Essay Questions

How does the author of the poem Judith illustrate that the King is misusing his power?

Throughout the poem, the reader can note that the King is using his powers to engage in rape and exploiting the society for his contentment. He thinks that power cannot be taken from him and that is why he is arrogant and doing things that are annoying his followers. The king forgets that power is temporary and it can easily be taken from him. Besides, he is drinking too much alcohol and once he is drunk, he becomes arrogant and starts saying that he is the one controlling the universe. He can forcefully have as many women as he wishes because they belong to him. However, at last, the author shows that power is temporary and it can easily be taken away. Perhaps the lesson the author is trying to pass to the reader is that the position of power should be equated to servanthood.

Does the author of the poem Judith illustrate that decency subsists on a flimsy and superior line that is simply violated?

The author uses the character Holofernes to exemplify that decency can be taken away by the simple acts of irresponsibility. At first, Holofernes is depicted as a responsible and well-mannered leader because he interacts well with people. Additionally, he is viewed as an individual who values his family and other relatives. However, his other bad character depicts itself when he is drunk. Perhaps, the reader can assume that Holofernes’ true character is evident when he is drunk. After consuming alcohol, he behaves covetously and portrays a nuisance in his manners.

Explain how the poet draws parallelism between Christian and paganism in her poem, Judith.

It is without uncertainty that the poet refers to the Book of Judith in the Sanctified Bible to elucidate how a combatant woman fights to set free the Divine Land using the name of God. Therefore, it is evident that the poem has significant elements of Christianity. However, the reader cannot disregard the fact that there is an ignorable disdain of paganism, which in this case is parallel to Christianity. The poet brings out clearly that without God, nothing is possible. For instance, it is illustrated that pagan armies run away whenever they meet with God-fearing soldiers. To bring this argument out precisely, the poet explains that most pagan soldiers are too scared to provoke Holofernes.