paper on the novel “cal” by Bernard Mclaverty
For the final paper, you are asked to choose one of the following themes in relation to the novel Cal. How is religion used in the novel? It is ironic that Marcella, a Catholic, is married to a Protestant police officer. Cal is treated differently at his job because he is Catholic and we see Cal attending Mass regularly on Sundays. Religion connects Marcella and Cal to each other, but it also places a barrier between them because of Cal’s sense of guilt. You might compare the novel to the first Godfather movie in relation to this theme.How does guilt motivate Cal or prevent him from doing certain things in his life? Does he think he can be forgiven for what he’s done? How does the ending of the novel reflect this?How is violence depicted here? Does the novel have a condemnatory, celebratory or neutral attitude towards the violence in Northern Ireland? How do we see this?In the ending of the novel, Cal is described as relieved to be caught and that he is looking forward to being “beaten to within an inch of his life.” This suggests that his guilt will be assuaged through physical punishment or redemption through violence. Does the work suggest that this is possible?The paper should be about 4 pages, 5 maximum, typed, double spaced, MLA format, Times New Roman 12 point font, with a works cited page for the novel. You are not expected to do any outside research. I am mostly interested in your own ideas. The paper will be graded on the following criteria: a clear thesis or main point, sufficient textual evidence, avoidance of too much plot summary, good quote integration, an original title, clear sentence structure, correct citations, good grammar and punctuation. The final copy is due in the dropbox by midnight the day of the exam.
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Cal: Religion and Violence
While making any publication, the author always has some source of inspiration, which determines the approach taken by the book in question. It is especially so for fictional publications, in which the general theme in the story is often to educate the public on a particular moral principle. Therefore, whenever the audience read the story, it is always likely that they may observe the central theme from the beginning to the end of the story. In Bernard MacLaverty’s Cal, religion and conflict are consistent themes within the story, without which it may not have taken the direction it did. Consequently, the two form a central theme for the book whose analysis would help understand the author’s intent and clarify on some of the most complex social issues in the contemporary society. Within the story, religion is viewed as a source of antagonism, influencing relationships between the people and decisions that would otherwise be taken differently were a religion not an issue of such concern.
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