This poem so effectively captures Flannery O’Connor’s masterful use of setting as a tool to examine the perils of a static cultural Christianity. I admire both the passion and humility projected in her voice within this poem and in this passage from her prayer journal—“I want to be a fine writer. Any success will tend to swell my head—unconsciously even. If I ever do get to be a fine writer, it will not be because I am a fine writer but because God has given me credit for a few of the things He kindly wrote for me.”
This poem so effectively captures Flannery O’Connor’s masterful use of setting as a tool to examine the perils of a static cultural Christianity. I admire both the passion and humility projected in her voice within this poem and in this passage from her prayer journal—“I want to be a fine writer. Any success will tend to swell my head—unconsciously even. If I ever do get to be a fine writer, it will not be because I am a fine writer but because God has given me credit for a few of the things He kindly wrote for me.”
This rings very true to my southern ears.
Thank you for your erudite contributions to our understanding of Flannery's works, Ms. O'Donnell. Truly inspiring.