The Preacher Ruminates: Behind the Sermon gives a disturbing glimpse into the mind of a minister. Indeed the premise of the poem is made clear by the opening line: "It must be lonely to be God" (1), the preacher's revelation provides the reader with a unique perspective on religion. Brooks points out that because of God's position of omniscience, it is not possible for a figure like Him to have reader friends for answers to his questions, ultimately concluding that being God is indeed a lonely life and that God must get so tired of it. in the meantime. "The preacher ruminates: behind the sermon" is a lyrical poem, in fact, the title itself lends itself to the genre of the poem. It brings out the feelings and voice of a clear speaker: the preacher does not tell a story nor does it tell a series of events, further strengthening the classification as lyrical. The poem is also in closed form, composed of four quatrains or stanzas of four lines. The verses are a combination of continuous and interrupted lines that dictate the rhythm. Brooks' word choices for both connotations and denotations shape readers' understanding of the preacher. After reading the poem for the first time, the only unfamiliar word I found was “hosanna” (3). The dictionary defines it as “a cry of praise to God” (“Hosanna”). This is the only definition of the word that I have been able to discover, and with the overall religious discussion of the poem, it fits Brooks' overall argument. Brooks uses several references to praise in line with "hosanna"... middle of paper... of "...buy him a Coke or a beer" (11) as a cover for something more dark message, i.e. which illustrates that to be God is to be friendless, without equal. Not being of the Christian faith myself, I do not have a good understanding of Christianity and its ideals, but the belief that God is omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent certainly leads me to believe that Brooks' preacher is right in saying that He has no equal . . Thus, the poem offers a haunting insight into a different side of a figure that Christians worship every Sunday. As evidenced by the preacher's thoughts, Brooks' poem illustrates that God is indeed "without a hand to hold him" (16). Works Cited Brooks, Gwendolyn. “The Preacher Broods: Behind the Sermon.” Kennedy, XJ and Dana Gioia, eds. Backpack Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. New York: Pearson Longman, 2006. 500-1.

Topic > The Preacher Ruminates: Behind the Sermon gives a disturbing glimpse into the mind of a minister. Indeed the premise of the poem is made clear by the opening line: "It must be lonely to be God" (1), the preacher's revelation provides the reader with a unique perspective on religion. Brooks points out that because of God's position of omniscience, it is not possible for a figure like Him to have reader friends for answers to his questions, ultimately concluding that being God is indeed a lonely life and that God must get so tired of it. in the meantime. "The preacher ruminates: behind the sermon" is a lyrical poem, in fact, the title itself lends itself to the genre of the poem. It brings out the feelings and voice of a clear speaker: the preacher does not tell a story nor does it tell a series of events, further strengthening the classification as lyrical. The poem is also in closed form, composed of four quatrains or stanzas of four lines. The verses are a combination of continuous and interrupted lines that dictate the rhythm. Brooks' word choices for both connotations and denotations shape readers' understanding of the preacher. After reading the poem for the first time, the only unfamiliar word I found was “hosanna” (3). The dictionary defines it as “a cry of praise to God” (“Hosanna”). This is the only definition of the word that I have been able to discover, and with the overall religious discussion of the poem, it fits Brooks' overall argument. Brooks uses several references to praise in line with "hosanna"... middle of paper... of "...buy him a Coke or a beer" (11) as a cover for something more dark message, i.e. which illustrates that to be God is to be friendless, without equal. Not being of the Christian faith myself, I do not have a good understanding of Christianity and its ideals, but the belief that God is omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent certainly leads me to believe that Brooks' preacher is right in saying that He has no equal . . Thus, the poem offers a haunting insight into a different side of a figure that Christians worship every Sunday. As evidenced by the preacher's thoughts, Brooks' poem illustrates that God is indeed "without a hand to hold him" (16). Works Cited Brooks, Gwendolyn. “The Preacher Broods: Behind the Sermon.” Kennedy, XJ and Dana Gioia, eds. Backpack Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. New York: Pearson Longman, 2006. 500-1.