Argumentative Essay: Bartleby The Scrivener

Proctor’s reluctance to sign his confession shows how highly he views his reputation and friends, and because of this, he is willing to die to keep his honor intact. As the fourth act comes to a close Proctor cannot get himself to give his signature even though the judges have almost brought it out of him. He decides he cannot go through with it and exclaims: “Because it is my name! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! I have given you my soul; leave me my name!”(Miller 143).

He describes Gods anger towards those who do not follow and believe in Him. It is explained that God is the only one who is able to save people from going to Hell. Edwards wants people to imagine how evil and distressed life would be without Gods love and mercy. He explains that to not burn in Hell people need to ask for forgiveness from God, experience Gods mercy, and continuously practice the Lords word. Edwards really lets the message of “Gods wrath” sink into our minds to show how mighty, powerful, and capable the Lord is.

Atticus Finch is an archetype of personal bravery and his bravery is demonstrated again and again throughout the novel. Atticus not only takes Tom Robinson's case, he defends him vehemently setting himself against the prevailing attitudes and customs of Maycomb. Mrs. Dubouse criticizes him when she said, “Atticus is a Niger lover!” (Lee 100). Atticus stands up to his neighbors' racism, knowing that in doing so, he is exposing himself and his family to difficult times. Atticus knows he is right: he defends an innocent man.

When one goes to fill out a job application there are probably many thoughts running through ones’ mind. “Is this the right job for me, how much is the base pay, do they have good benefits, etc.” However not too many people take the time to do the research on the company that they are applying for. Instead they find out how great the company is or how horrible once they become apart of the company. Although there are some companies that are well known prior to people applying to them. Publix and Walmart are two well known retail companies that hold great and horrendous job standards.

Throughout the story his work ethic begins to decline. His first protest to work was when the narrator, Bartleby’s boss, hastily calls on Bartleby in expectancy to examine some of his work; “’I would prefer not to’” he says and this baffles the narrator (Melville, 53). This resistance and defiance Bartleby presents is a clue that something is off. The statement ‘I would prefer not to’ is essentially Bartleby saying that he is completely able to do what is asked but simply does not want to. This is showing a decline in motivation and productivity.

Weins’s shows how important writing skills are in the work place, even jobs that do not rely on writing. People that aren’t necessarily applying for his companies can take his advice when applying for other jobs. Other employers may not be as strict as Wein’s when it comes to poor grammar, although they do look at an employee’s resume, which should be written in a professional manner. The secondary audience is younger employees. The language of the article is simple.

I believe that Pericles is alluding to the fact that the country’s men, though preoccupied with their personal lives, were still fair judges in public matters (Funeral Oration of Pericles). This is a good representation of the big picture of the judicial system. Seeing as how men from all walks of life took time out of their lives to serve on juries at all trials. However, there was not very much quality control during the trials. Jurors were limited to their own knowledge of the law and were often persuaded by either the defendant or plaintiff.

(Death ln 89-90). Because of his choice to not trust in God, Beowulf ends up dying, but he is still not aware of his mistake, (Death ln 160-161). God could not let him continue life with His blessing upon him if Beowulf could not keep his faith in God. This ends up being his fatal mistake that results in his death. Through the epic Beowulf, the reader realizes the author’s use of paganism and christianity is to reflect the idea that putting faith in worldly things and not putting faith in God leads to a person’s ultimate demise.

Choosing Your Consequences In life we are lead through many decisions, we’re constantly making them, regretting them, and just expressing our free will. When we read stories about personal experiences we should always stop to wonder how the decisions the character makes affects them. Bartleby, Wakefield and Thoreau all seems to make the decision to use their free will but soon realize that when we express free will, there will always be consequences. In the short story “Bartleby the Scrivener” by Herman Melville , the main character Bartleby “prefers not to” work at a dead end job and ends up dying out of starvation. In Nathaniel Hawthorne 's “Wakefield” the main character chooses to temporarily leave his marriage for twenty years and ends

Herman Melville’s short story “Bartelby, the Scrivener” is a tale that compels readers to decipher between what is meant to be a generous deed and what reflects egocentric and selfish behaviors. The main character, an elderly lawyer, proves to be an “eminently safe man” by creating walls between himself and the rest of humanity and by holding onto a fear of public critique and rejection. This lawyer performs charitable conduct toward Bartleby to acquire self-approval and an honorable conscience. The lawyer begins the story as materialistic and out of touch man and ends it in the same manner. Through the use of symbolism and characterization, Melville makes apparent the idea that the lawyer is charitable to Bartleby not because it benefits mankind but in an attempt to achieve his own humanity and self-gratification at a higher level.