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Pat Conroy's Confessions Of An Ex-Catholic

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In Pat Conroy’s “Confessions of an Ex-Catholic”, Conroy describes the love he had for the Catholic mass rituals, the Georgian chants, and the prayer even though he left the character and swears to never return. Conroy includes that, although he was thankful for this upbringing, he will never force his children in the church. Conroy also confesses that while he is an ex-Catholic he is still part of the church and forever will be. The purpose of Conroy’s confession is to admit and almost convince the reader, the audience, that even after leaving a religion or certain belief, one is always part of it and it is a part of one. “Just as I always will be American and Southern, I will always be Catholic. I left the Church but she has not left me.” Many might think that after leaving a religion, the connection is over but it quite the opposite. Conroy proves in his confession that his upbringing within the Catholic Church shaped him as not only as a person but also as a writer.
Devices
• Ethos: Conroy’s confession appeals to ethos when stating that he will never submerge his children into …show more content…

Taking time now and realizing the importance and significance of every step of the mass has me reminiscing of the psalms, scriptures, and the Father’s homilies. Mass sometimes mandatory and sometimes boring but the fact that I attend mass every Sunday and am just now coming to a complete understanding and regard for it saddens and angers me; the fact that it took an ex-Catholic’s words to make me realize this is appalling. Even though Conroy depicts the mass in such a passionate way, he does not include the reason he left the faith. The fact that Conroy can talk of the church in such respect instead of bashing it, as many non-believers would, is truly touching and

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