Sunday 12 February 2012

A Stone's Throw

A Stone's Throw by Elma Mitchell


The poem A Stone's Throw is about some self-righteous men who caught a prostitute now in those days prostitution was a sin (still is) and the punishment was stoning. these men caught her a roughed her up but still justifying their intentions {she's felt men's hands, greedy over her body, but ours were virtuous, of course} if a man touches a woman's body with out her permission how can he be virtuous. the prostitute aka Mary Magdalene was dead scared because she knew the fate she was about to have and obviously she was just assaulted. but a 'preacher, god merchant,' aka Jesus squatted down to her level and writing in the dust and looked at her. then he turned to them and said he who is free of sin shall cast the first stone and that's when their eyes were on them selves and they saw that they weren't as sinless as they had thought and so no stne was thrown at her. but it wasn't the end to their prosecutions!

32 comments:

  1. wow so that poem is based on the bible I thought that was a random poem

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    1. im just doing this poem 4 ncse and i totally agree.I thought it was just a random poem 2! i had no clue it was based on the bible. WHO KNEW!

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  2. true, i taught so until i see the videos

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  3. The poem A Stone's Throw presents concisely the notion of how we are not to judge others because everyone has sinned.The individuals were stoning the prostitute and found out from the guru that they should not do so unless they are free from sin.This poem contains a biblical allusion to the story of Mary Magdalene but it also presents how society view sinners.It is very easy to see the fault of others and in our self righteous state we tend not to see our faullts.The themes of women in society and the role of religion is explored by this poet.

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    1. Very true.
      This should be part of the analysis

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    2. Firstly, in the poem ‘A Stone’s Throw,’ the conflict which ensues is external and may be described as a man versus society conflict. The ‘man’ in the conflict happens to be a woman who seems to have committed some serious offence or violation punishable by stoning to death. The ‘society’ in the conflict is a crowd of men who are about to carry out their judgement on the woman. These men represent the social convention that allows the shaming and violence of women. The poem takes on a narrative point of view as though telling a story of the gender violence characterized. This conflict is addressed by a preacher who interrupted the stoning of the woman. The lines, ‘Squatting on the ground - her level, writing in the dust something we couldn't read, and saw in her something we couldn't see At least until He turned his eyes on us, her eyes on us, our eyes upon ourselves,’ shows that the preacher, a male, stooped down to the same level as a woman. It represents a need for everyone to be on the same level. The last line ‘our eyes upon ourselves,’ renders introspection, they loved judging the woman but when the man turned his eyes upon them, they hated it, this shows how little respect they have for the woman. The poem ends with the lines, ‘We walked away, still holding stones, that we may throw, another day, given the urge,’ this shows that the ongoing gender conflict has not ended as the men still think they have the right to judge that woman and other women.

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  4. its very interesting how things like these are actually daily things that may happen in our lives.

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  5. Ok I its a lesson for some cause these things happen our lives today in my class. I h

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  6. I think this analysis needed more details!

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  7. i agree it does need more improvement

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  8. Ummm if u didn't know that this poem is a adaptation from a bible story.......then u need to pick up yur bible more often!!!

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    1. Actually I'm a bit of a Bible-nerd and I only realized it sounded familiar on the second reading of it

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  9. this is an example on how people shouldn't be judge for what they are because no one is free of sin !!!!!!

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  10. this poem is not exactly the Bible story,however its alluded to that of the bible story

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  11. hightlights of the nature of guilt???????????????/

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  12. Yes, it seemed like a Bible based scenario

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  13. What is the guilt

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  14. What is the paradox and oxymoron in the poem?

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  15. Very good analysis. it gives alot of information

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  16. I'm having problems comparing a stone's throw and the woman speaks top the man who has employed her son

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  17. what do you think this tells us about the author

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  18. What are the social issues of the poem??

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  19. Hi gn or gud evening can some1 help with the main message of this poem I'm a bit confused thnx alot

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  20. Hi gn or gud evening can some1 help with the main message of this poem I'm a bit confused thnx alot

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  22. describe the discrimination experienced

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