Beginning of Essay
The poem Churchgoing portrays the actual act of going to church as a faithless ritual. Marilyn Nelson conveys a very mundane attitude in this poem to describe the atmosphere in the church. The church attendants “sit stolidly,” while the ceremony drags on. ....

Middle of Essay
.... people are there out of a sense of duty. Belief is not a factor or consideration. The title is trying to portray going to church as a perfunctory task programmed into the train of thought. To the people in this poem going to church is like grocery shopping. It is something that must be done. Everyone knows it is the right thing to do, except in this case many people do not understand the concept behind it. Religion does not make a difference. If their parents shop at the Piggly Wiggly then they may also. If their parents are Luthern then they are also. People withdrew the meaning of religion over time. Almost like in Orwell’s 1984, how p ....