Abstract
This paper examines the similarities, in terms of evil and wickedness, between the book "Heart of Darkness" by Joseph Conrad and the short story "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson. The paper explains that in both works, the reader is forced to consider whether wickedness and evil are outside sources that influence the people or, conversely, if evil and wickedness are inside every human being. The paper then looks at how both authors force the reader to consider what actions constitute evil and wickedness, particularly where social normalcy and self-preservation are involved. The paper also suggests that the texts vary in terms of community and social ties as an avenue of evil; "The Lottery" depicts social tradition and normalcy as an opportunity for seemingly senseless violence, while "Heart of Darkness" calls on human kinship as a way to avoid evil and corruption. The paper concludes that in addressing these complex issues, both Conrad and Jackson grapple with the same concerns: the perception of evil and its relationship with being human.

From the Paper
"Evil and wickedness are often talked about as an external force since people do not like to admit that they are capable of evil and wickedness. Instead, many like to believe that evil is an outside force that makes people do things or, at worst, an occasional individual who has become evil after being affected by such forces. For example, Neilson describes Kurtz when the "darkest element has taken control" (41). Does this imply that Kurtz is no longer himself and that a greater force is responsible for his acts? A similar quandary exists in "The Lottery." After reaching the end of the story, the reader has gotten to know the characters in Jackson's story. They seem to be normal, average citizens. How, then, can they be part of the brutal lottery ritual if some outside force is not acting upon them?"

Tags:human, community, social, ritual, complex, issues

Abstract
This paper basically argues that we all have evil in us and we all have the potential of being evil. In other words, we all have the capability of being the next Hitler, but due to our restraints and good will, we will not. This paper also analyzes through literature and artwork, what happens when those restraints fail and evil is unleashed.

From the Paper
"If I were to say that you could be the next Hitler, you would probably think I was crazy and didn t know what I was talking about. Unfortunately this statement cannot be impossible, for everybody has the possibility of being the next Hitler. We all have that possibility because we all have our human nature and this nature covers a vast spectrum. There are people who strive to emerge on the loving side of the spectrum, like Mother Theresa, who gave the world an idea of the infinite beauty and love of the human spirit. She showed everyone how just one woman with love in her heart could affect the world in such a monumental way. Unfortunately the world was also affected in monumental ways by those who represent the other end of the spectrum, people like Pol Pot, who gave the world a grim awakening of just how low the human spirit could fall and how a human spirit absent of love can result in the deaths of millions. Though atrocities such as this may have occurred in the past, the capabilities of human nature have not changed. We are still able to act in same ways as Pol Pot, just as we are able to act in the same was of Mother Theresa. What seems to confuse us all is that even though we are all capable love, some still choose to hate. It is this breach in reason that intrigues a number of authors, poets, and artists and results in their exploration of human nature in such stories as A Modest Proposal and Ladies and Gentlemen, to the gas chambers and pieces of art like Third of May and Massacre of Chois. "

Tags:art, brutality, chois, literature, massacre, may, modest, proposal, swift, third

Abstract
Mark Twain and Nathaniel Hawthorne, two of America's most cherished and revered writers and storytellers, lived in and loved different parts of the country and their writing reflected these differences. This paper compares Twain's "The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg" with Hawthorne's "Young Goodman Brown", looking at differences in their views of evil, Twain's being that evil comes from humans and Hawthorne's that it comes from a higher (or lower, if you will) power, while also looking at what literary critics have to say about each of the stories and their authors.

Tags:hawthorne, twain, literature

Abstract
The writer of this well-researched paper contends and explains the manner in which the theme of monsters in classic Western literature originates from religious, cultural and linguistic sources. This paper focuses primarily on Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" and Victor Hugo's "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," both classic romantic novels which clearly depict dark and gothic images. This paper explores Shelley's writing style which illustrates how evil can emerge from the human psyche literally as well as symbolically. The writer discusses and details the similarities in both novels. This paper analyzes Hugo's intention when describing Quasimodo who is slightly more appealing than Frankenstein, albeit Quasimodo's appearance does convey a certain amount of fear. This paper contains several selected portions of text from both novels which are relevant to the specific topic detailed in this paper. The writer also discusses how this particular style of dark writing has evolved in more contemporary and up-to-date works by authors such as Stephen King as well as in films such as "Fatal Attraction" and "Silence of the Lambs."

Table of Contents:
Introduction
Frankenstein: Who Was the Real Monster?
Victor Hugo's Hunchback: An Illustrative Device
Allegory or Entertainment?
Modern Monsters: The Theme Continued
Conclusions
Works Cited

From the Paper
"There is little question that Hugo fully intended Quasimodo to evoke horror in his readers. He creates Quasimodo as a grotesquely deformed, almost non-verbal, and deaf. Interestingly, Hugo assigns the character a friend, if not a creator as in Frankenstein, but as a protector--one who supposedly has the best interests of the monster at heart. This friend, Dom Claude Frollo, ironically on some levels represents the "best" of humanity as is exemplified by his devotion to the Church and a life of God. However, the reader soon sees the irony, as well as the inherent evil of the human heart not in the monster, but in the supposedly "good" human man. This, the reader sees most clearly in the following passage, perhaps one of the most striking in the novel, when Frollo, a supposed beacon of hope and mercy, passes by Quasimodo being tortured by a terrible mob."

Tags:literature, theme, characters, frankenstein, stephen, king, quasimodo, film, romantic, gothic, dark

Abstract
This paper examines how literature allows us access to the wisdom of those who have come before us, learned the hard lessons of life, and written down their observations so that we might learn vicariously and gain in wisdom without having to make the same mistakes that others have made. It uses, as an example, William Shakespeare's play, "Othello", which helps us to understand how completely people can deceive themselves and how difficult it may be to determine whether a person is, in fact, good or evil. It also shows how Theodore Roethke's poem, "The Waking", addresses a sense of the divine and of the mystical that many of us do not feel for ourselves.

From the Paper
"Othello's sense of honor is his most defining attribute, and while it may be tempting to see this sense of honor as undermined by the passion he feels for Desdemona (and even more by the passion he feels when he imagines that he has betrayed her) he is more undone by honor than by passion. Othello cannot imagine that others will not act honorably since he himself would never do so. He is blind to the possibility of dishonorable action. This failure of imagination of Othello can be contrasted to Iago's own failings, which are quite different. Iago may despise goodness (which is certainly a moral failing) but he recognizes and understands it in others. Othello cannot see evil, which is a terrible sort of weakness indeed."

Tags:desdemona, good, evil, divine

Abstract
This paper gives proof to the statements that women cause all the evil in the world and hence the destruction. The paper makes reference to two pieces of literature: White's ''The Once and Future King'' and Wolfram von Eschenbach's "Parzival".

Tags:women, responsible, evil

Abstract
This paper presents and discusses research obtained from an extensive literature review that was conducted in order to examine four discrete areas of attention, perception and consciousness. The areas that were examined were related to imaging techniques, theories of attention, perceptual judgments of size, and to the Ponzo and Muller-Lyer illusions. The focus of each area examined was a response to a stipulated question or statement and is presented in relation to each question/statement. The paper also includes an annotated outline of the material discussed in each area. The outline identifies where supporting references are integrated into the final paper.

From the Paper
"This paper presents and discusses research obtained from an extensive literature review that was conducted in order to examine four discrete areas of attention perception and consciousness. The areas that were examined were related to imaging techniques, theories of attention, perceptual judgments of size and to the Ponzo and Muller-Lyer illusions. The focus of each area examined was a response to a stipulated question ..."

Tags:sensation, and, perception

Abstract
A response on the topic of good and evil in Flannery O'Connor's short story, "A Good Man is Hard to Find".

From the Paper
"In Flannery O'Connor's short story "A Good Man is Hard to Find", the lines between good and evil are irrevocably blurred when a traveling family crosses the path of a runaway convict. It would be easy to read the story and come away assuming that the Misfit is evil and the family was good. However, when you look closer, it is much harder to say who is good and bad in this story. O'Connor makes..."

Tags:O'Connor, A Good Man is Hard to Find, Short Story, Literature

Abstract
This paper describes the differing perspectives of men presented by male and female authors in the late 19th century. The author bases this discussion on Mark Twain's "Roughing It", Hanna Crafts' "The Bondwoman's Narrative" and Susan Warner's "The Wide, Wide World. The paper concludes that the perception of characters reflecting an author's own sex is wish fulfillment.

From the Paper
"Men and women have always perceived the opposite sex in ways that differ from the perceptions of that sex. The joke about men being resolute, while women are obstinate has some bearing in cultural expectations. Behavioral traits that are perfectly acceptable to one sex are not always valued in, or by, the other. Cultural expectations related to these traits are often reflected in literature. However, the interpretations of these expectations are often expressed differently by different authors, particularly between the sexes. Clearly, although both men and women authors acknowledge the authority that men had in this era, they focused on its effects in different ways."

Tags:men, women, perception

Abstract
The concept of evil is an ancient one and yet remains difficult to identify and to quantify. Often, we cite as evil anything we see as horrible or harmful, though sing the term "evil" implies a certain willfulness on the part of the evil actor, thus excluding the horror that might be seen in, say, an accident. Some types of activity are deemed evil on their face, and war is such an activity. Usually, evil motives are attributed to the other side in the conflict, but in a more general way, war itself is deemed an evil, an evil foisted on the earth by Satan, human nature, history, or some other force.

From the Paper
The concept of evil is an ancient one and yet remains difficult to identify and to quantify. Often, we cite as evil anything we see as horrible or harmful, though sing the term "evil" implies a certain willfulness on the part of the evil actor, thus excluding the horror that might be seen in, say, an accident. Some types of activity are deemed evil on their face, and war is such an activity. Usually, evil motives are attributed to the other side in the conflict, but in a more general way, war itself is deemed an evil, an evil foisted on the earth by Satan, human nature, history, or some other force. The soldier has to face this evil, do his job, and support the righteousness of his cause while trying not to

Tags:evil, war, solider