Washington Irving, in writing “The Devil and Tom Walker”, and Stephen Vincent Benet, in writing “The Devil and Daniel Webster” illustrate to the reader the consequences of man’s desire for material wealth and how a person’s motivation for a relationship with the devil affects the outcome of the “deal”. In these two different, yet surprisingly similar narratives, the authors present their beliefs about human intent and motive.
In “The Devil and Tom Walker”, the story is seen of a stingy man and his nagging wife who “…were so miserly that they even conspired to cheat each other” (128). In the story, one sees a man make a deal with the devil, who in the story is known as “Old Scratch”, for the sole purpose of personal gain. Tom Walker, seeing only the possible wealth that he could achieve, bargains with the devil and finally reaches an agreement which he sees to be fair. Tom does not see the danger present in bargaining with such a powerful force for so little gain. There is a note of humor present in the narrative, which adds to the sense of danger that is present making deals that one does not intend to keep. Commenting on the story, Larry L. Stevens notes that “This tale,…, comically presents the results of valuing the dollar above all else.” This story does a very good job of conveying a message to the reader about human values.
In the story Tom is seen as a very self-centered man who cares only for himself and his own well being. He is not even phased when he discovers the remains of his wife hanging in a apron in a tree; “Tom consoled himself for the loss of his property with the loss of his wife” (132). Tom is portrayed in …
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…Daniel Webster”. in Adventures in American Literature. Ed. Fannie Safier et al. Athena Edition. Austin: Holt, 1996. 635-643.
Discovering Authors. Macintosh. CD-ROM. Detroit: Gale Research, 1993.
Irving, Washington. “The Devil and Tom Walker”. in Adventures in American Literature. Ed. Fannie Safier et al. Athena Edition. Austin: Holt, 1996. 128-135.
Masterplots II: Short Story Series. Ed. Frank N. Magill. Vol. 2. Pasadena: Salem Press, 1989.
Peck, David. Masterplots II: Short Story Series. Ed. Frank N. Magill. Vol. 2. Pasadena: Salem Press, 1989. 575-578.
Stewart, Larry L. Masterplots II: Short Story Series. Ed. Frank N. Magill. Vol. 2. Pasadena: Salem Press, 1989. 579-581.
Wagenknecht, Edward. “Washington Irving: Moderation Displayed”. Oxford UP. 1962. 233. in Discovering Authors.
Macintosh. CD-ROM. Detroit: Gale Research, 1993. 3.
The Diary of Anne Frank Thanks to the Nazis
The Diary of Anne Frank Thanks to the Nazis
The Diary of Anne Frank Journeying back to the early nineteenth century, when Nazi forces occupied Germany during World War II, the lives of those living in this territory was spent in constant fear and anxiety. The Diary of Anne Frank leads readers through the harsh times of a family trying to escape imprisonment in concentration camps by Nazi soldiers, where death was almost certain.
Born on June 12, 1929, Anne Frank was a German-Jewish teenager who was forced to go into hiding during the Holocaust. She and her family, along with four others, spent 25 months during World War II in an annex of rooms above her father’s office in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. During the two years in hiding which Anne refers to as “a time when the ideals are being shattered and destroyed, when the worst side of human nature predominates, when every one has come to doubt truth, justice and God (pg.327).” Anne kept a diary that was given to her by her father, Otto Frank, on her birthday. Between June 1942 and August 1944, from Anne’s thirteenth birthday until shortly after her fifteenth birthday, Anne recorded her feelings, her emotions, and her thoughts, as well as the events that happened to her. “…[I]deas, dreams, and cherished hopes rise within us only to meet the horrible truth and be shattered…yet in spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart (pg. 327).”
The diary is an accurate record of the way Anne grows up and matures, in the unfortunate situation she found herself. Given the circumstances in which the novel is written Anne gave a very vivid description of her surroundings and the feelings she encountered throughout her ordeal. The novel displays the grief and frustration that is experienced throughout the time spent in hiding. The emotions of the situation are captured in the text and gives validity to the pain and frustration encountered. Despite the amusing and enlightening side of the diary, that documents the process of her adolescence, it also provides a vividly terrifying description of what it was like to be Jewish hiding during the time the Nazis sought to kill all the Jews in Europe. After two years of living in the “secret annex”, behind a bookcase, and having to be extremely quite during the day so that the workers in the office and warehouse below could not hear them the family was captured.