Intertextuality is a term that refers to the use of different text to give a meaning of another one and is common in incidences of translation and plagiarism. I can be in any form and from any source as the Bible, dictionaries, quotes and many more articles. This essay aims at discussing cases of intertextuality from religious sources as used by the famous Martin Luther King in one of his speeches. It will further explain the meanings of such words relating to how they have been used in this context.
Religious intertextuality is seen when Luther speaks about fire that could not be put out by use of water. As far as religion is concerned, there exists the eternal fire that will burn all sinners and this is a form of God’s destruction to humans. This fire will never end and not even a single solution will be found to extinguish it. Martin Luther talks about horses of the fire that would be turn on by Bull Connor, a leader and this would not frighten them. This fire would continue until it could not be put out, but the target would never perish because they had known how to protect themselves and know what they want to achieve.
In religious articles there are white robes that were put on by people on the throne as Jesus, His disciples, temple leaders and anyone who stood before the Lamb of God. These robes were respected and are still available in today’s world. They represent some degree of closeness to God and are commonly put on by the clergy. According to Luther King, his talk about “long white robes over yonder” is the success of equality and justice aimed at that is nice but is still far away and can only be seen at a distance.
The Land of Canaan is the known land of milk and honeys which the Israelites rescued from Egypt were to go to. From its description, it must be a good place and everyone would target such places but Martin Luther mentions it differently. He talks about being in a street full honey and milk flowing, but that is just for some few on this earth. It meant that humans have not reached a point of equal good life and requests for concern for those who do not wish for this milk and honey but just a simple meal for survival.
The Good Samaritan of the Bible passed an injured person in a pool of blood and was able to rescue the victim. Martin Luther talks of the dangerous zone as a “bloody pass” and the Levite and the Priest who passed this person were probably afraid that they could also be attacked as they were not sure of the attackers’ location. It is applied to humans who fear hectic responsibilities like helping the suffering and working hard towards uniform achievement.
In concluding, the words used past and present will revolve and apply to different situations. History is repeated and it is wise to know what happens so that linking of the present and past will become easy and approachable.
References
Giussani, L. (1997). The religious sense. Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press.
Schleicher, M. (2007). Intertextuality in the tales of Rabbi Nahman of Bratslav: A close reading of Sippurey Maʼasiyot. Leiden: Brill.
