Friday, September 26, 2008

Vituperation.

from The Great Divorce
Curses, taunts, blows, a filth of vituperation, came to my ears as fellow-passengers struggled to get out. (Lewis 19)
Sometimes one word really makes a line. I fell in love with the above sentence, not only because it shows the sinners struggling to get out of the bus in a way that is all too human, but because the word vituperation is used to perfection.

More on the bus: The passengers are struggling to get out of the bus so they can all see Heaven first, but they do not realize that this untoward struggle is just more of an example of why Heaven is still out of their reach. I find the troubling irony in this situation so painful because it is both true and realistic, and I shudder because I wonder if I'd be hurrying like the rest. I'd hope I have a few more manners to last me than that, but sometimes aren't our manners or an excuse? So much to think about!

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