.... in a climactic conclusion, but rather the debate whether or not to let the strange knocker inside. Mark Jarman places the following quote by Karl Barth from Prayer at the beginning of his four sonnets: "Prayer exerts an influence upon God's action, even upon his existence. This is what the word 'answer' means." Sonnet 2 is the only of the four poems that does not explicitly mention prayer or God. Yet it is clear the poem deals with the same topic as the three sonnets with which it is grouped. The ambiguity of the poem lies in deciding which of the poem's two characters represents God and which represents the reader. Line one presents the all-important d .....

.... of creating a better life for themselves as well. At the time economic betterment meant working as a hired slave for minimal income and keeping your mouth shut. After all, you were nothing more than a wetback who came to America to reap her benefits.(This ludicrous ideology is still present today) Gary Soto's grandparents and my grandparents, although they ma y be a generation behind one another, I am sure were exposed to many of the same hardships and or social barriers. It was not uncommon back then as it is not uncommon today for Mexican families with minimal work skills to be forced into the fields to work with their children alongside in hopes of escapi .....

.... prayer is viewed only as a part of the "hocus-pocus (21)" of church ceremony. It is thus representative both of Owen’s view of church formality and ceremony, and of the attitudes that both Owen and Johnny hold toward certain aspects of the church and its traditions. This becomes important on a larger scale when the reader recognizes the conflict that plagues both Johnny and Owen when it comes to religious issues. Johnny states this point clearly when he says, "I was baptized in the Congregational Church, and after some years of fraternity with the Episcopalian...I became rather weak in my religion: in my teens I attended a non-denomination church. Then I b .....

.... plays used mostly all of the Elizabethan conventions for revenge tragedies in their plays. Hamlet especially incorporated all revenge conventions in one way or another, which truly made Hamlet a typical revenge play. “Shakespeare’s Hamlet is one of many heroes of the Elizabethan and Jacobean stage who finds himself grievously wronged by a powerful figure, with no recourse to the law, and with a crime against his family to avenge.” Seneca was among the greatest authors of classical tragedies and there was not one educated Elizabethan who was unaware of him or his plays. There were certain stylistic and different strategically thought out devices t .....

.... a soul, the source of rationality. Thus, humans have a duty to always use their intellect. Three things are found in the soul: emotions, capacities, and characteristics. Emotions are things humans feel, like anguish or happiness, that are followed by pain or pleasure. Capacities are a person’s ability or capacity to experience or express something. Since people are not considered good or bad based on their emotions, virtue cannot be an emotion. Virtue is not a capacity either, because virtue involves choice, not abilities. Therefore, virtue is a characteristic of a person that "renders good the thing itself of which it is the excellence and causes it to perfor .....

.... proposed, by a white Ohio congressman to apologize for slavery. That congressman is Representative Tony Hall. Hall resolves "That the congress apologizes to African-Americans whose ancestors suffered as slaves under the constitution of the United States of America until 1865 ("Should the Government" 8). The United States government should not issue an apology to African-Americans for slavery. An apology by the government for slavery would not heal the damage caused by two hundred forty four years of slavery. Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. Says. "… a simple apology, without anything attached to it seems a little empty to me" ("Should the Government" 9). Th .....

.... a part of living. Furthermore, the repetitious last lines serve to strengthen the speaker’s thoughts. In the first, third, and fifth stanzas, the last lines match each other; in the second and fourth stanzas, the final lines match. The final stanza combines the last lines from the odd and even-numbered stanzas for an additional line. This portrays the ongoing war between life and death. The old man went back and forth between life and death as the stanzas’ last lines switched back and forth. In the end, the two last lines join together as the old man and his son accept that death is a part of life. Next, the references to "good men," .....

.... use of Mr. Collins and Charlotte Lucas. In the novel, Mr. Collins has established himself by working for Lady Catherine de Bourgh, an extremely wealthy woman. Also, once Mr. Bennet dies, Mr. Collins is due to inherit his entire estate. Therefore, a man who is supported by that amount of money would seem to be quite a catch, to someone with less money. However, after listening to him talk, it is quickly revealed that he is utterly ignorant. On the other hand, Charlotte is his complete opposite. Charlotte is an extremely sensible and intelligent girl, but she has little money. Although Mr. Collins could obviously never satisfy Charlotte as a husband, Charllote .....