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Juxtaposing Justice: Retribution to Rehabilitation Tà ©a Francesca Price Arizona State University Timelessly capturing in written works the complexities of the human condition is a feat rarely accomplished by writers. However for the â€Å"Father of English Literature,† Geoffrey Chaucer, and the world’s pre-eminent dramatist, William Shakespeare, conveying the essence of humanity artistically was seemingly effortless. Both observant authors are known for their ability to compose characters that juxtapose recognizable human characteristic such as hatred and love, jealousy and goodwill, and justice and mercy. Within Chaucer’s 14th century collection of stories entitled The Canterbury Tales is a comical narration of a somber topic called The Wife of Bath’s Tale, which draws speculation for the justice served to a Knight of Camelot who rapes a maiden. While King Arthur would have the Knight executed for his heinous actions, Queen Guinevere grants the knight a year and a day to discover what women desire, the very thing he disregarded whilst committing his crime. Another work that features a similar concept of justice is the Elizabethan era comedy, The Merchant of Venice, by William Shakespeare; through his own unique and mastered skill, Shakespeare embodies the quality of justice precisely in the character of Jewish moneylender Shylock, who in dogged pursuit of a bond against the merchant Antonio, receives the very fair dealing he craves through the character of Portia, the personification of mercy. Each author observed and understood that through human weakness justice is often undermined, for people disobey society’s laws to their own iniquitous ends. Their works depict a transformation in the practice of justice, from... ...Press released an article called â€Å"Death Penalty Isn’t a Deterrent on Murder Rate: National Research Council,† which discussed the lack of evidence in the effectiveness of the death penalty deterring crime. The article identifies issues that include not considering alternatives to capital punishment or sufficiently weighing how killers assess the risk of execution. The authors of the report are quoted to be â€Å"disappointed to reach the same result as a 1978 study†. If retribution as justice has yet to be proven beneficial to society, an alternative to consider is the concept of justice outlined in works like The Wife of Bath’s Tale and The Merchant of Venice. They are important pieces of literature to promote, for despite their age and comedic style, both works prompt a debate over the concept of justice and in what way justice is most effectively served.

Use of a Literary Device in “Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day”

William Shakespeare’s sonnet â€Å"Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day† is a fourteen line poem that contains three quatrains followed by a couplet. The poem is also known as Sonnet 18, and is a beautiful poem describing just that, a summer’s day. If one wishes to be technical, Shakespeare does more than describe a summer’s day, he is comparing an individual to a summer’s day. Shakespeare uses the literary devices imagery and diction throughout the poem. Imagery is the one device that stands out the most due to Shakespeare’s intricate way of describing the summer day with such detail that the reader feels like they are there. Diction is an important literary device which I will focus on, because Shakespeare switches back and forth between abstract and concrete diction. Shakespeare used imagery to its fullest in this poem. Using the phrases summer’s day, buds of May, heaven shines, and so on†¦ It all sounds so beautiful and the reader is able to picture all of these images as it brings a smile to the readers’ lips. While reading the poem, the gender of the person to whom Shakespeare is comparing to a summer’s day is left unknown and can easily be confused with that of a woman, although the poem gives no indication of this relationship being a romantic one. The line that strikes me as being the most beautiful is â€Å"But thy eternal summer shall not fade† (Shakespeare 76). I as the reader can just imagine a summer that never ends, and the sound of that is pleasing to the mind. Thus this is the best example of how Shakespeare used imagery in this sonnet. One that is a bit more difficult to understand is Shakespeare’s use of diction throughout the poem. Just like the rest of Shakespeare’s work, in this poem he primarily uses formal form of speech with words such as thou, thy, shall, nor. This choice of words was common when the poem was written back in 1609, but no longer is for the readers of this day and age, which makes Shakespeare’s choice of diction easily misunderstood. In this poem, Shakespeare uses concrete and abstract diction interchangeably. Concrete language can be considered something specific or definite such as objects you can picture with your five senses such as walking, cold, lawn mower, etc†¦ Shakespeare uses this type of diction scarcely throughout the poem with the following words: buds, hot, shines, men, breathe, and eyes. Most poets do not use abstract or concrete diction uniformly (Deblanco and Cheuse 75). Shakespeare had to move back and forth between dictions in order to make the poem sound. Abstract diction is more general, because it refers to terms that you cannot touch, see, smell, feel or taste. Examples of abstract diction are love, freedom, sexism, morale, etc†¦ Shakespeare uses abstract diction much more freely throughout the poem, perhaps because abstract diction is much easier to use for his need to achieve imagery. He uses the phrases â€Å"Thou art more lovely and more temperate† (Shakespeare 76), lovely being the abstract term in this phrase. Same concept applies to the phrase â€Å"But thy eternal summer shall not fade†(Shakespeare 76), eternal is not something you can sense with any of your five senses. Abstract words can also vary from person to person, because a word be interpreted differently varying on the person. In sum, throughout the entirety of the poem â€Å"Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day† by William Shakespeare, he uses concrete and abstract interchangeably in order to achieve a perfect balance and to incorporate imagery for the reader to visualize his words. The use of concrete and abstract diction brought Shakespeare’s poem to life, thus making the reading a pleasant experience for the reader.

Comparing Beowulf and Superman Essay - 620 Words

The epic Beowulf shows us how a mans’ character is tested as he encounters difficult situations. The unknown author of Beowulf, leaves behind a mystique, an intriguing quality with which the character which hold our interest. The modern-day hero, Superman, also possesses these same qualities. Their modest actions are what helped these hero’s to become their peoples’ â€Å"ideal man.† nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The first quality that earns a person’s respect between Beowulf and Superman is wealth. Neither of these men had a considerable amount of money. This helps the every day man relate to them more easily. In the epic, Beowulf’s home is far away from his lord’s castle. We get the sense that Beowulf is an†¦show more content†¦The he stepped to another Still body, clutched at Beowulf with his claws, Grasped at a strong-hearted wakeful sleeper -And was instantly seized himself. . .(Raffel 314-323). This passage shows us how Beowulf’s planning ahead led him to victory. By exposing the monster’s strengths as well as his tactics, Beowulf was able to counter-attack the monster and win. The second time when Beowulf shows us his intelligence is when he goes fights Grendel’s mother: She welcomed him in her claws. Clutched at him savagely but could not harm him. Tried to work her fingers through the tight Ring-woven mail on his breast, but tore And scratched in vain. . .(Raffel 475-479). Although his armor did not ultimately stop her, it slowed her down and gave Beowulf time to overcome her. For Superman, his intelligence comes from experience. Because of his daily duty of â€Å"protector of the Earth,† Superman reacts instantly to the problems he faces. When he fights enemies, Superman tries to have the fight on his terms. He lures the criminals out of the cities, away from the people. If that’s not possible he takes care of business in a quick and orderly fashion. He does this by keeping the innocent bystander out of the way.Show MoreRelatedEssay on The Epic Hero Archetype in Films, and Literature850 Words   |  4 PagesAs Beowulf possessed incredible the strength of 30 men, Luke Skywalker the force, and Harry Potter magic, epic heroes continue in every form of today’s entertainment and storytelling. Every culture from the beginning has had their own tales of heroes accomplishing great feats that no one else could. An epic hero is an icon for everyone to relate to, they symbolize different lessons to learn. The epic hero archetype exists as a source of entertainment but also as a demonstrative tool. Their morals