Rain of God? Religion has been a controversial topic for people with conflicting beliefs regarding a spiritual figure. Some authors today tend to stay away from the topic of religion fearing criticism from readers who disagree with their religious beliefs. Victor Villaseñor’s book, Rain of Gold is a non-fictional book that looks at the progression of the lives of Lupe and Juan who originated in Mexico. The book begins with Villaseñor describing the harsh condition in Mexico during a war that forced Lupe and Juan’s family to a journey to the United States.
“The Running Man”, written by Michael Gerard Bauer, is a narrative that focuses on themes such as judgement, dealing with the past and fear of the unknown. “The Running Man” is about a shy boy named Joseph who meets Tom Leyton; a man who’s past has come to define him. Both characters carry baggage; so do The Running Man and Mrs Mossop. These characters carry around baggage of guilt, regret, scarred memories and loss to the point of it affecting how they are as people. Tom Leyton has let his past become who he is because he doesn’t think he is worthy of anyone or their trust.
Everyone has done at least one horrible act that has caused them to feel guilty. Gary Soto is just an example of that; he wrote an autobiographical narrative called “A Summer Life” telling his story. In the narrative he gives a visualization of what he has done as a child. His unforgettable experience of stealing a pie, and trying to fight his conscious makes him rethink every horrible act. Describing every moment of how he got the pie and how amazing it taste.
“I wonder what it would be like to be free? Not to need wings because you don’t have to fly away from your country?”. Before we were Free is a novel written by Julia Alvarez. This book is about an adolescent girl named Anita. Anita and her family live in the Dominican Republic.
As I reflected on my own life, I can see how I fit into God’s bigger story. The purpose of reading the book entitled The Sacred Romance was to draw a connection from the life Arrows the authors Brent Curtis and John Eldredge had encountered. I also was able to point out my own life Arrows and described both the process and the lesson. By recognizing my Arrows and growing from them I have been able to have successful relationships. To commence, in the beginning of chapter three we are introduced to “The Message Of The Arrows.”
Speaking in Tongues, written by ZZ Packer, is a short story about a young girl who demonstrates extreme character change throughout the story. Tia Townsend starts out as an innocent, conservative church going girl who grows and evolves into a rebellious teen. ZZ Packer truly demonstrates through the tone and the setting the struggles and experiences Tia went through that ultimately shaped her as a character. The story begins with the protagonist, Tia, and her best friend, Marcelle, hanging out after Sunday school where they usually were watching and gossiping about the other girls.
Social class and poverty is a big problem that affects many children and adults. Author Gary Soto often examines this topic in almost all of his short stories and poems. One story, “Fear” is the best conveyor of this matter. In “Fear”, Gary Soto utilizes perspective to illustrate the way social class affects children in today's modern world, and explores mature themes, namely the difference between poverty and a lower socioeconomic class. Gary Soto was born in Fresno, California on April 12, 1952 to Manuel and Angie Soto.
Love, in its original meaning, is an unconditional action of putting someone else’s welfare before one’s own. As the world has grown older, mankind’s definition of love has been warped and has dwindled down to nothing more than a fickle feeling of affection and romantic attraction– into something conditional and usually very temporary. The idea of love has been reduced to an ideal of reciprocity; “love” has become self-serving instead of self-sacrificing. Unfortunately, love often dies because of one or another person’s selfishness and pride. Pride and love engage in war in every relationship and, unless love is in its true form (unconditional), pride strangles it.
O’Connor’s specifically uses the theme of moral codes to show that humans are capable of having characteristics of both good and bad natures regardless of the influence of moral codes on individuals. O’Connor introduces the readers to theme of moral codes through the conversation the Misfit and the grandmother share about their religious beliefs. Religion is a common source for positive moral codes within society because religious beliefs often influences the choices individuals make. The story indicates that religion and moral codes have heavily influenced the grandmother in her life. An example of this can be seen when the grandmother is praying reverently and calling out Jesus name.
In The Road, a novel by Cormac McCarthy, published in 2006, a man and a boy struggle to survive as they travel south on the road in the post-apocalyptic world. On their journey to the coast, the man and the boy encounter the remains of an ashen world, ravaged by men who are willing to kill to survive. Among the death and destruction of the post-apocalyptic world, McCarthy illustrates how the man gains resilience from the spirituality he finds within his son, which proves how in a world void of official religion, belief in something greater than yourself creates the strength necessary to survive. The man sees his son as a spiritual figure that provides him the strength to survive in the desolate world.
The author of this story use it in this story as an ironic. The author wants to show that Mary Grace, who is suffering from some emotional instability of emotion, is the only one who reacts to the prejudice that been demonstrated by Mrs. Turpin. 7. The background music played on the radio contributes to maintain the theme of the story that God’s grace is for everyone. It contrast with the Mrs. Turpin’s believe that the God’s grace is given by following the class of people.
Similarly, Kincaid illustrates benna, symbolize sexuality, subject the mother to remind her daughter about the identity of it. The daughter tries to defend herself and says, “but I don’t sing benna on Sundays at all and never in Sunday school says” (Kincaid). Despite the fact that the daughter may not deliberately compare benna with sexuality as her mother does, her protestations and by telling she knows very well the benna's tempting force, persona, and forbidden words. Indeed, the daughter, desperate denials may even clue that she really has sung benna in Sunday school with her companions, a sign of her blooming enthusiasm for young men and an indication of an expanding irritation with her mother's recommendation and interruptions into
“Totally like whatever, you know?” by Taylor Mali suggests that post modern teenagers no longer have the same confidence or articulation when they speak, and that they lack the qualities of a favorable leader. He wants to expose our foolishness; the fact that we no longer have our own sense of authority when speaking. This poem is intended for teenagers. The language in both the title and the poem itself suggests this, by using words such as you know and whatever.
On a bright Sunday morning, accompanied by her mother and grandmother, a young girl lounges in the pew of a church when a missal catches her eye, and she begins to flip through the pages revealing the compilation of the religious texts. As this young girl grows older and presumably pursues a higher education, she will begin studying texts of the same complexity of those contained in the missal, which will challenge traditional beliefs and contrast religious literature with literature that happens to contain religious themes. When analyzing these pieces of work, the girl will propose many questions that readers prior may have considered at an earlier time. In American literature, specifically through the examples of "Song of Myself" by Walt Whitman and Lorraine Hansberry 's A Raisin the Sun, religion, once thought of as a unification of all people, paradoxically acts as a source of the development of an identity, rebellion from a community, and a factor of discrimination.
This religious preaching of tolerance and caring is provided as an encapsulation of the entire novel, and helps readers understand exactly what the novel is about. Throughout Beloved, there are several other major examples of religious allusion.
