Afterlife And God In Tracy K Smith's Life On Mars

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Life on Mars is a book of extraordinary poems that touch on the afterlife and God as well. The afterlife and God are supposed to be represented in a positive way and display hope. The author makes many references to both subjects, but she references them in a negative way and not positive. In most religions, God is portrayed as the superior of the world. The afterlife is represented as a place where people go when he or she leaves this Earth. No matter what religion a person studies, it is taught with good intentions and is taught in a positive way. In Life on Mars, there are many references to God that portray God in a negative light and make it seem as if he is fearsome which would make the poems not Christian.
God is a being that is supposed …show more content…

No one is supposed to fear him and make it to where he is portrayed as a bad person. If you live your life the right way, you will be rewarded by being able to go to the afterlife. In Tracy K Smith’s book Life on Mars she uses many examples that make it seem, as God is not a good person. Tracy K Smith, makes it to where her references to God and the afterlife are very negative. Throughout her poems there are references like, God is not remorseful and that there is an afterlife and a person will go there when he or she dies. Also the references that come across as if asking God for something is the worst thing in the world and that he is a fearful being that people are afraid of. Stated by the author of “The Speed of Belief”, she states, Moving at “The Speed of Belief” means accepting humanity contingent place in the universe, between fear and hope. Both science fiction and religion offer the temptation to escape the fear, but each also offers hope and urges us to confront the reality of our existence and to do so in ways that extend beyond private” (Connor 371). In contrast to what Tracy K Smith states this author believes the opposite of what Tracey believes. In Connor statement there is a balance between fear and hope and making the choice to not be afraid of God. She also states that people yearn to do better and want to be guided in the right direction by God. Tracy K Smith states that asking for something from God is torcher because a person is beating themselves up by weighing on God and he is enjoying watching a person suffer. And by portraying God in a negative light and making it to where he is seen as fearsome, that alone makes her poems not

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