A Snake Down Under Report
...example, the character is read a story about a little girl sitting all day without moving a muscle in a cave so a snake resting on her lap wouldn’t bite her. The snake crawls away and the girl escapes unharmed. This story is contradictory to the advice given to the same character some years later by the character’s gym mistress. The mistress says to the class that if a snake bites you, try to kill it and take it with you to the doctor. Another contradiction is when the character is older. The character gets a snake caught in her pants, and not only does she discard both types of advice given to her, but she does so without getting bitten. Another interesting aspect of this short story is that makes use of some religious expressions. This is used to emphasise the character’s intense Christian upbringing. A part of the story which uses religion is when a person at school is caught with a copy of East of Eden. This book is a religious book that makes reference to sexual behaviour, which is the reason why the person is punished for having a copy of the book. Another strong use of religion in this story is when the friend says to the character, “Did it offer you an apple?” This refers back to the biblical story of Adam and Eve, where the snake is used as a symbol of evil. Although the character has had such a concentrated Christian upbringing, there are some aspects in the story that suggest her and her mother are not entirely committed to the Christian way of life. An excellent example ...