Covingtons Conviction of Serpent Handling Essay -- Biography

In Salvation on Sand Mountain, the emotional frustrations, cultural hypotheses, and literary images offer insight into the ethics of the author, Dennis Covington. During his dangerous undertakings while submerged in the ghostly practices of Appalachia, Covington incites anxiety within the reader when discussing worship services involving snakes, and inquisitorial judgment when revealing the number of casualties involved, in turn showcasing his own passions and morality. Covingtons rectitude, goodwill, and countersign all play important roles in revealing his ethos. Subsequently, they also instance his argument No obstacle potbelly switch ones religious devotion.Covingtons intellect boasts a curious ambition to work up the secrets of the Appalachia through factual data and personal inquiries. Their first church in town burned to the ground Covington explains, They suspected arson, besides charges were never broughtthey travel to other locationsneighbors complained of the nois e. Wherever the handlers relocated, tires got slashed and windows tough (25). By presenting facts round the anesthetize the snake-handlers dealt with, Covington reveals how steadfast they are in their religious faith. The snake in the grass-handlers strong devotion has saturnine into a tainted reputation for some, such as Glenn Summerford. Curious to realise Glenns version of why he was put in discard for ninety-nine years, Covington interviews him. When asked about his wife, Darlene, Summerford simply states that when she was living right, she drank poison (50). Faced with a animation sentence in a jail cell, Summerford shows no remorse, and instead criticizes his wife, whom he attempted to murder, for not living by the word of God. Glenn Summerfords recommendation is a ... ... person, yet theirs remain unconquered. As we analyze Covingtons rhetoric, we can see the manifestation of an ethos that follows a strong ethic code, a right on intellectual prowess, and a devoted righteousness towards the confusing, yet strong-willed worshipers of serpent handling. As Covington explains it, There are moments when you stand on the brink of a new experience and understand that you pee-pee no choice about it. Either you walk into the experience or you turn away from it, but you know that no matter what you choosethere will be consequences (2). For the followers of serpent handling, these experiences are always pursued. These consequences, such as broken windows, burning churches, murder allegations, or desperate pursuits of the Holy Ghost, all have laid the foundation for Covingtons argument, that no obstacle can conquer ones religious devotion.