A Whiskey Priest thats Mocks Religion But an Exemplary Human Being

The Power and the Glory

Pg. 161-182

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October 18, 2007

5:35 P.M.

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.....In today's class we discussed whether or not the whiskey priest was an exemplary character. I have a very strong opinion about this, and this section of the book just reinforced it. In the begginning I thought that he was a coward and a hypocrite. I mean, how can a priest, a moral man, drown his sorrows in alcohol? How could he have a daughter and a lover? Why would he even consider giving up his beliefs like Padre Jose did? Society has this image of what a perfect priest must be. A perfect priest is a man that spreads morality, faith, and belief; a priest is not your friend, he is someone that needs to guide you to the right path. It is obvious that he is not an exemplary religious figure; he is a clear representation of the hypocrisy in religion. When he gets infuriated by the woman's confession in Page 173, shows how his frustation spills over into his own work. He condemns her for not confessing her "real sins."I mean, who is he to condemn her for being a good person or for confessing her sins? He is the one that is constantly beating himself up for being a bad priest and Christian. He is the one that is fully of mortal sins, isn't he? Has he even tried to absolve his own sins and make peace with them? No! "But because it was so peaceful he was all the more aware of his own sin as he prepared to take the Elements...(176)" Although, I strongly believe that he is not an exemplary religious figure, towards the middle of the book, I realized I was judging him unjustly.

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.....As I continued reading the novel his hardships became obvious; he was just another one of the tortured souls out there. 'What was the good of confessionn when you loved the result of your crim (176)." Eventhough he is a priest, he is also a human being. I had him up in a podium, expecting him to be amazing and completely pure (Just like society portrays priests. Society also expects them to live up to their reputation). However, no one is perfect, and just because he is priest doesn't mean that he is automatically perfect.

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......He is an exemplary human being. He has survived fevers, hunger, and fear with extreme courage and strength. Very few people would be able to survive the hardships that he has faced during the last couple of years. The physical pain is just part of it, the psychological torture is a greater one. Imagine constantly living in solitude, escaping from your own beliefs. What if you couldn't voice your beliefs, your thoughts? "It ought to be possible for a man to be happy here, if he were not so tied to fear and suffering - unhappiness too can become a habit like piety...He felt immense envy of all those people who had confessed to him and been absolved(173)." And through all the ups and downs he still has a soul. He is still willing to give to the people around him and to the ones that he encounters. I mean in the end of this section he gave his last 40 pesos so that the school master could buy food and necessities for the people of the town. He is a good man, no one in his position would have considered giving up their last pesos for somebody else's necessities.

The Power and the Glory

The Power and The Glory

Pgs. 140-158

October 16, 2007

7:32 P.M.

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.....In this section of the novel, the impact that Coral Fellows had on the whiskey priest is quite obvious. Although he didn't even know her name ("Coral - so that was the child's name (146)."), she was a reliable friend; with her he was save. "He realized how much he had counted on this child. She was the only person who could help him without endangering herself (141)." Coral had been his only hope. She had become his savior, someone right in a world gone wrong. He had returned to the plantation because he hadn't eaten for two days and needed a safe, resting place. The priest thought Coral could provide all this for him. Finally, he could stop running away for a day or two and regain some of the energy lost in jail. He would be well fed, even if it was only bananas. Throughout the novel the reader has been misled to believe that Coral was just another of the characters the priest would encounter during his trip; however, in this Chapter it becomes obvious that Coral represented so much more to him than initially thought. Coral was everything that he wanted his own daughter to be; Coral showed him more respect, humanity, and compassion than Brigitta ever did. " 'My daughter, Oh my daughter.' The words seemed to contain all that he felt himself of repentance, longing and unhappy love (147)." Although the priest is guilty of all his mortal sins, Coral showed him that someone could still respect and trust him; he could once again trust someone. He deserves treatment like anybody else; his sins do not make him a complete criminal in our world. Everyone is sinful, why should be priest be singled out amongst the human race?

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.....Not only is he singled out by everybody else, but his conscience does not let him live. He constantly beats himself up as a bad influence. In everything situation and danger that he encounters during his journey, he always ends up thinking about his sins. He considers himself an evil person, that has broken the trust of the people, such a dissappointment to Christianity. He considers himself a hypocrite and that's the reason he drinks. He drinks to run away from his problems, to leave his conscience behind for an hour or two. However, his problems don't vanish, once the effect of alcohol has worn out it all comes back to him. Your conscience and thoughts are the only two things a human being cannot runaway from. They are always there, even when you aren't in a conscious state of mind. In my opinion, they are part of your soul, of your humanity. Just like a humans need oxygens to survive, they also need thoughts and a conscience. The priest is a victim of humanity and of a cruel, unfair society.

Video Relating to The Power and The Glory

October 3, 2007

6:35 P.M.

This video relates to The Power and The Glory, because it shows how religion causes problems even today. Not only religious differences cause conflicts, however, different beliefs can lead to violence and death. The Palestinian Christians are being persecuted by Muslims. They are constantly tortured and harrassed, just like priest are and were harrased by the Red Shirts in The Power and The Glory. This video shows how history is constantly repeating itself, and how there are recurring themes throughout history.

NYT Article: Forensic, Demonstrative, Deliberate Rhetoric

Editorial

Mr. Putin’s Game

Published: October 2, 2007

Russians and a lot of Russia watchers have been wondering not if, but how Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, would hold on to power. We fear we got our answer yesterday.

Mr. Putin, who must step down as president next year, announced that he will head the election list of the dominant party, United Russia, in December’s parliamentary election. That will guarantee him a seat in the lower house, from which he could become prime minister. Mr. Putin said that it was still too early to think about that, and it would depend on whether the next Russian president was “a decent, capable and effective person” with whom he could work. Conveniently, Russia’s Constitution puts the prime minister in direct line to succeed the country’s president, should that job description prove too much for Mr. Putin’s successor to handle.

Mr. Putin has insisted all along that his goal was to create a Russia that is strong, modern and internationally respected. This crass political manipulation will have the opposite effect, weakening Russia in the eyes of the world and eventually its own citizens.

After the chaos of the first post-Communist years, Mr. Putin restored a measure of security and stability. He has also done serious damage to the country’s fragile democratic institutions, creating a powerful and secretive presidential bureaucracy, imposing authoritarian controls over government and the press, and turning the Parliament into a rubber stamp. In effect, he led Russia back to its historical dependence on one powerful leader, and he did this with the support of a large majority of the Russian people.

We cannot begrudge the Russians a measure of stability and prosperity after what they have gone through. But what they need now is to start building a true democracy on the basis of that stability and prosperity.

We hope Mr. Putin will rethink this cynical game. If he does run for Parliament, he could use his seat to share his experience and skills with a new political generation — but we doubt it. If his only intention is to hold on to power, then he will be proclaiming that institutions don’t matter, only the person manipulating them. Russia’s been there, too long. That is not what it needs now.

TYPES OF RHETORIC

Forensic: Past tense. Inspiring guilt and punishment.

1. We fear we got our answer yesterday.

2. After the chaos of the first post-Communist years, Mr. Putin restored a measure of security and stability. He has also done serious damage to the country’s fragile democratic institutions, creating a powerful and secretive presidential bureaucracy, imposing authoritarian controls over government and the press, and turning the Parliament into a rubber stamp. In effect, he led Russia back to its historical dependence on one powerful leader, and he did this with the support of a large majority of the Russian people.

3. We cannot begrudge the Russians a measure of stability and prosperity after what they have gone through.

4. Russia’s been there, too long. That is not what it needs now.

Demonstrative: Present tense. Symbolizes values.

1. Conveniently, Russia’s Constitution puts the prime minister in direct line to succeed the country’s president, should that job description prove too much for Mr. Putin’s successor to handle.

2. Mr. Putin has insisted all along that his goal was to create a Russia that is strong, modern and internationally respected. This crass political manipulation will have the opposite effect, weakening Russia in the eyes of the world and eventually its own citizens.

3. Russians and a lot of Russia watchers have been wondering not if, but how Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, would hold on to power.

4. We hope Mr. Putin will rethink this cynical game.

5. If his only intention is to hold on to power, then he will be proclaiming that institutions don’t matter, only the person manipulating them.

Deliberative: Future tense. Represents choices.

1. Mr. Putin said that it was still too early to think about that, and it would depend on whether the next Russian president was “a decent, capable and effective person” with whom he could work.

2. But what they need now is to start building a true democracy on the basis of that stability and prosperity.

3. Mr. Putin, who must step down as president next year, announced that he will head the election list of the dominant party, United Russia, in December’s parliamentary election. That will guarantee him a seat in the lower house, from which he could become prime minister.

4. If he does run for Parliament, he could use his seat to share his experience and skills with a new political generation — but we doubt it.

Role of Women and Judas is Reborn

The Power and the Glory

Pg. 72-103

September 1st, 2007

5:00 P.M.

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........In this section we are introduced to the town of Concepcion, and to Maria, once the priest's lover. Just as well, the reader quickly finds out about Brigitta, the priest's daughter. The more the reader indulges in the novel, the more obvious the role of women in this society becomes. Graham Greene is clearly portraying a very feministic point of view in his novel, constantly placing women in the dominating role compared to men. In this society, women are the moving force behind the men; the men might take care of the action, but it's the women that actually plan it. Women are the motor of the society, the control men and can manipulate them to get what they want. Women have the upper hand. In Part I, we were introduced to Coral Fellows, an American girl that gave the priest shelter and protected him from the lieutenant when no one else would. She comforted him when he felt alone in the world; it was probably thanks to her help that he was able to make it to Concepcion in the first place.
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.......Once again, in this section the reader witnesses Maria's willingness to help him escape alive. Right after the service, when the police came into the village, Maria was aware that the smell of wine in the priest's breath would give away his true identity. In order to prevent this from happening, she gave him "a small raw onion" to bite, "it was a trick all women seemed to know (73)." Just as well, the priest was about to give up; he had no plan, "It was the end (72)." However, as soon as he saw Maria he thought she would have a plan, Maria prevented his capture. She gave him the tools, and the strength confidence he needed in order to continue running away. Just as well, her actions symbolize how astute women are, and how they can get around the obstacles men place. Another clear example that shows how Maria is in control is the wine bottle and the priest’s case. She knows that the bottle will bring trouble not only for the priest if it’s ever found but also for Concepcion, so she breaks it. “I’m not going to bring trouble on you and everyone else. I’ve broken the bottle (78).” She takes the initiative without even hearing what the priest (man) has to say about it. This example shows how women have the instinct to protect people around them, unlike men; they know when to avoid risks that could put everyone they love in danger. However, it isn’t only the actions that Greene describes that allow the reader to connect women as the dominating character. The subtle sentences he uses to praise women are also evident. "...women were appallingly practical; they built new plans at once out of the ruins of the old (72), " and "it was a trick all women seemed to know (73)."

…..Another example of women’s dominating role over men is Brigitta, the priest’s daughter. He’s a priest, and he should be ashamed of having an illegitimate child. Any other priest would probably hate this child; she would be the cause of rumors and shame tainting his name. However, “He felt weak with longing (81)” when he saw her. In the scene where the priest is grabbing the papers from his case, Greene makes it obvious to the reader how Brigitta is the one that’s in control of the situation. “He was appalled again by her maturity (81),” how could she impress him so much, she was only seven years old! Just as well, when he wants to give her a kiss “she screeched at him in her ancient voice and giggled (81).” An innocent seven year old that doesn’t want to be kissed by her father and is actually able to pull away? That scene clearly shows how this little girl obviously controls the priest.

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….. The mestizo, I think, will play a very important role in the remainder of the storyline. Since the mestizo was first introduced into the storyline, Greene has always foreshadowed his suspicious nature. “It was as if he had a secret purpose which nobody but the priest must hear (85).” The priest attempted to ignore him because “uneasiness was lodged in his brain (85).” Another very important quote that clearly foreshadows the mestizo’s intention is: “…it was like a slot machine into which any coin could be fitted, even a cheater’s blank disk (89).” Another very important aspect of this first chapter is the allusion of the mestizo to Judas. “His conscience ceased to accuse him of uncharity. He knew. He was in the presence of Judas (91).” Judas was the biblical character that betrayed Jesus in the Bible for some gold coins. If the mestizo was Judas and “he was the man that wanted to betray him (95),” then that would make the priest Jesus if the metaphor continued. What is significant about this allusion is that it portrays the priest as the Savior. He is like Jesus willing to die for his cause rather than giving in to sin. He represents the faith of religion, and its desire to continue its influence on people. The priest ultimately represents religion as he is the only living symbol of the Church. All priests are dead, except for Father Jose which represents a weak link in the religious institution. This means that only the priest can save religion as a whole, it’s up to him to save religion from complete extinction.

…..With all this said, the last words the mestizo says to the priest are very perturbing. “Of course, he had every reason to be angry; he had lost seven hundred pesos. He shrieked hopelessly, ‘I don’t forget a face.’ (102)” This clearly foreshadows that this isn’t the last time the priest is going cross paths with the mestizo; he obviously wants revenge and is willing to do whatever it takes to get it.

The Whiskey Priest and his Never Ending Torture

The Power and the Glory

Pg. 49-72

September 27, 2007

9:00 P.M.

.....I just finished reading Part I and began reading Part II. This part of the novel relates parallel lives in Mexico that portray very different points of view. All the different points of view come from different socio-economical stratas as well as of from different age groups and nationalities; however, they all stage what's taking place during the same time. Most of the characters come into direct contact with the whiskey priest or are closely linked to the religious situation in the province. This technique is probably meant to give the reader some sort of insight into the situation. If the reader understands the different points of view and people's different response, then they will be able to understand the novel further on.

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.......I related Part I of the novel to the movie "Crash." This movie approaches the theme of racism in the same form as The Power and the Glory approaches the theme of religion in Mexico. By setting up parallel lives with different perspectives, the author or director is able to convey a much stronger message. The viewer or reader is able to understand the message by making clear similarities in very different environments. Just as well, the perspectives expressed are very similar; the character divisions are at least.

A Selfish Humanity

The Power and the Glory

Pgs. 30-49

September 25, 20o7

6:00 P.M.

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..... This section of the book really emphasizes the selfishness of society and humanity. Two examples of this are: when the stranger arrives at the hut community and when Padre Jose is summoned to say some prayers at a little girl's funeral.

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...... After being on the run for a long time and constantly fearing for his life, the stranger priest reaches a hut community which receives him with open arms. Soon a man comes to greet the traveller, and informs him that the community has very little to offer him. They "have no food," they can't offer him a hammock, and they only have coffee to drink. However, in the next paragraph the author describes "a stack of maize" while "rats rustled among the dry leaves (43)." The aren't willing to share their provisions with this hunger-stricken human being; however, they expect him to fulfill their expectations. The priest is absolutely exhausted, he wants to sleep, knowing that for the first time danger isn't a step behind. Although they couldn't give the priest food or offer him a hammock, the least they could give him the peace and quiet that he deserves in order to rest. But he people immediately wanted him to say mass, baptize a boy, and hear their confessions; they wanted him to satisfy their needs first, after all there was a risk that he could be taken away any minute. "It would be a pity if the soldiers came before we had time...such a burden on poor souls...father...(44)." All they want from him is to satisfy their moral and religious needs, and then he can continue his race against time. I mean why care about everything that this poor man had been through, right? He could be dead tomorrow, but instead of helping to protect him they just want to squeeze him out of his las breath of life. This is clear evidence that people don't think they need to give in order to receive; there's a mentality to get and gain for yourself before you give anything back. That's the selfish essence in humanity; we are not a very philantropic society.

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......Another example of human greed would be the scene with Padre Jose in the cemetery. Padre Jose was just taking a stroll through the cemetery which "waken[ed] a faint sense of homesickness which was better than no feeling at all (47)." He was taking advantage of the "sense of intimacy" that the cemetery provided; after all, "Life here had withdrawn altogether (47)." He was contemplating what his life had become, what had been erased from the past, and how he had made it through the days. Time passed as he analyzed how empty and void his life had become; however, this peace didn't last for long. There was a burial taking place at the far corner of the cemetery, and as soon as the grieving family saw him they wanted him to say some prayers for the dead girl. "They all watched him hungrily; they had been quite resigned until he had appeared, but now they were anxious, eager...He ducked and dodged away from them...They smiled at him waiting. They were quite accustomed to people dying, but an unforeseen hope of happiness had bobbed up among the tombs: they could boast after this that one at least of their family had gone into ground with an official prayer (48)." If Padre Jose practiced such prayers he would greatly endanger his life; it could be like committing suicide. However, the grieving party wasn't concerned about that; they made all kinds of promise to keep quiet in exchange for the prayers. However, "he could trust no one. As soon as they got back home one or other of them would certainly begin to boast (48)." They are willing to risk this man's life in order to get some prayers for their dead relative. How could you ask so much of one person? Risk your life for someone else's peace when they aren't willing to risk their peace for someone else's life? How can people be so selfish? Why do they want to kill this innocent man oppressed by the turns of life? Isn't he tortured enoguh with himself? He already had to give up his beliefs in order to life (he even had to abdicate to his vote of chastity and marry).

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..... These two examples really open human selfishness as a possible theme in this novel. It opens the reader to begin searching for new answers within the text, and to connect with the characters at another deeper level. Human Selfishness could definitely be a recurring theme in the text.