Question
It becomes apparent that as humans we crave ritual numerous times so far in THE ROAD. Give two examples of this that you’ve read so far and explain why they are important. Also explain why you think rituals are important to humanity.
Would you consider the father in THE ROAD a good guy or bad guy. Think about the idea of what he is willing to do to protect the boy – which is basically anything. Give three concrete examples that explain your reasoning. Also, explain to me what you think it is to be “good” or “bad.”
Sample paper
The road
Question 1
Rituals can take a different form depending on the culture and norms of the countries as well as the nature of the environment in which people live. In the essay the road, there are several rituals that are depicted by the author as he narrates the story of the man and the boy.
- The first ritual in the essay is prayers. A prayer is a practice of communicating with a high power. The man is seen calling out the name of God as a show of respect and acknowledgment of a higher power beyond him and his abilities.
- The other ritual in the essay is the feasting ritual. Most people and individuals believe in sharing what they have with less fortunate individuals. However, on this case, the man and the boy share the little food they get on their way for them to survive. On other occasions, the man allows the boy to have a larger share for him to be full (Lowes, 2016).
Question 2
I think and feel that the man in the essay THE ROAD is caring and good to his son as it is expected by all fathers. Below are some if the examples in the essay that shows how good the man was:
- On page 73, the author states that the boy was stumbling as he was so tired and the man picked him up, swung him into his shoulder and they went on.
- On page 76, the author states that when they had eaten, the man took the boy out on the gravel bar below the bridge and washed the boy’s face and hair and this clearly shows that he was good to the boy (Lowes, 2016).
- On page 76, the author says that after the man had realized that the boy was shivering and moaning because of cold water, he dried him with a blanket, wrapped him in the blanket and carried him to the fire.
References
Lowes, J. L. (2016). Road to xanadu: A study in the ways of the imagination. Place of publication not identified: Princeton Univ Press.
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