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Barbarous Diction In Isabel Allende's The House Of The Spirits

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Barbarous Diction In Isabel Allende's The House Of The Spirits
In Isabel Allende’s The House of the Spirits, barbarous diction characterizes the Catholic Church as barbaric and antiquated. The head of the parish, Father Restrepo, relies on traditional Catholic teachings that use flagellation as a form of punishment. Father Restrepo is “a firm believer in the value of a good thrashing to vanquish the weaknesses of the soul and was famous for his unrestrained oratory” (Allende 3). The “thrashing” refers to flagellation, a process that tears at the person’s skin in the name of forgiveness, uses barbarous diction to emphasize the archaic nature of the church. Furthermore, barbarous diction conveys that the church has immense control through fear. The church spares the churchgoers from “the sight of [San Sebastian]

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