.... he says, "Grant me, then, lord and protector of this noble place, a single request! I have come so far, oh shelter of warriors and your people's loved friend, that this one favor you should not refuse me. That I, alone and with the help of my men, may purge all evil from this Hell. Second, another trait that a typical youth has is that they don't want to be outwitted. They also don't want people to think poorly of them. Beowulf shows this when he hears that Grendel does not use any weapons to fight and so Beowulf says that he will not use any weapons because he wants Higlac to think worthy of him. Beowulf shows this trait when he says, "I have heard, too, that the monster's s ....

.... out in the middle of the night to meet up with Tom Sawyer in order to convene with their “gang of robbers”. As they are sneaking away, they make enough noise to attract the attention of Jim, Miss Watson's black slave. He comes out of the kitchen to see what caused the noise, and sits down in the dark to wait for it to happen again, but quickly gets tired and falls asleep. As he falls asleep, Huck wants to leave and meet the rest of the gang so that they don’t get caught, but Tom insists on playing a trick on Jim. So he lifts Jim's hat from his head and hangs it on a nearby limb. Huck tells us that Jim later turned this incident into an elaborate tale ....

.... convicted of adultery, a horrible sin of the time, but maybe not even seen as criminal today. As for punishment, a sentence to wear a scarlet "A" upon her chest, it would hardly be considered a burden or extreme sentence in present day. Or Hester can be seen as rebelling against a society where she was forced into a loveless marriage and hence she would be the "good guy," or girl, as the case may be. Also the townspeople, the magistrates, and Chillingworth, Hester's true husband, can be seen in both lights. Either they can be perceived as just upholding the law -she committed a crime, they enforce the law. On the other hand are they going to extreme measures such as wa ....

.... was torn between his love of gambling and his love of a woman who did not return his love. He felt passionately about things that he did, even if he got into trouble over them. He knew that what he thought was right was often in stark contrast to what his society deemed proper. He disagreed with the social hierarchy of Russia and paid the penalty. He may have paid a penalty for standing by what he thought was right, but he knew inside that he was doing the right thing. However, he did not receive any joy from this realization. He was relatively miserable his whole life. He turned to Gambling to punish himself. This is a man who, when he had a chance to be with t ....

.... any external influence in [his] life" (Wilde 24). This is almost a paradox in that it is eventually his own internal influence that destroys him. Wilde does this many times throughout the book. He loved using paradoxes and that is why Lord Henry, the character most similar to Wilde, is quoted as being called "Price Paradox." Although Dorian and Basil end up hating each other, they do enjoy meeting each other for the first time. Basil finds something different about Dorian. He sees him in a different way than he sees other men. Dorian is not only beautiful to Basil, but he is also gentle and kind. This is when Basil falls in love with him and begins to paint the picture. B ....

.... were derived out of concern Italy's unstable political condition.3 Though humanists of Machiavelli's time believed that an individual had much to offer to the well being of the state, Machiavelli was quick to mock human nature. Humanists believed that "An individual only 'grows to maturity- both intellectually and morally-through participation' in the life of the state."4 Machiavelli generally distrusted citizens, stating that "...in time of adversity, when the state is in need of it's citizens there are few to be found."5 Machiavelli further goes on to question the loyalty of the citizens and advises the Prince that "...because men a wretched creatures who would not k ....

.... In most cases, the setting is usually indelible to a story, but “The Black Cat” relies little on this element. This tale could have occurred anywhere and can be placed in any era. This makes the setting the weakest element of “The Black Cat.” Next, symbolism is always an integral part of any Poe story. The most obvious of symbolic references in this story is the cat’s name, Pluto. This is the Roman god of the underworld. Pluto contributes to a strong sense of hell and may even symbolize the devil himself. Another immensely symbolic part of “The Black Cat” is the title itself, since onyx cats have long connoted bad luck an ....

.... can readily relate. Nathaniel Hawthorne often discusses themes of sin, alienation, and love throughout his novel The . The reveals the theme of sin. An extreme sinner through the eyes of the Puritans, Hester Prynne goes against the Puritan ways and commits the sinful act of adultery. The townspeople often talk about Hester amongst themselves in the marketplace, “This woman has brought us shame”, for her sin brings them much grief (99). For this irrevocably harsh sin the town magistrates sentence Hester to wear the ‘A’ as a constant reminder of her sin, and for all to recognize her as an adulteress. Pearl is the incarnation of her mother’ ....