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The Power and the Glory

Response #3, to Chapter Five (5/9/11)

Author's Note: This is my response to the scene where the priest met Maria and Brigitta.  I felt that Graham Greene was trying to present to the reader a feeling of guilt in the priest.  He felt this way because of the mistakes that he made, and how he regrets a lot of his decisions he made.  The relationship between Brigitta and the priest is awkward and unfriendly, which made things even worse for the priest. This is not a very long response, but it covers what information I intend to cover.


People live life in the moment, often disregarding what could be the outcome of their decision.  It is obvious that later people can regret their choice made, but realize there is no possible way of returning to that point in time.  In Graham Greene's novel The Power and the Glory, the protagonist, the priest, deals with this emotion when meeting his former lover.  Seeing his daughter and the broken relationship between the two disheartened him.  He felt a tremendous deal of guilt along with regret, yet noticed that nothing could be done to fix the past, but to move on and roll with the punches.

Guilt can cause a lot of pain in a human being, and generally sticks with someone for a long while.  In the priest's case, it left an embarrassing rapport.  Clearly all depends on the situation, but most often it leads someone to be filled with fear.  When one does an act that is worth regretting to them, they fear the possible results of it.  In addition, they wonder how it will effect their future, and how they should live life as a separate path from what was intended from the beginning.  Having this emotion also slows down life in an aspect, for it causes a person to focus attentively on the given situation, and all else in the world becomes an insignificance. 

It is understandable that having guilt and regret can affect a person's behavior, and it is best to try to use guilt to motivate oneself to better themselves.  In The Power and the Glory, the priest uses his guilt when seeing the misfortune in his daughter as a breaking point, and to build a foundation that he can continue with for the rest of his life.  Noticing the lifestyle that Brigitta, the priest's daughter, was living saddened the priest deeply.  She was ridiculed and mistreated daily for the lack of a father, and the priest did not want that to be a part of her background.  The remorse that stuck with the priest inspired him to move on with his life with an optimistic view, and to have a sense of conviction with his future decisions.

Guilt is looked at in many ways, yet generally negatively.  People assume it is a cynical idea, yet everyone experiences it almost every day.  There are several ways to handle guilt, and each individual chooses differently each time depending on the situation.  The priest in The Power and the Glory decided to make his guilt a checkpoint to build off of to excel later in his life in Mexico.  The novel additionally presents how guilt can change any human's life, all relying on how one utilizes it when it occurs.



Response to Chapter Four (5/2/11)
Author's Note: This is my response to chapter four of The Power and the Glory.  I decided to write a poem that speaks about courage.  It's not the best poem, for I wrote it late at night and wasn't completely at my best ability.  Also, I didn't overly like this poem too much in the first place, but I felt that a poem could express the sub-theme of courage in the way that I wanted it to fit.  I attempted to fit real life context in the poem while inserting information from the novel as well as I could. 


It is a tower that stands high above all else,
Set so high on its own pedestal.
Higher than what control can fathom,
Miles beyond the grasp power.
That which is hard to master,
Yet changes the mindset of others around.
Which lets one stand up for beliefs,
Alone, courage stands alone.

It is a trait that can build one's trust,
Choosing between life and death.
Facing nearly the entire world,
In order to please one that means the most.
A world against a helpless figure,
That which can guide a lieutenant to decide what's best.
What convinced him in the deciding factor,
Alone, courage stands alone.


It is an army that fights off fear and doubt,
Barely won without any ease.
To do what's right for most mankind,
Opposing evil and things appalled.
Some live without this gem,
And regret it throughout their entire life.
Such an amazing virtue,
Alone, courage stands alone.



Response to Chapter One

Humans go through everyday having to make decisions of some sort.  These decisions may be small or large, but nonetheless decisions are made.  In The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene, a character who is defined only as a stranger had to make a vital decision.  He was in great control of the event, and overcame the opinion of a peer standing beside him.  Control can be a great tool if used wisely, and becomes a tremendous advantage at the point of urgency.

In the novel The Power and the Glory, it seemed as though Mr. Tench was in control, and possibly the protagonist of the story.  Although an ironic setting was placed around him, he seemed to have things under control to some extent.  However, once the stranger was introduced, the author made the reader feel as if he was of little importance.  Clues led to inference that the stranger was a priest, and the backup doctor of the town.  When he was asked to help a child as opposed to leaving Mexico on a boat, he chose to help the kid.  Although Mr. Tench attempted to control the priest's decision, it was defeated by that of the so called stranger.

Decision making is definitely aided by a conscience, for it is what influences someone to decide one way or another.  However, if one were in no control of a matter, a conscience would be of absolute uselessness.  The novel written by Graham Greene presents the notion that control is very powerful, yet can sometimes be overcome.  When Mr. Tench unleashed his selfish attitude toward the hopeless child, the stranger was taken aback from his actions.  This may have been a cause to the final decision made by the stranger, for he was a religious man wanting to do good deeds for others around him.

There are many possible themes that could very well be the actual theme of the novel, and far more sub-themes are evident.  Control serves as a very plausible theme, along with choices.  Both Mr. Tench and the stranger made different choices throughout the first chapter, and had some quantity of control that was used to some degree.  Decisions are made every second by human beings, starting with what key to press each time to form a word.  Control obviously has a power, but a limited power it is when decisions are to be made.

1 comment:

  1. The essay response to the first chapter is quite good. You have an excellent voice, structure, and vocabulary. I like how you see Tench's treatment of the boy as the trigger the spurs the priest on to action. Well done.
    The poem is not bad, although you are convinced it is weak. It may not be what you want at the moment, but you certainly have the start of an excellent poem on your hands. Go back into the text and review what you have done, revising where necessary, and paying close attention to those sort of ideas I laid out in class when reviewing what I tried to do as an author with my writing.

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