Final Exam Essay in Literature, Free Example for You

Hungry Poor People

In the bible, Christians are required to offer food to those who are hungry, comfort those in despair and give clothes to theory without clothes. Slavery was a gross violation of the principles of love and tolerance. The discussion that Mr. and Mrs. Bird have exhibited these tendencies and acknowledges the ethical violations in the Christian faith (81). Slavery takes a person away from their home and subjects them to hard labor for no pay. It strips a person of their liberties and even basic amenities that humans need to lead a dignified life.

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The treatment of slaves was among some of the most grotesque approaches towards social, political and economic dominance. Slaves were traded, marked by their owners and treated as indispensable commodities. These practices were not Christian like. They were acts of violence in which persons could not find live, hope, empathy, or tolerance. These people, therefore, lived in suffering and fear to the benefit of their ‘Christian’ masters (Stowe 8).

The story of Jesus Christ as narrated in the Bible speaks of a man with an abundance of love for his fellow man. He is a man of perfect moral character, and he dies for the lives of others who may not be as morally upright as he is (Stowe 6). In the book, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, there are several important references to the path that Jesus Christ took in his days on earth. Some of the similarities for the path that the Christ took include, sacrificial death of Christ and even direct references to Jesus’ resemblance.

The author compares Eva’s physical appearance to that of Jesus and shows Tom carrying his cross behind Jesus Christ. It is these comparisons that readers are able to make the link between Christ and Tom and Eva. Both characters are immaculate examples of perfect Christians. Their characteristics create an emotional attachment to their stories making their eventual death a sentimental affair. Christian goodness and its value are themes that are explored in this excerpt and thoroughly so (Stowe 67).

Important Rhetorical Tool

The use of opposites and contrasts often make for an important rhetorical tool for Stowe. His use of the two styles can put the characters and plotlines in the story, have both rhetorical and symbolic meaning. For instance, Eliza and her husband decide to move north, entering into a world of freedom and peace (Stowe 60). In the same length, Tom decides to go south, entering deeper into slavery and martyrdom.

In using these styles, Stowe is able to advance the themes of slavery’s, escape and the power of women. In the book, he makes contrasting narrations about Eliza and Cassy. Their position as mothers allows the author to explore what she considered good motherhood and bad motherhood. It is important to note that these comparisons make for important notes in the plots of the characters and as examples for some of the themes that are explored in the book (Stowe 66).

At the time of its publishing, the lives of slaves and struggles that they had to endure at the mercy of their masters made it very difficult for such a publication to have credit. As an activist in the abolitionist movement, Garrison’s endorsement of the stories that were told by Fredrick Douglass had a significant impact on the understanding of the book. In this Narrative, he makes sure to introduce the author of the book, as a slave, and gives several arguments based on morality and Christianity on the ill that is slavery. It is through these arguments that the preface puts the book into perspective and authenticates its contents as valid and real occurrences (Douglass).

Two of the most important issues that are discussed in the Narrative were, the fact that slaves had no legal authorities to which they could voice out the atrocities they went through, and that the very idea of slavery was in contradiction with Christianity. These two arguments made it necessary that a preface of this nature be included in the book (Douglass).

Early in his childhood, Fredric Douglass had an insatiable need to compare the men and things that surrounded him. In doing so, he hoped to understand why it that his people were was forced to toil while the White men and their people sat comfortable in their homes. It is in this persistent thought that he came to understand that the African American was not doomed by nature to forever work on cotton farms and endure some of the atrocities that he had seen and experienced (Douglass).

Liberty and Freedom

His need to understand the world in his view would afford him certain liberties. From his perspective, by learning about the world, he would have a better understanding of how it was and possibly inspire him to look for a better way in which all men were seen as equal and treated as such. He was able to create a deep understanding of how slavery affected the mind and a man’s desire to live a better life. It was through this initial persistence that he was able to strive for liberty and freedom for his entire race (Douglass).

Evil while intangible is often substantive and real. The death of innocent children by terrorist actions cannot be termed as a powerful and pervasive feeling that overcame one man. With all its influence, man has free will and the capacity to make rational decisions. Each person is responsible for their actions and should make sure to follow moral and legal guidelines. Just as God has the power to end all pain and suffering, man has the power to choose how to handle pain, suffering, temptation and other influences that may not necessarily stem from his thought.

Evil is not pervasive it is powerful, but it does not persuade the man to dive into acts of chaos and evil. On the contrary, it is the different wants and desires of man that he is pushed to behave in certain manners. Being able to know one's role in their immediate world can make for important tales of how best people should approach evil. It is often in the hands of man to be happy or to assume they are powerless over the nature of evil.

Just like most ancient civilizations, Native Americans often used storytelling as a means of relaying important cultural lessons and advancing the social and cultural ties that Native American were required to uphold. To ensure that the stories advanced the mythology and culture of their people, certain styles like repetition were used to relay important spiritual information to the audiences who were majorly children (Native American literature 1).

In Native American culture, the number of times that a storyteller repeated an incident in their story was directly related to the sacred in their culture. For instance, groups of four were associated with the four cardinal points or certain deities. Seven, on the other hand, involved the cardinal points, and the three deities (skyward, on earth and center.) the number of repetitions also invoked rhythm and drama in the entire story telling experience (Native American literature 1). It was in this manner that the people listening to stories were able to gain knowledge on their culture and experience a different understanding of the world (Native American literature 1).

The First King of England

In this reading, Paine challenges the legitimacy of England’s claim for America to pay Allegiance to Great Britain. He asserts in another passage in the reading that the fact that Europe was the mother continent of the United States of America holds no real ties to the country. The fact that the people from England and Europe fled the continent in search of liberties that they were not afforded at home makes them two different entities and should be treated as such (Paine 87).

In the passage, there is also a comparison of France and England. For one, the first King of England was a Frenchman. The country’s beginning, like the United States of America, has a significant tie to that of another country. He even argues that France should have some influence on the political arena of England. These examples further put the argument to perspective (Paine 87). Does the initial French King demand some allegiance to a new and different country from its mother country? This is the same predicament in which America finds itself. A lot of the initial settlers and founders of the country were of English decent. However, they escaped Europe in search of a better life. Their ties to Europe has not inclination on the future of the country as a sovereign state (Paine 87).

In ‘The Cask of Amontillado’ the use of intellectualism and pride are significant motifs that the author uses to advance the themes of betrayal and foolishness. The protagonist of the story, Montresor is used by the author to depict how a person can use their intelligence to administer revenge to other people. He decides to take revenge on the antagonist of the story, Fortunato through luring him by his vice, Alcohol (Poe 72 - 77).

Fortunato, on the other hand, is an important character as it is through him that pride is presented. He believes that his love for alcohol makes him the superior judge when Montresor suggests that Luchesi might be a good choice to taste the Amontillado. Convinced that he is the better man, he asserts his prowess over Luchesi and therefore falls into the trap that Montresor laid for him (Poe 72 - 77).

These two characters ultimately see the completion of a revenge planned for a long time and the subsequent death of a man too proud to know when he is set up. Poe in this manner was able to connect the two plotlines of the characters and further their role throughout the story (Poe 72 - 77).

In ‘The Birth-Mark’ Aylmer is not content with the appearance of his wife, Georgina. She is very beautiful but as a birthmark that makes it impossible for him to accept her appearance. He is determined to go on looking for a cure that will remove her wife's birthmark from her cheek. While the narcissistic tendencies of Aylmer should scare away Georgina, she unconditionally loves her husband and ensures she remains faithful to him and always willing to please him (Hawthorne 1).

She is inquisitive and therefore finds herself looking at some of the notes that her husband makes in his experiments. Upon reading through these notes, she discovers her husband is less successful that she originally thought. Many of his experiments fail to reach their original target he set. Still, she loves and believes in her husband enough to test out for a ‘cure’ for her birthmark. Her husband concocts some potion for her which removes the birthmark from her face (Hawthorne 4). Unfortunately, it also kills Georgina. In this sense, she is brave enough to die for the love she had for Alymer (Hawthorne 4).

Most of the questions are framed in a manner that seems to have part of the answer to the questions. In the execution of James Morgan, there are several instances where the framing of the questions does not give him room to answer with a definitive response but rather prompts him to defend himself. For instance, when he is asked whether he thinks he will go to heaven or hell, considering his actions on earth, he is inadvertently prompted to speak of his hope for redemption and forgiveness by God (Cotton 71).

The framing of the questions is not meant to realize a different response other than that which is implied in the question. Still, some of the questions asked are genuine. For instance, asking about the age of the plaintiff is a direct and very important question. The author simply doesn’t want to talk about the flaws of Morgan but rather provide more information about the subject. These questions validate the decision to execute him (Cotton 71).

Work Cited

Douglass, Frederick. My Bondage And My Freedom Ny Frederick Douglass, With An Introduction By Dr James M'cune Smith, ... 1st ed. New York: Miller, 1855. Print.

Douglass, Frederick. Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave. 1st ed. Boston: Anti-Slavery Office, 1844. Print.

Cotton Mather. The Wonders of the Invisible World. New York: B. Franklin, 1970.

Poe, Edgar Allan, The Cask of Amontillado 1809-1849.

Mather, Cotton. Pillars of Salt: An History of Some Criminals Executed in This Land, for Capital Crimes. Printed by B. Green, and J. Allen, for Samuel Phillips at the Brick Shop near the old-meeting-house, 1699. Print.

Native American literature. (2017). Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 16 March 2017, from https://www.britannica.com/art/Native-American-literature

Paine, Thomas. Common Sense. Philadelphia: printed. And sold by W. and T. Bradford [1776]; Bartleby.com, 1999.

Stowe, Harriet Beecher, 1811-1896. Uncle Tom's Cabin. London :J. Cassell, 1852. Print.

Nathaniel Hawthorne. The Birthmark: Opera in One Act. , 1981. Print.