Human beings are capable of committing cruel and unusual acts out of an inner need for revenge. Edgar Allan Poe’s short story, “The Cask of Amontillado,” shows how humans can be corrupted by an obsession and driven to commit the unthinkable. His cunning use of the first person point of view presents a unique view of a mind that is occupied with a desire for hate and revenge. The first person perspective allows the reader to better understand Montresor’s outward appearance, to easily understand his inner mindset, and combine this information to understand the dark side of human nature. All of these ideas support Poe’s ultimate belief that society’s darkest qualities are caused by the corruption brought about by obsession and privilege.

The Salem witch trials were one of the worst examples of persecution and injustice in early America. In “The Crucible”, by Arthur Miller, the Salem witch trials are acted out from the first accusation to the many hangings that would follow. There are several reasons for the witch trials. The tedium of the highly religious Puritan society caused many people to have a strong need for a form of excitement. The Puritan Church took advantage of this to punish the people who deviated from the teachings of the Church. This provided a source of excitement for the common people and helped the Church punish those that had different beliefs than what their theocracy demanded. The courts were put into a bad position by the trial. Once the Church made its verdict, they had to support it in order to validate the Church’s authority. But all of these factors are just part of a larger cause. The theocracy of Puritan Massachusetts needed to create scapegoats in order to save their society. These scapegoats were needed to entertain the bored masses, destroy new ideas that threatened their society, and to solidify the authority of the Church.

The Governess in “Turn of the Screw”, by Henry James, was a very insecure person who needed constant stimulation to be happy. Shortly after she arrives at Bly, the Governess begins to see two ghostly figures lurking around the house. The story is based around her struggles with these apparitions and their attempts to “take” the children. In reality, she simply created the ghosts in order to make herself happier. The ghosts allowed her to scare the residents of Bly into complete submission and take total control of the house. They also caused her to be the center of attention and receive a lot of sympathy from the maid, Mrs. Grose. Finally, they allowed the Governess to entertain herself by providing her with a much needed adventure. These ghosts were simply created by the Governess so that she could have a better stay at Bly, and she wrote this story to try to make them seem more real.

What should one value in life? Every person will have to make a decision about how he or she will fit into society and what their role will be in the world. It is possible for anyone to be a dreamer, an individual, or another mindless servant to capitalism. Franz Kafka attempts to show us the damage that capitalism can do to society through the changes that Grete goes through in “The Metamorphosis”. Capitalist society will pull Grete out into the exciting world, force her to conform to its ideals, and then destroy any individualistic ideas that remain. The demands of capitalism serve to destroy the traces of humanity that still exist in society.

This tragic poem uses more Nazi references along with very morbid images to provide a confessional poem to her readers. This confessional poem continues with the Nazi references that she often used against her father. This decision shows the deep impact that his death still had on her. The key images are her descriptions of her desire for death. She proudly states that “this is number three” and she goes on to describe the act of suicide as a type of show that will be gladly watched by all. The speaker proclaims, “For the eyeing my scars, there is a charge.” These strong descriptions of the pride that she had for her suicide attempts clearly show her desire to continue her act, and this morbid poem clearly shows the deep depression into which she had fallen.

The poet uses strong imagery to show a transition of one’s life. The poem begins as the narrator is picking blackberries in a secluded area. The process is very fun and the speaker happily reports picking blackberries as big as one’s thumb. The berries even happily form “a blood sisterhood” with the person. These bonds of friendship and fun mark one’s life. The second stanza moves on to the second stage of one’s life. This is the point where one is beginning to really acknowledge that their death is approaching. The stanza transitions from a normal bountiful harvest to finding only a bush overrun by flies. It ends as the speaker approaches the sea. The final stanza represents the last stage of one’s life. The speaker explains that she came upon a place “that looks out on nothing, nothing but a great space.” This nothingness is the hopeless that often takes over one’s life near death. All of these powerful life images serve to paint a picture of the poet’s transitions through life.

The poet uses German references and morbid language to show the anger and alienation she felt from the early death of her father. The constant references to the persecution of the Jews and the Gypsies refer to her own view of being alienated by her German father. She clearly states that she “could never talk” to her father, which speaks to the separation that she was experiencing. The final stanza truly shows the anger that she felt towards him for abandoning her through death. She proudly states that, “There’s a stake in your fat, black heart” and that she was through dealing with him. These morbid references serve to really drive home the anger and abandonment that she apparently feels.

The poet uses several dark images of sin and destruction to demonstrate their view of the world’s loss of purity. The poet also uses strong irony, as the narrator preaches of purity, but displays contempt for others and sheer excessive pride for their own purity. The narrator proclaims, “I am too pure for you or for anyone.” These thoughts go alongside the references to radiation poisoning of leopards and the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima. These are not often viewed as a sin by the main world, and the poet downplays their significance in relation to others, like adultery. The narrator believes that simple sin “hurts God” while other major travesties are referred to in passing. This apparently religious poem seems to be mocking the apparently arbitrary rules of religion, by questioning their views on purity.

The poet uses a series of strong nature images that explain society makes it impossible to enjoy the simple beauty of nature. Gulliver is simply watching the clouds pass and admiring the beauty of the swans and the fact that they have “no strings attached.” This desire for freedom is immediately contrasted by the spider-men “winding and twining their petty fetters.” They refuse to leave the narrator alone, despite his size and threats. These images of harassing a peaceful observer imprint the message of how hard it is to enjoy nature in modern society.

The poet uses strong historical images to display the narrator’s defeated feeling as he realizes that his life’s work will never be complete. The narrator begins the poem by clearly stating that, “I shall never get you put together entirely.” At this point, the narrator has completely resigned himself to working on finishing the Colossus, despite the apparent hopelessness. The allusions to the Roman history further show that he has been trying to construct this being for the majority of his life. He is trapped in his current world, as he doesn’t know life unrelated to this construction. Stars and sunrises have only been viewed from his position at the site. His resignation is confirmed with the simple ending lines, “No longer do I listen for the scrape of a keel on the blank stones of the landing.”