Hoo-whee! Sonny is a mess. And as with Walt, he gets a whole lotta screen time. So, consider what we learn about the Apostle E.F. in the first ninety minutes of the film (we still have almost 45 to go!).
1. Is he a man of faith? Is he a charlatan? Is he unhinged?
2. He seems to draw people to him wherever he goes but is that necessarily positive? Does he need others' adulation or is he leading folk to God?
3. Does he share any qualities with another preacher we've met, Bishop Enoch?
Apostle E.F. Is many things, perhaps unhinged, but he doesn’t seem to be a charlatan. Sonny genuinely thinks he knows the word of God. He prays to him even when alone, or when it makes others think (or know) he’s a bit crazy. This doesn’t seem like a man who wants to trick others. If he just wanted that, he would’ve used this faith in more manipulative ways by now, after all, he doesn’t have much money, but he doesn’t even ask for donations the first day. This is a man firmly convinced he’s doing the work of God.
ReplyDeleteOnce again, I don’t think he’s doing this just for his own benefit. He isn’t wallowing in the adoration of his followers. This is a man who wants to lead everyone to heaven. After talking to the man in a car crash, Sonny talks to his mother about how they’ve won two more for heaven, and then they sing and pray for the man and woman’s lives. Sonny is convinced that he really will lead others to salvation, that that’s the path Jesus set before him.
Like Bishop Enoch, this is a preacher on the run from his past. Also, in a more basic way, their styles of preaching are somewhat similar. Both have a very passionate and personal service with their congregation. They ask their parishioners to read out scripture and respond to questions during sermons. They are very emotional and charismatic to those around them, but have darker pasts.
The Apostle
ReplyDeleteJoanie Dorfman
1. I think Sonny sees himself as a man of faith. While I believe his is wrong in his morals and tapes hints, I wouldn't call him a charlatan because he believes that he is in the right. He uses his faith not as motivation to do good but as an excuse to do wrong, though he does seem to be using it for better purposes as the movie progresses.
2. I think it's a bit of both. Sonny does bath in the flattery he gets and has too much self-righteousness and pride for his own good, but he is starting to use his practices for good. He gives people hope, and he makes them happy.
3. Sonny and Enoch are both faithful men who believe strongly in God. They have both sinned and have run away to be free of their sins. The main difference is that Enoch seems to be trying to make up for his sins by doing good whereas Sonny just seems to want to escape them.
1. Yes, Sonny is certainly a man of faith. No matter how he acts he has faith that God is guiding him. The only time he has "doubt" is when he gets a little angry at God once his wife leaves him. But that is not really doubt in God, that is just a low point in his religious life.
ReplyDelete2. Yes, I believe that in general it is a positive thing. It is only when people get too close and they realize how crazy he can be. But everybody else except his wife loves him, even those who know him closely like his mother and that one friend who he calls. He does not necessarily need others appreciation to have faith in God, and he certainly seems to be leading people into believing in God.
3. Yes, there are major similarities in these two religious figures. They both hold the same sort of energy when they are preaching. They both have had a turning point in their life of which they had to run away from. And when they ran away they started (or joined) a new church and made it their own. They both are keeping (or kept) one major secret to their current church members which might change their views about them. Sonny doesn't seem to get it as well as Enoch that he did something wrong. He was never punished like Enoch was. He still likes to take things in a more physical manner as well.
1. I think he is a man of faith. I don't think the Apostle is a fraud in his preaches, and he believes what he is saying. Ever since he was a little boy he had faith in God and Jesus, and preached and talked to them both. He truly has faith that God will lead him to the right place, and help fix his life. He wants to help people, as seen when he helped talk to the two kids in the car crash, and has faith that God will save them and will help comfort them.
ReplyDelete2. I don't think he's drawing crowds towards him just for his own benefit. I think he truly wants to put religion, Jesus and God, in people's lives. For example, he talks to the kids in the car and tells them it will be okay, and everything will be all right. I know he made some mistakes in the past, especially with his family, but ultimately I think he really just wants to restore faith in people. He also helps people when they need it. He provides hope and happiness in people by preaching and talking about Jesus.
3. Sonny and Enoch are similar in that they both strongly believe in God. Both characters preach strongly and restore faith in people. But both preachers also make some bad decisions and immoral decisions, which results in people losing faith in them. Sonny and Enoch's congregations were also very similar. They both were extremely passionate, loud, and talked a lot about Jesus.
1. I think sonny truly is a man of faith and believes in everything preaches. After his wife leaves him, he is angry with God but he does not question Gods existence. He does seem to be a bit unhinged and relies almost completely on his faith. He completely believes that God will lead him in the right direction and surrenders almost all of his own responsibility.
ReplyDelete2. Again, I think Sonny believes it is his mission to lead people to God. However, I think he also uses his preaching as a way to "make up" for his own bad actions. At the beginning of the film he tells his mother that they have "had another victory in heaven this morning" after he talks to the couple in the car. Actions like that help him feel better about himself but I don't believe that they negatively effect other people either.
3. Enoch and sonny are quite similar characters. They both have secret past lives that they are running from. They also are both strong believers in God who bring happiness to other people through their preaching. They are both complicated characters who could be considered bad people because of past actions but also could be considered good because they help others.
1. Is he a man of faith? Is he a charlatan? Is he unhinged?
ReplyDeleteI think that he is definitely a man of faith. He has put a lot of effort to help others beleive in God, when he builds a church. He doesn't seem like the type of person to waste his energy for no reason. He isn't a charlatan because he hasnt hurt anyone.He seems like he uses religion to be forgiven for a past decision.
2. He seems to draw people to him wherever he goes but is that necessarily positive? Does he need others' adulation or is he leading folk to God?
He is a good speaker. I think that he truly preaches. He has put in a lot of effort to sut up other churches and I think he wants to spread his religion. He doesn't do too many crazy things. He might have anger issues, but he isnt a bad person.
3. Does he share any qualities with another preacher we've met, Bishop Enoch?
Apostle EF and Bishop Enoch both seem like good people. They both seem to use religion and preaching to make up for something in their pasts. They are not the nicest people but I dont think they have bad intentions.
1. The way that Sonny is presented is interesting becuase while he is a man of faith and has followers, he is quite "messed up." This is an interesting dichotomy becuase he has admitted that he was done bad things, such as being a womanizer amd he continues to be a womanizer. However, he is faithful to his God, he builds a church for the community and he helps inspire people. I look forward to seeing how his faith will collide with life later on in the movie.
ReplyDelete2. I think that Sonny preaches and belives in God to have a place in the community. The fact that people follow him makes him feel important and feel a sense of belonging in the community. He does also gain negative attention when he slams the bat right in his ex wife's face and makes him go into a coma. This shows the contrast between Sonnys actions on earth, and his faith.
3. He feeds off of the energy of the crowd and he uses him faith to cover up/deal with his past mistakes.
1. I think that he is a man of faith because even though he clearly has made some mistakes in his life, he clearly still believes that God will guide him to the right placed and help him through his hard times. He does continue to pray and talk to God and trust in God which proves that he still is a faithful man.
ReplyDelete2. I think that it is a positive thing because he hasn't done anything wrong to the people he preaches to and for the most part the people like and trust him that he is a good person. I do think however that in the future of the movie he will have a negative impact on the rest of the characters.
3. I think that both Enoch and Sonny are both very dececated to their faith and try to impose their will on everyone around them. Enoch forces Silas to do work around the church and pray around the house. While Sonny has his children sing song and even though it is awkward he prays with his date at dinner. Both have had rough pasts, but their are trying to get rid of those pasts.
I truly think Sonny is a man of faith. He is in distress which caused him to lash out, but other than that, he has not made any other huge mistakes in the movie. Judging by how much work he put in to create a new church and not leave Christ, I don't think he would be charlatan. In the movie, his mom told the neighbors on the phone that he prayed every night and we could see that he was passionate about praying in the film. He believes in helping others and giving children hope with God. Throughout the movie, he has a love for the children of the church, so I think he is a true believer.
ReplyDeleteSonny is a very powerful and verbose guy. At the radio station broadcast, he spoke expressively about how God can guide you to heaven and help you in your journey. He gains followers by being so strong and certain about whatever he is saying and the people want someone like that.
He shares lots of similarities with Bishop Enoch. The two obvious ones are speaking powerfully in and out of the church and making a huge mistake in their lives. As I stated before, they both are liked in their community because they are great persuaders and people just love them. With Enoch, he molested Blessing and for Sonny, he hit Horace with a baseball bat. Throughout the movie, you can clearly tell that they reflect on each mistake and wish they hadn't have committed it.