...In Mary Devereaux’s essay “Beauty and Evil,” she discusses how the film Triumph of the Will raises the question, how do we examine certain films as an important artistic/aesthetic achievement when they advocate morally ‘wrong’ ideologies? Devereaux writes about three possible methods in which we can evaluate this film and/or its aesthetic qualities. They are, 1.) Formalism, 2.) Sophisticated formalism, and 3.) Nonformalism. She finds claims that the first two are weak but argues in favor of nonformalism. I will claim that all three forms of interpretation are weak and she errors in arguing for nonformalism. Formalism can be understood by the separation of aesthetics and moral content. Someone who has adapted the formalist view would evaluate...
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...aftermath. Throughout the essay, Lawrence criticizes Prynne for her sin and states that she does not deserve to be the hero in Hawthorne’s novel. Lawrence uses biblical allusions, concise syntax, and alliteration to criticize Hester Prynne in a sarcastic manner. The use of biblical allusions is prevalent in D.H. Lawrence’s critique. He uses these allusions to compare Hester to the true heroes and undermine the idea of Hester being viewed as a hero. His negativity toward Prynne is especially apparent when he states,”The fiery heart. A. Mary of the Bleeding Heart. Mater Adolerata” (Lawrence 1). By comparing Prynne to this figure, Lawrence outlines shows the glaring differences between the biblical hero and the Adulteress. Mary is known to soften evil hearts while Prynne instigated the evil (Chillingsworth) and tainted a holy man (Dimmesdale). By calling Prynne Mater Adolerata, he is using sarcasm to show that Prynne is in no way a saint like Mary. While Mary...
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...Every situation has a good and a bad side. People have the power to choose their own actions. After a scenario has played out there are many emotions that can play out in people’s minds. Robertson Davies understood that in many life choices, guilt is present. In the novel Fifth Business, many characters express guilt while others disguise it. Dunstan Ramsey is a character that feels guilt throughout the book, while characters like Boy Staunton and Mary Dempster do not feel guilt. This could be viewed from a Good versus Evil aspect of meaning. To begin with Dunstan Ramsey, being the main character has a lot of emotions that readers had access to while reading. Presently, the one that prevails the most is guilt. Throughout his life Dunstan...
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...Four sleeps. The above situations reflect the doctrine of the defence of necessity which will be discuss in the following text. One can submit that in Eric’s situation, he may argue that he has been threatened by Jeannie as if he did not find the ‘real divergent’, he could be kill. However, in such situation, the court definitely will not allow the defence of necessity, as in order to prove the defence, the defendant must prove that (1) he or she was in a situation whereby there is a choice between two unpleasant alternatives (2) the defendant broke the law to prevent a greater evil. As per Glanville Williams necessity is meant ‘the assertion that conduct promotes some value higher than the value of literal compliance with the law . In Eric’s situation, although there is a choice between two evil, the court will not allow the argument that he broke the law (he killed others) to prevent a greater evil (to save his own life) as the law stated that no one may justifiably kill an innocent, simply to preserve their own life , and secondly, the threatened had not nominated the offences which he had committed. The classic case for the defence of necessity is Dudley and Stephens . The generally accepted ratio in this case is necessity cannot be a defence to a criminal charge, in particular to murder. The principle in Dudley was affirmed in the Missouri decision of State v Green , whereby the defendant escaping from prison, in order to avoid homosexually assault and raped; however, he...
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...In Arthur Miller’s, The Crucible, while there are other evils portrayed, Abigail Williams is by far the biggest evil throughout the story. She is a wicked teenaged girl who has her heart set on a man that she will never have and that causes bitterness to develop. While other characters display flaws and moments of unreasonableness, Abigail shows her level of monstrosity through manipulation, compulsive lying and allowing anyone and everyone to get hurt in order to obtain what she wants. Abigail is extremely manipulative, she has many people under the thumb of her control and often uses it to her advantage. For example, the girls all go into the forest and dance, and do other things considered unrighteous by the town. Abigail uses fear to manipulate...
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...Mary Mitchell Slessor was born in 1848 in Scotland, she was the second of seven children. She credited much of her good character to her upbringing from her deeply religious mother. Her father ran a shoe making business that did not go well, he became an alcoholic, which resulted hardship and poverty for the family. Mary started working to help provide for her family at a very young age, her wages became the primary source of the family income, she worked up to ten hours a day to make ends meet for her family. She became a Christian at a young age. She enjoyed going to church; it was a getaway from her unhappy life at home. Her older brother who was planning to go as a missionary died, at 25 years old, she decided to go in his place. She embarked on her missionary journey to calabar in 1975 where her battle for women’s rights began, she fell sick from malaria several times and eventually passed away in 1915, nearly forty years after coming to Africa, at the age of 66. Mary Slessor has become an inspiration to all who hear her story. She was not only a pioneer missionary, but also an activist for women in general. Slessor campaigned against injustices against women. Witchcraft and superstition were prevalent in Nigeria when she arrived there because traditional society had been torn apart by the slave trade. Human sacrifice routinely followed the death of a village dignitary for instance tribal customs like killing one wife of a chief in order for her soul to accompany her husband...
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...concept of judgment has always been present. First impressions have always been based on appearances, rather than the judgment of the person’s actions. However, judging a person only by his or her appearance may not necessarily help to find out what the person makes of him or herself. Looks are deceiving and judging based on physical imperfections will not tell you who the real monster is. With judgment comes pity, a universal human characteristic that determines a person in a unstable situation looking for help. Analyzing an individuals isolation from society, having parents with poor parenting skills, and manipulation of character can all have an influence of who we pity. In Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein she allows us to make our own choices based on details she presents from various characters. Mary Shelley uses the motif of Isolation in exploring the idea of humanity. Both Victor Frankenstein and the Creature suffer from isolation physically and mentally. Shelley emphasizes what the Creature lacks when he says, “ I learned and applied the words, fire, milk, bread, and woods. I learned also the names of the cottagers themselves. The youth and his companion had each of them several names, but the old man has only one, which is father. The girl was called sister, or Agatha; and the youth Felix, brother, or son”. (112) Shelley purposefully uses those words because they are exactly the first words a baby would learn, showing that the Creature is similar to a helpless infant...
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...Why is it that in almost every story told of good versus evil, the protagonist is hailed as the hero who vanquished the heartless villain? Yet no one ever cares to think of the antagonist at a personal level, and actually try to understand what they are feeling. In Mary Shelley’s, Frankenstein, Dr. Victor Frankenstein’s creation commits crimes that portray the creature as an evil and immoral being, and based solely on its actions the reader cannot help but hate the creature to a certain degree. However in this story the reader is allowed to know what is happening within the mind of the creature and is able to find reason behind its actions. Knowing the origin of the creature’s feelings, showing that is more than just a grotesque hunk of flesh, allows the reader to sympathize with the creature and to understand its reasoning behind its actions. There are many stories where a reader is only vaguely informed of the past of the antagonist and the reader is unable to feel a connection between both the antagonist and protagonist. Most likely the reader will side with the protagonist because their feelings are more easily understood and accepted and the reader will not even give a second thought about the antagonist. Luckily for the reader, Frankenstein is not like that, Mary Shelley allows the reader to understand the creature by giving the full presentation of the character. “Listen to my tale: when you have heard that, abandon or commiserate me, as you shall judge that I deserve...
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... English 10/23/13 Critical Lens Someone once said “Evil triumphs when good men do nothing” meaning that when a good person decides to do nothing evil will succeed. For example if someone was getting bullied and an onlooker decide to do nothing than evil would prosper. This quote id false because there in no way to know who is “good” and who is “bad” due to everyone having a different understanding of what is good and what is bad. Some people believe that those who don’t go to church are bad but in reality many people who don’t go to church have better morals than those who do go to church yet the fact they don’t makes them seem bad. Another way this quote is false is that if someone were truly “good” then they wouldn’t stand around and watch as evil prospered. One piece of literature that proves this quote true is The Crucible by Arthur Miller through his use of characterization and conflict. As stated above the quote “Evil Triumphs when good men do nothing” is false due to the elusive from in which “good men” is used. In The Crucible Arthur Millers’ use of characterization proves this quote false. The Crucible is a play about the domino affect which wild accusations about witchcraft caused in a small religious town known as...
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...Katie Lewis Mrs. Miller English 11, Period 1 26 November 2014 The Good, the Bad, and the Witches Buddha once said, “There has to be evil so that good can prove its purity above it.” His words describe how there is both evil and good in the world. There is also both good and evil in Arthur Miller's play, The Crucible. In 1692, the witch trials played a huge role in the lives of people in Salem, Massachusetts. The townspeople feared witchcraft so much that it created confusion regarding who was actually a witch and who was not. Many accusations were made leaving innocent people responsible for the mysterious acts of witchcraft. Abigail Williams reveals her impurity by doing just this. Abigail constantly lies to the court and does everything in her power to save herself, even if it means falsely accusing others. In Miller's play The Crucible, Abigail Williams proves her impurity of soul by having an affair with John Proctor, lying to the townspeople, and attempting to kill Elizabeth Proctor. Abigail first reveals her impure heart through her love affair with John Proctor. Although Abigail is aware that John is married to Elizabeth Proctor, she does not let their relationship get in the way of her own selfish desires. Johns fends off Abigail when he says “Abigail, I may think of you softly from time to time. But I will cut off my hand before I’ll ever reach for you again. We never touched Abby” (15). Abigail argues, “Aye, but we did” (15). Here Abigail shows no guilt...
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...It is suggested in the Bible that God is omnipotent (all-powerful), omniscient (all-knowing), and omnibenevolent (all-good). If these concepts are valid, it would be logical to assume that there is no unnecessary/undeserved suffering in the world. However, according to the argument from evil, this is not the case. To exaggerate this point, we can reference occurrences such as the Holocaust, starving children in third-world countries, as well as natural disasters that leave many innocent people and animals in distress. Therefore, it is disputed that there is not a perfect omnipotent, omniscient, and omnibenevolent God. If a God with all three properties existed, than he/she would acknowledge if there was any suffering in the world, and would exhibit both a moral obligation and ability to stop it from happening. In turn, we are left to question whether God is at fault or if all the suffering in the world is deserved. A popular reply to this argument as well as the divine evil argument (God sends those who don’t believe in him to Hell, and is therefore an evil monster) is known as the mysterian reply. This response states that it is unclear why God allows unnecessary/ undeserved suffering or why he bans people to hell, but God is both mysterious and unpredictable. We can be comforted that whatever he does is morally good, even if we are unable to comprehend it. If one upholds the idea that the goodness of God is inconceivable, then one cannot be sure about any aspect of afterlife...
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...Introduction Frankenstein was Mary Shelley's (1797-1851) first published novel, written when she was only eighteen years old in 1818. In her preface to the 1831 edition, Mary Shelley tells the reader that she was asked by her publisher: "How I, then a young girl, came to think of, and to dilate upon, so very hideous an idea?" Explaining where and why the idea for Frankenstein came to Mary Shelley could answer it Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin (living with but unmarried to the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley); Shelley; George Gordon, Lord Byron; and Dr. John Polidori spent the summer of 1816 in Switzerland. According to a 1 June 1916 letter by Mary Shelley, "almost perpetual rain confines us principally to the house." Lord Byron (a friend of Shelley's) and his physician John Polidori, resided nearby at the Villa Deodati. Persistent heavy rains kept them indoors, the four finally resorted to telling familiar and recently published horror and ghost stories. For days they told tales which included gothic elements: graveyard and convent, burial vaults, mysterious trap doors and passages, wild locations, secluded spots, and pursuits by moonlight. Finally, one evening at Byron's villa, they made a pact to see who could write the most frightening ghost story. Both Percy Bysshe Shelley and George Gordon, Lord Byron, had earned widespread fame; even Mary had first published a book at the age of eleven (Mounseer Mongtongpaw). Each undertook the task eagerly. It is said that Mary had a nightmare on which...
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...Mary Slessor was born in 1848 in Scotland. She was the second of seven children. She credited much of her good character to her upbringing from her deeply religious mother. Her father ran a shoe making business that did not go well, he became an alcoholic, which resulted hardship and poverty for the family. Mary started working to help provide for her family at a very young age, her wages became the primary source of the family income, and she worked up to ten hours a day to make ends meet for her family. She became a Christian at a young age. She enjoyed going to church; it was a getaway from her unhappy life at home. Her older brother, who was planning to go as a missionary, died. Mary decided to go in his place. She embarked on her missionary journey to Calabar in 1875 where her battle for Christianity began. She fell sick from malaria several times and eventually passed away in 1915, nearly forty years after coming to Africa, at the age of 66. Mary Slessor has become an inspiration to all who hear her story. She was not only a pioneer missionary, but also an activist for women in general. Witchcraft and Superstition were prevalent in Calabar when she arrived there because traditional society had been torn apart by the slave trade. Human sacrifice routinely followed the death of a village chief. The custom that broke her heart most was 'twin-murder’. The tribes thought that twins were a result of a curse caused by an evil spirit that fathered one of the children. Both babies...
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...Victor Frankenstein also proves that he is to blame for the Creature’s evil actions because, in the creation process, he never considers the thoughts and feelings of the Creature. The epigraph of Frankenstein which is from John Milton's work Paradise Lost perfectly describes the Creature’s feelings, stating that Did I request thee Maker from my clay, To mold me, Man, did I solicit thee, From the darkness to promote me (Shelley). John Milton’s Adam quote shows that Frankenstein never considers how the Monster will feel about being created so ugly, that he, in a sense, transforms the Creature into an evil monster. Just as Rousseau’s state of Nature Theory claims that as man gains power, he becomes corrupt. Victor gained the power to create another lifeform, that he forgot about consequences, thus leading to his downfall towards the end of the book. Along with this topic, Victor also never considers the fact that the Creature is partially human and therefore has human characteristics. The Creature demonstrates these characteristics when he asks Victor to make him a female companion because each character wants to have a partner to eliminate loneliness and misery. The Creature also displays several other human characteristics such as his sense of want towards the Delacey family when he explains his hopes that the family...
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...absolutely the best resource available to us Christian counselors and ministers of the gospel. Unfortunately, some individuals due to their selfish reasons will elect to misuse it to accomplish their sinful desires. This is exactly what happened in the case of Mary and her father. He read Exodus 21:12 without reflecting on the scriptural and biblical meaning of this text or verse. On the other hand he knew the biblical interpretation of this verse but yielded into temptation to commit this hideous crime against his own daughter. This is completely defeats the good intention of the Bible that is saving lost souls and bring them back to Christ. Based our online lectures McMinn seriously cautioned us as Christian counselors and minsters involved in counseling to very careful on how we use the Bible during counseling. He mentioned five potential programs that are associated in using the Bible in counseling. He stressed on two most important ones. They are “Overconfidence and over reliance" when using the Bible in counseling. He points out this is where we fall short of the interpretation and application of scriptures that we read from the Bible, (McMinn 2011, p. 136-137). This is sexual molestation. The main focus here is on Mary whose life was shattered and is vulnerable. As for the father he is already undergoing punishment for his wrong doing. Is intervention possible? I would say with no doubts in my mind that indeed it is possible. There is nothing impossible with God's intervention...
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