It was July 1519. The stage was set in Leipzig, and thousands of Europeans flocked to Pleissenburg Castle, where the Protestant Martin Luther and Scholastic Johann Eck had gathered to debate one of the most seminal theological issues of the era. The seeds of the Protestant Reformation had been planted, but the turmoil had barely begun. At a superficial level, it was difficult for many contemporary followers to comprehend where Luther and Eck disagreed. Both theologians believed in the presence of God in human life and both agreed on the existence of salvation. Yet, it was their interpretations that differed. It was Luther’s belief in justification by faith alone against Eck’s defense of the Catholic doctrines of free will, grace, and good works that sparked centuries of discord all across the world. It all centered on the theme of perspective and reflected the critical philosophical distinction between truth and reality. As Friedrich Nietzsche would write centuries later, “There are no facts, only interpretations” (“Philosophy”). Throughout history, one concept that has been similarly presented and interpreted in myriad lenses is that of the devil. In Mikhail Bulgakov’s novel, The Master and Margarita, and Director Stanley Donen’s film, Bedazzled, the two devil characters are united by their manipulative actions and anthropomorphic characterizations. Although they differ in the expressions of their power, each interpretation reflects an increased disparity of power between the devil, God, and humanity as a whole.
Throughout Donen’s film and Bulgakov’s novel, the two satanic characters, George Spiggott and Professor Woland, humiliate and instill fear in innocent individuals through deceit. Rather than terrorizing others with wrath...
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...epictions of Satan as manipulative in his actions, anthropomorphic in his relationships, and adept in orchestrating evil, both works result in same final effect: they imbue the devil with a more frightening and pervasive form of power. Ultimately, these two characterizations of the devil reflect the importance of perspective and interpretation, which are critical as society continues to globalize and intercontinental relations fortify. Individuals and nations must learn to listen to one another and respect each other’s perspectives. After all everyone’s stance is unique; everyone’s opinion contributes to a greater whole.
Works Cited
Bedazzled. Dir. Stanley Donen. Twentieth Century Fox, 1967. Film.
Bulgakov, Mikhail. The Master and Margarita. Brophy College Preparatory. AP ENG 4: Blackboard, Nov. 2013
“Philosophy.” StackExchange, 20 June 2013. Web. 9 Dec. 2013.
Tucker, Robert C. "The Mortal Danger". Course Reader for World Culture: Russia Since 1917. New York University, Spring 2001.
A Faustian legend is a story in which a character trades something of great personal value to the devil in order to receive personal gain. Since this type of literature originated in the Fourth Century it has spread throughout the world. Two relatively recent versions of this legend are “The Devil and Tom Walker” by Washington Irving and “The Devil and Daniel Webster” by Vincent Benét. These stories show many similarities as well as a few differences. While both Benét and Irving present similar themes in setting of the tales and motivation in the Faustian character, they do differ in the nature of that character and their visual presentation of the Devil.
In present society, humans constantly use others for their own intentions. In the novel, Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card characters use people's naivety to their own advantage. The adults in this novel use the children's innocence for their own nefarious purposes and consequently, manipulating the children leads to having powerful individuals as the story progresses.
During Russia’s transition to communism in the early 20th century, conflict and unease permeated every part of life. Nothing was stable and very little of what the Bolsheviks had fought for had come to fruition by the time the USSR disbanded in 1991. The “classless society”, which was to work together for the prosperity of everyone, never became a reality. In the end, the majority of Russia’s 20th century was an utter failure on a grand scale. However, there were many amazing products of the system do to the great importance of education in Russian culture. Priceless novels were written, timeless movies were made, and great scientific endeavors were realized despite the rigid control placed upon Russian persons by the government. In fact, some of the most memorable written works of the time were written protests to the creativity-stifling situation many writers found themselves in. Because of the danger to their lives should the wrong people be upset by their writings, Yevgeny Zamyatin and Mikhail Bulgakov wrote their most popular, Soviet-life condemning novels under the guise of satire. Even though they’re satirizing the same subject, in both We and The Master and Margarita respectively, they take very different paths to do so.
Whether Andrei Rublev (Andrei Tarkovsky 1966/1969) ‘accurately’ or precisely reveals the reality of life in the 15th century has nothing to do with any actual audiences’ reactions to the film as experience. Instead, what we can feel is the becoming of the experienced world into distraction from something else. As a spotlight, for its intensity, might remind us what is outside its beam, the sprawling and unlimited earthly world of the film points to something outside the widescreen frame. The film makes itself a diversion from something that had equally not existed before the image began moving – or had it existed? The movie is enough to send audiences fleeing to god. And is, in this manner, a proof of god much like Pavel Florensky’s by iconography: “There exists the icon of the Holy Trinity by St. Andrei Rublev; therefor...
The power of manipulation is a very powerful tool and can easily be misused to benefit
* Heiko A. Oberman. Luther: Man Between God and the Devil, trans. Eileen Walliser-Schwarzbart (New York, NY: Doubleday, 1992).
George Gibian. New York: Norton, 1989. Frank, Joseph. The. Dostoevsky: The Miraculous Years, 1865-1871.
It is inevitable that people wish for things that they do not have. The Devil sometimes tries to use this propensity to tempt people to sin and follow him instead of God. The classic idea of a “deal with the devil” has been the premise for many stories since the late sixteenth century. Many of these stories are similar but also have their own twist on the concept. Faust, part I by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, “The Devil and Tom Walker” by Washington Irving, and “The Devil and Homer Simpson” by Greg Daniels and Dan McGrath are all a variation of a Faustian Tale, but they each convey different ideas. These Faustian tales have similarities and differences which convey their own message through portrayal of characters, outcomes and plots, and styles
Tolstoy, Leo. "The Death of Ivan Ilyich." Norton Anthology of World Literature: 1650 to the present. 3RD ed. Volume E. Puchner, Akbari, Denecke, et al. New York, London: W. W Norton, 2012. 740-778. Print.
19 Feb. 2014. Cornwell Neil, and Nicole Christian. Bulgakov. Reference Guide to Russian Literature. London: Fitzroy Dearborn, 1998.
Joyce Carol Oates’ “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” and Flannery O’Connor’s “Good Country People” portray a similar view on Satan. In Oates’ story, the focus is on a young girl of fifteen and her flirtations with sin. The Devil’s reaction to her sins is portrayed through Arnold Friend. O’Connor’s story however, points towards the nihilistic “scientific approach to Nothing” to the downfall of good people and the following of God. She represents this downfall through Manley Pointer. (CS 285) These two characters cause harm to the protagonists, and inadvertently bring them to a moment of grace. The idea of a satanic figure roaming in the realm of reality as a common person has been around for centuries. Oates and O’Connor are able to materialize this idea by hiding their characters behind a façade of false normalcy that attracts the protagonists into their schemes.
Riasanovsky, Nicholas V., and Mark D. Steinberg. A History of Russia. 7th ed. Oxford: Oxford, 2005. Print.
As satanic involvement among our youth increases, we begin to see the primary goal of such activity. It has become clear, according to the data so far analyzed by those who investigate satanic involvement, that the primary goal is to alter people's values and turn them against themselves, their beliefs, family, God, and society. C. S. Lewis, a famous English writer, in his book Screwtape Letters, says this about Satan:
In addition, Satan contains advanced skills with persuasion and misleading claims. This is easily seen in modern government elections with candidat...