role of religion Flashcards
what is an example of religious corruption in THT?
soul scrolls - a commercialised way of praying that removes the effort, belief and intention and turns it into a system based off of monetary exchanges and status.
what is a useful quote from the soul scrolls section?
-‘a sign of piety and faithfulness to the regime’
removes religious value entirely
-‘you cant hear the voices from the outside’
implies this is done on purpose as hearing the voices is annoying and the people dont want to hear it while they do their daily walks
what is the message audiences recieve from the introduction of systems such as soul scrolls?
religion is a poorly used concealment and front of the new regime. used as the excuse and reason yet any connections to religion are removed and it clearly becomes not the true intentions behind it.
who is a character that represents the loss of connection to religion through the regime
serena joy -> commanders wife
-preached her religious beliefs while she was a ‘minority’
‘she could smile and cry at the same time’
‘how furious she must be, now that she’s been taken at her word’
which character in WOTW mirrors the tale of serena joy?
the curate
uses religion as an excuse to be useless. and to have his breakdown
how is religion used in both to show the collapse of societal roles?
in the previous world, religious leaders would have been placed on some sort of pedestal no matter how authentic. eg megachurches. now that the societal roles and status has vanished in dystopia, they lose their support as focus becomes on survival and not status. are diminished to lower status
what quotes imply serena joy has been reduced in status during the dystopian change?
-‘she has become speechless’
-‘just sits in it, in her garden.’
does not have the new symbol of power - fertility. is reduced to looking after a garden which brings no power. has lost her ability to perform and spread news which she had an affinity for as the regime was taken seriously
what quotes imply the curate has been reduced in status during the dystopian change?
‘large, pale blue eyes’
curled up in a embyronic description
feminine and childlike description
‘this must be the beginning of the end!’
has immediately lost trust and hope in god despite dedicating his life.
what does the curate’s rapid loss of belief in god imply about his belief pre-invasion?
it was done for status, piety and reputation.
‘all the work - all the sunday schools!’
if he had had a true belief he wouldnt have kept tally of all the religious good deeds he had done as they would have been done out of faith instead of a transaction.
