... let Satan control him. He "falls away from God to become a negative reflection of omnipotence." (Vaught, 21) His soul desired the sin. His pear-stealing episode pointed out his need for redemption. (Vaught, 54) While Augustine is studying at Carthage his sinful nature takes over again. He ... represented as Dante goes through each circle. His personal sins are shown and represented throughout the poem. The deeper Dante and Virgil travel through the circles of hell, the worse the punishment for each sin gets. The first circle Virgil and Dante approach is called Limbo "where the sad ... of...

• Word Count: 2063
• Approx Pages: 8
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... be safely assumed - in contemplation of what happened before - that the winged creature that represents the storm (as well as all natural phenomena that follows) is also God incarnate. This image of a winged predator that chases the ship directs our attention to the notion of the sin not only being ... because his ship was a triangular trade vessel. Although this isn't stated explicitly, one realizes that this is highly probable given that this poem was written in 1797-98, near the end but still during the time of the triangular trade. An additional reason for why this is possible is tha...

• Word Count: 1986
• Approx Pages: 8
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Grendel: Predestined to Evil? The poem Beowulf suggests that Beowulf is the hero and Grendel is a villain, or the "bad guy."" Some try to sympathize with Grendel as a victim of circumstance, a lonely ... pure evil. He lives by a force that governs his will and gives rise to constant wickedness and sin. His evil is the source of sorrow and distress within himself and within Hrothgar's kingdom. In my view, the poet is correct in presenting Grendel. Grendel is an unfortunate and suffering creature by his own free will. Angry and irritable ... the monster relished his savage war on the Danes, ke...

• Word Count: 1278
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School