The film The Cabin In The Woods deals with the slaughter/sacrifice of young characters for the purposes of appeasing dangerous, ancient gods. This is conducted as a ritual — a specific sequence of acts, conducted at a specific time and/or place, with important symbolic meanings that affirm power structures within both society and the cosmos. Discuss one scene from the film that shows how the film is concerned with ritual, and then go on to discuss how rituals reinforce social identity, relationships, and power in religious societies. How do religious rituals define the identity of a religious community? How do they maintain power structures and figures of authority? How might they connect with myths that are fostered within religious traditions? You should use one example of a ritual from a religious tradition we’ve looked at to help flesh out your discussion.
