Guilt

Mark Twain, the father of American literature, was a prestigious humorist and satirist in late 19th century. His thorough understanding of American society and familiarity with children’s physiology left a deep imprint on the history of American literature. As one of the his most representative works, the Adventure of Huckleberry Finn depicts the experience of Huck, a southern boy, and Jim, a runaway slave, on the Mississippi River and the relationships and conflicts between them. Those…

“The Cask of Amontillado” and “A Rose for Emily” both relate to each other by telling the story of one who commits a terrible act upon another individual. In “The Cask of Amontillado”, two characters are the focus of the story. Montresor decides to murder Fortunato. He does this by simply having Fortunato intoxicated and bringing him down to the catacombs where Montresor chains Fortunato to a large stone and slowly walls him in. Fortunato is sick and dying, the damp underground cave only…

Why is it that in our society feeling sorry for one's self is unacceptable? I read an article that claims such indulgence will lead one to failure. The author’s use of his friend's job losses and the inability to hold down a job was the direct result of self-pity, a device to be seen as a victim in an attempt to garner another’s attention and sympathy. In actuality, this is a fallacious example of cause and effect (self-pity > victim role.) People usually fall into the victim role as a…

I am sorry. I know what I did was wrong. What they are saying about me is true. These are just some examples of what many celebrities, athletes, and government officials say to the public when they have done something wrong and are trying to fix their image. By confessing to ones wrong doings and actions they are responding by using Apologia. According to Wahl, “Apologia is a character-based defense whose success largely depends on the persona of the spokesperson and is compromised of denial,…

In today’s society, we ostracize people for many reasons. We often ostracize people when they seem different or act differently from the majority of people. People can become ostracized because of their race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, and many other reasons. I have experienced ostracism throughout my entire life because of my sexual orientation, ostracism that was, in my opinion, completely undeserved. My experience being ostracized, however, was a little different than most. Instead…

Some people put themselves in life-or-death situations without the knowledge of the dangers they could face if they find themselves needing help. This brings up the question if people should be held accountable for their actions in this kind of situation. People should not be held responsible for their actions because people aren’t perfect and will make bad decisions, and if a person does get injured or dies in a dangerous situation, it may not always be the person’s fault. A person should not…

At some point in their life, people become familiar with the feeling of shame. Shame is perceived as a devastating emotion because it causes feelings of inadequacy and failure. Because of its negative nature, people tend to prevent shame to themselves and others at all costs. However, through these efforts to avoid shame, people are often pushed outside of their comfort zones and accomplish what seem to be unattainable goals. Karen Russell establishes the theme of “Shame is a motivating force”…

All types of kids will die someday no matter how hard you try to make their lives better economically; similar to the tale “Kids Who Die” by Langston Hughes. Hughes was a literary icon well known for writing about the African Americans’ experience with racism and discrimination during the 1950-1960’s. He was the leading voice of the Harlem Renaissance promoting upcoming young poets. On the other hand, he was the first black poet to support himself through his writing, according to the Poetry…

In The Scarlet Ibis, symbolism is used as a main story telling element. It expresses the character, Brother’s, feelings toward all that happens, and shows his connections to events taking place in the story. In the story, the character called Brother learns to deal with his feelings of hate, embarrassment, and hope for his little brother, who he calls Doodle. He also has to encourage and push Doodle to become normal and fit into society. Brother at the end has to cope with the events of his…

The film Susceptible to Kindness, arranged by Daniel Booth based on the play by David Feldshuh and several interviews, takes a more holistic approach to the question. As it plays on the heartstring of the audience it attempts to displace blame and make the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment an unfortunate event that happened in history. It first takes care to rename the important characters in the story, Nurse Eunice Rivers to Eunice Evers, Dr. Raymond A. Vonderlehr to Dr. Douglas, and the Dr. Eugene…