ipl-logo

Summary Of Ruth Gaines-Shelton's Play 'The Church Fight'

487 Words2 Pages

The setting and personalities of Ruth Gaines-Shelton’s play “The Church Fight” is pivotal to the reader’s grasp of why everyone would go against Brother Parson Procrastinator. Although the congregation knew that it would be difficult to make Brother Procrastinator resign his position as minister, they were determined to get their way. A character analysis of both Sister Sapphira and Sister Experience reveal their differences and opinions. Sister Sapphira’s opinion towards Brother Procrastinator is cruel and judgmental. She is convinced that he has robbed the church’s treasury and does not want him to stay and kill the church. She states that the congregation “can’t hardly get a crust of bread to eat” but the minister has recently purchased a $7,000 house with cash (6). Sister Sapphira and Sister Take-it-Back gossip about Brother Procrastinator and Sister Holy holding hands longer than necessary at a recent prayer meeting. When Brother Procrastinator confronts the congregation about the charges against him, everyone including Sister Sapphira denies their involvement. …show more content…

Since she has been in a church fight before and promised God that she would never be in another, she does not want the congregation to continue with the investigation against Brother Procrastinator. She warns them that they would get into trouble and that “no church fight can be built on a lie”(5). She doesn’t want the church to be torn apart in the effort to dismiss the minister, but instead she suggests that the congregation pray for God to touch his heart if he is indeed doing wrong. “For after all, we are serving God, not man. Men may come and men may go, but God stays forever”(5-6). Since Sister Experience is friends with the minister, she lets him know what is going on when he comes to confront the congregation. She is the only one that defended him when he was not

Show More
Related
561 Words | 3 Pages

Based on the evidence in Patrick Shanley’s play, Doubt: A Parable, I conclude Father Flynn is guilty because of his desire to help boys and his ability to hide his past. Father Flynn has a strange liking of boys. He is the basketball coach at the school and loves spending time teaching kids how to play basketball. Although he is suppose to be teaching the boys about basketball, He tends to boys how to be men. When talking to the boys Father Flynn says, “I’ve noticed several of you guys have dirty nails.

Read More
703 Words | 3 Pages

Twenty people were executed as a result of the Salem witch trials, a reign of terror that swept up most of the characters in Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible. Salem is a small Puritan town ruled by a theocratic government. The social order of Salem starts with the church leaders and wealthy male land owners and ends with young, unmarried woman and slaves. The church is structured as an earthly representation of biblical law and possesses the power to persecute those outside the holy edicts. Women are subservient to men, cannot own property and are viewed with suspicion in the church.

Read More
1385 Words | 6 Pages

The first dishonest character mentioned in the play is Reverend Parris, a man who has worked to be a reputable, trustworthy church leader. After he saw his niece, Abigail, and daughter, Betty, dance in the woods, he suspects that they were involved in witchcraft. Angry with

Read More
1287 Words | 6 Pages

While the events taking place throughout the play are outlandish, but the actions aroused by the conflicting loyalties are comprehendible. The audience can still analyze the character’s actions and thoughts and recognize that they are genuine and understandable human encounters. From this, a sense of humanity—that we all have certain concerns and duties and we must respond to them

Read More
1869 Words | 8 Pages

Have you ever felt doubt in your life? In John Patrick Shanley’s play, Doubt, he says “It is Doubt that changes thing.” His play is about a strict nun, Sister Aloysius, who believes that a priest, Father Flynn, has done something terribly inappropriate to one of the students. Shanley set his play in a Catholic school in the Bronx. Sister Aloysius is the principal of the school, overseeing many teachers, including young Sister James.

Read More
1373 Words | 6 Pages

In modern-day life people often have their ups and downs of having power and losing it all. This is a key element in life, which is why many art forms choose to use it as their basis of writing. Literature often shows power and powerlessness through heroes and villains. However, author James Baldwin brings the battle of having and losing power through ordinary people’s life experiences. In the short story, Sonny’s Blues, written by James Baldwin examines the idea of how the desire to have power or control leads to having no power at all through the plot, characters, and setting.

Read More
784 Words | 4 Pages

Since the beginning of time people have gone through trials in court to either be proven innocent or guilty. In the Crucible by Arthur Miller a massive number of people were being convicted in Salem, Massachusetts because of the witch trials. The law of the land states that everyone is above suspicion until they are demonstrated to be guilty by legitimate evidence; in the play the Crucible if a person was accused of an unlawful act they were summons for being a witch and working for the devil without proper confirmation. Citizens in Salem were imposed to establish their innocent or be put to death, which caused conflicting issues in the village.

Read More
491 Words | 2 Pages

In Arthur Miller's “The Crucible” (1953), it is shown that people seem to forget basic morals when dealing with mass hysteria. Puritans in the play do not want the devil or any other demonic figures such as witches in their community, they will go to great lengths, as far as turning their back on their own people to get rid of these demonic figures as shown in “The Crucible”. This idea of witches in the community caused chaos in the village which led to the deaths of 20 people in the village. Do people in the play not care about the consequences other people face because of their actions? In the play, loyalty falls far below self selfishness in the face of mass hysteria.

Read More
1348 Words | 6 Pages

Humans encounter moral dilemmas throughout their life. They exist in order to strengthen or weaken our relationships, our pride, and our understanding of the world. People find it much easier to learn from moral dilemmas when they are not actually the ones going through them. That is why so many people turn to books, films, and plays to give them answers and knowledge about the things that trouble us. These mediums create characters that are often polar opposites, establishing conflict that must be resolved.

Read More
807 Words | 4 Pages

Make more formal/ organize more Add quotes Add works cited (book and movie) Compare to a scene in the book (where nuns are talking together) In the supper scene, a harsh contrast is shown between the men and women of the church. The high expectations for the behavior of the women translate into their daily lives, and they do not have to same opportunities to relax as the men of the parish do.

Read More
1191 Words | 5 Pages

Sonny Blues Paul Pearshall once said “Our most basic instinct is not for survival but for family. Most of us would give our own life for the survival of a family member, yet we lead our daily life too often as if we take our family for granted”. In this story the conflict of responsibility takes place. A brother, who happens to be the narrator, blames his self for the events that takes place in his life, such as his brother sonny’s crack addiction. The Narrator feels responsible for his brother’s heroin addiction because he believed he shut his brother’s career goals down, felt as though he went against what his mother asked him to do, and because he chose not to believe that the way he treated his brother affected his brother life.

Read More
314 Words | 2 Pages

Sister Aloysius is the principle at St. Nicholas catholic school in the Bronx, New York. Sister Aloysius is certain that the relationship between Father Flynn and a young African- American student, Donald Muller has become inappropriate. Sister Aloysius confides in Sister James, a much younger and innocent nun; Sister James is doubtful of Father Flynn’s guilt, but uncertain of his innocence, for the entirety of the play. When watching this play unfold, the audience is truly uncertain about whether to believe Sister Aloysius or Father Flynn. Sister Aloysius can come off as determined, uptight, and rigid.

Read More
1181 Words | 5 Pages

Topic: What elements existed or were created within the Church to allow fathers to have power over the sisters in Doubt, a Parable? Discuss. Doubt, a Parable by John Patrick Shanley is a successful and immortalized drama. The play is an open-ended construct, allowing each reader or spectator to build his own interpretation of the facts implied. In this article, the elements existed or were created within the Church to allow fathers to have power over the sisters in the play will be deeply analyzed and explored.

Read More
1499 Words | 6 Pages

The Story Behind the Veil “The Minister’s Black Veil” is arguably one of the most famous short stories in the history of American Literature. The author, Nathaniel Hawthorne, is an extremely well known writer who is recognized for his many works. From The Scarlet Letter to The House of the Seven Gables, Hawthorne’s exceptional literary skills are portrayed in each and every one of his stories.

Read More
714 Words | 3 Pages

In the system of law you are innocent until proven guilty. But at this time Father Flynn is guilty until proven innocent. He proves himself to be guilty because he is a harmful and scary man. Father Flynn’s sermon shows the attendees of the church the elements of doubt and suspicion. In his sermon he states that no one knows that he is sick and that he’s done something wrong.

Read More

More about Summary Of Ruth Gaines-Shelton's Play 'The Church Fight'

Related Topics

Open Document