Young Goodman Brown Essays (1541 words) - Young Goodman Brown

Young Goodman Brown Nathaniel Hawthorne made his mark as a major American writer in 1850, with the publication of The Scarlet Letter. His work appeals to different levels of readers because he creates complex and elaborate settings. Through conflicts within his characters, he analyzes the moral and psychological issues often consumed by their own passions. As he was growing up he could not escape the influence of Puritan religion. This influence along with the setting of his hometown in Salem, Massachusetts are common topics in his work in "Young Goodman Brown." Nathaniel Hawthorne considers the question of good and evil, suggesting that true evil is judging and condemning others for sin without looking at one's own sinfulness. He examines the idea that sin is part of being human and there is no escape from it. Of the many symbols he uses in this story, each has a profound meaning. They represent good and evil in the constant struggle of a young innocent man whose faith is being tested. As the story begins, Young Goodman Brown bids farewell to his young wife "Faith, as [she] was aptly named" (211). When she " ?thrust her own pretty head into the street, letting the wind play with the pink ribbons of her cap" we associate the purity of "Faith" and the "pink ribbons" as a sign of the innocence and goodness of the town he is leaving behind (211). As he continues "on his present evil purpose" he sets off at sunset to enter the forest (212). A place "darkened by all the gloomiest trees," unknown territory, and a place where "there may be a devilish Indian behind every tree," with this we know the forest represents evil and sinfulness (212). His decision to enter the forest and leave his "Faith" behind is the first decision, of many, between good and evil that he must make. After entering the forest he meets a traveler whom he later finds out is the devil. He is carrying a staff representing evil, "which bore the likeness of a great black snake, so curiously wrought, that it might almost be seen to twist and wriggle itself, like a living serpent" (213). When the traveler offers his staff to Young Goodman Brown he resists by replying, "having kept covenant by meeting thee here, it is my purpose to return whence I came. I have scruples, touching the matter thou wot'st of" (213). Still feeling strong in resisting temptation, Young Goodman Brown refuses to "be the first of the name of Brown, that ever took this path, and kept-" (213). At this time he feels he can resist any temptation by keeping his faith. He refuses to believe the devil when he reveals to him that he has been "?well acquainted with [his] family?[they] were good friends?" (213). In disbelief Young Goodman Brown is devastated, but knows that he still has his Faith. "It would break her dear little heart; and I'd rather break my own!' (214). Trying desperately he holds on to his Christian belief, that he is going to Heaven, even when he recognizes the old woman who passes and says "That old woman taught me catechism!" (215). Soon after he also hears Deacon Gookin and the minister discussing the evenings event. Knowing that these people, in his mind were the forefront of goodness on Earth, he is shattered as, " Young Goodman Brown caught hold of a tree, for support, being ready to sink down on the ground, faint and overburdened with the heavy sickness of his heart " (216). He again tries to resist temptation and cries out, "With Heaven above, and Faith below, I will yet stand firm against the devil!" (216). But when he hears many voices and among them is Faith, in desperation he yells out to her. As he awaits a response, a pink ribbon that "fluttered lightly down through the air" as he catches it he cries, "My Faith is gone!?There is no good on earth; and sin is but a name. Come, devil! for to thee is this world given" (217). When he reaches his final destination he has lost all faith in mankind and everything he believes in. The question, " Had Young Goodman Brown fallen asleep in the forest, and only dreamed a wild dream of a witch-meeting?" is irrelevant (221). Whether or not Young Goodman Brown was dreaming or not, his adventure through the forest ultimately causes him to believe that he is better than everyone else and he disassociate himself from all those in

Bambaras Lesson essays

Bambara's Lesson essays When Toni Cade Bambara wrote "The Lesson" she had a definite meaning in mind. The author wanted to stress the inappropriate dispersion of wealth in America. The main device Bambara uses to create her point is contrast. Sylvia, the young narrator, talks about how her family could pay for the rent and then some for the same cost as a toy clown. The difference between the incomes of Sylvias family and a person who could afford to buy the toy is vast. Another contrast made by Bambara was the difference in the neighborhoods that the story took place in. The small poor neighborhood in which the story started and finished was the perfect place for the girls to be. They owned their little neighborhood. It was not a surprise when the girls were taken to bustling downtown New York and were awestruck. Even though the city wasnt in some distant land, located far far away, the children were in culture shock. A part of the story that emphasizes this is when the children get out of the cab onto 5th avenue and all they see is "Everybody dressed up in stockings. One lady in a fur coat, hot as it is. White folks crazy" (p.2). These poor children were submerged into the culture of the wealthy without the knowledge or education to understand the Another issue that Bambara stresses is the lack of teaching by the parents. She emphasizes this by having a stranger come into these childrens lives and teach them about the "real world. The parents and not a stranger should do the job of teaching these children the lessons of life. Every child needs to learn the lessons of social classes at a young age, so that they know that they can rise above what they were born into. A line from the end of the story sums this point up nicely: "I think...that this is not much of a democracy of you ask me. An equal chance at happiness means an equal crack at the dough, dont it?" ...

Week4-4dq4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Week4-4dq4 - Essay Example There are different schools of thought on the subject. Some people feel that Open Source is actually much more dependable than conventional software, in that with more developers involved in it, there is a better chance for more perfect software. However, Gacek (2004) reports that is a fallacy and stereotype in of itself. In addition, she argues that another perceived problem is most Open Source is conceived by some hacker and it was usually mostly available for generally unpopular platforms such as Linux. The truth is, even at the time of her writing, only six years after Open Source came to be, many businesses actually employ software people to develop OS code. Moreover, since the paper, Windows based OS has overtaken Linux. One would probably say Microsoft has a vested interest in keeping Open Source off the software market. So it was interesting that one of the company’s chief engineers gave an interview with the BBC in 2006 (Marson), in which he stated that although OS has its place in society, most people consider the products substandard as compared to commercial software such as his company’s products. One of the most popular and prolific OS products today is Mozilla’s Firefox browser, a direct competitor to Microsoft’s Internet Explorer, with Google’s Chrome. In a side by side comparison of the two (Smith 2011), Firefox won handily in Appearance, Interface and Add ons. For the other categories, such as reliability, performance and industry standard IE and Firefox tied. IE did not win in any category. Therefore, it appears that the engineer’s remarks are wrong and today OS can be as dependable as commercial. As with any other venture, software projects have myriad of risks associated with them. Done right and the project team will be the darling of the company. However, if they fail, not only is it embarrassing but said failure could very well result in career loss. So for the purposes of