Penance

“Be completely humble and gentle; Be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace”(Ephesians 4:2-3, New International Version). Patience, love, and humility are important virtues in the sacred vow that is marriage. An absence of these virtues often leads to a destructive relationship between man and wife. Due to extensive abuse by their partner, there have been many instances in which victims of Battered Women Syndrome…

life of falsehood in front of the eyes of his followers. On top of all this, Dimmesdale continues further, committing self-harm, as a way of repentance. After his untimely death, “some affirmed that Reverend Mr. Dimmesdale…, had begun a course of penance… by inflicting torture on himself”(Hawthorne…

The Knight Antonius Block, searches for answers. The knight is more of a recluse and has few conversations. He spends most of his time in search of the truth and reflection. He seeks the truth. His mission appears to be to seek the true face of God. This is demonstrated when he asks the witch who is to be burned, to show him the devil. In a sense, this shows the obvious connection between the two. A possible theory might be that they are one in the same. He appeared to believe that the two would…

You are an imprisoned prisoner in a concentration camp. A dying Nazi soldier asks for your forgiveness. What would you do? This question is presented to the reader on the front cover of the book “The Sunflower” written by Simon Wiesenthal, who was a Jewish prisoner in a concentration camp during the 1940s. When Simon was asked for forgiveness from Karl, the SS soldier, Simon did not forgive him and kept his silence due to the pain he felt from suffering, war, and turmoil. In this reflection, I…

of his life for his action. The mariner’s resemblance of the author extends even beyond this. Through the blessing the mariner bestows on the sea creatures, he is freed of the albatross hanging around his neck, but it still lives within him. As penance, he has to continue to relive the story by telling it to everyone he meets. These events in the story could symbolize the struggle of Coleridge to overcome his addiction and the determination he has to part with his bad habits. The he is…

(183). In this quote Dimmesdale wishes that there was at least one person in the town that could acknowledge his sin so he does not live a false life. The next quote defines how he struggles with the acknowledgement of his sin and his desire for penance because of it. He knows his actions are unacceptable to God and he fears this represents his lack of salvation. To prove he still has devotion to God, he fasts until he faints and whips himself on the shoulders until he bleeds. Unfortunately…

The video "Hinduism (World Religions: A Whirlwind Tour" was not what I expected. I appreciated Professor LD Russell's attempt to try and get the audience to put themselves in Hindu's shoes. It is easy to think that the Trimurti may not be "good" gods because Shiva is the destroyer but if we really stop to think about it, it is not all that different from our God. However, he was all over the place and it was difficult to follow his train of thought. I attempted to watch the video on four…

Clash in “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” contains some elements of the Romantic period. The poem deals with ideas about nature, supernatural world, and man’s inner self. On the other hand, R.C. Waterson says that Coleridge’s poem belongs to “no age, but to all the men of all ages” (147). In general, most critics do agree with R.C. Waterson since the poem deals mainly with man and his conflicts. The whole poem is about a seaman and his human experiences at sea.…

All wrongdoings comes with consequences no matter the size. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a book based in the Puritan Era. The Puritan’s are known for their strict moral code, and monotheistic beliefs. The wrongdoings of this time are known as sin. So, when Hester Prynne, the main character, is convicted of committing adultery the entire town turns against her. Roger Chillingworth, Hester’s long lost husband, also gets directly affected by Hester’s crime. Hester’s Lover, Arthur…

miasma could linger on the clothes and bedding of the infected as well (Slack, 437). However, there was debate about the origin of the miasma. Some said that God sent the miasma directly to Earth, others said that the miasma was due to certain alignments of the stars. German physician Konrad von Megenberg blamed the miasma on earthquakes caused by God. He believed that the earth held poisonous gases inside, and when God sent an earthquake, the poisonous air could escape through the cracks in the…