ninehillsRAMBLE in the JUNGLE
Preachers
By Wanaku Verdzekov · · Global
Date note: Undated Facebook note, written between 2011 and 2014.
Tags: religion, storytelling
In this line of work, if you can tell a story (true or untrue) with a straight face, you are on your way to the "holy" awards.
Advice: if you still have any guts, trust them.
iBoisɨ
— Wanaku Verdzekov
Reading & grammar
Reading level: Gr 9–11
Understand
- What skill, according to the author, is rewarded in "this line of work"?
- What does "holy awards" suggest about the author's attitude?
- What advice does the author give?
Grammar focus: irony and quotation marks. Quotation marks around "holy" signal irony: the awards are not truly holy. These are sometimes called scare quotes. They let a writer question a word while still using it.
Try it: Write two sentences that use scare quotes to question a word, and explain the irony in each.
Discuss: Is storytelling a strength or a danger in religion and politics? Argue both sides.