Combustable Sinners Comparative Essay

Culture is considered to be the customs, arts, social institutions, and achievements of a particular nation, people, or other social group. To enumerate, the writer Mayra Infante, “Combustible Sinners,” and Maya Angelou, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” write about two different perspective about religion. In “Combustible Sinners,” Mayra Infante talks about the perception of religion through the eyes of Lissi and her parents. As for Maya Angelou, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” revolves around the ceremony of death. Correspondingly, the theme of these two short stories resonates around religion and the perception of the protagonists with the literary elements projected through protagonist and symolism. Discretely, in “Combustible Sinners,”

To enumerate, the sacrament involved grape juice, instead of wine, the deacon, and crackers. “Jesus said, ‘This is my body… This is my blood,” symbolizing that whoever takes the sacrament is accepting that their body is Jesus’s creation; however, Lissi feels that it might be a bit more melodramatic, “isn’t that like cannibalism and vampirism.” Also, this is a sign of symbolism because Lissi is at church, worhsiping God. Following, “Is my face melting off,” is a symbol of fear and guilt. Lissi shows fear because it is a sin to take the sacrament if she had committed one before, which she may have. Correspondingly, in “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” Maya Angelou’s short story shows symbolism through the surroundings of the protagonist. To clarify, “black-crepe-dress gloom… black-dressed usher… woolen black clothes worn,” the color and clothing of the guests show that there was a ceremony happening for a fallen loved one. The protagonist shows the color black as a symbol of death, oppression, and bleakness. Also, “it was impossible not to record their roles in the drama,” this sentence from the story is quite interesting because it shows that the protagonist was being oblivious with her words. To enumerate, this a symbolism of grief. It may be far-fetched, but the protagonist shows that the entire room should have been involved in a drama because they were being dramatic to Mrs. Taylor’s death. The moans, screaming and crying were exaggerated and that is why this symbol is important because it also shows that death may not have had much affect to the