Free Conscience Essays and Papers

Conscience Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary defines conscience as "the sense or consciousness of the moral goodness or blameworthiness of one's own conduct, intentions, or character together with a feeling of obligation to do right or good." In A Man for All Seasons, each character's conscience plays the ultimate role in the outcome of the story. "Individual conscience" is trait that each character possesses. This trait differs in intensity throughout the play in each of the main characters

“Thus conscience does make cowards of us all” – William Shakespeare. Is it true? Does the conscience actually regulate our behaviour and make us timid and humble as Shakespeare suggests? Does the conscience have the power to make cowards of us? Or would it not be able to prevent us from becoming tyrants? More importantly, does the conscience actually exist? The Oxford Dictionary defines ‘conscience’ as, “a moral sense of right and wrong especially as felt by a person and affecting behaviour (my

Crime and Punishment:  Imperfect Conscience A highly educated individual, avoiding the hardships of society while pondering the possibility of great wealth, Raskolnikov, in Fyodor Dostoevsky's "Crime and Punishment," frustrated with his immoral actions, suffers from an abrupt physical and mental breakdown after brutally mutilating a wicked pawnbroker. After this soul-scarring incident, the initial feelings of success in completing his mission quickly changes once he realizes possible flaws in

The Crucible:  The Concept of Conscience Conscience is the awareness of right and wrong. In The Crucible, the idea of conscience in strongly emphasized. Miller himself said, "No critic seemed to sense what I was after [which was] the conflict between a man’s raw deeds and his conception of himself; the question of whether conscience is in fact an organic part of the human being, and what happens when it is handed over not merely to the state or the mores of the time but to one’s friend or

THE TRAGEDY THAT IS MACBETH Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” explores a fundamental struggle of the human conscience. The reader is transported into the journey of a man who recognizes and acknowledges evil but still succumbs to its destructive powers. The character of Macbeth is shrouded in ambiguity that scholars have claimed as both being a tyrant and tragic hero. Macbeth’s inner turmoil and anxieties that burden him throughout the entire play evoke sympathy and pity in the reader. Though he has the characteristics

Clear Conscience The most important line in Hamlet  is, "The play's the thing, wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king." (II, ii, 617).  In the play, the issue of a clear conscience forms a key motif.  When the conscience of the characters appears, it does so as a result of some action; as in the case of the aforementioned line, which follows Hamlet's conversation with the player.  This line is of particular significance because it ties action and its effect on the conscience of the

Huckleberry Finn's Struggles with Conscience Since Mark Twain published The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in 1885, critics have considered it an excellent example of a story tracing the journey of a young man from childhood to adulthood.  Through the years, readers have enjoyed seeing Huck grow from a young, carefree boy into a responsible young man with a decent sense of right and wrong.  The " adventures" appeal to readers who had to make some of the same tough decisions

Anne Sullivan: A Woman of Strong Conscience When I think of powerful women from the past, Anne Sullivan is one of the first women to pop into my mind. Anne Sullivan was born on April 14, 1866 in Massachusetts. Her real name is Joanna, but she was called Anne throughout her life. When Anne was still young she suffered from a serious illness that left her nearly blind. Anne’s mother died when Anne was only eight and her father left Anne and her two siblings two years later. The children were

Stanley Milgram, conducted a study focusing on the conflict between obedience to authority and personal conscience. According to the study Migram suggested “that obedience we naturally show authority figures can transform us into agents of terror” (Migram, 1974/1994, p. 214). Milgram experiment was developed for the justification of the act of genocide in World War II. Many of the accomplices in the Holocaust said they were following in order given by Adolf Eichmann. Obedience to superiors is built

Iago of Othello Iago has no conscience. He is an angry man and is happy to take down everyone around him to get what he wants: revenge. It is in Act 1, Scene 3, that he devises his evil plan. Here we can see inside Iago's mind. It is easy to see that his primary motivation is jealousy: jealousy that Othello may have slept with his wife, and jealousy that Othello chose Cassio over him. As he plots his revenge, it is clear Iago respects and cares for no one. (Act 1, Scene 3, 378-381) I hate