“It is pride, not covetousness, which is the Pardoner’s greatest sin.” How far do you agree? Pride has been traditionally considered the chief of sins due to it incorporating all aspects of the others as it involves false beliefs in a person’s own importance, is the sin through which Lucifer fell and became Satan and is the was the downfall of Adam and Eve due to them believing they could be gods themselves. In The Pardoner’s Tale the Pardoner is presented as ‘a ful vicious man’ implying that he has no morals and is engulfed by the sins that he preaches. Using the word ‘vicious’ is intriguing because of the sibilance and the snake-like onomatopoeic nature to the word. It represents him as almost inhuman as he has more serpent-like qualities.
In “The Minister's Black Veil” Mr. Hooper, while talking to Elizabeth explains “If I hide my face for sorrow, there is cause enough...” (Hawthorne 447) In other words Mr. Hooper has no choice but to comply for his sin by wearing the veil. And in “Sinners in the hands of an Angry God” Jonathan Edwards tell his congregation that hell is the place one will go if they commit a sin. Edwards describes with vivid details “ it is a great furnace of wrath a wide and bottomless pit, full of the fire of wrath, that they are held over in the hand of that God, whose wrath is provoked and incensed as much against you, as against many of the dammed in hell”. Saying that hell is where God will send the helpless evil
The veil that was supposed to make Mr. Hooper an idea turns him into a symbol of evil causing him to further treasure sin. Because of his own arrogance, the veil corrupts him and projects him as a source of evil. While unsure of what specific lesson Hawthorne was trying to teach in writing his parable, many ideas can be gained from this story. The most important that sticks out is that one is enlightened to the fact that we all are guilty of sins and should be able to admit to them. We are taught that one consequence of guilt, hypocrisy and arrogance is displacement from
Subsequently, the relation between the proverbs “Ignorance is Bliss” within the pieces will be drawn. Lastly, it will be determined how in both works, the domestic ‘bubble’ played a role in creating personal distance from reality. In the Dead Poets Society, prior to meeting with Mr. Keating, Neil Perry had a very interesting relationship with his father. When he was not with him, Neil appeared to be a natural born leader, who tried to encourage others to become more outspoken. However, he immediately became submissive and obedient as soon as his father came into the picture.
Pray can I not, Though inclination be as sharp as will. My stronger guilt defeats my strong intent,” (III.iii.36-40). Claudius opens his soliloquy in a way that almost makes the reader feel sorry for him. A confession of his own immoral behavior to God that stems from a deep conviction. This is proof that Claudius is in a battle within himself.
* “Do you know who makes good first impressions? Liars.” * "The belief in a supernatural source of evil is not necessary. Men alone are quite capable of every wickedness." Joseph Conrad * "The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you will see." Winston Churchill * "When a good man is hurt, all who would be called good must suffer with him."
In Melville’s Billy Budd, Claggart, the Master-at-Arms aboard the Bellipotent, is a symbol for evil or Satan. John Claggart’s name characterizes his role in Melville’s novel. His common English given name paired with the harsh, cacophonous name of “Claggart” typifies his role as a conniving figure of evil. The fact that Claggart is evil is inevitable because the physical descriptions of Claggart are less appealing than those of Billy Budd, the ideal of an uncorrupted man newly aboard the Bellipotent, and help indicate his evil nature (Smith). The narrator describes Claggart by stating, “his complexion…though it was not exactly displeasing, nevertheless seemed to hint something defective or abnormal in the constitution and blood” (qtd.
Richard overcompensates his inferiority. Richard is directly influenced by a society that does not respect him, and so he does not respect himself or society. Richard is a slave to his devilish nature, and acts on his animal instinct throughout the play. These animal characteristics are emphasized by the various metaphors in the play. The other characters liken Richard “to wolves, to spiders, toads, or any creeping venom’d thing that lives.” Shakespeare portrays Richard as a monster and a beast.
Goodman Brown: Recently married Puritan who lives in Salem in the 1600's. He believes in the goodness of the townspeople until he sees many of them attending a witches’ sabbath in the forest. Goodman is a title equivalent to Mister. Faith: Goodman Brown’s wife. The Devil Figure: Mysterious man who meets Goodman Brown in the forest and accompanies him part way to the witches’ sabbath, where Brown is to be inducted into an evil brotherhood.
We may go round our history books either lambasting or extolling powerful leaders, but we will always come to the conclusion that power does corrupt a man. The thirst for power is unbounded and the lamentable consequences often quash a man. Getting power is just the onset of melancholy, disaster, lugubriousness and sorrow. All the leaders throughout history were undoubtedly very strong and were feared but we often learn that they were sordid, uncouth, perpetrators, lascivious, perplexed and unscrupulous. They often committed a myriad of staggering sins and believed they were masters of perpetuity.