The Power of Light in Literature - Essay Sample

Introduction

What is the meaning of light? If one were to look in the dictionary, they would get this definition: "the natural agent that stimulates sight and makes things visible." However, it can be seen as something different than that. Light can be viewed as a symbol of hope, or maybe even the good in people and society. This aspect is derived from the real and physical light that enables people to see clearly. Light is not just this thing that helps us see; it is much bigger than that. In most occasions, the symbolism of light in literature setting is valorized.

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"Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death"

In "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death" you see a lot of light in the theme. It is about a country needing to fight for its freedom. Introducing Henry's speech, he maintains that he is patriotic to the British although he has a different perspective of conflict resolution with them. He tries to show the audience's view as different opinions. Henry, therefore, alludes with reference to the Bible stating that ''different men often view the same subject in different lights'' (Henry226).

He inserts the word ''light in his statement to indicate how his perspective is aligned with the purpose of God in providing hop and freedom for the people. In his speech, Patrick Henry also emphasizes his opinion that it is necessary to fight for truth and the purpose of God. His "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death" speech relies on his belief in slavery is the alternative to fighting. According to him, fighting for slavery is the responsibility of God and the nation.

By recognizing God as the ultimate authority, Henry believes that there is hope to come out of slavery imposed by the British rule. He further criticizes the war and all the activities of the British against the Americans. As he describes, the British were treating the Americans as subordinates and not as equals. All the acts to end this difference had also failed. The only option was to fight the colonists (Henry 230). To win the battle, he maintains that they should be bold with God. The theme of light, therefore, is revealed in the context of winning the battle against the British. Of course, it is believed that God is the light, and Henry repeated that they needed God to intervene to give them hope of providing peace and freedom in the nation.

Like in "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death," the theme of light is seen in the society today. For instance, Christians believe like Henry that they must put God on their side to succeed in any problems affecting them. In other words, God is the true light. He provides hope to the hopeless and finds the solution to issues that are beyond human control. Secondly, today's society believes that freedom is the ultimate way of having peace. Without freedom, there is no peace, hence, no light to the community. Therefore, the societies today have been at the forefront of fighting for freedom to realize peace and light. No society wants to remain slaves to the other.

Frankenstein

The theme of light is also revealed in Frankenstein, and it symbolizes enlightenment or knowledge. For instance, Walton hopes to identify the earth's secret in a region which he defines as the nation of external light (Shelley, pg. 1). This theme also characterizes victor's epiphanies. When he found out the expected philosophy, Victor stated, ''A fresh light appeared to shine upon me''. Likewise, when he notices the furtive to making life, he explains that an unexpected light has appeared upon him (Shelley, pg. 5). All these illustrations explain the power of light in the perspective of knowledge acquired. Before Victor created the monster, he viewed the universe as a tool to acquire knowledge through studies. Since he liked science and nature, he spend much of his time to discover how to form life. Victor's passion to discover life made him realize that acquiring the understanding to carry out any activity is not advantageous. The existence of the monster allows victor to determine the challenges of knowledge. In the same way the fire breaks the impeccable image of victor on nature, his outrageous destroys his science image. He, therefore, sees light in two dimensions: - as either illuminating or burning. In other words, having knowledge of science can help one to be innovative or can result in the creation of unwanted creatures.

The application of light in Frankenstein is contrasted with darkness in the sense that light may signify life whereas darkness may indicate the aspect of death. For example, Frankenstein is influenced raise the dead in the graveyard when he is captivated by the notion of death and life. "I paused, probing and examining all the trivia of causation, as epitomized in the change from life to death, and death to life, until from the center of this darkness a sudden light broke in upon me- a light so bright and astonishing" (Shelley, pg. 42). Paradoxically, Frankenstein thinks of forming life in the graveyard.

The theme of light in Frankenstein is depicted in the modern society in the same way. As stated, life in this reading implies the presence of knowledge. In the community today, many people believe that knowledge is power, and it can change the life of an individual in many ways. Frankenstein views the theme of light in two perspectives: - it can either illuminate or burn. It can illuminate if one has the adequate knowledge required. It can also burn if a person has the excess knowledge to the extent that it becomes dangerous to the individual's life. In this case, light results in darkness. For instance, many people today have the excess knowledge to the extent that they start doubting about the existence of God. In this case, knowledge, which was initially viewed as an illuminating light becomes a curse to the person. It is because of too much knowledge that makes the individual view obvious things in a different perspective. Therefore, this aspect becomes a burning light.

Texas Mass Shooting

According to the article of Texas mass shooting by CNN, the theme of light is revealed when a gunman, Devin Patrick Kelly, who killed about 26 people at Texas Baptist Church was shot dead by an armed citizen (Yan, Stapleton, and Simon). The report shows that the gunman was targeting his mother-in-law due to multiple domestic violence. Unfortunately, the mother-in-law was absent in the church, but it was the grandmother-in-law who suffered a casualty. The theme of light in this article exists in the form of justice. Since Kelly wanted to kill his mother-in-law, justice prevailed when he died before reaching his target. Perhaps, God was the light in this case, and from a Christian perspective, it can be argued that God intervened indirectly in the life of the gunman's mother-in-law by directing her not to attend the service.

Had she attended the service, she could have been one of the victims who were dead or injured. Those who escaped death also saw God's light through the armed civilian who stopped the gunman from the terrorizing the believers. Indeed, Devin could have killed nearly everybody in the church. Therefore, the power of light helped the mother-in-law together with other believers. Today, Christians hold the notion that believing in God saves the life through many dangers. Therefore, God is the real light of the world, and this is evident in the article as well as the society today.

Conclusion

Overall, the power of light is viewed in different perspectives. In "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death," the theme of light is seen in the form of freedom, peace, and hope. In Frankenstein, light symbolizes enlightenment or knowledge. However, it considers knowledge as both bad and good by viewing light in two sides: - It can either illuminate or burn. Equally, in the Texas mass shooting, the theme of light comes about in the form of justice. Therefore, through the readings, the power of light is an essential aspect of life.

Work Cited

Henry, Patrick. Give me liberty or give me death. Cambridge: Book classic, 2015.

Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft. Frankenstein, or, The Modern Prometheus, 1818. Vancouver: Engage Books, 2009.

Yan, Holly, AnneClaire Stapleton and Darran Simon. 7 November 2017. 13 May 2018. <https://edition.cnn.com/2017/11/06/us/texas-church-shooting/index.html>.