this is a line from the book..To Kill A Mockingbird page 40"sometimes the bible in the hand of one man is worse than a a bottle of whiskey in the hand of another" i have no idea wut this meen help!!!!
2006-09-17 08:44:53 · 7 answers · asked by sammi 2 in Education & Reference ➔ Homework Help
Take the prejudiced people for an example.They go to church every Sunday and think they are good people.But they discriminate against poor and black people.With a bible in their hands(not really literally), they do not treat people equally, but discriminate peopledifferent from them.
However,when someone has a bottle of whiskey in their hands, it means they are probably drunk,so when they start saying bad things or being prejudiced,no one takes them seriously.
The metaphor is trying to say that that sometimes people who seem holy or think they are good people can be worse than a drunk person, because unlike the drunk person,they actually know what they are saying.
I don't really know how to express myself here very well.I won't blame you if you don't understand. ^_^"
Hope it helps though. :) Remember,this is just MY interpretation.
2006-09-18 00:11:13 · answer #1 · answered by Unknown Darkness™ 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
'You can take anything and use it for a bad thing'. Here the bible(the 'good book') would be used by a crazy person to say bad things, like saying god is against gay marrige. Whiskey is bad because it makes you do bad things...cheat, get in fights, steal.
It's the basic idea of 'a gun is not evil, it's what you do with it that is good or evil'
2006-09-17 15:49:53 · answer #2 · answered by null_the_living_darkness 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It means that the Bible can be used by people to attain their own ends through misquoting, paraphrasing, etc. This in turn is worse than a drunkard as the drunkard who acts badly does so out of personal motives and acts alone. When the man with the Bible acts badly he is encouraging others to his cause of action making them as bad as he is through trickery and deceit.
2006-09-17 15:50:58 · answer #3 · answered by Ars Magica 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
because sometimes people can take their religious convictions too far. ever see the movie seven? it doesn't really matter what your vices are, it is what you can do to others when under the influence of these vices.
2006-09-17 15:55:53 · answer #4 · answered by bad kitty 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
tools are useless unless you know how to use them, or it is the might of the beholder to power his tools or, tht whiskey is more fun than the bible
2006-09-17 15:55:10 · answer #5 · answered by simpleton5000 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The greatest evil is in something good
2006-09-17 15:53:42 · answer #6 · answered by wha 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i think it means that people sometimes are fooled by their beliefs.
someone that is drunk and not aware of what he is doing and what consequences it may bring might take foolish actions.
so i think it's meant that we put too much expectation on our religion.
x
2006-09-17 15:51:15 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋