Atonement, By Ian Mcewan

Have you ever heard that curiosity killed the cat or that greed is one of the seven deadly sins? Flannery O 'Connor and Edgar Allen Poe prove these two statements to be true. Both authors leave their readers thinking twice before they go peeking at the Christmas gifts under the tree or sneak that last piece of chocolate cake from the refrigerator. Their Catholic readers may even make a visit to a nearby confession box. "A Good Man is Hard to Find" and "The Cask of Amontillado" are short "dark" stories that use iconic twists that lead to their victims executions. Deception is the unmistakable underling plot in both stories with O 'Connor 's and Poe 's common use of character traits curiosity and greed-differ, ironically they both choose the most significant yet very different events in the Catholic religion; namely, life and death, to symbolize an end to a new beginning, to play out the executions of both, the Grandmother and Fortunado.

or this project we viewed the original 1957 version of Twelve Angry Men, an American Drama, adapted from the teleplay written by Reginald Rose with the same name starring Henry Fonda as the lead role.

The documentary “Merchants of Doubt” directed by Robert Keener describes the unethical practices of manipulating scientific data to market unsafe products. It explains the use of public relations and media to divert the health risk involved in smoking in order to protect the industry. The documentary exposes how companies hire a third party, presented as credible scientific expert, to mislead people about the company’s unsafe products. Those people selling lies to cover for the company’s wrongdoing are called “merchants of doubt”. They create a sense of doubt in the veracity of the scientific data and results collected by the scientist. This strategy of creating doubt and confusion causes delay in government regulation. The documentary shows

In the short story “A good Man is Hard to Find” written by Flannery O’Connor in 1953 and set in the rural southern United States, there are many themes, such as the importance of family, good versus evil, and Christian theology. The theme of good versus evil is more prominent throughout the story. This analysis will attempt to prove the theme of good versus evil that is present throughout all aspects, as seen in its characters, motifs, and symbolism, of thus producing a compelling and adventurous piece of literature.

In this essay I intend to explore the narrative conventions and values, which Oliver Smithfield presents in the short story Victim. The short story positions the reader to have negative and sympathetic opinion on the issues presented. Such as power, identity and bullying. For example Mickey the young boy is having issues facing his identity. It could be argued that finding your identity may have the individual stuck trying to fit in with upon two groups.

In the book Just Mercy: A story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson, there are several topics discussed regarding the American Justice system. One of those many topics discussed is regarding how a person’s race, social status and income, may influence the outcome of a court trail. In present day America, many years after the era of Jim crow and segregation the Justice system still seems to be more lenient towards white Americans, especially those with high income and a good standing in society. The American justice system has become unjust in the trials deemed to be fair, due to an evident prejudice against minorities, their social status and whether or not they receive a well off or poor income.

Cecilia said, “Come back,” (pg. 44) to Briony when she had nightmares, however, Cecilia uses the same phrase towards Robbie in a number of places in the novel, such as in her letter and when Briony visits them. Cecilia used to pull Briony back to reality from her nightmares when she was younger yet her relationship with Briony changes when she accuses Robbie of rape. Cecilia knew Robbie was innocent and she uses “come back” as a way to describe how she yearns for Robbie as she once cared for Briony. “Come back” also develops Cecilia’s nurturing character, as she is shown, “being everyone’s mother” (pg. 107). With her mother constantly ill, Cecilia has to take her place, eventually leading Cecilia to feel as though she has no one to care for her. As Robbie is the only one who cares for her, Cecilia tells him to “come back” from prison and war so that she can feel loved again. Furthermore, reality and the imagination are also developed because Cecilia says “come back” to pull Briony and Robbie out of their imagination and bring them back to reality. In other parts of the novel the repetition of significant words by Robbie such as “he had” and “chance” (pg. 203) also emphasises how Robbie, “had to survive,” (pg. 203) for Cecilia. He reminisces about the letters she sent him while he was at war as “the rest of her letters were buttoned into the inside pocket of his greatcoat” (pg. 203). The theme of chance is repeated to represent Robbie not having the chance to prove his innocence when accused of rape. To survive meant Robbie had a chance to prove he was innocent and that he truly loved Cecilia. Repetition in Atonement expresses how the love between siblings and lovers is fragile and

She grieves for her husband a very short time. She then begins to feel a sense of freedom. This initially makes her feel guilty and

228) in relation to the way that she is not able to rid herself of the way she separated two lovers. Briony had previously confessed to Robbie when she was ten-years-old, as revealed by Robbie’s thoughts in part 2 of the novel. “He had betrayed her love by favouring her [Briony’s] sister,” (pg. 233) which means Briony could have accused Robbie of rape to separate Cecilia from him. She did not feel guilty until she grew older and began to consider the complexity of her allegation. The war may take Robbie away from Cecilia and leave her devastated all because of a mistake Briony made. In addition, she will never be able to witness the lovers reuniting and may never be able to atone for her mistakes after all. Like a room without a door, she will not be able to escape the fact that she separated two

In McEwan’s Atonement ventures into the lives of the Tallis sisters and the complexities that naivety and selfishness can inflict. Briony Tallis’ perjury against Robbie Turner, in her cousin Lola’s criminal rape case, disrupts the Tallis family dynamic and the budding romance between Cecelia Tallis and Robbie. Briony’s maturation and realization of her wrongdoing implores her to become a nurse during WWII. In Atonement, McEwan depicts a family in turmoil over the lies of young Briony during World War II. The imagery and symbolism portray Briony’s characterization through her attempts to serve penance for her betrayal with symbolism and imagery. Briony’s limited point of view effects the tone of the novel through an unreliable eyewitness

She grieves for her beloved brother, Clifford, who was framed and imprisoned. She had a boarder

In the novel, The Stranger by Albert Camus, Meursault the protagonist, becomes drawn into a “senseless” murder that has to face the absurdity of life and because of his actions, Meursault is presented as a danger due to his lack of “morality” to society. Meursault who is not able to take control of his life but respond to what life offers him believes in the simplicity of life. He tries to understand the living through logic and objectivity, which ultimately turns futile, as he himself cannot maintain proper control over his thoughts and emotions. From the interactions between Marie, to the murder of the Arab, and the meeting with the Chaplain, Meursault overcomes his indifferent views to form an opinion about what life really means. The central theme presented by Camus is how the threat of mortality becomes a catalyst for understanding the significance of life.

“In modern war... you will die like a dog for no good reason.” - Ernest Hemingway.

Eliade, in his book “The Sacred and Profane,” poses an interesting conjecture that all people are inherently religious. What one does and the decision they make in their lives are all reflections on what they find sacred. Sacred in this context is an extension of one’s belief held up in high esteem to the point where what is deemed sacred is god like. Religion is the frame that interprets what is sacred and gives it a name and a face. Christians, for example, view Christmas as a sacred time as it is the season of the birth of their savior; Jews view the Passover as sacred as it represents a time in their religious history where God passed over the Jews while sending a message to their enemies. What is sacred can manifest itself in any shape, form, or time; truly entering the fourth dimension of space. If something sacred is god like, what is sacred to those who do not have a God? How can something be sacred if there is not a frame of reference for the thing to be sacred? How can every decision a person makes be reflect what they find sacred, if they do not have a religious language to reflect this phenomena?

The Scarlet Letter (Figure 1) painted by Hugues Merle in 1861 depicts the novel The Scarlet Letter by Nathanial Hawthorne. Hester Prynne, an adulteress forced to wear the letter “A” upon her bosom forever, becomes an outcast from the community with her daughter, Pearl. Merle was often known for painting scenes of mothers and children. He illustrates the scene of Hester and Pearl sitting in the town square as part of her punishment. The townspeople walk by, pointing fingers and making shrewd remarks. Merle’s painting, his biography, and other renditions of the novel and painting will be later discussed.