God! A figure of love and forgiveness to many, a figure of fear to others. Pulitzer Prize winning essayist Annie Dillard illustrates the differences and similarities on how one feels about God in her essays “On a Hill Far Away” and “God in the Doorway”. Dillard explores children’s fear of God by comparing her portrayal of herself with the child on the hill, using common motifs, symbols, and differences of tone to contrast the two reactions.
With the reverence of God also comes the fear of the almighty. This fear can push one away from society, setting one apart from the rest. Isolation is a motif prevalent in both essays, affecting the Dillard and the boy in different ways. Dillard reflects upon herself as a young girl in “God in the Doorway” where fear had driven her away from her loving family as she hides herself in her room. Her terror comes in the form of Santa Claus, causing her to run from her family. During the incident on Christmas Eve, Dillard recalls that her, “mother called and called, enthusiastic, pleading; I wouldn’t come down. My father encouraged me; my sister howled. I wouldn’t come down” (Dillard 138). Dillard’s fear of Santa drove herself away from her family, causing Dillard to hide from her fear rather than confront it. In “On a Hill Far Away”, the boy’s faith places him in a very different state of isolation. In contrast to Dillard, he didn’t push himself away, but longed for company, someone who could understand him and his beliefs. In the essay,
On Page 9, Dillard talks about God for the first time in the text. What does she say about God? How could this be interpreted? Do you agree with or disagree with the point she is trying to prove during this section of the novel?
In her essay “Transfiguration”, Annie Dillard demonstrates the complexities of being an author and describes the journey she takes to rededicate herself to writing. She explains that being an author is a tough choice, and not to be taken lightly as it comes with many restraints on social and economic life. Dillard expresses extra attention to the fact that writing is her religion and is not short of sacrifice. In order to present the audience with a thought provoking piece, Dillard utilizes allusion to refer to religion and mythological creatures and give a greater context to even two word phrases. Dillard’s use of narration is used to create different stories within her story and add a shift in timelines as the piece progresses. Although satire
To Pray or Not to Pray: An exploration into the relationship between religion and isolation in The Stranger and Chronicle of a Death Foretold
Anne Bradstreet wrote poems that refers and symbolizes god in her life. In her poem “Here Follows Some Verses Upon the Burning of Our House,” Bradstreet writes a poem about the devastation of the burning of her house. She reflects upon how everything is destroyed and how sad it is that all of her possessions are gone and that she lost everything completely. Later in the poem, Bradstreet rationalizes the destruction by saying, “Thou hast an house on high erect, framed by that mighty Architect, with glory richly furnished, stands permanent through this be fled.” Bradstreet is referring to the fact that she will eventually have a place in heaven, which means it won’t matter that she has lost everything now. This goes to show the extent in which the emphasis on faith and god is at the time. It also shows the humbleness and selflessness that people of the time had when they had strong faith. Bradstreet writes, “There’s wealth enough, I need n more, farewell, pelf, farewell my store” which shows that people like Bradstreet didn’t need a lot
Often times we are at a loss for words when it comes to talking about the person of the Holy Spirit. Beth Felker Jones in her work entitled “God the Spirit” serves as an introduction to the study of the Holy Spirit in a distinctly Wesleyan and Ecumenical Perspective. Jones is working against the notion that the doctrine of the Holy Spirit is often the most neglected of all Christian teachings (1). She recognizes her experience within the Wesleyan tradition as one that shapes her pneumatology and this book. She asserts that one of Wesleyan Christianity’s special gifts is it’s “leaning against any tendency to neglect the Spirit” (4). Even with this framework she aims to place the Wesleyan perspective in a larger ecumenical milieu that shows the continuity of a Wesleyan pneumatology with the Tradition of the Church. Overall, her approach is very accessible, as she assumes very little and writes in such a way that allows her to cover large dogmatic topics clearly and concisely. By merit of simply being an introduction only style book, there is the risk of glossing over topics and not providing enough in depth discussion to fully understand and comprehend the doctrine discussed. A reader should feel confident that Jones has indeed provided us with a solid introduction to Wesleyan pneumatology that has the ability to bear fruit and initiate growth in the life of the believer.
Religious spaces, characterized by Thomas Tweed, are “differentiated,” “interrelated,” and “kinetic.” As a sacred city with spiritual significance in three major religions, Jerusalem is depicted thoroughly in the Hebrew Bible and illustrated as one of the spaces Tweed defines. The Bible emphasizes that Jerusalem was chosen by God and honored by Israelites, which differentiates it as a special, singular space; the description of Solomon’s Temple shows that the Holy City was interrelated to economic power and involved in the judgment of civil cases. Moreover, the conquest, development and destruction of Jerusalem illustrate the city as a kinetic space, reflecting the unsettled history of the Iron Age. These characteristics all make Jerusalem a religious and political center from the ancient Near East time to present day, guiding the footsteps of believers around the world.
In Flannery O’Connor’s short stories, she often relates them to religion or incorporates a religious form in her stories. O’Connor highlights Christian themes throughout her writing. From her stories familiar to the bible, to death and religious views, its simple to see O’Connor’s religious understanding of God. She ties in her Christian views through her writing, which have a distinct and unique quality. O’Connor often expresses her views of God throughout her literature career. Although her religious themes are not always clear, readers can misunderstand her at times. Some authors may not agree with her style writing and choose not to call her a religious writer for reasons. O’Connor’s stories are based on her Christian beliefs but are not preaching or teaching them. Her stories relay beliefs in the context of the actions and lives of her characters. Some short stories we observe this in are “A Good Man is Hard to Find”, “The River”, and “Good Country People”. By analyzing these short stories we can see how she tied in her Christian beliefs and incorporated them into the characters and scenarios they encounter. In “A Good Man is Hard to Find” she doesn’t link the beliefs into a character but rather then ending scenario. We see religion in “The River” from the start with the character Harry and his actions in the story. Religious suggestions are also seen in “Good Country People”. The main character is a missionary bible
With each repetition, the man appeals to a different, implied component of the Holy Trinity, each to no avail. Behind the simplicity of each iteration a question is asked: why? The man’s experience in the cellar has confirmed his musing that if there really was a God, he would not abandon them in this way, forcing humans to eat one another, His own sacred creatures, in order to survive. Moving past the Cellar Scene and continuing with him for the remainder of his journey is the fact that the man’s focus has been shifted to a new savior, one who will continue to carry the fire of humanity and love and never allow its flame to be extinguished. This savior is the boy. The boy embodies the characteristics of the new world, one of compassion, generosity, kindness, and hope, a world that will rise anew from the ashes. While the man is beginning to realize his son’s role, he still faces an internal conflict as his selfish instinct to shield the boy from the horrors of the world obstructs his understanding of the critical role the boy plays as the carrier of the fire. Dark, tumultuous thoughts wrestle in the man’s mind on page 114 as he asks himself “Can you do it? When the time comes?” After being exposed absolute corruption in the cellar, the man contemplates, doing possibly the worst thing he could - murder his son - in order to save the boy’s
In Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston, the reader is given a particular glimpse into Janie's life with reference to the men she has known. Janie's three men are all very different, yet they were all Janie's husband at one point in her life. Although they all behaved differently, in lifestyle as well as their relationship with Janie, they all shared certain similarities.
You can never seem to know what's going on in another ones life, unless you put your feet in there shoes, so to judge, is simply ignorance. Raymond Carver's "Cathedral" is a story about how the narrator is uncomfortable with having his wife's blind friend, Robert, over. Roger has lost his wife, and to cope with her death, he planned to visit the narrator's wife. Without any knowledge whatsoever on how to act in accompany towards a blind man, the narrator seems to get a glimpse of what it is to truly fit into the blind mans shoe.
The Child of God describes the life of a social outcast and his violence. The character is known as Lester Ballard. The story starts with an auction being held for Ballard’s family’s property. The auctioneer attempts to sell the land which was taken from the bank. However, Ballard began to act out. He threatens the auctioneer with a rifle. However, Ballard, is taken away and the auction continues. This is the beginning of his violent outburst.
Worry ends when faith in God begins. Faith has been a part of history since the beginning of time and has remained constant throughout life today. Anne Bradstreet’s poem, “Burning House”, examines pure faith and the cry for God’s love in a time of need. Alongside of the poem from 1666, the movie ‘Courageous’, produced by Stephen Kendrick, represents during a tragedy, it is not always easy to keep a focused mind on the Lord, but the most significant way to be led through a tough time, is to praise the Lord. Anne Bradstreet’s poem and the movie ‘Courageous’, shows the relentless love from the Lord in a time of an aching heart.
Randy Newman’s book, Questioning Evangelism, is a book about on how evangelizing is to ask questions, and therefore, letting people communicate with questions about their own truths about God. Newman writes this book hoping that anyone who reads it will gain a better understanding of what evangelism is. Newman’s book is divided into three parts: why questioning evangelism is needed, considering what questions non-believers are asking, and observing why asking questions and knowing answers doesn’t mean a Christian’s own problem like cold-heartedness or anger. Throughout the book Newman brings readers right back to bible scriptures. Even though he appeals to accounts of people like Paul in Acts preaching on Mars Hill, he also shows how the wisdom literature is applied to our evangelistic attempts.
Calling God “a tremendous lover,” Thompson displays that God is the people’s destiny. He ends his poem with: “Ah, fondest, blindest, weakest, / I am He whom thou seekest!/ Thou dravest love from thee who dravest Me.” (Thompson, 180-182). Do not try to run away from God because God is always going to here. Do not be surprised by God when He knows what people are searching for before they even know themselves. Do not be afraid of God because He is trying to find His people to pursue their happiness. God will not give up on anyone, so do not try to drive God’s love away. This poem elicited the awakening of Day’s soul in order to accept God into her life: “The idea of this pursuit by the Hound of Heaven fascinated me. The recurrence of it, the inevitableness of the outcome made me feel that sooner or later I would have to pause in the mad rush of living and remember my first beginning and my last end” (Day, 84). When she stopped her busy life and thought about the meaning of life, God appeared in her life. Dorothy Day realized that God is the origin and goal of life. God is the “first beginning” of life and the one people should follow till the very “last
the struggles of fathers and sons because of slavery. This conflict, seen in In My Father’s