Exemplar Essay: Merit
DESCRIBE AN IMPORTANT EVENT IN A TEXT YOU HAVE STUDIED AND EXPLAIN WHY IT WAS IMPORTANT.
In the novel I Am Not Esther by Fleur Beale and important event near the end of the text is when Daniel and Kirby leave the children of faith forever. This even was important because I was able to understand the effects of strict religious cults, and the themes of loyalty and courage.
When Kirby and Daniel and his family were at church, Daniel was asked if he would be willing to marry a girl in the church. Daniel refused to marry her and asked if he could go to the university for three years to study medicine. He knew the elders of the church would not consider allowing him to go to university unless he appealed to their better nature, “I would like to go and study medicine so that I can serve you all.” When the elders heard this, they were outraged. They started beating Daniel and claiming “there is a devil within him that we must cast out.” When Kirby saw this she immediately got up and went to help Daniel. Her feelings were mirrored by Daniel’s words, “I cannot stay with the church anymore. I must leave the Children of Faith forever.”
This event showed me the effects that strict religious cults can have on families. For Daniel, leaving the Children of Faith meant not only leaving the cult and its rules but also his family, memories and everything he loved. For Kirby, leaving the Children of Faith meant leaving her beloved cousin Magdelene and it also meant she lost her family. This event showed me that strict religious cults can tear a family apart if one member of the family does not believe in the cult’s rules. Daniel leaving meant that to the family he was “dead” and he would be lost to them forever.
This event also taught me about the theme of loyalty through Kirby. Although Kirby did not want to leave Maggie, her loyalty to Daniel helped her see that staying with the Children of Faith would always bring her sorrow. Her loyalty overcame her fear and that is why she was able to save Daniel from being beaten to death. Ultimately Kirby’s loyalty to Daniel saved him from a life of misery.
This event also taught me about the theme of courage and how courage will help a person stand for what they believe in. Daniel showed courage when he refused to marry Damaris. He knew the consequences of this could be disastrous but he knew that if he didn’t stand up for what he believed in he would regret it forever.
An important event near the end of the text was when Daniel and Kirby left the Children of Faith. This event was important because we learnt about the effects of strict religious cults. Fleur Beale also developed the ideas of loyalty and courage which helped me understand the text.
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