Essay On Afterlife

Words: 1244

Pages: 5

Open Document

Immortality and the Afterlife The greatest fear is said to be the fear of the unknown. One of the greatest unknowns in the world is death. People have no ability to answer questions regarding what happens after death, because no one has ever experienced it. The afterlife is a common topic of fear and horror. Edgar Allan Poe and H.P. Lovecraft are excellent in their use of the afterlife as a tool to display horror. Edgar Allan Poe exhibits the afterlife through metempsychosis and hypnosis in his works “Ligeia” and “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar”. Lovecraft graphically presents the afterlife through cannibalism and artwork respectively in his works “The Picture in the House” and “Pickman’s Model”. In the works of Edgar Allan Poe and H.P. Lovecraft, the afterlife is a horror used to exacerbate the fear of the unknown. …show more content…
In “The Picture in the House”, Lovecraft details how the man in the house is able to live forever. He writes “They say meat makes blood an’ flesh, an’ gives ye new life, so I wondered ef ‘twudn’t make a man live longer an’ longer ef ‘twas more the same- “(Lovecraft, The Picture in the House, 240). The man in the house is describing his theory that cannibalism would bring immortality. The most frightening part about this is him acting on it. Cannibalism is one of the most taboo things in society. Lovecraft defines just how scary these desires of action can be when he writes “All the terror I had dimly felt before rushed upon me actively and vividly, and I knew that I loathed the ancient and abhorrent creature so near me with an infinite intensity” (Lovecraft, The Picture in the House, 245). The fear amassed from this text is not just that this man is a killer and a cannibal, but that he must continue feeding to stay immortal. As this man was described as being an old looking man, he must have eaten quite a few

philosophy, afterlife Essay

Is There Life After Death? When a human being ceases to exist physically, does something within them pass on to another state or dimension, or do their life and consciousness in all forms come to an end? Is there life after death? Based on the Argument from Parapsychological Phenomena, I will argue that life after death indeed exists. There are people who have experienced extrasensory perception by experiencing things that were not perceived by their physical senses, but within their inner selves…

Words 831 - Pages 4

Afterlife Ritual Practice Essay

Afterlife ritual practice is a cultural phenomenon which presented differently among different religions. It reflects a nation basic attitude to death and afterlife, soul, and underworld. From the ancient time to the present, funeral ceremony and other sacred activities are major event in both western and eastern countries. With consideration to many various afterlife ritual practice we’ve explored, I found that the Chinese burning paper money offering act as nourishment for the dead ancestors to…

Words 1192 - Pages 5

Hero: Afterlife Essay examples

Sacrifice is an unimaginable death for anybody to put this or her hands on. To risk a terrible death for something one believes in is a crazy and incredible thing. The person that ends up sacrificing his or her life for others is truly a hero. Sacrificing ones life for another is by far the most ultimate sacrifice any human being could possibly make. Readers witness this act of sacrifice in the novel A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. Sydney Carton, a drunkard and cheerless man, did exactly…

Words 1340 - Pages 6

How Emily Dickinson's Life Reflected In Because I Could Not Stop For Death

obsessed with what was to come next after this world’s life was over. Many of her numerous poems consider what the afterlife is like and all of them differ. Poems such as “Because I could not stop for Death,” “My life closed twice before its close,” and “The World is not conclusion” all have different takes on what the process to the afterlife is like, what the description of the afterlife is, and how the manner of death comes. “Because I could not stop for Death” is one of her most well-known poems…

Words 672 - Pages 3

Justice In Dante's Inferno

Dante the pilgrim starts in the dark woods and goes on a soul searching adventure through the afterlife to ultimately reach God. Dante Alighieri states that “the path to paradise begins in hell,” and as the journey continues to those very gates with Dante learns that “justice it was that moved my great creator” (Dante, Inferno 89). Justice effects all those on earth, whether good or bad. The Bible says that “when justice is done, it brings joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers” (Proverbs 21:15…

Words 169 - Pages 1

rome vs han Essay

Tori Boudreau Period 7 9/7/14 Essay 2 It is interesting to compare and contrast each ancient civilization. Many societies are separated by natural resources like seas, deserts, and rivers but still manage to have similar political, social, and religious systems. Although, there are obvious differences that can be depicted between each civilization. These similarities and differences are what define each cultivation and able us to learn how the human race has evolved. Mesopotamia and Egypt are…

Words 784 - Pages 4

Monotheism: Monotheism and Similar Characteristics Essay

Monotheism essay prep. Christianity, Judaism, and Islam are three religions that share similar characteristics. This essay will emphasize the same characteristics, but also how each characteristic is different in these religions as well. The three similar characteristics are having a house of worship, a certain holy of the week, and an afterlife (“heaven/hell”). Despite what other readers may think, Christianity, Judaism, and Islam share similar characteristics in their own way. The first similarity…

Words 389 - Pages 2

End Of The World: The Black Death Tuchman

Authors draw on a variety of sources to support their arguments in their essays. The clarity of their arguments depend on their choice of sources. In her essay, This is the End of the World: The Black Death Tuchman uses sources one may overlook entirely or not even acknowledge as a ‘factual’ source such as illustrations and paintings. Illustrations and paintings are extremely powerful. Tuchman includes both a detailed fresco by Francesco Traini titled The Triumph of Death and an illustration of a…

Words 382 - Pages 2

How Does Afterlife Affect People's Choices And Behavior

thought of the afterlife affect peoples choices and behavior in different religions? By: Rownie Zhao 10NLA What happens after we die? In modern society, religion is something that affects every aspect of people’s day to day lives. From the way we behave to the things we eat, they are all limited to what we believe in and how much we believe in it. But the basis of our actions is the justification of what is good or bad. If its easier to be bad, why should we do any good? In my research essay, based on…

Words 1582 - Pages 7

Christ And Socrates Comparison Essay

Essay 1 Compare and contrast Socrates and Christ. Knowledge and the pursuit of knowledge is an age old vocation, from Adam and Eve to you and I today. Many people have differing experiences and ideas when it comes to the field of knowledge. For instance should knowledge be our focus or just a hobby or instead focus on our experiences and what you can learn from them. To come to a solution we first must look at differing opinions. Today it is best to observe the greatest thinkers of all time Socrates…

Words 672 - Pages 3