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.
Abstract Visions of evil operating in this world serve as the subject matter for the dramatist, especially in an era when good and evil were seen more clearly as battling for the human soul directly, often personified as angel and devil. The paper shows that in the Elizabethan era, William Shakespeare in "Macbeth" and Christopher Marlowe in "Doctor Faustus" (both in England) explored these issues in different ways, though each saw evil as manifest and physical as well as sometimes supernatural. It shows that in Spain, Calderan de la Barca a few years later similarly expressed the palpable nature of evil in human life in his "El Magico Prodigioso". The paper examines how the Marlowe and Calderan works are both based on the Faust legend, while Shakespeare's play is based on a historical individual reported. The three plays are related in that in all three cases, the protagonist is guided to success in this life by supernatural forces, imperiling his soul in the process. By comparing the three plays, the paper illuminates the character of Dr. Faustus as depicted in the Marlowe play and suggests how Marlowe used the legend to create a sense of tragedy in terms of a character who has clearly over-reached himself.
From the Paper "The character of Doctor Faustus reflects the view of the historical figure and the image that would be continued in other versions of the legend. He is a learned scholar and theologian, but his ambition for knowledge goes beyond what man is meant to know. He sells his soul for knowledge and power, which are linked, and though he is immediately and continuously faced with a sense of remorse for his fate, he cannot be said to be repentant. His nature in the beginning is more over-reaching than wicked, but that character worsens as time passes and as he exercises the power he has been given. He becomes more cruel and even asks that an old man who tries to save his soul be tortured for this act. The one action he takes that shows his former self is to send his friends away when he knows the devil is coming for him, thus protecting them."
This in-depth paper analyzes various works of Western literature in which the authors utilize monsters or images of evil to symbolically represent the dark side of humanity.
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."
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."
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".
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."
Abstract This paper explores the origins of evil symbols including the pentagram, the eye (the evil eye, the third eye), the horns, the cross, the ankh, the number "6" and the snake. It investigates the reason why these common symbols have become associated with evil in today's society. The paper includes many high quality images of the symbols.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
The History of Evil Symbols
The Eye, The Evil Eye, The Third Eye
Horns
The Cross
666
The Snake, The Serpent
From the Paper "There are many symbols commonly found in art, architecture, and literature which are associated with evil. These symbols have come to denote evil or are used to add evil meaning to otherwise ordinary things, yet the true origin of such symbols is historically not linked to evil at all."
Abstract This paper explains that the problem of evil comes from the belief that a perfectly good God would not let evil exist in the world and that an omniscient and omnipotent God should be able to arrange the world according to his intentions. It argues that since evil clearly exists, it would seem that an imaginary God intends it to exist - such a God is not perfectly good; is not omniscient enough to predict all evil and suffering, or is not omnipotent enough to arrange the world entirely as he intends so as to avoid evil and suffering.
From the Paper "The argument basically says; if God exist, and is all powerful, all good, and all knowing, then there cant be evil, but there is evil, therefore an all powerful, all good, and all knowing God doesn't exist. But it is logically impossible to believe that both evil, and an all good and all powerful God exist in the same reality, because such a God without doubt could and would destroy evil."
Abstract This analysis focuses on two articles on virtuality or virtual literature, including "The Condition of Virtuality" by N. Katharine Hayles and "The Written Word" by Walter J. Ong. The analysis compares and contrasts the views of Ong and Hayles on computer or electronic literature and conventional printed texts. Both Ong and Hayles maintain that virtual literature expands not limits subjectivity and the learning process from the flow of information.
From the Paper "Meaning is culturally constructed The word first orally transmitted then transmitted through print and now electronically transmitted remains paramount in the creation and transmission of meaning. Walter J Ong suggests that the .."
Tags:perception, Internet, World Wide Web, time, space, meaning, construction, deconstruction, reality, cyborgs, understanding, meaning, reading
Abstract This paper looks at the problem of evil as described in three religions: Buddhism, Christianity and Judaism. It introduces the concept of Karma and discusses evil as an essential component of the human condition, a part in the universal conflict between good and evil and the result or punishment of justice. The paper concludes that a Judeo-Christian description of evil is the most preferable.
From the Paper "Centuries before the establishment of modern religion, the problem of evil already plagued humanity. Early philosophers discussed its defining characteristics at length. Socrates, who roamed the Greek city-state of Athens nearly 400 years before Christ's birth, claimed that good and evil could only be distinguished through self-knowledge (Davis, 2000, sec. The Good). However, it seems that this discovery was no easy task; over 2000 years later, theologians continue to debate the problem of evil. At the core of this debate is a struggle to discover the essence of evil and to describe this essence in a way that will force humanity to confront and to judge its own actions. For Socrates, this confrontation took the form of knowledge. The world's theologians, however, sought to define the problem in more concrete ways. "
Abstract The purpose of this paper is to introduce and discuss good versus evil in two works, ?Young Goodman Brown,? by Nathaniel Hawthorne, and ?Hamlet,? by William Shakespeare. The paper breaks down both works and discusses the conflict between good and evil in both works. The author concludes that despite the struggles between the characters in both stories and how evil seems to triumph over good in both stories.
From the Paper "There are many contrasts in Hamlet. There is the good in Hamlet that turns to evil when he seeks revenge. His mother loved his father, but is turned by greed and ambition into a schemer who marries when the old king is barely in his grave. Ophelia is a good woman, but Hamlet tells her he does not love her, and she should go to a nunnery. Yet, after he finds out about her death, he raves that he loved her. Shakespeare loves to use plot twists and contrast to set up the endings of his tragic plays, and Hamlet is probably one of the best examples of the darkness of these twists and turns
Abstract This paper discusses the forces of good and evil and how man's character and nature is influenced by both childhood experiences and genetic composition. While in my personal opinion, a person's nature is dependent on his upbringing, some scientists maintain that there may be some genetic connection which urges a man to indulge in evil acts.
Abstract This paper supports Mackie's position that the traditional Judeo/Christian/Muslim God cannot possibly exist given the evidence of the existence of evil, since God is omnipotent, omniscient and most importantly, Good. The writer maintains that if God did exist and was as described, then evil could not possibly exist because God would do everything - could, in fact - to prevent it, yet evil abounds.
From the Paper "The question of whether or not God, in the Judeo-Christian and Islamic tradition, exists is as old as the religions themselves, and has been answered many times in many different ways. God is said to be omniscient and omnipotent, yet Evil still exists in the world. According to J.L. Mackie and other philosophers, this trilemma is irreconcilable, and therefore God must not exist. It is the writer's argument that Evil does exist, therefore God cannot exist if the statements regarding the power and knowledge of God are true. It is important to establish meanings of the words God and Evil for the purposes of this discussion. The definition of God given by the American Heritage Dictionary will suffice: "a. A being conceived as the perfect, omnipotent, omniscient originator and ruler of the universe, the principal object of faith and worship in monotheistic religions"."
Abstract This paper is an analysis of Shakespeare's play "Macbeth." "Macbeth" is the study of an honorable man and the savior of his country, falling through the turmoil of evil and corruption and ultimately becoming an unnatural man, isolated from his kinsmen, and meeting his inevitable demise. It deals with the effects of evil in "Macbeth" on four different levels of destruction: that of the fallen man, that of his family, that of the state and that of the physical universe.
From the Paper "Often in literature, the forces of evil play a major part in the downfall of the protagonist. As Lennox expresses to Macbeth: "The night has been unruly: where we lay,/ Our chimneys were blown down, and, as they say,/ Lamentings heard i"th"air", strange screams of death,/ And prophesying with accents terrible/ Of dire combustion and confused events/ New hatched to th? woeful time.? (Shakespeare 2.3 54-59) Ironically, he was telling of the horrors from the night before, when King Duncan was slain in his bed, while in actuality Macbeth had done the slaying. Shakespeare's play Macbeth is a ?complex study of evil and its corrupting influence on humanity.? (Richards, 236) It is also the study of an honorable man and the savior of his country, falling through the turmoil of evil and corruption and ultimately becoming an unnatural man, isolated from his kinsmen, and meeting his inevitable demise. The evil unleashed by Macbeth expands into even more evils that effect humanity on all four different levels of creation: that of the fallen man, that of his family, his state, and of the physical universe."
