The banality of evil
What The banality of evil means in English Literature A-Level, as defined for Pearson Edexcel.
Definitions of The banality of evil
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Reference: Pearson Edexcel
The soldiers treat the crucifixion merely as a difficult physical job, complaining about the cross's weight and poorly measured boreholes rather than recognising its theological significance.
The chilling effect created when the soldiers treat the execution as an everyday trade task rather than a sacred event.
Topics that use The banality of evil
- Component 3: Poetry – Section B: Specified Poetry Pre- or Post-1900 – Pre-1900 – The Medieval Period – English Mystery Plays: A Selection, editor Peter Happé (Penguin Classics, 1975) (Pearson Edexcel A-Level)
- Component 3: Poetry – Section B: Specified Poetry Pre- or Post-1900 – Pre-1900 – The Medieval Period – Everyman and Medieval Miracle Plays, editor A C Cawley (Everyman, 1993) (Pearson Edexcel A-Level)
Related terms
- Deception and truth
- Civic and religious identity
- Divine judgement and salvation
- Divine obedience versus human stubbornness
- Duty and complicity
- Duty and manual labour
- Forgiveness and grace
- Gender and domestic hierarchy
Using The banality of evil in the exam
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