A Canticle For Leibowitz Analysis

Summary In “History as Judgment and Promise in A Canticle for Leibowitz,” Dominic Manganiello argues that the idea of History within A Canticle for Leibowitz can serve as judgment, promise, and religious bias by examining the close relation between the church and historical memorabilia. Manganiello identifies History as a myth in which it is vulnerable to historical bias through false representations of previous generations as well as the heavy monastic influence the church has on historical records and its publicity to the public. The article focuses on the power of the monastery within and narrows in on “The Flame Deluge” and “Lucifer” to examine the reasoning behind the historical bias. Dominic Manganiello then proceeds to utilize evidence …show more content…
In addition, the article’s emphasis on the inability to learn from previous mistakes strengthened the link between the different parts of the book as my previous understanding of the book had focused solely on character conflict as a reason for nuclear fallout. The idea of historical bias and its consequences not only broadened my understanding and analysis of Canticle, but also widened my perspective for history as a whole in that the facts we learn are subjective to our trust with previous generations to provide us with an in depth and adequate understanding of the past. In regards to today’s society, Manganiello’s thesis and main argument about learning from past mistakes is directly applicable to the current society as we develop our technology and civilization by avoiding the mistakes repeated before us like those of fallen empires, such as both the Roman or Ottoman empire. Overall, the article’s thesis and argument strengthened my understanding of the multiple causes for the death of the divine cycle by broadening my perspective through connecting the different intentions and motifs of both Miller and the chapters within the