Faustian Essays

  • Embryonic Stem-cell Research - A True Faustian Bargain

    1556 Words  | 4 Pages

    Embryonic Stem-cell Research - A True Faustian Bargain In the debate over whether the federal government should fund embryonic stem-cell research (ESCR), our country is being offered a true Faustian bargain. In return for a hoped-for potential - it is no more than that - of deriving desperately desired medical breakthroughs in the treatment of such afflictions as Parkinson's disease, paraplegia, and diabetes, we are being asked to give the nation's imprimatur to reducing human life into a mere

  • lieshod Marlow's Lie in Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness

    1178 Words  | 3 Pages

    generally accepted that Marlow told a lie to the Intended - the reasons for that lie are debatable. Through his lie, Marlow gives Kurtz a type of forgiveness. In so doing, perhaps Marlow errs on the side of restraint, while upholding the belief that Faustian wisdom has little value. One of the main themes of Faust is that knowledge can be demoralizing, and in the end, is better left alone. From the outset of the book, Marlow makes observations on the uselessness of civilized knowledge on the African

  • Black Supremacy

    1296 Words  | 3 Pages

    notorious for mistreating all races other than it's own. Malcolm X felt "the white man had been actually nothing but a piratical opportunist who used Faustian machinations to make his own Christianity his initial wedge in criminal conquests"(563). The earth is burdened by the white man! That is the true meaning of what Malcolm X is stating; the words Faustian machinations, meaning evil plotting, implies the whole white population is out for the blood of other races. Many members of the black race are adopting

  • A Crisis of Faith in Salvation, by Langston Hughes and Young Goodman Brown, by Nathaniel Hawthorne

    1191 Words  | 3 Pages

    In �Salvation� by Langston Hughes and �Young Goodman Brown� by Nathaniel Hawthorne there is a crisis of faith was present in both stories. Although both of the stories are very similar, they also are very different, too. In both stories, the main character experiences a loss of innocence through a faith crisis. The outcome of the loss of innocence in �Young Goodman Brown� was both positive and negative and in �Salvation� entirely negative. The faith crisis affected the way Goodman Brown and Langston

  • Faust

    1762 Words  | 4 Pages

    told in some contemporary films to this day. All though it is not always as direct as a deal with the actual devil, the same basis of the story can be seen in present day films. In one of the most successful movies of the year 2000, The Matrix, a Faustian theme is evident. The Matrix is a science fiction movie directed by the Wachowski brothers. The old legend of Faust is, in short, about a young scholar who made a deal with Mephistopheles, the devil. Faust was seeking ultimate knowledge and in the

  • Faustian Bargain Essay

    1020 Words  | 3 Pages

    his own beliefs and mind set to get it. That is exactly what he did he made a Faustian bargain. A Faustian bargain comes from when “Faust, the legend, traded his soul to the devil in exchange for knowledge.” The actual meaning isto “strike a Faustian bargain” is to be willing to sacrifice anything to satisfya limitless desire for knowledge or power.” A Faustian bargain is still relevant in society today, there are Faustian bargains being made some for bad reasons and others for the better good. In

  • Faustian Bargain Research Paper

    577 Words  | 2 Pages

    Faustian Bargain Many people hear of making a deal with the devil, but never know the correct term. A “Faustian Bargain” is making a deal with the devil that under no circumstances, including death, can be broken. Each person on earth has a soul. Throughout time people have relinquished their soul to the devil for what they most desire. This “deal” does not guarantee the amount of time left for the person giving up their soul. Is it worth the rest of time in hell, to get what is desired while we

  • What Does Faustian Bargain Mean?

    827 Words  | 2 Pages

    carbon dioxide and its greatest impact is in disposition. We need to worry about how much carbon dioxide is required to decommission a certain object. 3 “Faustian Bargain” is a story that a scholar names Faust, experiments black magic and sells his soul in exchange for extraordinary powers to satisfy his desire. According to the author, “Faustian Bargain” is an analogy for our love affair with cheap fossil fuel energy. Our planet has provided us with extraordinary powers to bend space and time to

  • Variation Of A Faustian Tale In The Devil And Homer Simpson

    1314 Words  | 3 Pages

    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

  • "The Devil and Tom Walker" and "The Devel and Daniel Webster" - Two Modern Faustian Legends

    929 Words  | 2 Pages

    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

  • Faustian Deal in The Woman in White, The Picture of Dorian Gray, and Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

    1935 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Faustian deal and subsequent fall is a common theme throughout literature, and with each new iteration sheds increased light on the character of the individual and of society. The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins, The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson are all texts which exhibit the Faustian deal and descent, complete with Doctor Faustus and Mephistopheles counterparts. Sir Percival Glyde, Dorian Gray, and Dr. Edward Hyde are all characters

  • Essay Comparing Gray And Young Goodman Brown

    2312 Words  | 5 Pages

    simplified, but they allude to the inherent Faustian qualities of each work. The purpose of these Faustian structures poses a question that is critical to understanding the similarities between the narratives. Despite Wilde’s literary focus on Decadent-based themes and Hawthorne’s development of early American Gothic ideals, the threads of Faustian symbolism cross the conventional boundaries that separate literary movements. At the most basic level, Faustian allusions are generally used to develop the

  • Faust Analysis

    716 Words  | 2 Pages

    The human beings' inherent curiosity, tendency towards inner development through education, knowledge, philosophy is constantly the main issue of the Faustian trade-off. We see a plethora of references to the Greek antiquity (Helen of Troy, etc) which symbolises classical humanity values like knowledge and philosophy. Faust's child with Helen of Troy is called “Euphoria” (greek word for ultimate happiness

  • Hester Prynne And The Faust Motif

    968 Words  | 2 Pages

    Prynne. From the moment Hester commits her soul to the cause of the devil, she ceases to be the standard heroine of the typical romance” (Stein). Stein claims that Hester is neither a tragic heroine, nor a saintly individual. Rather, Hester exhibits Faustian characteristics as she surrenders her moral integrity to serve her own selfish desires. Hester’s

  • Analysis Of Oswald Spengler

    2280 Words  | 5 Pages

    Oswald Spengler and The Decline of the West Mohd Faiz Mohd Zin History of Western Science and Technology Oswald Spengler (29 May 1880 – 8 May 1936) is a pessimistic German historian and philosopher, who equals or surpass Nietzsche in his own time. He propounded a new perspective for evolving cultures as a whole to explain the history of the world, which then challenged the contemporary idea of linear history. Generally, the philosophy of linear history is really a powerful assumption for people

  • The Role of Gretchen in Goethe´s Faust

    790 Words  | 2 Pages

    Gretchen’s story appears to be cast as one of seductive and self destructive female sexuality, anchored in the symbolic witch-scenes and the sexual revelry of the Walpurgis Night. It is also a story of infanticide and of confinement in the patriarchal Faustian world. Gretchen’s supposedly female voice is, indeed, quite different form Faust’s eloquent self-presentation in soliloquies and dialogue; but it is a voice shaped and controlled by Goethe according to late eighteenth-century notions of gender.We

  • Faust: Positive or Negative

    2072 Words  | 5 Pages

    claims that Faust cannot be considered a moral hero, but instead a negative figure because Faust does not follow the ordinary “moral” point of view. I agree with his claim that Faust is a negative figure, and my paper will build upon the argument that Faustian ethic, which include striving for self-realization, leads to disaster. Much evidence is taken from the final scene of Faust I, “Dungeon.” Destro claims that Faust is negative because he is a “superman” and turns his back on the judgments and values

  • Faust: A Legend of Modern Times

    3054 Words  | 7 Pages

    As the children of a melting pot culture of British, French and German influences, the American consciousness is uniquely poised to reflect upon the impact of one of the most prevalent and oft-retold legends of the modern age: Faust. German in origin but moreover a culmination of various historical figures and indigenous lore, the story of Faust is that of a man who sells his soul to the devil for youth, wealth, pleasure, power or whatever else the writer in question can think to attribute to him

  • Death, A Personified Representation Of Death

    1158 Words  | 3 Pages

    well as the well-known Seven Deadly Sins as a way to corrupt characters souls, leading to their deaths. Marlowe has also used the Faustian Pact as a way to lead characters to damnation. This has been achieved through the use of language and structure, imagery and macabre. These elements will be discussed in relation to my own creative writing work, specifically the Faustian pact in the working title ‘Hell on Earth. ‘Spiritual death can indeed become the cause of physical death and eternal damnation’

  • Hedonism In The Picture Of Dorian Gray

    2071 Words  | 5 Pages

    In The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, hedonism, the pursuit of self-pleasure, is a widespread view. When Dorian Gray comes under the influence of Lord Henry Wotton, his personality, as well as the influence he has on other people, quickly worsens. The Picture of Dorian Gray gives many examples and negative outcomes of hedonism, such as bad influence, distorted self-image, disastrous love affairs, and corruption. In the beginning of the book, Dorian Gray, a beautiful young man, is sitting