of religion and God and writing style when compared to Edwards’ sermon Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God. Need transition sentence.

To truly comprehend a biblical passage, it is important to have knowledge of the ‘hermeneutics which enables an understanding of the locus of meaning and the principles of bible interpretation’ . The audience needs to have a clear interpretation of the biblical passage which includes ‘content and unity of the whole of Scripture if the meaning of the sacred texts is to be correctly worked out’ , this supports the argument that all worlds of the text are equally important. ‘Biblical passages are often taken out of context and interpreted to support a particular viewpoint of justify a particular action’ . It is imperative to note that ‘in order to discover the sacred authors' intention, the reader must take into account the conditions of their

Dickinson’s poem 1545 contains multiple meanings and interpretations. It is a criticism of Christianity, however, she criticizes in a rather witty way. Throughout this piece of literature, she uses words that have many meanings to dig at the bible and people’s narrow-minded beliefs within the sacred text. Dickenson also uses repetition to draw attention to certain words. Perhaps the ultimate gibe is that she takes seemingly long, complicated, and popular biblical stories and shortens them to four words or less. By doing this she gives off the impression that the “faded men” who wrote the bible are not as clever as they think; but rather they’re stories are simple and transparent.

In “Introduction” the “ancient trees” are used to represent the forests of materialism. “The Holy Word” is portrayed as walking through this field of materialism, showing that when not in a form of exaggerated innocence, religious values and ways of life can become lost and confused within everyday life. The structure of “The Songs of

Religion tends to play an important role in any person who believes in what they practice. Many of those who truly believe in a religion tend to be extremely devoted to it and have religious aspirations. One of the storytellers referred to as the Prioress narrates a tale about a boy whose mother taught him to reverence the mother of God. This story takes place in a Christian town which was also a ghetto in Asia. This little boy was killed by a murderer who was hired by some Jews because throughout the streets, he sang a hymn saluting Mary that did not abide by the Jews laws. According to this story, the mother of God put a grain in the little boy’s mouth to allow him to sing Alma Redemptoris so that the Christians and his mother would find his dead body and allow his soul to rest with God. As the little boy is miraculously singing an abbot states, “Dear child, I conjure thee By virtue of the Holy Trinity To say how singing is permitted thee Although thy throat is cut, or seems to be”. This holy man is astonished as to how he is still singing to ultimately be found and be at peace. The narrator attempts to get the reader to see that religion and prayer helps those who are defenseless, in this case the mother trying to find her son and the little boy wanting to be found to let his soul rest peacefully in heaven. Prayer

Compare the ways in which Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Blake’s Song of Innocence poems have explored the theme of religion.

‘The Dream of the Rood’ has been marveled as one of the finest religious poems from the Anglo-Saxon time period. The poem itself shows the contrast between the Pagan religion and Christianity and the overlap of religious symbols between them. It follows the crucifixion of Jesus and the dreamer’s journey to finding faith. The rood is seen as the backbone of the crucifixion and is depicted as being praised more than Christ. Using the literary devices of kenning and alliteration the author highlights the heroic nature of the rood, the dreamer’s gradual progression to optimism and the struggle of the people of the time to remove Pagan traditions in literature.

In the poem a man longs to find a permanent home ,and treads the idea of appealing to no true destination after the loss of his lord. The poem is written as an elegie, which displays a solemn tone followed by a serious reflection. Unlike “The Seafarer”, the speaker has developed a deepening voice of Christian Values. The speaker's introduction expressed the voice of a christian moralist as he says, “..oft to the wanderer, weary of exile, cometh God’s pity, compassionate love. Though woefully toiling on wintry seas”. The speaker’s exile causes him to feel unrighteous and unaccepted by God. In the poem the man further details his emotions of loss due to the the death of the lord, and he explains what he believes a wise man is to him. He says, “a wise man in patient, not swift to anger, nor hasty of speech, neither too weak, nor too reckless, in war, neither fearful nor fain, nor too wishful of wealth... a brave man must bide when he speaketh his boast until he know surely the goal of his spirit.” The man expresses how a wise man must be righteous and dwell in the custom his religious faith has set. He creates a precedent for Christians to follow in the Anglo-Saxon society through his strong opinions. Religion may have arised from early literature and is still relevant today.

With this poem taking place in the latter part of the 700’s, religion and pride in one’s religion was taken very