Girl with a Pearl Earring Essay - 946 Words

Feature Article Forbidden Love The novel Girl with a Pearl Earring should definitely be included on the Novel Ideas book club reading list. Elyshia Hickey reveals why this fascinating, historical and romantic story will appeal to an adolescent audience, as it explores the theme of sensual awakening. Set in 17th century Delft, Chevalier’s novel explores the deep but forbidden love between a young maid and her master. The author’s clever combination of an intriguing story, remarkable characters and descriptive language allowed her to explore the themes of forbidden love, predators and sexual desires. For hundreds of years people have wondered who is the girl in the portrait Girl with a Pearl Earring, painted by a Dutch artist†¦show more content†¦Vermeer asked Griet to wear his wife’s pearl earrings for the sitting. She knew it would cause more trouble but was obedient to the man she had fallen in love with. This complication built suspense for the readers as they anticipated the wife’s reaction. After Vermeer’s wife saw the earrings in the painting, she tried to destroy it. Griet knew she had to leave. She chose to go to Pieter who she later married. When Vermeer died 10 years later, he left the pearl earrings to Griet in his will. The author’s mix of realistic events, romantic love, and unwanted sexual encounters reflect a timeless storyline that would appeal to young adults in today’s society, facing the same problems. The author has skillfully constructed the characters to assist young readers to connect with them. The main character, Griet, is a quiet, lonely, innocent and vulnerable young lady. When Van Ruijven cornered Griet in the hallway and grabbed her chin, she did not feel at all comfortable: â€Å"I did not like the way he looked at me†. Griet had some artistic talent and vision and wanted this to be recognized by her master, but was too shy to say anything. She was looking for love and security, which she found in Vermeer. Vermeer’s remarkable character draws young readers in as he was portrayed as a very gentle, caring and loyal man – the type of man you would want to marry. Vermeer never forgot her andShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Girl With A Pearl Earring 1433 Words   |  6 Pagessuch. There is the system of doing oil works of art. There are numerous well known compositions still today that are produced using oil paint. For instance, the Mona Lisa is an extremel y surely understood painting. Another sketch is called Girl with a Pearl Earring, which was made one-hundred years after the Mona Lisa. [These two-acclaimed works of art are very similar, while as yet having contrasts, similar to the craftsman, source/workmanship period, which means/story, strategy in making it, and whereRead MoreAnalysis Of The Girl With The Pearl Earring 1377 Words   |  6 Pageswarrior has a vision of a better world and never stop fighting for it. Artists and warriors may seem different, but they have more in common than we imagine. An artist is programmed to look at things in different and new ways. In The Girl with the Pearl Earring, Johannes Vermeer the famed artist, asks Griet his young maid to look up at the sky. He asks her â€Å"What color do you see?† She without really thinking about it says â€Å"blue.† Then he doesn’t say anything, while she goes on to tell him all theRead MoreGirl with a Pearl Earring Theme Essay1005 Words   |  5 PagesVCE English: Unit 1 Text Response: Girl With a Pearl Earring Take care to remain yourself This text shows that remaining true to oneself must be balanced with family obligations. Discuss  ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬ Tracy Chevaliers novel Girl With a Pearl Earring explores the notion of ‘self thorough the main character Griet and her journey from innocence to experience. Firstly, we see throughout the novel Griet is aware she has much to learn about the world. Furthermore, under Vermeers roof, GrietsRead MoreEssay about Girl with a Pearl Earring717 Words   |  3 PagesIn the novel Girl With A Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier, Griet faces many challenges which causes her identity to change. Though Griet starts out as an innocent maid who has to follow orders, she starts developing her own opinion and the ability to make decisions. Griet changes from an household servant to having the courage to share her opinion to a mature lady, capable of making her own decisions. Many factors contribute to the change in Griet’s identity, but the main factor is Vermeer, herRead MoreComparing The Girl With A Pearl Earring And Mona Lisa1332 Words   |  6 Pagesthe Girl with a Pearl Earring and M ona Lisa   The Girl with a Pearl Earring and Mona Lisa are the two most famous portraits ever painted  (Courtauld 36). The girl with a pearl earring follows the Mona Lisa painting, which is considered as the most famous painting. The girl with a pearl earring, by Johannes Vermeer, and the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci were created during the same historical time. Historians believe that Leonardo da Vinci created his art piece between 1503 and 1506. The girl withRead MoreGirl with a Pearl Earring - Concerns on Women Essay1084 Words   |  5 PagesIn her novel Girl with a pearl earring, Tracey Chevalier, explores many thematic concerns in relation to women, in the 1600s. She explored this through the themes of; the restricted roles of women, the battle of the sexes and Class, money, gender and power, she utilises literary techniques; such as dialogue, first person, exclamation and allusion to convey these themes. In a girl with the pearl earring the protagonist, Griet, is sent to be a maid the artist Johannes Vermeer and his growing familyRead More Girl With A Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier Essay4472 Words   |  18 PagesGirl With A Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier Tracy Chevalier is unusual in having taken a specific painting and created a construction round it. How does she build a convincing impression of the characters and their circumstances in this unusual household on Papists Corner in Delft between 1664-1676? Tracy Chevalier is unusual at having taken a painting, a Girl with a Pearl Earring by Johannes Vermeer and assembled her story around it. Tracy Chevaliers construction is about a youngRead MoreWriter s Block A Creative Block1569 Words   |  7 Pagesmy interpretation to what the song might mean and a trailer of a story this song represents playing in the background. An example is ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’ written by Tracy Chevalier, she was inspired by a poster of Vermeer’s ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring.’ Considering her words when it came to how this story came to be: â€Å"I lay there idly contemplating the girl s face, and thought suddenly, â€Å"I wonder what Vermeer did to her to make her look like that. Now there’s a story worth writing †¦Ã¢â‚¬  I couldRead MoreI Never Thought I Would Ever Identify With A Disney Character1389 Words   |  6 Pagesamethyst earrings and I absolutely loved them. Shortly after my family started attending church my mom had a talk with me. She had me read a passage out of my new bible. â€Å"Likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness- with good works.† (1 Timothy 2:9-10, ESV) After I read the passage, my mom reached over and took my earrings out.Read MoreThe Importance of Art Essay655 Words   |  3 Pagesthe past and is now a reflection of a materialistic life of today. Bill Henson, a portrait artist used his 12 year old Olympia as a nude model for his portrait drawing. This brought much controversy that he was exploiting the body of an under - age girl as his own gains. This shows that art is used for popularity and financial gain. The message behind art is to show ideas and ideas that are relevant to society. Art is meant to enliven life and things, though modern art shows more if life’s negativeness

Essay about How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth

Gordon D. Fee and Douglas Stuart, authors of How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth, have written an easy to read book for those who want to learn more about what the Bible has to offer. The authors present distinct principles for interpreting different genres found in the Bible. The book has sold over a half a million copies and is one of the most popular books regarding biblical interpretation. Fee is a seminary professor of New Testament studies at Regent College. He has authored several New Testament commentaries and is the general editor of the New International Commentary series. Fee has also contributed significantly to the field of hermeneutics and NT textual criticism. The author is a well known teacher and conference†¦show more content†¦The authors advise a three step process when interpreting Scripture; first, learning to do exegesis; second, proper hermeneutics; and third, application. The authors use this model when instructing the readers in the subsequent chapters. In the first chapter, Fee and Stuart state their goal: to heighten the reader’s sensitivity to specific problems inherent in each genre, to help the reader know why different options exist and how to make commonsense judgments, and especially to enable the reader to discern between good and not-so-good interpretations—and to know what makes them one or the other (18). The authors accomplish their goal as they give their advice on how to properly read the Bible through exegesis, hermeneutics, and applying the text. In the second chapter, Fee and Stuart address the topic of translation. They point out the problem of only using one translation. â€Å"The trouble . . . is that you are thereby committed to the exegetical choices of that translation as the Word of God† (33). The solution, Fee and Stuart propose, is to use more than one translation when studying the Bible. This will give the Bible student the opportunity to examine texts from different translations and after applying proper hermeneutics, choose the best translation for the meaning of the text. Fee and Stuart examine another issue with our current translations. â€Å"The problem has to do with the transferring of words andShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Bible Class Offered At Ohio Valley1477 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction to Bible class offered at Ohio Valley University, I will be conducting a book review over the book How to Read the Bible for all its Worth by Gordon D. Fee Douglas Stuart published by Zondervan Publishing in 2014. In addition to reading the book, I have learned several new things and also learned the authors argument in how reading the Bible is important. Furthermore, the book How to Read the Bible for all its Worth helps to inform people on how to understand the book of the Bible and how to understandRead MoreThe Bible For All It s Worth By Gordon Fee Essay940 Words   |  4 PagesThe book â€Å"How to Read the Bible for All It’s Worth† by Gordon Fee is a very helpful book to help me to understand the Bible. The book talks about everything from the interpretation of God’s word to the translation to the new and old testaments. There are 13 chapters that all one by one add as you read to your knowledge on how to understand what the Lord’s word is saying. Chapter I: Introduction: The Need to Interpret To interpret the Bible, it is not about simply reading like it is just anotherRead MoreChristian Fiction : Piety Is Not Enough848 Words   |  4 Pages Known as a safe read throughout the literary world, Christian fiction is devoid of true human condition such as the grotesque and the sexual. Richard Terrell proposes in his essay Christian Fiction: Piety is not Enough, that Christian fiction cannot rely on being religious anymore to earn the title of â€Å"good fiction†. He addresses the issue of Christian fiction limiting itself to a certain range of topics because it is a â€Å"religious† work and these limitations result in mediocre writing. Though theRead MoreA Slave s Burden By Frederick Douglass1741 Words   |  7 Pagessomething that was required to survive? What if learning to read or write was a death sentence instead of an asset? What if education led to something better or something much worst? Reading, The Narrative Life of Frederick Douglass, by Frederi ck Douglass; highlights key points about slavery, religion, and education. It focuses on the struggles of illiteracy in slaves and how it was used as a mechanism for management and restraint. Douglass proves how education empowers and instills strength in himself asRead MoreRead Your Bible And Pray1644 Words   |  7 PagesChapter 2 Read Your Bible. I spent more than the first two decades of my ministry career as a full-time youth pastor. I loved every second of it, and I still speak at youth conferences, camps, and retreats. I am convinced I will always be part of youth ministry. In those twenty plus years with teenagers, I cannot tell you how many messages I delivered with the keys to a successful Christian walk being â€Å"Read your Bible and pray!† This has been a staple for all youth pastors everywhere for decadesRead MoreDeath Is The Final Stage Of An Individual s Existence979 Words   |  4 Pagesunavoidable, and inevitable all humankind will experience death as part of their destiny. Therefore, each has the responsibility of addressing the issues that maybe related to a decline in their physical and mental function status, which render them incapable of making their life decisions. This paper will address what I consider the â€Å"good life† or a life worth living and what issues that constitute a life, when I am no longer able perform the activities that make my life worth living. Finally, theRead MoreSanta Bibli The Bible Through Hispanic Eyes, Justo L. Gonzalez1513 Words   |  7 PagesIn Santa Biblia: The Bible Through Hispanic Eyes, Justo L. Gonzà ¡lez invites the reader to read the Bible in fresh ways, and gain insight from the perspective of â€Å"those who claim their Hispanic identity as part of their hermeneutical baggage, and who also read the Scripture within the context of a commitment to the Latino struggle to become all that God wants us and all of the world to be—in other words, the struggle for salvation/liberation.† (Gonzà ¡lez 1996, 28-29) Published hot on the heels of theRead MoreImpact Of Inductive Bible Study Method On Christians1411 Words   |  6 PagesOF INDUCTIVE BIBLE STUDY METHOD ON CHRISTIANS; A CASE STU DY OF NIGERIA FELLOWSHIP OF EVANGELICAL STUDENTS (NIFES), UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE MAKURDI. TIZA MICHAEL –Post Graduate Student, Masters of Ministry, Bible University. Canada. Email - tizamichael@gmail.com OKORODE JEREMIAH- Training Secretary, Nigeria Fellowship of Evangelical Students (NIFES) Makurdi Zone. Email - jerrokk121@gmail.com ABSTRACT This research work is geared at attempting to point out the impact of inductive bible study on ChristiansRead MoreChristology For The New Millennium Essay1489 Words   |  6 Pagesperfectly suited for fellowship also obedience to God forever. In his resurrection, Jesus earned for us a new life. Notably, we do not receive all the new â€Å"resurrection life† when we become Christians, for our bodies remain as they were, still subject to weakness, aging, and death. But in our spirits, we are made alive with new resurrection power. We read about this in (Ephesians 1:19-21 NLT, as well as in Romans 6:4: â€Å"We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order thatRead MoreChristology For The New Millennium Essay1485 Words   |  6 Pagesperfectly suited for fellowship also obedience to God forever. In his resurrection, Jesus earned for us a new life. Notably, we do not receive all the new â€Å"resurrection life† when we become Christians, for our bodies remain as they were, still subject to weakness, aging, and death. But in our spirits, we are made alive with new resurrection power. We read about this in (Ephesians 1:19-21 NLT, as well as in Romans 6:4: â€Å"We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that

Business Ethics or Corporate Ethics

Question: Discuss about the Business Ethics or Corporate Ethics. Answer: Introduction: This paper contains the discussion on business ethics. Business ethics are also known as corporate ethics, and these are in the form of morals, professional ethics, applied ethics, and ethical problems that are identified in business environment. These ethics are applicable on all the aspects of business conduct and also applied on the individual conduct in the organization. Basically, it is defined as standards and values that regulate the behavior and conduct of an individual in the business organization. There is no exact definition of good ethical practices, and it generally involves making difference between right and wrong and then chooses the right thing. It is easy for anyone to identify those practices in the businesses which are not ethical such as it is ethical for the company to use child labor in their organization, not use unlawfully any material which is copyrighted by other companies, and it is not ethical to engage in bribery (Akrani, 2011). In this essay, we answer two questions which are related to business ethics, and these two questions are: What are ethics and morals, and also the difference between these two terms? How ethical perspectives like, utilitarianism, Rawls Justice as fairness, and are applied on business? Business ethics: According to the Andrew Crane, ethics related to business can be understand as the study of situations of business, decisions made in business, activities related to business where matters related to right and wrong are considered. Ethics are the part of social science, and it deals with the moral principles of individual or social values. These ethical principles are used to determine what is wrong and right. In other words we can say that business ethics means conducting the business in such a way that it gives benefits to the society also (management library, n.d.). On the other hand, morals are defined as the social, culture, and religious values of individual or group which state the difference between right and wrong. They are rules framed by the society which help us in deciding what right thing to do is. Ethics and morals sound similar but they are different from each other, and following are the differences between these two terms: MORALS ETHICS These are the rules or belief set up by society to determine what is right or wrong. Ethics are those principles which help the individual or group to choose between the good and bad. It is basically a reply to the specific situation. These are the general principles which are set up by group of people. It is derived from the Greek word Mos which means custom. It is derived from the word Ethikos which means character. Moral are defined as norms related to social and cultural behavior (Lloyd, 2000). Ethics are norms related to legal and professional standards. It deals with the principles related to right and wrong. It deals with individual conduct, and considers whether it is right or wrong. Morals are not applicable in business organization. Ethics are applicable in business organization(Surbhi, 2015). Morals can be varying from society to society and culture to culture. Ethics are uniform for all business organizations. There is no freedom to choose morals. There is freedom to choose ethics (Sproul, 2015). Ethical perspectives applicable on business: Utilitarianism: it is an ethical theory, and this theory is one of the best theories in ethics. The basic idea behind this theory is that an action is considered right or wrong on the basis of its effects. In other words, whether effect of action is good or bad are considered in this theory. There are two types of Utilitarianism that is Act and rule. Act focus on the effects of the actions of individual. On the other hand Rule states the effects of types of action. The main purpose of this theory is to make the things better by doing the good things in surroundings and avoid the bad things. This theory mainly focuses on the happiness of person and does not consider the morals derived from customs, traditions and beliefs of society (Mill, 2013). Basically it states that an action is right or wrong on the basis of its effect or consequences on maximum people. In other words we can say that an action is ethical if it has more positive consequences on people as compared to negative effects on the people. This theory is derived by Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill. Therefore, the concept of utilitarianism defined the rule that an action is evaluated on set rules and principles which give benefit to the maximum amount of people (Chonko, n.d.). In business organizations this theory is very useful because whether decision took by company is ethical or not is based on the effect of that decision on the stakeholders of the company. While making decision in the business companies use many ethical standards because in organization people are different and different standards are applicable on them. It may be possible that when organization hires people they have different ethical standards from the people who are already working in t he organization. Difference of ethical standards of individual can be evaluated by checking their approach towards decision making. Usually companies build framework to help their employees in taking ethical decisions (Vitez, n.d.). For example- many companies have practice to provide different price for a product or service to their different customers such as airline industry provide different classes of seats to their customers like economic class, business class, and first class in their airplanes. Customers who opt for first class seats pay higher prices than those customers who opt for economic class or business class. However, in this rule utilitarianism is applicable because higher prices paid by business class customers or first class customers help the airlines to company to reduce their financial burden, and this make room for the customers who opt for economic class. Act utilitarianism is also understand by the help of example that is a pharmaceutical company issue drug which are approved by the government and it has side effects which are already known by the government and public, and this act is ethical because it cure more people and had positive consequences on the people as compared to negative consequences (Future of Working, 2014). Rawls Justice as Fairness- John Rawls is a Harvard philosopher, and he developed the conception of Justice as Fairness in his work that is A Theory of Justice. For developing this conception he used both the theories Kantian and utilitarian, and in this conception he describe the method for evaluation of social and political morals. In this conception of justice he determine the basic structure of society that includes institutions related to political, constitutional, social, and economic, and how these standards work together to form the scheme which helps in social cooperation. Rawls state this theory in a narrow approach and clearly state that this approach is not a complete contract theory. Its main purpose is to show how the cooperative profits resources are distributed to the individuals in the society. This theory is based on two assumptions related to societies that is presence of social cooperation which work for the mutual advantage of everyone and second is distribution of surplus of those resources which are exist (Arneson, 2008; Rawls, 1985). In this theory Rawls does not determine the fair distribution of resources between members of the society when resources are scarce. In other words it does not deal with those situations in which there is scarcity of resources, war, and other barriers related to culture. These are the situations which eliminate the chances of Social Corporation and these situations are not covered by this theory. For determining the process how the basic structure related to this conception is arranged, and this determination is based on the thought of those individuals who are mutually disinterested, rational, and choose principles of justice behind the veil of ignorance. Veil of ignorance is that condition which state that these individuals does not know the basic details about themselves such as personal values, race, gender, income earned by them, etc or about their society in which they survive that is development stage, economic conditions, etc. however, while choosing these principles the part ies share different knowledge related to general conditions, economic status, etc (Kara, 2011). Kantian Deontology- this theory states that an action is ethical it is accepted as a universal law by every individual in the society. This theory is developed by the German philosopher that is Immanuel Kant, and this philosopher believes that set of rules are followed by the morality without any exceptions. Therefore this theory is act on the categorical principles which are imperatives in nature, and instructions given in such a way that one must follow those instructions (Lacewing, n.d.). Kantianism also focuses on respect of individual, and treats other person with due respect. It also states that person should not used as a tool to achieve some target. In other words, there is an obligation on individual or it is their duty to follow set of rules to evaluate their actions and determine whether their actions are ethically right or not. However, this theory is has narrow approach and inadequate, and there is always a doubt whether this theory is appropriate to handle the ethical dilemmas or other problems related to moral values. For example no moral rules or ethical guideline is developed when rights and duties related to people cross their path. This theory is different from utilitarian theories in many ways such as utilitarianism focus on the happiness of individual and sate that action is ethical if its outcome is positive whereas deontology theory states no matter what is the outcome some actions are always unethical. According to this theory morality is the duty of an individual, and it states that it is the moral duty of an individual to do the right things and not doing the wrong things. It also states consequences of action do not state that action is right or wrong; instead action is wrong in itself. The moral duties of an individual are divided into parts firstly, general duties which individual owned towards anyone, and these duties are mostly prohibitions such as dont lie, dont kill but some are positive also such as help other when they need help. Second type of duties is an individual owned to particular person or society. Following are some example of this type of duty promise made to person must be fulfilled, duty to give protection and care to your childrens as parents (Bowie, n.d.). This theory is also applicable in business organizations as individual owned some duty towards its organization and to society also. In businesses there are some decisions which are ethically wrong but their outcomes are positive. According to this theory no matter what are the consequences, some decisions in businesses are not ethical. Therefore, it is important for individual that they take ethical decisions (Seven pillars Institute, n.d.). Conclusion: In this essay we state the importance of business ethics and also define business ethics. First we defined business ethics as standards and values that regulate the behavior and conduct of an individual in the business organization. There is no exact definition of good ethical practices, and it generally involves making difference between right and wrong and then chooses the right thing. We also state the difference between morals and ethics which sound similar. Later, we state three ethical perspectives that is Utilitarianism, and whether effect of the action is good or bad are considered in this theory, Rawls Justice as Fairness which was developed by John Rawls who is a Harvard philosopher, and he developed the conception of Justice as Fairness in his work that is A Theory of Justice, and third one is Kantian Deontology which states that an action is ethical it is accepted as a universal law by every individual in the society. At last we conclude that these three perspectives of e thics are applicable in business organization. References: Akrani, G. (2011). What are Business Ethics? Meaning Definition Features. Retrieved on 23rd December 2016 from: https://kalyan-city.blogspot.in/2011/09/what-are-business-ethics-meaning.html. Arneson, (2008). JOHN RAWLS'S THEORY OF JUSTICE NOTES FOR THEORIES OF JUSTICE. Retrieved on 23rd December 2016 from: https://philosophyfaculty.ucsd.edu/faculty/rarneson/Rawlschaps1and2.pdf. Bowie, E. N. A Kantian Approach to Business Ethics, Retrieved on 23rd December 2016 from: https://www.chris-downs.f2s.com/BAM321/Assets/Kantian%20Approach%20to%20Business%20Ethics.pdf. Future of Working, (2014). Workplace Example of Utilitarianism Ethics. Retrieved on 23rd December 2016 from: https://futureofworking.com/workplace-example-of-utilitarianism-ethics/. Kara, (2011). Justice as Fairness. Retrieved on 23rd December 2016 from: https://sevenpillarsinstitute.org/dictionary/justice-as-fairness. Lacewing. M. Kants deontological ethics. Retrieved on 23rd December 2016 from: https://documents.routledge- interactive.s3.amazonaws.com/9781138793934/A22014/ethical_theories/Kant's%20deontological%20ethics.pdf. Lloyd, F. D. (2000). Distinguishing Between Morality and Ethics. Retrieved on 23rd December 2016 from: https://www.vision.org/visionmedia/ethics-and-morality/distinguishing-between-morality-and-ethics/731.aspx. Management library. Business Ethics and Social Responsibility. Retrieved on 23rd December 2016 from: https://managementhelp.org/businessethics/. Mill, S. (2013). Ethical Theory and Its Application to Contemporary Business Practice. Retrieved on 23rd December 2016 from: https://ncys82.wordpress.com/2013/03/15/ethical-theory-and-its-application-to-contemporary-business-practice/. Chhonko, L. ETHICAL THEORIES. Retrieved on 23rd December 2016 from: https://www.dsef.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/EthicalTheories.pdf. Rawls, J. (1985). Justice as Fairness: Political not Metaphysical. Philosophy and Public Affairs, Vol. 14, No. 3. pp. 223-251. Seven pillars Institute, Kantian Duty Based (Deontological) Ethics, Retrieved on 23rd December 2016 from: https://sevenpillarsinstitute.org/morality-101/kantian-duty-based-deontological-ethics. Sproul, C. R. (2015). The Difference Between Ethics and Morality. Retrieved on 23rd December 2016 from: https://www.ligonier.org/blog/difference-between-ethics-and-morality/. Surbhi, (2015). Difference Between Morals and Ethics. Retrieved on 23rd December 2016 from: https://keydifferences.com/difference-between-morals-and-ethics.html. Vitez, O. Decision Making in Business Ethics. Retrieved on 23rd December 2016 from: https://smallbusiness.chron.com/decision-making-business-ethics-446.html.

Minister`s Black Veil By Hawthorne Essays - The Ministers Black Veil

Minister`s Black Veil By Hawthorne In Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Minister's Black Veil", the author chooses to mask the character of the minister with the black veil to construct an allegory that would compare sin concocted by imagination with unrecognized sin of one's self. With the story being set in the Puritan time period of the settlement of New England, as nearly all of Hawthorne's stories are, the reader can logically infer a certain set of value judgements. For instance, these people, being very sincere about their religion, are likely to see anything out of the ordinary, such as a black-veiled minister, as a serious issue that undermines their faith. On the surface the first sight of the veil not only confuses the congregation, but scares them as well. This man is supposed to be their most direct mode of communication with God, and to see him in what they perceive to be quite a bizarre condition, must make them feel that their religious lives may be in danger. Yet another character trait held by this community is its inability to cope with even the slightest bit of change. Something as trivial as a man covering his face with black crape paper literally whips this community into a frenzy. "I don't like it"(p.102), cried the old woman, "Our parson has gone mad"(102), cried Goodman Gary. Without even the slightest bit of investigation into the issue these people have brewed in their imaginations all sorts of theories as to what is so wrong with the minister. A third, and possibly most dangerous trait of the community, is its almost joyous inclination toward superstition. Whether you would like to call it Puritan myth or strait fact, this obsession with witchcraft and the supernatural is what made Puritan New England a dangerous place to live in the 17th century. This idea of the occult always seems to find its way into a Hawthorne story, and The Minister's Black Veil is no exception. Even the good doctor cannot help but mention, "the black veil, though it covers only our pastor's face, throws its influence over his whole person, and makes him ghostlike from head to foot."(p.105). The true allegory arises from these beliefs of the community, but does not wholly manifest it self until seen from the minister's point of view. Though he may contend that the veil personifies "sorrows dark enough to be typified by a black veil."(p.109), it is possible to infer that the veil is actually somewhat of an experiment by the minister. On the surface he may explain its meaning by some undefinable scruples he may hold, but underneath it represents a test of the community. By donning the black veil the minister realizes his fear that the people of his community are more obsessed with a sin they are sure the minister is hiding from, then their own sins that they live in everyday. Even his fellow man of the cloth Reverend Clark believes the minister must have some "horrible crime upon his soul"(p.113). Not a single person realizes the intent of the minister until his deathbed utterance that defiles the virtue of the community. Proof positive of this realization of their fault is the fact that while the minister was alive these people couldn't wait to remove the black veil, but once he is dead, unable to stop them from unmasking him, the veil follows him to his grave. Perhaps it is reverence toward the painful truth revealed by the minister that keeps the veil on his face, but more likely it is simply left on in the rush to bury the man who brought to light such a less than virtuous shortcoming. Like so many of Hawthorne's stories, the Minister's Black Veil personifies the fallible nature of a people so dedicated to living a life free of sin, when in fact they are simply ignoring the vices that rest under their own pillows.