Good And Evil In Literature And Poetry Essay

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The Good and Evil in Literature and Poetry

Sir Philip Sidney, in his quote about poetry (literature) as it pertains to real life vice and virtue, is indeed correct that it can have a lasting effect on the way one acts, however, he is making a gross generalization when he states that a portrayal of pure virtue can divinely inspire, where as a portrayal of evil can herd the masses away from evil deeds. The true social value of poetry and literature is not in the portrayal of vice against virtue, but rather when the two meet inside a protagonist. It is the illumination of the paradox of right and wrong that gives us truly poignant literature. We can truly understand things about ourselves when we read about characters being pulled in two …show more content…

She writes, in On Monsieur’s Departure, about how she has a duty to the state, but at the same time, wishes to love romantically in spite of it. The reader can truly relate to the character, because she is not without fault, nor is she without virtue–literature which sheds equal value to the good and the bad in humans is the most illuminating and useful. The irony in this situation is the fact that the modern reader cannot even be sure which of the desires expressed by the queen is virtue and which is vice. Love of country is good, but fulfilling one’s own needs is good too. Ultimately, we learn from Elizabeth’s poem that one must make choices–that what is virtuous can also be harmful, and …show more content…

The story of Abraham sacrificing Isaac shows us just how alike right and wrong can be. On the one hand, we say that Abraham is a faithful man–faith being a highly esteemed virtue, but on the other hand, we say that he is a man willing to murder the innocent for his own benefit. Here we have extreme good pitted against extreme evil, but they are the same act. We as readers, through stories like this, try to empathize, but in such a situation, it is nearly impossible. One could say that they would be more than willing to sacrifice their most prized belonging, but could it be done if it was murder? What the reader gains from the story, and the above examples as well, is not a map of right and wrong, but a map of human emotion. We gain an understanding of how things actually work–not how things ideally work, as Sidney wants to believe. We can see that, depending on the circumstance, vice and virtue can be almost indistinguishable from one

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