Colter's Hell

In the tall tales "The Devil and Daniel Webster" by Stephen Vincent Benet and "The Devil and Tom Walker" by Washington Irvine the authors use the devil as an archetype but both use it in different ways. I believe the authors use this archetype as a means to support the main character and teach us lessons we shouldn't forget. Without this archetype there would be no story or the story would turn out differently. The archetype contributes to the main characters lives and changes them completely.…

Puritans belief on eternal life in heaven was heavily based upon whether or not you've committed a sin. Damned were believed to go to hell while elects lived out eternity in heaven. Although no one was ever sure who god would pick as an elect or a damned they usually assumed that non sinners went to heaven. While Hester and Arthur have committed a major sin, both have been forgiven by god for a multitude of reasons expressed mostly towards the end of the story through dialogue and points of view…

A mong the progression of gods and goddesses, various ones emerge into history with an overshadowing impact, melting Satan’s evil presence into a variety of names and forms. In antiquity, along with Pan, the god Baal steadily advances and becomes one of Satan’s foremost prized advocates; appearing to make their worship indispensable. Baal worship became profuse throughout the ancient Middle East. Prevalently, Baal often acquired other god’s identity, such as the horned Molech, well-known for…

in the 4th circle admonished for their greed. Dante, upon witnessing the torture of these souls feels physical pain out of empathy, "And I, who felt my heart almost pierced through…" Dante even deigns to make a moral judgement about the tortures of hell and God's ability to serve justice, "Justice of God! Who has amassed as many strange tortures as I have seen?" This questioning of God's will and judgement shows more clearly than anything the tremendous journey Dante will have to endure to be…

which represent their emotions, and blood, which represent their lives, are being swallowed up by worms. The souls are naked and are being stung by wasps and are bitten by horseflies. This is contrapasso because since the souls in this section of Hell had led a pointless life, they had a pointless task ; a second way this is contrapasso is that insects and bugs are seen as insignificant, so that is how the bugs and worms treated the souls. When the spirits are seen as being naked, that…

In The Divine Comedy, Dante's Inferno, Dante takes a horrific journey through the Inferno. Throughout his journey, he enters, he discovers that hell is split up into many levels, the bottom where Satan resides. In these circles, he witnesses many people in pain who are being punished for their sins that they committed on earth. Each person's punishment is based on their crimes they have committed, but without all the allusions and justifications they had in their earthly lives. Dante encounters…

church were mostly views of criticism portrayed through the sinners he encounters in his trip through purgatory and hell while Boccaccio explained his views through his characters’ mentioned in his collection of tales. Dante’s attitude towards the church could be argued to be a bit harsher than Boccaccio’s. Dante attacked the church through his creation of the nine circles of Hell. These nine circles…

“ My lyre must always play. For without music we are nothing. We knead the shapes out of nothing. Tunes out of silence, love out of hate. Music that lasts forever.” This quote was stated by Orpheus. Orpheus and Eurydice who were young and in love. Two names that will do anything ,for they were inseparable. ‘‘Love is stronger than death’’. It had all begun when Orpheus fell in love with Eurydice, who was a nymph. They young lovers were overjoyed with each other while fooling around in…

Before Becoming Dante In The Divine Comedy, written by Dante Alighieri between 1308 and 1321, he describes his journey through three realms starting in Inferno leading up to Purgatory and finally arriving in Paradise. Inferno is one of the three parts in which Dante uses more description, including allusions from his background and from his religious point of view, including the Bible, old text, and Greek stories; creating a mixture of sources that he used. Not only that, but he also uses the…

Morals and Religion in Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been Some readers and critics see “Where are you going, Where have you have you been" as a moral parable. In this essay I will examine the moral and religious themes that seems to lie behind "Where are you going, Where have you have you been" the short story by Joyce Carol Oates. Joyce Carol Oates uses metaphor, allegory, and symbolism to convey these themes to the reader without being to overt. The short story is loosely based on the…