Part 1 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. The narrator of the poem is also on the verge of sleep, wonderin ....

Part 2 of Essay
.... thing to do. And, the older 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 ....