Josh's+essay

1. Joshua Chu

2. The Chrysalids suggests that people in a position of extreme authority possess the power to manipulate religion to serve their own ends.

__Introduction__ World leaders have extreme power and are very influential. These people usually mean well, and most of them use their powers for beneficial purposes. However, in a book called The Chrysalids, this is not the case. Officials have abused positions of extreme power and have gotten away with committing atrocious crimes, including genocide. By falsely portraying religious texts and addressing fears with purpose, The Chrysalids suggests that people with extreme power can manipulate religion to serve their own ends.

__Body 1 proof__ People with extreme power act righteous to gain the people's trust. Joseph Strorm and his father were prominent leaders in the development of Waknuk, and the residents respect them for that. In turn, Joseph Strorm had took position of magistrate (page 17 para 3) which according to the Oxford dictionary is " a civil officer who administers the law, especially one who conducts a court that deals with minor offences and holds preliminary hearings for more serious ones ." ([]). This job gives Elias and Joseph Strorm almost //total control// over occurrences in Waknuk. Joseph Strorm goes to great lengths to preserve piety in his family too, such as when David 'wishes' for a third hand (page 26). It is a near harmless statement, yet Joseph Strorm takes it quite seriously, claiming that David was asking the Devil to give him another hand. As well, the book hints that David's mother had birthed two Deviations (referred as penance, page 73-74). These siblings were ruthlessly thrown into the Fringes as infants by David's father. Also, Joseph Strorm often holds "Purification Ceremonies" in which Deviations are slaughtered and burned as a demonstration of his 'purity' and 'righteousness' not for himself, but for the //people// to see. This makes Waknuk think he's a truly good person, and causes them to have complete faith in whatever he's doing.

__Body 2 proof__ Those with extreme power interpret and use 'religious' texts to fit in with their ideals. The Bible and Repentances are the only two religious texts used in the Chrysalids. (Note that in present Christianity, the only religious text is the Bible, and that the words 'Mutant' {http://bible.cc/search.php?q=mutant} and 'Deviation' {http://bible.cc/search.php?q=deviation} are never mentioned). Joseph Strorm regularly dishes out sermons to the town (every Sunday) and it is during these times that he brainwashes them with his teachings. He "explains with practical clarity the laws and views held in heaven upon a variety of matters and practices" (page 17). These 'matters and practices' must include those concerning Deviations, and the only book these are found in is Repentances. But Repentances is not the Word of God; the Bible is. The peasants do not know that, because they accept Joseph Strorm's teachings as true. This lets people with extreme power direct people to do what they want.

__Body 3 proof__ People with extreme power address people's fears with religious purpose. At the time, no one knew what the Deviations were, and could not explain how they had gotten to be like that. According to the Inspector, "the Devil sends Deviations among us to weaken us and tempt us away from Purity". (page 55). Religion, being one of the most important aspects of life in Waknuk, seemed to be in danger because of the Deviations. This scared everyone, and Waknuk immediately got to work eliminating Deviations. A sense of impurity is another reason to fear Deviations. Having a Deviational animal or crop suggested that the owner was acting sinfully, and so was afflicted with more Deviations (page 19). Finally, because Waknuk believes that "THE NORM IS THE WILL OF GOD," (page 18) producing a Deviation meant that the Devil had been around, afflicting you and your crops with Deviations. The Devil is always regarded as a terrifying being, so this put Waknuk on the alert for Deviations.

__Conclusion__ Through fear, Repentances, and Waknuk's trust, Joseph Strorm was able to convince the people of Waknuk to persecute their neighbours and children, going so far as to banish them to the Fringes as infants. With his extreme power, Joseph Strorm had manipulated Christianity under the very eyes of Waknuk and succeeded, turning parents against children to accomplish his own twisted ends. With great power comes great responsibility, and world leaders must know this. The fate of a country can depend on the whims of its leader. Observe the world leaders of this age, and see how they use their power. You may be surprised at what you find!

But as the Sealand woman said: "In loyalty to their kind they cannot tolerate our rise; in loyalty to our kind, we cannot tolerate their obstruction (page 196)." For Waknuk to remain where it is, it cannot allow Deviations to overpower them.

5. First Draft of your Essay 6. Peer Comments

Tom Yun -- Introductory Paragraph

Loren Graziano -- Body Paragraphs

Nikie Martin -- Concluding paragraph

7. Good Copy in MLA format