Use of Darkness and Light by Melville, Poe, and Hawthorne
Melville, Poe, and Hawthorne all tend to focus on the darker side of humanity in their writings. In order to allow their readers to better understand their opinions, they often resort to using symbolism. Many times, those symbols take the form of darkness and light appearing throughout the story at appropriate times. A reader might wonder how light functions in the stories, and what it urges the reader to consider. If we look carefully at these appearances of light, or more likely the absence of it, we can gain some insight into what these "subversive romantics" consider to be the truth of humanity. Hawthorne uses this technique to its fullest; however, it is also very obvious in the stories of Poe and Melville. All of these authors have something to say about what they perceive as the breakdown of man and society - and they often clue us in by using differing degrees of light.
The presence of darkness and light is probably the most apparent in Hawthorne's pieces, and "Young Goodman Brown" is an excellent example. The story starts off as Young Goodman Brown begins his trip into the forest, away from his wife, Faith. The first presence of light is in the first sentence: "Young Goodman Brown came forth at sunset ...." Now, there is light in the sun, but the significance lies in the fact that the sun is setting. The brightness in life - that is, the goodness of humanity that once existed, is now being taken over by the darkness. YGB then departs down a "dreary road, darkened by all the gloomiest trees of the forest." There is no mistaking this for anything but a symbol. YGB, representing all man, is going down a "narrow path" leading into one of the darkest and sca...
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...aking of humanity): "this black conceit pervades him, through and through. You may be witched by his sunlight,--transported by the bright gildings in the skies he builds over you;--but there is the blackness of darkness beyond; and even his bright gildings but fringe, and play upon the edges of thunder-clouds."
Works Cited:
Adler, Joyce. "Benito Cereno: Slavery and Violence in the Americas." Critical Essays in Herman Melville's Benito Cereno; Burkholder, Robert E.,
ed. Macmillan Publishing Co., NY, 1992.
Gargano, James. "Art and Irony in William Wilson." New Approaches to Poe; Benton, Richard P., ed., 1970.
Levin, Harry. The Power of Blackness. New York, 1967.
Melville, Herman. "Hawthorne and His Mosses." From The Literary World, August 17 and 24, 1850.
Accessed at: http://eldred.ne.mediaone.net/nh/hahm.html on May 1, 2000.
I think the main idea the narrators is trying to emphasize is the theme of opposition between the chaotic world and the human need for community with a series of opposing images, especially darkness and light. The narrator repeatedly associates light with the desire to clear or give form to the needs and passions, which arise out of inner darkness. He also opposes light as an idea of order to darkness in the world, the chaos that adults endure, but of which they normally cannot speak to children.
Hawthorne and Poe showcase a theme of darkness but differ in their approach to the setting. In Young Goodman Brown, the story primarily
In 1979, China decided to establish a one child policy which states that couples are only allowed to have one child, unless they meet certain exceptions[1].In order to understand what social impacts the one child policy has created in China it important to evaluate the history of this law. China’s decision to implement a Child policy has caused possible corruption, an abuse of women’s rights, has led to high rates of female feticide, has created a gender ratio problem for China, and has led to specific problems associated with both the elderly and younger generation. Finally, an assessment of why China’s one child policy is important to the United States allows for a full evaluation of the policy.
Fogle, Richard Harter. "Hawthorne's fiction: The Light and the Dark." Nathaniel Hawthorne: A Study of Short Fiction. Ed. Nancy Bunge. New York: Twayne Publishers, 1993. 133-35
Although legalizing concealed handguns create an easy access to firearms by criminals and emotionally disturbed people, it is less likely that these individuals will use their weapons if they feel their target is armed as well. Allowing citizens to carry would always cause the question of ‘who is carrying?’ to arise in the criminals’ minds. According to economist and political commentator John Lott, had the states that did not have concealed handgun laws in 1992 actually allowed concealed carry, the murders would be reduced by “1,839; rapes by 3,727; aggravated assaults by 10,990; robberies by 61,064; burglaries by 112,665; larcenies by 93,274; and auto thefts by 41,512,” (Lott 58). Simply by allowing individuals the right to carry concealed weapons cuts major crime rates dramatically. When criminals are aware that their potential victims could also be armed, they are less likely to act on their violence for fear of the assault turning against them. Whereas, if concealed carry was illegal, criminals would know that their target would most likely not be carrying, thus making these individuals more likely to act on violent
Nathaniel Hawthorne's bold novel, The Scarlet Letter, effectively employs three major symbols: light, dark, and the scarlet letter. The novel relies heavily on light and dark symbolism to represent the eternal struggle of good versus evil.
For the most part, the entire movie portrays a worldview similar to that of the Naturalist stance. Excluding Poe and Baby-O, the entire cast doesn’t even acknowledge God. Many times the two friends are faced with difficult situations. When Poe was about to leave prison, Baby-O asks who will watch his back Poe replies God will. In another scene, Baby-O is shot through a struggle on the plane. He then questions Poe about if there is a God. His answer, I’m going to show you that God does exist! These two take a very theistic view towards God, although they don’t admit to being a Christian, they do acknowledge “a” God of some form. The entire “gang” of convicts follows a naturalist worldview exactly. There is no God; they can altar their own destiny. This is very evident throughout the entire movie. The character that portrays the naturalist world best would be Cyrus Grissom, the leader of the renegade convicts. Cyrus feels that he has total control over every situation. God doesn’t exist; therefore humans act as supernatural beings.
As of 2013, all 50 states allow concealed carry of handguns (Concealed Carry Reciprocity Maps), although a few states don’t require a permit and the standards for licensing vary greatly from state to state. In the U.S. most states are “Shall Issue” states. This means they will grant anybody a permit that meets certain guidelines such as being 21 or older and not having any felony convictions, a history of mental illness or domestic abuse. A handful of other states are “May Issue” states. In these other states, such as Maryland, a permit will only be issued if you can prove you need it. This can be a large obstacle and these states will usually only issue permits to people in the public eye, wealthy individuals that are well-connected or business owners frequently transporting large sums of cash (Concealed Carry Reciprocity Maps). Although the requirements and standards are different wherever you may live, one thing holds true- concealed carry permit holders are rapidly growing. The market for handgun training, concealed carry courses and smaller, more concealable handguns have opened up. When concealed carry was first gaining popularity there were two very different schools of thought. Some thought that violent crime would decrease, as criminals would fear the everyday person that just may happen to be armed. Others thought that having people carrying around concealed handguns in public would lead to an increase in violent crime with people losing their temper and shooting each other. When analyzing the data and crime trends, it is clear that with this influx of concealed carry permit holders there has not been a corresponding increase in violent crime.
Illinois (specifically Chicago) is notorious for crime. The state is ranked number twelve out of fifty-one (the fifty-states and District of Columbia) as of 2008 for violent crimes and ranked number five out of fifty-one in armed robberies by the FBI (United States Dept. of Justice 3). In turn, the District of Columbia reported a forty percent increase in violent crimes for the year 2012 (Noble). Gun rights activists view concealed carry licenses as a crime deterrent based on the reasoning that criminals will not attack someone who may be armed (Concealed Guns 2). The Chicago Gazette published “Gun rights groups challenged the [Illinois] law banning concealed weapons” in 2009. Acitivist with funding fromthe National Rifle Association sued on behalf of an Illinois woman who had been attacked while volun...
Emile Durkheim is another sociologist who used Herbert Spencer’s theory to explain the change in society. He believed that society is a very intricate system of interrelated and interdependent parts that work together to maintain stability (Durkheim 1893). This ensures that the social world is held together by shared values and languages. He wrote the Division of Labor.
In “William Wilson”, Edgar Allan Poe teases his readers throughout the entirety of story with hints about its unexpectedly expected conclusion. Through figuratively-infused passages, Poe meticulously leads the reader to the front steps of the story’s ending without ever truly revealing the conclusion until the final sentences. Within those final sentences, the question of who the second William Wilson truly is, is answered, immediately transforming the story from a battle between two physical beings with both the same name and appearance into an internal battle staged within the mind of one man with conflicting desires. In order to create this dramatic and essential shift, Poe externalizes the protagonist’s internal struggle by blurring the
Hawthorne and Poe were great romantic writers and displayed the true conviction of knowing life and death in many different measures. It was this aspect that separated them from each other and made them completely different from each other. With all of the works between the two writers The Birthmark, The fall of the House of User, Annabelle Lee, and Rappaccini’s daughter these four would be both simultaneously the same and different. What has been said about these two writers can only be matched by the over whelming view on what their cherished more than the other. With Hawthorne was truly the gift of life, even though his wife died and his children had horrible tragedies of death due to sickness. It was the sense that Hawthorne knew he had fought for the love of his wife even though she was deathly ill and that postponed their marriage. It made him think that no matter what you have in this world you must cherish the good in it. This was evident in his stories and like Rappaccini’s daughter where the loss of the daughter truly affected the father in ways unimaginable. Even though he cherished her in a different light than others would Rappaccini looked at his frail daughter just as Hawthorne did his wife with all the love in the world. Poe was not the same though when the audience read his work. It was as if you knew there was a dark cloud that lingered over his work to portray that ultimate sense of gloom. As in Poe’s life he had tried several time s to find love and when he truly found it when he married Virginia Poe. With Poe he did not take the view of cherishing his loved ones but in fact sought the darker side of life when his wife died from the illness. This was the point where he would ever be haunted by his wife trying to prove to her that he will always love her no matter what burden he may
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. "Young Goodman Brown." The Norton Anthology of American Literature. Ed. Nina Baym. 7th ed. New York: W. W. Norton and Company, Inc., 2007. 1289-98. Print.
Over population has been a global issue for decades. Medical advances have made it possible for people to live longer and have multiple births, which are just some of the factors contributing to this social problem. Many countries have attempted to battle this issue, but none as intensely as China. China allows the government to have full control over family planning to help reduce the population. In 1979 China created a policy called the "One Child Law" which limits couples to only one child. Although the Chinese government hopes to curb the population boom and benefit society, the One Child Policy has morally questionable results, negative impacts on Chinese society, which should be changed.
Art is in everything. Artists can be experts with a paintbrush, phenomenal with piano or a master of their pen. Authors and poets have a chance to manipulate words like no other artist can. Poets in particular can use their words to encompass different kinds of art by painting a picture with lyrical rhythm and imagery. Poets may be common, but for their poetry to be timeless it must be universally relatable. Edgar Allen Poe is regarded as one of the most famous poets in American history due to his well renowned debauchery, gothic tales of terror, and poems which are taught in schools and still analyzed today.