Preview

The War Prayer Analysis

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
776 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The War Prayer Analysis
[Type text] [Type text] [Type text]

Tuttle 1

Bryson Tuttle

Professor Crandon

Written Comm III

15 September 2014

The War Prayer Essay

The short story "The War Prayer" was written by Mark Twain but not published until after his death in 1923 as it could be considered sacrilegious and could have been detrimental to his writing career. The narrator's unspoken thoughts reveal his view on war, and possibly Christianity itself. Any Christian wanting to grow in their faith should read this short story as it exposes intolerance that may exist in their views, hypocrisy that may be present in their church, and also ignorance that they may unknowingly practice.

The first reason as to why Christians should read "The War Prayer," is the topic of intolerance. Some Christians are very intolerant of other beliefs, and look down upon anyone that disagrees with them. The story begins with a country in the midst of a celebration for the soldiers leaving off to war the next day. The second paragraph states that only a few half dozen people disapproved of the war and cast doubt upon its righteousness. These people are refereed to as "rash" and it is stated that they stayed silent for fear of personal safety. These details from the story emphasize that the citizens of the country were intolerant of beliefs different to their own. It can be assumed that the population does not enjoy being disagreed with, even possibly resorting to violence if someone were to be brave enough to state the contrary. We as Christians cannot be intolerant of other beliefs. There are many interpretations of the Bible, and the majority of people are not always correct in their own interpretation. If we want to grow in our faith, we must be tolerant of other views, listen to them, and possibly change our own views as well.

Along with intolerance, the population of the country practice hypocrisy in their own church. The messenger of God shows the hypocrisy that exists within this country when he is

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    In this chapter, after Leper sends a telegraph which says: "I have escaped and need help. I am at Christmas location. You understand. No need to risk address here. My safety depends on you coming at once." Gene then figures out what he was to do that winter and immediately set his destination for Leper's "Christmas location," which is code for his home in Vermont. Taking a train and bus through the barren landscape of New England, Gene arrives in Leper's town the next day. With each step through the snow, he refuses to believe that Leper has abandoned the army: trying to convince himself that "escape" meant Leper was escaping from spies. As Gene approaches…

    • 398 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    “A Separate Peace” by John Knowles takes place at Devon school during World War II. Narrated by Gene Forrester he tells the reader about his friendship with Phineas and how it ended.Gene becomes paranoid and lets his fear and jealousy get the better of him causing him to make a terrible mistake. Human emotions and suspicions can cause people to make irrational decisions.…

    • 357 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Dealing with enemies has been a problem since the beginning of time. "I never killed anybody," Gene had commented later in his life, "And I never developed an intense level of hatred for the enemy. Because my war ended before I ever put on a uniform, I was on active duty all my time at Devon; I killed my enemy there." In A Separate Peace, by John Knowles, the value of dealing with enemies is shown by Gene, who was dealing with few human enemies, but his emotions created far greater rivals than any human could ever posses.…

    • 768 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Are all people born with some unknown evil inside them or does the world just slowly corrupt the innocent as they mature. In the novel A Separate Peace, the author, John Knowles uses a dual perspective on certain characters and events throughout the novel to help support the books main theme; the loss of innocence through growth into maturity. One example of this technique is seen through the comparison between the two rivers running on the Devon campus. "The Devon River represents goodness, beauty, even purity" (Mellard 58) while the "Naguamsett, associated with winter, suggests everything contrary to the spirit of Devon: it is ‘ugly, saline, fringed with marsh, ' and it is ‘governed by unimaginable factors '" (Mellard 58). The dualistic symbolism of the two rivers is seen through the contrasting personalities of Gene and Finny, the struggle between war and peace and the conflicting seasons of summer and winter which help to support the theme involving the timeless battle of good versus evil which. The biggest counterpoint in the novel, Finny and Gene, are personality-wise, equal to the two rivers.…

    • 1081 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    I think the French Wars of Religion was more about religious differences because ever since the French nobles became Calvinists, they would show independence from the central power. It created the conflict between Catholics and Calvinists where power was the main struggle making religion become a way bigger issue. The last of the wars would be the war of the Three Henry’s where it showed the overall religious differences between the Catholics and the Protestants. Which this was between Henry III and Henry of Guise versus Henry IV.…

    • 1098 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Mark Twain wrote The War Prayer in response to the opposition to the Philippine-American War. Twain was a staunch anti-war and anti-imperialist supporter. To take a stance as such at this time in history was considered unpatriotic and in view of most Americans an act of treason. Not many Americans tolerated unpatriotic views during this time. Twain communicates that patriotism and religion are no justifications for war. Twain also felt contempt for people who blindly supported patriotism and war, without knowing the effects of war. Twain contended that those who supported the war only heard one prayer, the other was unheard. Basically praying for victory is praying for the destruction of another. Twain also felt that imperialism was…

    • 155 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    A Wicked War Analysis

    • 594 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Looking back to American history, some cringe with regret at events that were catastrophic and villainous. While in some instances we overwhelmed with pride for the right decisions our ancestors chose. But it is events like the US - mexican war that brings us the realization that in order for America to be the great nation it is, the war was a necessary act. Amy Greenberg’s A Wicked War captures the lives of five important people that left their legacy in American history.…

    • 594 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Military theory spans centuries of conflict all across the world. As such, military theorists have written in a variety of military climates, varying from the absence of gun powder to the presence of nuclear weapons. However, some military theories are transcendent. Some elements of Sun Tzu and Clausewitz are eternally wise. While their similarities may become universal truths, their differences are equally worthy of study because, it is in the differences where choices are made. Sun Tzu and Clausewitz agreed that war is chaos, military action is a tool for diplomatic goals and, as such, the results of warfare are not final. Their differences lie in how they advocate for waging war. The style and preparations for war contrast. This is where…

    • 697 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Counting Prayers Essay

    • 1074 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The history of counting prayers is believed to have originated from Hindu religious practices in India. Counting prayers is believed to have started possibly 8th century B.C. THe use of beads for prayers by catholics began in medieval european monasteries. They became more popular to help people count their prayers. Prayer beads were officially accepted into the catholic church by Pope Leo X in 1520. the prayers are set in sets of decades. these decades reflect on the mysteries and events in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ.…

    • 1074 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Lincoln’s form of writing solidifies his notion that God punished both sides for the practice of slavery. His inclusion of several biblical references, especially from the New Testament, touch on the question of divine providence. Lincoln hopes that all Americans will understand his message. The techniques Lincoln used allow readers to discover the meaning of his biblical allusions. Just as Lincoln includes biblical passages to relate to the people, so too does he wish to lift the burden of war from his country…

    • 509 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    At this time America is about to break free from the clutches of the British but to break free they must fight. In this book there are multiple occasions when there is war going on but this quote does not talk about war but what is needed to be prepared for war, ”This is war. Even our churches are making the sacrifice, delivering their bells to recast as cannon.” This phrase is said by Bellingham to Lockton explaining how he should give his metal window frames in preparation for war as so did the church their…

    • 832 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Grade 9 Religion Notes

    • 1596 Words
    • 7 Pages

    The word beatitude means “blessing” or “promise of true happiness” They are given to us often as directions for life. The Beatitudes and Ten Commandments both guide us to the way God wants to be as people and how he wants us to act in the house of God. Virtues are attitudes and habits that make us likely to do what is good even when we don’t stop to think. The virtues are: hope, love, generosity, justice, honesty and respect. To become a virtuous person, it takes prayer, education and practice.…

    • 1596 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    War: this word can change one’s life forever. Everyone is affected whether now or in days to come. No matter who you are you will experience the consequences of war. “But after the search for weapons, I had a different feeling about it: it was real and it had come home to me, too” (Collier and Collier 62). Even in the small town of Redding, people were being affected by the war. Why should Christians not be involved then? They will experience the…

    • 725 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    "chapters.indigo.ca: Love Thy Neighbor: A Story Of War: Peter Maass. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Dec. 2009 .…

    • 1294 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The citizens of Pala have a different philosophy than the Raja and Rani, the rulers. The Rani, here, expresses that she will be the harbinger the Crusade of the Spirit, where the world is exposed to modern life and people restore a faith in God. This creates conflict because the people have different ideologies, and the Rani does not support her people. Despite Will Farnaby’s intentions to bring oil to the island, he even realizes that there is some innate flaws with her plans. The Rani wants to bring a new era of thought, yet she neglects to think if the people will be happy in this. They are currently very happy and peaceful, so introducing new forms of thought, expressly against the people, is very disrespectful. It also reveals how unaware…

    • 1103 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics