A Hell, A Heaven, And A Dreaming Thief

“Beneath the gore and smoke and loam, this book is about the evanescence of life, and why some men choose to fill their brief allotment of time engaging the impossible, others in the manufacture of sorrow. In the end it is a story of the ineluctable conflict between good and evil, daylight and darkness, the White City and the Black.” (xi) This shows the contrast between the White City and the Black City. One, perfect, beautiful, magical, the other dark, filthy, evil. The two work together yet against each other in the battle to win over the hearts of the people who visit, and those who decide to stay

The author’s use of imagery also leaves the listeners crying at their misfortunes. To fully illustrate the burning, agony of Hell, the author frequently uses the phrases “glowing flames” and “Hell’s wide gaping mouth open”. This depict that Hell is very “hot” to endure

Moreover, “The Allegory of the Cave” by Plato illustrates a civilization of physically restricted prisoners. Creating a setting in which underground prisoners are only exposed to a wall, its shadows (whom they see as beings), and the people around them, Plato displays a society of ignorant people who only know what they are able to physically see and experience every single day. However, once liberated by other freed people, these prisoners are able to attain knowledge more easily, and slowly, their individual truths become closer to reality. Despite initially being perplexed and irritated with the realization that what they saw and knew as prisoners is not the actuality of how things are, they, consequently, gain the ability to understand more about the world with their newfound knowledge. Thus, the freed people attempt to free the other prisoners from their chains, and expose them

These tunnels below the city of Arras were a bizarre no-man's-land, "Rosy gloom" being not only an oxymoron, but a state of mind. Rosy is defined as the color of hope. Gloom is defined as a state despair and darkness. Used together the reader gains a sense a soldier’s state of mind. Forever in optimism, yet rooted in anguish. Once again the poet thrusts the reader back into the war. The tunnel has become so confusing to the soldier’s state of mind that he has stumbled over something directly underfoot. He thinks it is a sleeping soldier, whom he believes is alive for now our mislaid warrior speaks. There is no answer. The combatant yells at the man, his frustration of the high strung pressure he is under, bursting forth. An exclamation of annoyance and the declaration "for days he'd had no sleep" explain the soldier's robust edginess and resentment of the sleeping man. "Stinking place" reminds us that he is still in a dark lonely hole with corrupted air and only tinned goods and a strange man for company. "Savage" is the first description we get that our soldier is losing his mind and maybe his humanity. The "sleeping" man becomes a "heap," and now we know the man laying upon the earth is dead. As the

Captivity is a subject that has been discussed thoroughly by many people. Captivity is the main concept touched in Daniel Quinn’s novel, Ishmael, and Plato’s Allegory of the Cave. Plato makes the compelling argument that people are captives of the world of ignorance. Ishmael complements Plato’s allegory by agreeing that there are two groups of people, that it would be difficult to distinguish the truth, and that people are being deceived.

Memories of the night before became a vivid memory in the recesses of his dimly lit mind, underneath the sunlight's intruding yet blissful gaze and the sensation of silk against his bare skin felt like a euphoria, a river of midnight encased his slender figure and with the scrunch of his refined nose and furrowed knit of his thin eyebrows, he rose from his slumber. Delicate fingertips leisurely danced across the silken sheets which lost its assuaging warmth only to discern that he was gone, Padding through the spacious house far too big for two alone to fill, and too much of a burden for one to find comfort in. To see his lover, clad in a suit that managed to take his breath away immediately

He waited until the night’s 11th hour. By now the Princess rested in the highest tower of the castle, locked away from the dangerous world, yet so oblivious to the dangers that which fated the rest of her life. Silently the peasant journeyed outside, where he stopped at the wall of the tower where she lay. He watched her in the darkness from below, lifting his face to her, letting the light rest on his every surface of darkness. The night was cloudless. The winds wailed between the motionless oak trees as its thin branches clawed out, ever so slightly disturbing the leaves with its hostile screeches. Not the thick moss of the trees nor the damp leaves squirming in his toes could distract the peasant from so enticing a scent. All that encircled him was the sweetness of lavender and rosewood, filling his entire being as he sunk into the grass, like sand washed over by the water, with every breeze passing

I used to be proud of who I was. I used to be free, but I’ve fallen, slowly stripped bare of all I was and could have been. I resent them, those who gruesomely ripped me from my haven and shackled me beneath their feet. I resent the world for abandoning me in this hell, leaving me to suffer. I resent who I have become, a puppet, used only for their entertainment. The devil only grows within me, plaguing my mind during the sleepless nights. Feeding images into my mind. Images of their blood splattered across the walls of their beloved blue and red (tent). My teeth sinking into the fatty flesh of their neck. The horror painted on their faces as I gleefully avenge the loss of my sanity. And I detest myself. I loathe the satisfaction that I feel fantasising about their murder. I fear myself, and what I have become under their control. I yearn for the days I spent in my

Changing the rules of society to a time of the past wasn’t the only thing they did to keep the peace, they also built a prison. This prison was called Incarceron. It was meant to be a paradise, a self-sustaining ecosystem. Thus the experiment began, a handful of volunteers entered the prison alongside the prisoners to oversee the progress of the prison and guide the prisoners. Incarceron was forever sealed, only one person knowing of its location; the Warden himself. However Incarceron did not go exactly as planned for it was not a paradise but a massive labyrinth of horrors. Those who lived within Incarceron’s walls no longer thought of outside of the prison as anything more than a myth and none ever hoped of escape.

I would shut my eyes because I knew what was coming. And before I shut my eyes, I held my breath, like a swimmer ready to dive into a deep ocean. I could never watch when his hands came toward me; I only patiently waited for the harsh sound of the strike. I would always remember his eyes right before I closed my own: pupils wide with rage, cold, and dark eyebrows clenched with hate. When it finally came, I never knew which fist hit me first, or which blow sent me to my knees because I could not bring myself to open my eyes. They were closed because I didn’t want to see what he had promised he would never do again. In the darkness of my mind, I could escape to a paradise where he would never reach me. I would find again the haven where I

Endless hours in each other’s arms under the moon. I believe that it is true that I could gaze in her stunning azure eyes and simply live on love. However it soon became apparent to me that she was different that the Atheneans. The times that we socialized with my fellow tributes and the crew were strained, it became apparent she is different. I became concerned that I was being selfish taking her away from everything she knew and trying to live on love. I knew if I shared my concerns with Adriadne she would assure me that my fears were unfounded and we could live happily in Athens, far from her family. Making the decision alone, I had the Captain of the ship stop for water at a small island and enjoyed a sumptuous lunch with wine with her. A small amount of sleeping draught was in the wine. I took my leave, taking one last look at my beautiful Adriadne. Leaving Adriadne behind was the most difficult thing I have ever had to do. She was a stunning woman and I am still very much in love with her. I then gave my attentions to the other 13 tributes on the

Scuttling innocently through the twisting corridors I bore the same expression; head down, shoulders hunched, avoiding any eye contact - my desperate attempts to deter the despot for one day at least. Despite my efforts, there was no escape, as seemingly within the second of having that naively optimistic thought, a cruel, callous voice demanded I surrender my broach. Fear spiked, as it always did, but with it came something else, an alien emotion ... Looking back now, I see that it must have been the cumulative effect of months of torment that brought me to the realisation that at this point I had reached the nadir of my life. Deriding cackles pierced my ears and this time I recognised the emotion, fury. It burned through my veins, along with the memories of the past to form a feeling of overwhelming power. I met the daggers that would usually invoke terror, and calmly, I said “No.”

Paradise Lost by John Milton thrives off the implicit and explicit aspects of Hell offered by the narrator and the physical and psychological descriptions offered by various characters. Their separate perspectives coincide to expose the intentions of Milton and the purpose Hell serves in this epic poem. Each character adds a new element to the physical and psychological development of this alternative world. The narrator and Satan provide the greatest insight into the dynamics of this underworld by attempting to redress the issues of accommodation.

Neil Bissoondath’s “There Are A Lot Of Ways To Die” is the story of a man named Joseph Heaven who has become disillusioned about his homeland. Joseph had grown up on a Caribbean island and later moved to Toronto with his wife. After some years in Toronto they moved back to the island. However, now that Joseph has settled back in he realizes that the island is not how he had remembered it. The story takes place in one day as Joseph wanders around the island thinking about various moments from childhood and memories from his time in Toronto. At the end of the story Joseph makes an impulsive decision to leave the island. The author makes this decision seem plausible by using several different elements.

The Buddhist concepts of hell and heaven are completely unlike from that in other religious convictions. Buddhists believe that hell is not eternal, and it is unreasonable to condemn humans to eternal hell for their sins. As a result, Buddhist believe that it is sensible to give man an opportunity to develop himself from hell by doing positive things that can redeem their soul. More specifically, to the Buddhists, hell is a temporary place where people who do evil experience mental and physical suffering. On the other hand, the film Saw I is a modern depiction of hell in that the characters are forced to undergo deadly scenarios in order to save their lives. Additionally, the characters undergo agonizing situation as punishments for their immoral actions.