The Power of Fear
Whether one likes it or not, hatred and fear will always be part of this world. Although there are many ways to protect a person from it, many just stand and witness as others get consumed by these unspeakable atrocities. Some may say this makes them no less guilty than the offender himself. This concept of fear and destruction is elaborately expressed in Maurice Ogden’s poem, “The Hangman”. Despite being controversial, the story provides truthful insights on human behaviors. Bystanders hold tremendous power in the face of evil, yet they cower in fear on the sidelines as violence dawn upon innocents.
Through his poem, Ogden recites the tale of a Hangman who emotionlessly slaughtered an entire town. At first, they watched on “[out] of respect for his Hangman’s cloak”. Soon, as he took the life of another to “test the rope when the rope is new”, the village learned to part way “[out] of the fear of his Hangman’s cloak”. The opportunity presented itself time and time again, but only one person spoke against the murderer and was executed for doing so. The rest gave
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up and only dared to watch as families and friends were hung before them. As the Hangman finishes with the last person, he tells him, “... I did no more than you let me do.” All the people in the village were bystanders who had the power to intervene, yet never did.
As they witnessed the Hangman murder their own one by one, no one stood up. How can people be so cruel? Well, because even though they cared for those being hung, “the Hangman’s hand was [their] relief”. Because watching others suffer in safety is much easier than getting in danger for those people. It’s obvious that if they stood up together, the Hangman would be outnumbered by the force, but the fear for their own lives trumped the wish to help others. One man managed to cry out “murderer!” and “shame!”, but it wasn’t enough. As the Hangman placed his hand on the lonely man, the crowd “shrank back in quick alarm”. Had they stood their ground and fought with him, the outcome would be drastically different. However, they were afraid of meeting the same fate, so he was left to fend for
himself. The story does well to prove how far self preservation can push people. It shows that although cruel, it is true that to oneself, another day of one’s life is definitely worth sacrificing years of others’ for. In the end, none of them survived, but in the moment, none of them stood up for others. Not because they wish others harm, but because they were clinging on to the hope of being spared. It is only natural to think of oneself before another. Even at the end, when the answer was so predictable, the last man still shouted “you lied to me, Hangman, foully lied!”, simply because he was too blinded by false hope to see the truth. In the end, even if people had the power to stop violence, most will just stand and watch only because it’s the easier thing to do. Maurice Ogden proved this point splendidly through his expression of the village who just stood by and the Hangman who completed his duties with no emotions present. It will always be easier to standby not because people are malicious, but merely because they are trying to protect themselves.
Throughout the ages, death penalty has always been a controversial topic and triggered numerous insightful discussion. In Kroll’s Unquiet Death of Robert Harris, the writer employs pathos as an appeal throughout the whole article in order to convince the audiences that death penalty is “something indescribably ugly” and “nakedly barbaric”. While Mencken makes use of ethos and logos and builds his arguments in a more constructive and effective way to prove that death penalty is necessary and should exist in the social system.
... so is sacrificial to one’s rights, it puts them in an undesirable position where they may be harmed as well, and success at being an upstander is not guaranteed. Perpetrators tyrannize those who are unable to stand up for themselves; like how predators seek out the vulnerable preys. Hence, instead of having bystanders to stand up for the victim, the victim should stand up for him/herself. In addition, unlike what Lehrman believes, bystanders are not the most dangerous to the victim; the perpetrator is. Saying that bystanders are the most dangerous is is like saying that if one witnesses something, then he/she is a criminal. Consequently, saying that bystanders should stand up for victims against perpetrators is illogical and naive. Concisely, it is not another’s responsibility to ensure one’s safety and wellness; instead, it is one’s responsibility to do so.
In this paper I will explain and discuss the historical events that took place in a small rural town in early Massachusetts. The setting for which is Irene Quenzler Brown's and Richard D. Brown's, The Hanging of Ephraim Wheeler. I will explain the actions and motives of Hannah and Betsy Wheeler in seeking legal retribution of husband and father Ephraim Wheeler. I will also discuss the large scope of patriarchal power allowed by the law and that given to husbands and masters of households. Of course, this will also lead to discussions of what was considered abuse of these powers by society and the motivation for upholding the Supreme Court's decision to hang Ephraim Wheeler.
This examination will look at the short story “Killings” by Andre Dubus and the main characters in the story. The story begins on a warm August day with the burial of Matt and Ruth Fowler’s youngest son Frank. Frank’s age: “twenty-one years, eight months, and four days” (Dubus 107). Attending the funeral were Matt, his wife Ruth, their adult children and spouses. Matt’s family is extremely distraught over the murder of their youngest son/brother, in their own way. There are implications of wanting to kill Richard Strout, the guy accused of being the murderer: “I should kill him” (107), as stated after the service. This comment is considered a fore-shadowing of what is to come in the thought progression of Matt and Ruth.
Here I write in the closing days of my life. My life has been full of many wonderful experiences, and I thank God for that. However, the events of almost ten years ago are a black mark on my legacy, an event that will forever haunt my spirit, while it walks the Earth within my body and when I have ascended to heaven to be with the Lord. The unjust hangings of many of God 's people, including the honourable John Proctor and Rebecca Nurse, was a regrettable moment in my life and all of New England.
One of the most famous authors in American history is Edgar Allen Poe, thanks to his intricate and unsettling short stories and poems. One of the strongest aspects of Poe’s writing style is the allure and complexity of the narrator of the story. These narrators, ranging from innocent bystanders to psychotic murderers, add depth to such a short story and really allow Poe to explore the themes of death and murder which he seems to have an unhealthy obsession towards. Furthermore, he uses these narrators to give a different perspective in each of his many works and to really unsettle the reader by what is occurring throughout the story. The narrators, whether an innocent witness of death as in "The Fall of the House of Usher" or a twisted murderer as in "The Cask of Amontillado" are used by Poe to discuss the themes of death and murder within these stories and, depending on their point of view, give a different take on such a despicable act such as murder.
“In a simple allegory, characters and other elements often stand for other definite meanings, which are often abstractions” (Kennedy 234). Since everyone in the town is involved in the stoning, they do not view their sacrifice as murder, but as something needed to be done. “‘All right, folks,’ Mr. Summers said, ‘Let’s finish this quickly.’” (Jackson 259). The young boys in the town are excited about the lottery, but the girls stand off to the side because it is in a boy’s nature to be brutal, yet the women of the town seem just as excited as the boys, and the men calm down as the girls. “The boys’ eager and childish cruelty will turn into the sober reluctance of their fathers, whereas the childish apartness of the girls will become the grown women’s blood lust” (Whittier 357). Most people associate winning a lottery as coming into a large sum of money; but on the contrary, the winner of this lottery must pay with their ultimate sacrifice. “Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon” (257). Jackson’s use of allegories is sublime, drawing her readers to the central
“The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe is a story of revenge on the outside, but when on the inside, it is something deeper. His stories are dark and sometimes, like in “The Cask of Amontillado,” deadly. Poe’s main focus in “The Cask of Amontillado” is revenge, but if examined more closely, the irony that is present foreshadows the end result for Fortunato. In “The Cask of Amontillado” the Montresor is planning to seek revenge on Fortunato for “the thousand injuries.” The revenge results in the live burial of Fortunato, the actual reasoning is left a mystery, but this story goes to prove that things that one does can always come back ...
The theme in “An Occurence at Owl Creek Bridge” is brought together by three necessary literary elements. The author incorporates symbolism into the story to help support the theme that nobody can escapes death and how thoughts in the mind are so substantial in the consciousness that it can take over the reality. The author uses symbolism to support the theme that nobody can escape death Bierce showed the piece of driftwood slowly being carried away. That piece of driftwood brought hope to Peyton Farquhar, because of this his mind started to wonder out of reality. He started to go into a fantasy world where he could escape and become that driftwood in the currents of the rivers. By giving Fargher this hope the author was able to allow him to escape in only his mind. Showing that there was no reality for the execution to go undone. The author lead us into such a unbelievable r...
Within a short story, there is usually an obstacle that the main character has to persevere through. Between the characters of the guard from George Orwell’s “A Hanging” and the servant from Edgar Allen Poe’s “A Tell-Tale Heart”, they both experience the act of taking another person’s life. The guard from “A Hanging” works at a prison in Burma where felons await execution. His job is to lead the convicted men to their doom and makes sure everything goes routinely and swift. While the servant from “A Tell-Tale Heart” is a psychopathic man who lets his obsession over his boss’s glasseye lead him to plot and carry out his death. Throughout both stories, the protagonists reach a moment when they need to take part in the organized killings though, their different views on life and responses to the deaths set them apart. As a result, even through the prison guard and the servant both played key roles in the executions of the victims, they both have different outlooks and reactions towards their deeds. When it comes to the obstacle that the prison guard and the servant face, they are both in the position of ending the lives of their victims on pre-determined dates. The guard for starters works at a prison where “cell[s] measured about 10 feet and was quite bare within except for a plank bed and a pot for drinking water” (Orwell 32) and “brown, silent men” (Orwell 32) within them. The guard mentions that they “were the condemned men, due to be hanged within the next week or two” (Orwell 32). Once the prisoner is introduced, the clock strikes eight o’clock and the army doctor states ““For God’s sake hurry up, Francis,” he said irritably. “The man ought to have been dead by this time. Aren’t you ready yet?” (Orwell 32). This shows that ther...
The author’s purpose is to also allow the audience to understand the way the guards and superintendent felt towards the prisoners. We see this when the superintendent is upset because the execution is running late, and says, “For God’s sake hurry up, Francis.” And “The man ought to have been dead by this time.” This allows the reader to see the disrespect the authority has towards the prisoners.
Throughout his novel, Gary Blackwood poses the question: What if we lost the American Revolution? In the novel, The Year of the Hangman, our main character, Creighton Brown, lives a spoiled life in England, after his father, Harry Brown, had died in the American uprising. Then, after another night of gambling he was kidnapped and shipped off to the Americas to live with his uncle, by order of his mother. As he was traveling to Louisiana with his uncle, his ship gets raided by American pirates, who take his uncle hostage and send him to work for the infamous Dr. Franklin, after he lied to him about his connection to his uncle. Creighton then faces his conscience as the line between right and wrong, good and evil, American or England, gets thinner
I will discuss the similarities by which these poems explore themes of death and violence through the language, structure and imagery used. In some of the poems I will explore the characters’ motivation for targeting their anger and need to kill towards individuals they know personally whereas others take out their frustration on innocent strangers. On the other hand, the remaining poems I will consider view death in a completely different way by exploring the raw emotions that come with losing a loved one.
Man’s inhumanity towards fellow man is shown in the guillotine scenes when the peasants are making many cruel jokes. Though it is not very funny because many innocent people are sent to their death at guillotine because of the Law of the Suspected. The Law of Suspected says that anyone who is “suspected to be in alliance with a emigrant or spy is subject for arrest and will be tried”. In A Tale of Two Cities two influential characters are a victims of the Law of Suspected, Charles Darnay and a young seamstress. Charles is sentenced to death at the guillotine but Carton, a “brave and generous friend”, took his place and the only person who noticed is the seamstress who dies thinking Carton is a hero. In this quote one see how cruel and deadly the Law of Suspected is “A revolutionary tribunal in the capital, and forty or fifty thousand revolutionary committees all over the land; a Law of the Suspected, which struck away all security for liberty or life, and delivered over any good and innocent person to any bad and guilty one; prisons gorged with people who had committed no offence, and could obtain no hearing; these things became the established order and nature of appointed things, and seemed to be ancient usage before they ...
The narrator wrestles with conflicting feelings of responsibility to the old man and feelings of ridding his life of the man's "Evil Eye" (34). Although afflicted with overriding fear and derangement, the narrator still acts with quasi-allegiance toward the old man; however, his kindness may stem more from protecting himself from suspicion of watching the old man every night than from genuine compassion for the old man.