Parable of the Sower - Community
"In Christ, we who are many form one body and each member belongs to all the others" (Romans 12.5). The bible directly describes and defines community; it is human's innate need to bond together, providing the basis of a community. In a religious sense, a community can be described as the interaction between a group of individuals. All communities need distinguishing factors that not only unite the members in thought but also in action. Rituals and agreements within a community are traits that provide just that; they help characterize and unite the group within the organization. In Octavia Butler's novel, Parable of the Sower, she creates a surreal world in which a community joins together to fend off harsh and frightening realities of the world outside the walls. A community, itself, should provide security, trust and honesty, and more importantly, happiness. "This is a small community, [they] all know each other here.
Other communities that, in Lauren's eyes, did not meet the standards of a strong community "...were made up or unmortared rocks, chunks of concrete, and trash. Then there were the pitiful, unwalled residential areas. A lot of the houses were trashed --- burned, vandalized, infested with drunks or druggies or squatted-in by homeless families with their filthy, gaunt, half-naked children" (p 8). In essence, these people did not bond together to protect one another, but instead, they turned their backs on one another and allowed outsiders to invade their society. A community will fail unless it gives a sense of security to make sure that every house, every person, every object has safeties and protection against crimes. It must provide trust and honesty to each person to have faith and loyalty about it. Individuals would fall apart without a sense of community. An individual who fails to yield to the customs that are accepted by the majority will be singled out
Some common words found in the essay are:
Kids Lauren's, Parable Sower, Sower Christ, sense community, Octavia Butler's, parable sower, community joins, trust honesty,
Approximate Word count = 654
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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