.... himself to rescue someone’s physical life or well-being; the spiritual hero returns to enlighten his people and, therefore, spare them misfortune or disastrous situations. Such characters enable the author to aid the reader in perceiving the positive aspects of negative situations and vice versa. Joseph Campbell’s hero journey outline provides an understanding for the paths heroes take pertaining to their specific circumstances. Two characters that follow the hero journey are Job of the wisdom books of the Old Testament and Murder in the Cathedral’s Thomas Becket. Job is a fortunate and distinctively devout man. Satan wants to prove to God Job’ ....

.... by her mother in China during World War II. Jing-mei’s mother always hoped of reuniting with her daughters she left behind long ago, but she died of an aneurysm before the opportunity arose. Through chance, a friend of Jing-mei’s mother, still in China, spied the twins while shopping. The mother was already deceased, so with encouragement from her aunts, Jing-mei made the journey to China with her father to meet her long lost family. Ms. Tan’s story conveys the importance of finding one’s roots, Jing-mei’s Chinese heritage and family fifty years separated. In the beginning of the story, Jing-mei relates that she “vigorously denied ....

.... page of Twains book, a sense of adventure and mystery can be readily found. Huckleberry Finn starts off by describing how his adventures in life had all begun. He and his friends form a gang, first by writing their name in blood and second, by taking an oath that vows to never reveal their secrets to anyone. If one reveals their secrets to anyone, they would be killed and their family would be killed also. At first glance while reading this page, it would seem as though was a boy who was a killer and one with no conscience, but it is mearly describing a boy who was in the beginning of a great adventure, yet to take place. "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," ta ....

.... which causes confusion for readers immersed in this tradition. Daniel Hoffman reiterates Allan Tate's position that, aside from his atavistic employment of moral terminology, Poe writes as though "Christianity had never been invented." (Hoffman 171) Poe did offer to posterity one tale with a moral. Written in 1841 at the dawn of Poe's most creative period, Poe delivers to his readers a satirical spoof, a literary Bronx cheer to writers of moralistic fiction, and to critics who expressed disapprobation at finding no discernible moral in his works. The tale "Never Bet the Devil Your Head: A Tale with a Moral" presents Poe's "way of staying execution" (Poe 487) for his transgr ....

.... In fact, everyone would have been better off in the long run if Oedipus had not ventured out beyond the walls of Corinth. So is it worth living an examined life? Socrates had made this statement long after the creation of the Theban Trilogy. In the context of his own time, this was meant to imply that life must be examined and reflected upon, known and discovered by each individual philosopher to better enrich life for all. Yet in terms of Sophoclean drama, specifically Oedipus Rex, this was meant in a vastly different way. The unexamined life was one that was in the dark, unknown as to what fate lied beyond every turn and irony of living. Oedipus, up to the point in whi ....

.... that is small as a bug’s. This poem is told directly from Robert Frost’s mouth. It shows how much the poet appreciates the little things in life. Regardless of size Frost understands that a life is a life, and all lives are important. The imagery in this poem is very clear to me. I can picture an old man trying to blow a piece of dirt off the paper. Then the piece of dirt starts moving, as he sees what he believes to be a dot on the paper but really to be a mite. The old man then starts to think about the value of life. The theme of the poem is that there is no such thing as an insignificant speck. Everything and everyone has a purpose for being here. This poem is fill ....

.... n takes place during this time period. A main theme in this novel is the "quest for individual identity and the influences of the family and community in that quest" (Trescott). This theme is present throughout the novel and evident in many of the characters. Pecola Breedlove, Cholly Breedlove, and Pauline Breedlove and are all embodiments of this quest for identity, as well as symbols of the quest of many of the Black northern newcomers of that time. The Breedlove family is a group of people under the same roof, a family by name only. Cholly (the father) is a constantly drunk and abusive man. His abusive manner is apparent towards his wife Pauline physically and toward ....

.... he deserves that name- Disdaining fortune, with his brandish'd steel, Which smoked with bloody execution, Like valour's minion carved out his passage Till he faced the slave;..." Macbeth defended his king's honor as well as his own, as Shakespeare showed a good man never backed down from a foe. In the later acts of the play, Shakespeare furthered the definition of a good man by portraying what a bad one was not. In Macbeth's darkest hours, he showed no sign of prudence and logic as he slayed king Duncan, and hired assassins to murder his friend Banquo. Macbeth displayed his temerity in act IV scene 1 saying, "...from this moment The very firstlings of my heart shall be ....