Sign Up Now
Get instant access to over 1 million+ study documents
OR
Already registered? click here to login
By creating your account, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and student honor code.
Machiavelli shared Douglass' opinion concerning the role of religion in one's society. He believed that religion is instrumental in bringing about not only a moral society, but also a just one. In his discourse, "The Prince," he asserted that the ideal leader, the Prince, must not "...deceive friends...be without faith, without mercy, without religion..." This invoked the belief that a leader, in order to become effective, efficient, and respected by the civil society, must also be of moral character. This means that in the same way as people let their lives be influenced by religion and its values and beliefs, so too must the Prince engage in a lifestyle dominated by religion. A religious individual is a moral individual, hence commanding the respect of his people and giving him credibility to lead over society.
However, it is also vital to note that while he put premium to religiosity, Machiavelli's characterization of the Prince as a religious man was just one of the many facets that make up an ideal leader. More than anything else, he considered the intellect of the Prince as the ultimate determinant of one's effectiveness, efficiency, and credibility as a leader. Like Douglass, Machiavelli cited religion for its good qualities (i.e., ability to induce values and desirable behavior from people) but downplays its advantages (society's tendency to become conservative, rigid, and unilateral thinking and judgment).
Hemingway and Sophocles, meanwhile, depicted a different picture of religion's influence to people's lives. In both authors' works, religion had been a detriment that led to Antigone's death...
Antigone's offense of insisting to steal and bury the body of her brother Polyneice was a decision greatly influenced by the religious belief that her brother should receive a burial even if this is against the law. Her defiance was supported by her belief that "I owe a longer allegiance to the dead than to the living...But if thou wilt, be guilty of dishonouring laws which the gods have stablished in honour." Evidently, Antigone's staunch belief of honoring the dead had led to great suffering as she was imprisoned and later put to death for the conduct of the said offense.
Hemingway's "A farewell to arms" is another literary work that displayed how religion brought about the weakness of humanity, which was its tendency to feel strongly for a belief regardless of the fact that an action or behavior guided by this belief could result to suffering, or worse, death. Henry's character was one such example of the individual who strongly believed in the war he participated in, that his sudden decision to leave it haunted him, risking not only his own happiness, but his lover Catherine's happiness as well. Religious beliefs also prevented Henry and Catherine from marrying and thereby hindering their happiness, mainly because Catherine was pregnant with a child, thus forbidding her to engage in a sacred ritual as marriage.
Hawthorne Author Nathaniel Hawthorne's literary works constantly reference ideas of the supernatural and the religious ideas of the Puritans who colonized the United States. Of particular interest to Hawthorne is how these two things work together in that time period. Many of Nathaniel Hawthorne's works take place in Colonial times, a good century before the author himself was born. His own ancestors were active participants in Puritan society, even serving as
role of religion in the history of European society is a tumultuous one. Christianity, from its obscure beginnings in the classical age, eventually took the reins as the centerpiece of philosophical, literary, and scientific thought. It is true that religion, often, tends to justify actions that might objectively be perceived as incongruous to the established faith. It has historically been the case that when traditional forms of worship become
Essay Prompt A literary critical analysis is not merely a summary of a literary work. Instead, it is an argument that expresses an interpretation, judgment, or critical evaluation of the work. This is accomplished by examining specific literary devices (symbols, themes, metaphors, tone, point of view, diction, structure, etc.), within the work. The purpose of a critical analysis is to demonstrate how these elements convey meaning. In your analysis, you will
" The Constitution allows rites of worship and religious services and ceremonies. It protects people from being compelled to worship and participate in these religious rites against their will. It forbids the exploitative use of religion, religious feelings or things held sacred for personal or political influence. It insures that one can change his religion or belief by himself or as a group, privately or publicly. The Constitution has these
Darwinism has had a major effect on how people view the creation accounts of Genesis, believing the creation tales to be completely erroneous and based on nothing but myth and myth alone. Darwinism has planted the seed of the idea that humans are merely a by-product of chance. They are accidental and contingent parts of creation -- not the lords of the universe as the Bible would lead us
Religion in Things Fall Apart Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart is centrally focused on religion, and the varied ways it can be interpreted and how those interpretations can be acted upon. (MacKenzie 128) Secondary to the Igbo religion, which plays an important role in the everyday lives of African's is the contrasting Christian faith of the missionaries that predate colonial interests. It is to some degree important to stress that colonial