Yin and Yang:
An essay about a power hungry Doctor Faustus and a young Malcolm X.
In this essay I will be comparing and contrasting not only the authors of well known novels Doctor Faustus and X: A Novel, but also the main characters of Malcolm Little and Doctor Faustus. I will compose this essay on the two points of: How are Kekla Magoon and Christopher Marlowe different but also similar? How are Faustus and Malcolm different yet similar?
The acknowledgement of how these writers are from different time eras is a great start. Kekla Magoon was born in Michigan in late 1980 while Christopher Marlowe was born in February 1564 a whole four-hundred and sixteen years before Magoon! Although they were born at vastly different times they both had
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One big connection is Malcolm X was well known for being a powerful force during the civil rights era and Doctor Faustus craved power at the same magnitude that Malcolm received. In the end both characters received power but suffered for it. Malcolm Little was eventually assassinated for using his power for african americans, while Faustus was dragged to hell for his power. The difference was Doctor Faustus wanted power and would do anything for it so he sold his soul. Malcolm was simply going through life and received this power he did not initially strive for. Both characters got power in their own right. Faustus used his for philosophy, writing, and tomfoolery while Little’s capacity was more realistic in the sense being able to persuade others. Another comparison of the two would be that Faustus several times throughout is torn between selling his soul or not. Malcolm in the same way experiences this same situation of personal conflict throughout the novel of trying to figure out where he wants to go with his life. This same internal conflict is shown at the beginning of the book talking about Malcolm debating what to do with his pistol in the
This investigation will answer the question “To what extent did Martin Luther King’s and Malcolm X’s ideas converge during the last period of their lives?”. This is a significant question because it deals with two iconic figures of the Civil Rights Movement who have come to represent opposite approaches to emancipation. Thus, whether they had actually come closer in terms of their ideas may throw a whole different light on the way we tend to understand them.
Read the following passage from Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus. Discuss how the passage contributes to the portrayal of Faustus as a
Therefore, it is this paper’s aim to examine some of the similarities and differences in Christopher Marlowe’s The Tragic History of the Life and Death of Dr. Faustus and David Mamet’s Faustus, specifically the presence of religious practices in these two texts.
It can be argued that both Lear’s and Faustus’ hamartia are intertwined in one way or another with power. Lear’s ‘error of judgement’ is his hubris when he asks his daughters who ‘doth love us most’ so he can split up his kingdom so the ‘largest bounty may extend where nature doth with merit challenge’ (Shakespeare 2004, 1.1.50-52). Pride and vanity leads him to test his daughters and distributing his kingdom. This is ultimately the starting point leading to the tragic consequences at the end of the play. Similarly, Faustus shows excessive ambition in regards of knowledge and power – ‘O, what a world of profit and delight, of power, of honor, of
Christopher Marlowe's play, Dr. Faustus, is the story of the struggle of one man who is battling with himself over what he values most in life, and to what extent he will go to obtain what he desires. The battles over the control of one's ego and what a person values in their life are the two underlying struggles in this work. Faustus is a very educated and high member of society, but he was born in a lower class and has struggled all his life to be a wealthy person. He attains this opportunity to become wealthy when he learns how to call upon Satan, and he makes a deal with the devil to attain all the riches in life for his soul. Through out the play Faustus
Dr. Martin Luther King Junior and Malcolm X were the two particular most prevalent, most influential individuals of the Civil Rights Movement. Their tactics, ideologies, childhoods, and ideas of freedom differed in virtually every aspect. The ways in which these men sought transformation in society are where the majority of their differences existed. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a huge proponent for peaceful demonstrations, silent marches, and nonviolent public sit-ins, where he and his supporters made open, unrestricted declarations for equality and integration. His entire philosophy on optimism and love originated from his Baptist roots and was a direct cause of his peaceful, nonviolent upbringing. In contrast, Malcolm X had a turbulent and traumatic childhood that led to a more forceful, direct form of demonstration that never pushed for peace and love and national social harmony. His religion and main area of support, the Nation of Islam, did not believe a simple sit-in or peaceful protest would create a change in society. Instead, he advocated for Black Nationalism, not for integration. Malcolm X encouraged the black community to become autonomous, to function separately from white society. A number of striking similarities existed between these men, however. Both men were intelligent from a young age, were raised in the same religion, had a staggering awareness of the national racial tensions in America, fought for justice for their people, pushed for social and
In the 1950s and 1960s both Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr were very prominent and influential men. These men were both the voices of Black America at the time, but they had different messages to send. Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr had opposing philosophies on topics such as integration, religion, and defense tactics; however, they still shared some similarities.
Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X were both prominent figures during the civil rights movement. Some similarities are they were both ministers and they both stood for what they believed in. Malcolm X took a more violent approach to his activism, he believed in fighting back physically for what he believe in. Martin Luther King Jr. took a more peaceful approach to his activism, he was always against violence. Martin Luther King Jr. believed that all races should come together as one and be equal while Martin X was suspicious of white people and felt that integration would destroy the black and white man. So while Martin Luther King Jr. was a peaceful leader, Malcolm X was a more fight for what you believe in leader.
There are two stories which one can analyze and put into comparison, that being the stories of the mighty Beowulf and that of the arrogant Doctor Faustus. In Beowulf a story is told from the view of a warrior becoming a hero and displaying amazing feats. While in Christopher Marlowe “Doctor Faustus”, he is recognized as an ambitious self- centered individual with an eager sensation to learn more knowledge of the Arts. He decided to takes his learning a step further and ultimately becomes his main wrongdoing for his entire life. By reviewing the text of both tales, there are a set of both similarities and differences able to be made between Beowulf and Faustus.
Not only is Faustus a greedy man, but also weak. He craves power and knowledge to cover up what he lacks. Before his interaction with the devil, Faustus dabbles with necromancy in an attempt to bring happiness to his life. He is clearly unable to make himself content and the promise of the devil to do so is enticing. Faustus was not hard to sway from God and devout Christian values. This is what makes it especially hard for Faustus to repent. He is unable to make up his mind when considering the benefits of each. His weakness lies in his search for power, so he chooses whatever seems to offer the knowledge he
As a result of this ambition and its outcome on his perspective, Faust 's rational dilemma has been retained by many to embody the indifference of man in the present day. All of Faust 's values and flaws, his strengths and weaknesses, are amplified so that his experiences and proper improvement are granted on a scope that is greater than life. At the end of the novel, Faust is granted salvation but continues to be seen as a great tragic hero. Faust’s misfortune has been portrayed as “rebellious," for he tries to stride above the constraints of humanity to explore that which is not inclined to mankind to have or experience. Faust 's countless experiences all convey the message that to find contentment one must learn to subdue
In the play Doctor Faustus, the theme of good versus evil is one of the most apparent as well as one of the most important themes throughout the play. Good and evil are represented as a battle or struggle in many ways such as constantly battling over winning various individuals souls, the concept of God versus the Devil, and the idea of religion versus science. This war between good and evil creates both internal conflicts for Faustus along with the external conflict between Faustus and various characters. The struggle between good and evil is also represented in the topic of damnation with the struggle to save Faustus’s soul from hell versus fighting to ensure Faustus’s soul is condemned to hell even with the idea of predestination.
The play is a human tragedy for not only is Faustus tragically constituted in his boundless ambitions but, at the same time, the play questions the effectiveness of the cultural aspirations that shape his ambitions. Consequently, the play provides a complex interaction between the human dimensions of the dramatic character and the ambiguities and ambivalences of the cultural situation the character is placed in.
Both Hamlet and Faustus contain a clash of themes and traditions, all catalysed by Religion. This is used to establish a theme of deception, which greatly impacts the protagonist’s procrastination. Procrastination is considered to be Hamlet’s tragic flaw, however Faustus’s flaw is considered to be his hubris.
Faustus would have been better off knowing where he stood in relation to Gods plan and not trying to outreach himself. Faustus agreed with the views and opinions of Christianity, and followed those ideas most of his life, lust consumed him though and lead him to excess. Doctor Faustus should have learned from his studies of theology of the dangers brought on by overstepping ones boundaries in an attempt for an excess of earthly desires.