Culminating Essay Prompt

I'm very competitive by nature. And I like to be the underdog - It's the best way to win. To come from behind and win is a great feeling!

Zac Efron

The story of the underdog is loved and treasured by many. The struggle that these people endure over time can be related to many as life is tough but can be overcome. Maybe this tells you something about human nature, that humans are naturally competitive and seek the best way to win. Whether you are disabled, don’t fit in or you are not as smart as the others, you can still be the hero. Compose a well written essay using different songs, events, movies and stories to support the idea that over years of doubting and negativity, someone can become the underdog and create a Cinderella story for themselves.  

Lord of the Flies

Schindlers list

The most dangerous game

Invisible man

David vs Goliath

God loves underdogs

Pinball wizard

Glorious by muse

Break the chains

Invisible Man and Violence/Anger

Invisible man and violence/anger

In Invisible Man, by Ralph Ellison, people see racism as hatred, evil and ignorance which is carried throughout generations. There are people who incite the violence in the book and try to use others beliefs toward their own goals. Ras the Exhorter, is one of them. Ras’s philosophy in the book ends up leading into violence. Except Ellison is different from other writers, he does not portray Ras as a classic villain but rather a leader who gives hope and courage to the Black Americans in the story but also makes mistakes as any other human being or leader. Ellison and the narrator try to tell Ras that by burning and looting other black people’s homes, that they are falling into the trap of the Brotherhood and that this is what the white people want. His words do not work against Ras and his followers so the narrator then turns to violence in which he throws a spear at Ras and then hits two men with a chain and a briefcase. The narrator turns to violence as a final resort only when his words do not work. If the narrator was dealing with the same situation at the beginning of the book he would of stayed and fought off as many as he could. Through the narrators experiences he develops into a different man from anger.

The narrator is full of anger. He feels that the entire world is out to get him and that most people just ignore him because he is black. Throughout the book, the narrator is filled with a violent rage in which he has to quiete it. He does not want people to see him angry or frustrated where they could possibly stereotype him and other black people as angry and savage beasts blinded by rage. When the narrator does turn violent and lashes out, he usually regrets what he did. As we near the end of the book, the narrator has more control over his anger than the beginning. He is no longer “blinded” by rage from others ideas and stereotypes, he casually throws them aside and moves on. At the beginning of the book, a European man stumbles into the narrator and violence ensues. The narrator head butts the man and kicks him to the ground and then pulls out a knife to slit his throat but stops short. The narrator realizes what he is doing and stops short then walks home with many conflicting feelings. The narrator calls the people who do not see him as “sleepwalkers,” who are unconscious of his presence and may become violent if woken up. Like the sleepwalkers, when the narrator figures out that the letters from Dr. Bledsoe were fake, he becomes enraged from metaphorically being woken up from his dream.

Anger is constant throughout Invisible man from the beginning of the book where the narrator’s Grandfather dies angry because he followed the white man’s rules which in turn haunts the narrator throughout his story to the end of the book where the narrator fights against people of his own race. The narrator is not afraid to fight anybody for what he believes and how he wants people to see him.

King Lear and Evil

Evil and King Lear

In Lear, most of the characters and actions in the story are evil. The evil that is created throughout the story is greater than the good that happens in it. Although it was Lears fault that he gave all his land away, it was both Goneril and Regan who decided to turn against their father and take his land. What kind of person is evil and corrupt enough to turn against their own family? What makes them do this? Is there any logic in doing this? I feel that Lear had what was coming to him, even though it is family, he gave away all of his land to both of his daughters. There was no further use of the father. Parents are there to support the kids and show them lessons and how to live by themselves. When Lear had nothing left to give his daughters they ditched him. They had to sever the chords so they ignored him and treated him poorly. When there is a sure outcome people may act in corrupt or evil ways. After Goneril and Regan obtained everything from their father, there was no further use of him so they ignored him and treated him badly. I see a pattern where the sons or daughters who were treated badly or lower than another sibling turned on their parents. Cordelia was prized above Goneril and Regan and Edgar was looked upon better by his father than Edmund the bastard was. The sons and daughters who were looked down upon ended up turning against their parents and other siblings. Another part of evil is corruption and deception. In King Lear, there is a lot of deception that moves the play forward. Both Goneril and Regan are deceptive and use their womanhood to seduce men and obtain power, they also use it to make the men think that they are JUST women while they are actually power hungry war lords. Edmund also deceives his father when he tells him Edgar wants to kill him and take his land, making Edgar run away and look like a criminal. A parent is there to support and give opportunities to their kids did Goneril and Regan do the right thing or at least primal thing? When there was nothing left in that person they moved on to greener pastures. In that place in time it was hard for a women to obtain power without a man but Goneril and Regan did it themselves so you have to give them some kind of respect. Nevertheless both sisters end up turning on each other over Edmund the bastard, evil turns on evil. Although Edmund seems like he is evil at the end of the play he admits to having ordered Cordelia’s death. His change of heart which is rare in Shakespearean villains makes you wonder whether his evil was caused by societies outlook on him and other bastards.

Big question to Wuthering Heights

There are many ideas and images in Wuthering Weights that connect to evil, if humans are inherently evil and why we are so attracted to evil. Many of the characters in Bronte’s book are twisted and act in mean or vengeful manners, they are either born good or bad. The actual place, Wuthering Heights can be seen as an evil and dark place which overshadows the more lighter and happier Thrushcross Grange. Whenever there is evil, there is always good right on its heels, just like Yin and Yang there can either be conflict or harmony. Themes like revenge, self destruction, selfishness, betrayal and obsession add to the more evil part of the book and ultimately shape who the characters are and how the story ends.

The most evil character of them all is Heathcliff. He has been through hell, scorned, shamed, betrayed and obsessed with Catherine till he ends up destroying himself. In many pieces of literature the villains are looked at as completely different and sometimes lower than the good guy. In Wuthering Heights, Heathcliff is constantly looked down upon because he is of different color than everyone else. Catherine ends up picking Edgar because of his money and social status which is a point of no return for Heathcliff. Heathcliff then comes back to Wuthering Heights a few years later to seek revenge on Catherine and Edgar. One quote that stuck out in the book was when Catherine was talking to Nelly and she says, “Heaven did not seem to be my home; and I broke my heart with weeping to come back to earth; and the angels were so angry that they flung me out into the middle of the heath on the top of Wuthering Heights; where I woke sobbing for joy.” When she says “heaven did not seem to be my home,” I feel that deep inside, she knows that she is not a good person, she may not be as evil as Heathcliff but she is still a pretty bad person. She also talks about how she wanted to go back to Wuthering Heights, her home. From the beginning of the book, Wuthering Heights is portrayed as a dark and sinister even a hellish place and when Catherine says she wants to go back there instead of heaven, one might think that she wants to go back to the dark. Evil is attracted to more evil. Personally I like Heathcliff, he comes back to Wuthering heights to seek revenge on those who kept him down or kept Catherine and him apart. Heathcliff encourages Hindley’s alcoholism and gambling which ultimately is the ruin of him then puts Hareton as a stable hand then marries Isabella Linton to gain access to Thrushcross Grange. He is a twisted and wickedly intelligent villain. After reading this book I gained more insight into my question of “are humans inherently evil or good.” I feel that some humans are definitely born good or evil but there is no way to prove it so therefore I feel that life events that happen to a person can become factors of how that person will turn out. Someone can choose themselves if they let the the events affect them negatively or positively and what to do about it, Heathcliff decided to take the negative route while most other people will take the positive route in their lives. What will you choose?

Oedipus and evil

There is not much to go with Oedipus and evil but there are a few things that could be interpreted as having an evil or twisted side. Oedipus is not an evil or bad man, he is quite the opposite although he kills his father and marries his mother. He was blind to the truth, but then could the truth sometimes be evil? I am aware of the quote of "truth will always prevail over the forces of evil" but is that always true? Can evil take the role of truth and end up twisting what is true? Why do we imply that truth is always good and lies are always bad? The Sphinx is also portrayed as an evil creature who eats the people that cannot answer its questions but is the Sphinx actually evil? They are creatures of knowledge and only ask questions, if you cannot answer it then it eats you. Is it really that evil? or does it encourage you to learn and be intelligent? There are also the gods and fates in Oedipus which can be interpreted as evil. The gods let Oedipus suffer throughout the story while they sit back from afar and watch. Can gods be evil? To let people suffer and go through hell or do they actually deserve it?

is humankind inherently good or evil

Is mankind inherently good or evil?

I personally like these questions and ideas. I don't really know why but they call to me and I try my best to answer. As a child I always preferred playing as a villain, I pondered why the heroes always beat the villains and the idea of being a hero disgusted me. To this day I still wonder why I thought like that even though I still like the villains and like to see the villains win. As I think about it more I realize a possible reason why. As a kid I was bullied, I was constantly seen as an outsider and put down. Nobody respected me so the next thing to that is fear. After fifth grade I grew faster than others and kids would fear me. I could then relate to a villain. I liked how in a villains world, people had to be strong and take what they want, they had their own laws and what they wanted, went. To this day I despise the weak, no Im not some cold heartless person. The people that can do something about it and choose not to, the people that hope everything will just work out, you need to take what you want and let nobody stand in your way. But then I have a heroes mentality, I hate politicians and the rich who never worked for a penny in their life and would love to take a Robin Hood kind of approach. I have read many books with connection to humankind being either good or evil. I like the conflict and how it is such a big question. In the book "Relentless" by Tim Grover, he talks about how we are born bad but taught to be good or if you prefer, born relentless, taught to relent. From the time you're a toddler to the time you're an adult, you've been taught to be "good." Being bad is in our basic emotions or feelings, just like if we are hungry or in pain. Little kids from day one are constantly breaking, yelling and messing up things. Most of them are not helping clean it up unless they are told so with consequences. Movies put a bad name to bad/evil. They make villains and even bad people to be ugly, weak and stupid. I hate that too. Some movies like Batman show some gratitude toward the villains. In one quote, batman says he could not live without the joker. There would be no point in it if there was no evil. The media is addicted to evil, death, violence and corruption but yet again, who is not? Don't we all like seeing it? Or there wouldn't be anyone watching it. Deep down our need to be bad is calling out to us.