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Decision making and its consequences
Decision making
Decision making process steps
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In these two decisions making process there were some similarities and differences. Both stories had a decision to make. Both of them affect someone's lives. In both of the stories at least someone died because of that decision. The wife was killed by the devil. The difference in the story of ‘’The Devil & Tom Walker’’ is that Tom had to make the deal with the devil. In the end he ended up becoming wealthy. In the story of ‘’The Box’’ the decision was between wife, husband and the weird looking guy. The decision didn’t stop there, it was determined by the decision of the next family's opportunity to push the button. Norma was shot by her husband.
On the contrary, the turning points to both the stories are a little different from one another because Tom loses to the devil and the devil took him away. On the other hand, Jabes Won with the help of the lawyer named Daniel Webster against his opponent and the devil was banished also to never come near Jabez and his family ever again. Furthermore, “The Devil and Tom Walker” illustrate that the devil is dark-skinned, red eyes, red sash and with an axe, while “The Devil and Daniel Webster”, the devil actually looked decent , with nice suit and gentlemen.
Washington Irving displays a sense of humor throughout “The Devil and Tom Walker” about greed, marriage and religion to help the reader, become a better person. Tom Walker makes a Faustian Bargain, also known as a deal with the devil. Tom has a lot of problems with his abusive wife, his desire for riches and getting into the afterlife. Washington Irving tells us the story of Tom Walker in a humorous way. Irving does this to display a message to his readers.
Both stories feature a father figure who creates the action and attempts to play God.
Perhaps in both stories the role of the devil, whether truly present in the plot or only mentioned as figure of evil, is very central to portraying the Puritans. In “The Devil and Tom Walker,” the devil is simply a large man covered in soot. Irving describes him as, “a great black man” and “his face was neither black nor copper color, but swarthy and dingy, and begrimed in soot (Irving, 179).” Most Puritans would believe the devil is a fiery, red, horned man with a pointed tell and trident, but this is not the case. The devil is further established when he himself states, “I amuse myself by presiding at the persecutions of Quakers and Anabaptists; I am the great patron and prompter of slave dealers…(Irving, 180).
case. When you take the time to analyze both story, you come to find that both have the same
In "Killings"by Andre Dubus and In the Bedroom, directed by Todd Field, the author and director decided to go different directions with the beginning of the story, keeping the plot of the story almost identical. However, beginning the story differently impacted both works in completely different aspects. Dubus begins the story at the funeral of Frank which leads the reader to draw conclusions about what happened before Frank's funeral, while Field’s gives more background to viewer which allows the reader to make more connections. Dubus begins the story at Frank’s funeral which leads the reader to become confused throughout the story. As the reader reads through the story, they have to be able to connect the dots to understand what is happening. While in the movie, Field’s begins with the backstory leading up to Frank’s death which makes it easier for the viewer to understand what is happening. The difference between the two stories impacts how the reader and viewer are able to interpret the story.
Soon he falls asleep and when he wakes up, he finds that he is on a table and a scythe is being lowered from the ceiling. The scythe is another symbol of death. As the scythe is coming down, he tries to find a way to get away from it. At the end of the story, he is saved at the last moment by " an outstretched arm caught my own as I fell, fainting, into the abyss." Washington Irving also talks about death and the devil in his short story "The Devil and Tom Walker." He writes more about the devil than he does death and he does not put himself in the place of the main character like Poe did. Tom, the main character, is a greedy person along with his wife. As he comes home one night, he goes through some woods and meets the devil. "Tom might have felt disposed to sell himself to the devil," but he was afraid to. On the other hand, his wife was not afraid and she disappears. Then Tom makes a deal with the devil, but soon "he thought with regret of the bargain he had made with his black friend, and set his wits to work to cheat him out of the conditions." He turns to religion and carries Bibles with him to keep the devil away, but it does
Both “The Devil and Tom Walker” and “The Devil and Daniel Webster” are exemplary specimens of Faustian myths, and as such have very many similarities and concurrences. But, they also emphasize different aspects of the characters and their respective personalities. These two commendable stories serve as excellent chronicles of literature and as worthy examples of moral lessons for all ages.
We see that good vs. evil has been a theme that is ubiquitous in many writings. The story "The Devil and Tom Walker" is a story about a man who lives an immoral life of greed. Walker lives in a wooded area, where it is solemn, and quiet area of New England. Walker runs into the devil and sees that the devil is cutting down someone else's timber.
Both stories feature a very intelligent person trying to play God through the creation of life. Both of the creatures were subsequently mistreated by their maker and society as a whole. In both stories, the audience is left feeling greater sympathy for the monster than for the creator.
different time of period and different region, but yet both stories shared similar endings and
Can you imagine yourself locked up in a room with no doors? Similar to a room with no doors, there is no way out of hell if it was one's destiny. In the short story "The Devil & Tom Walker" by Washington Irving, the main character's fate is hell because of his wrong decisions in life, accepting a deal with the devil for earthly benefits. Irving reinforces his message about not making decisions that may damn your soul with the use of literary elements and figurative language. Wisely, Irving combines characterization, mood and point of view to perpetuate the theme of the story in the reader's mind.
He shows that he has developed his own code of conduct (Browne, 1973, p.2). The means that the $50k that would be received is for murder (Matheson, 2009, p.10). Arthur uses the word murder multiple times. There is no doubt in this character’s mind that pushing the button is wrong and it is murder no matter what. Matheson proves through Arthur the when one considers universal morality, not everyone would experience happiness through the use of the box. The person that dies surely would not be happy with death. No even if the person is thousands of miles away living with a disease in the Congo, or a peasant in China. However Arthur counters Norma distance by bringing the possible victims close to home with his questions of what about a baby boy in Pennsylvania or a pretty little girl around the corner (Matheson, 2009, p.10), when one considers the lives of children, most individuals understand children have just began to live and they have their whole lives ahead of them. The pushing of the button would definitely cut their lives short. Matheson gives readers that aha moment, Arthur and Norma did not know each other at all, at least not when it comes to a moral dilemma. Matheson has posted this couple on two different sides of the fence in this
Irving, Washington. “The Devil and Tom Walker”. Elements of Literature: Fifth Course. Austin: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 2008. 175-185. Print.
... of view. Likewise, the tone is also the same for both tales: supernatural/demonic action that moves at a fast pace. Here differences begin to occur. The setting, plot, and characterization in the stories are not consistent with one another.