good and evil essay

Home — Essay Samples — Philosophy — Good and Evil — The concepts of good and evil

Good and Evil: Concepts and Arguments

Categories: Good and Evil Morality

About this sample

Words: 814 |

Published: Dec 5, 2018

Words: 814 | Pages: 2 | 5 min read

Good vs Evil (essay)

Works cited:.

Aynesworth, H. R. (1996). Ted Bundy: Conversations with a Killer. John Blake.
Egger, S. A. (2003). The killers among us: an examination of serial murder and its investigation. Prentice Hall.
Fox, J. A., & Levin, J. (2005). Extreme killing: Understanding serial and mass murder. Sage Publications.
Holmes, R. M., & Holmes, S. T. (2009). Serial murder. Sage Publications.
Jenkins, P. (1994). Using murder: The social construction of serial homicide. Aldine de Gruyter.
Newton, M. (2006). The encyclopedia of serial killers. Infobase Publishing.
Ramsland, K. (2009). The Devil's Dozen: How Cutting-Edge Forensics Took Down 12 Notorious Serial Killers. Berkley Books.
Ramsland, K. (2012). The Psychology of Death Investigations: Behavioral Analysis for Psychological Autopsy and Criminal Profiling. CRC Press.
Ramsland, K. (2019). Confession of a Serial Killer: The Untold Story of Dennis Rader, the BTK Killer. Mango Media Inc.
Vronsky, P. (2004). Serial killers: The method and madness of monsters. Penguin.

Cite this Essay

Let us write you an essay from scratch

450+ experts on 30 subjects ready to help
Custom essay delivered in as few as 3 hours

Get high-quality help

Dr. Heisenberg

Verified writer

Expert in: Philosophy Psychology

+ 120 experts online

By clicking “Check Writers’ Offers”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy . We’ll occasionally send you promo and account related email

No need to pay just yet!

Related Essays

3 pages / 1501 words

2 pages / 786 words

4 pages / 2013 words

4 pages / 2011 words

Remember! This is just a sample.

You can get your custom paper by one of our expert writers.

121 writers online

Good and Evil: Concepts and Arguments Essay

Still can’t find what you need?

Browse our vast selection of original essay samples, each expertly formatted and styled

Related Essays on Good and Evil

Good and evil are concepts that have been deeply ingrained in human society for centuries, shaping our understanding of morality and guiding our actions. The eternal struggle between these two forces has been a recurring theme [...]

Good always wins over evil—a timeless sentiment that has permeated cultures, myths, and stories throughout human history. This essay delves into the intricacies of the eternal struggle between good and evil, examining the moral, [...]

Theconcepts of good and evil have been central to the human experience. The dichotomy between these two forces has been explored in various religious, philosophical, and literary traditions, and continues to be a source of [...]

The conflict between good and evil is a prevalent theme in literature. Graham Greene incorporates the conflict throughout the text of his novel Brighton Rock. In order to do this he uses two prominent characters, Ida Arnold [...]

Defying the existence of good and evil continues to be widely debated in the field of philosophy of religion, specifically when debating the moral capabilities of God. The existence of evil and suffering in the world poses [...]

Dante believed that justice was capital and proportionate to the injustice. He believed that the nature of the crime also affected the nature of the punishment. Along with this he alluded to crimes against God being more severe [...]

Get Your Personalized Essay in 3 Hours or Less!

We use cookies to personalyze your web-site experience. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .

Instructions Followed To The Letter
Deadlines Met At Every Stage
Unique And Plagiarism Free

On the Genealogy of Morals

Friedrich nietzsche, ask litcharts ai: the answer to your questions.

Mr Salles Teaches English

Jekyll and Hyde: Good and Evil Essay

Michael chockler's essay.

THE SEVEN SKILLS OF ESSAY WRITING

1. A thesis with three ideas in it, which the essay will explain and prove. 2. Each paragraph refers back to the ideas in the thesis. 3. Quotations are embedded. 4. The characters are constructs used to show the author’s viewpoint. 5. The author’s viewpoint is explained. 6. The essay writes about the whole text - at least beginning, middle and end. 7. The conclusion includes an interpretation of the ending.

Can You Get a Grade 9 if You Don’t Like English?

As a token of my appreciation for all the help you gave me for the duration in which I was forced to study English Literature at school , I'm attaching this essay for you to possibly use in a future video. Michael

How does Stevenson present ideas about Good and Evil in ‘Jekyll and Hyde’?

(Extract: Pg. 44-45, “I knew myself [...] was pure evil”)

“I knew myself, at the first breath of this new life, to be more wicked, tenfold more wicked, sold a slave to my original evil; and the thought, in that moment, braced and delighted me like wine. I stretched out my hands, exulting in the freshness of these sensations; and in the act, I was suddenly aware that I had lost in stature.

There was no mirror, at that date, in my room; that which stands beside me as I write, was brought there later on and for the very purpose of these transformations. The night however, was far gone into the morning—the morning, black as it was, was nearly ripe for the conception of the day—the inmates of my house were locked in the most rigorous hours of slumber; and I determined, flushed as I was with hope and triumph, to venture in my new shape as far as to my bedroom. I crossed the yard, wherein the constellations looked down upon me, I could have thought, with wonder, the first creature of that sort that their unsleeping vigilance had yet disclosed to them; I stole through the corridors, a stranger in my own house; and coming to my room, I saw for the first time the appearance of Edward Hyde.

I must here speak by theory alone, saying not that which I know, but that which I suppose to be most probable. The evil side of my nature, to which I had now transferred the stamping efficacy, was less robust and less developed than the good which I had just deposed. Again, in the course of my life, which had been, after all, nine tenths a life of effort, virtue and control, it had been much less exercised and much less exhausted. And hence, as I think, it came about that Edward Hyde was so much smaller, slighter and younger than Henry Jekyll. Even as good shone upon the countenance of the one, evil was written broadly and plainly on the face of the other. Evil besides (which I must still believe to be the lethal side of man) had left on that body an imprint of deformity and decay. And yet when I looked upon that ugly idol in the glass, I was conscious of no repugnance, rather of a leap of welcome. This, too, was myself. It seemed natural and human. In my eyes it bore a livelier image of the spirit, it seemed more express and single, than the imperfect and divided countenance I had been hitherto accustomed to call mine. And in so far I was doubtless right. I have observed that when I wore the semblance of Edward Hyde, none could come near to me at first without a visible misgiving of the flesh. This, as I take it, was because all human beings, as we meet them, are commingled out of good and evil: and Edward Hyde, alone in the ranks of mankind, was pure evil.”

The Essay with Examiner Comments

Stevenson presents good and evil in ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ as a natural component of man that should be understood, rather than something that should hold society inmate to its Christian afflictions. In the extract, Dr Jekyll is uncovering to the reader these ideas and finally, after nine chapters of repression, he lets go and unleashes his liberated self. Stevenson aims to use Jekyll’s findings about good and evil to remind his readership of innate duality and the importance of exploring man’s more sinister side.

4 ideas in the thesis.

At least thoughtful and detailed .

Good and evil in the extract, and the novella as a whole, is presented as a natural component of man. In the extract, Stevenson aims to emphasise to a reader that, though Dr Jekyll is transforming, what he becomes is not only as human, but also as monstrous as the former. He does this by having Jekyll describe the feeling of being Hyde as “natural and human”. Hyde’s actions throughout the novella are murderous, violent, and unpredictable, so for Stevenson to describe him in ways as human and relatable indicates Stevenson’s change of perspective as he previously presents evil as sinister but begins to depict it as innate, exhibiting a view that is more sympathetic towards Hyde.

Conceptualised - both critical and sympathetic to Hyde at the same time.

Each of the adjectives connotes normality about Hyde and reinforces Stevenson’s aims to be in the direction of normalising the “evil” which the character personifies throughout the novella . Dr Jekyll also admits that “this too, was myself”, cementing an impression of unexpected humanity about Hyde through the comma in this phrase that amplifies its formality and sobriety; Jekyll has manifested all of his evil into the creation of another being but feels nonetheless human because of it.

Detailed development of the previous point make this convincing

Stevenson continues this impression throughout the rest of the chapter: “man is not truly one, but two”, presenting each side of duality to just be “one”, rendering them synonymous in worth to each other. Stevenson is depicting the duality of man to be inherently balanced, calling recognition upon the monster that lies within, deviating from other gothic writers at the time who wrote about external, inhuman monsters, such as Mary Shelley when she wrote ‘Frankenstein’ earlier in the 19th century . Stevenson is developing a gothic trope in a way that no other writers during his time dared to, adding thought-provoking memorability to the message he is sending. He ultimately pushes forward the idea that good and evil should be seen as, in an ideal society, essential and normal parts of humanity.

Convincing exploration of context to show how Stevenson’s purpose differed from other gothic writers.

Good and evil is presented as a topic that should be explored further. This is shown in the extract when Dr Jekyll says he “must here speak by theory alone, saying not that which [he knows], but that which [he supposes] to be most probable”. Jekyll is giving a long and hollow explanation of his anagnorisis* , reminding the reader that even Jekyll is unsure of any exact details behind good and evil.

* the point in a play, novel, etc., in which a principal character recognizes or discovers another character's true identity or the true nature of their own circumstances

Thoughtful, but missing a convincing purpose for Stevenson doing this.

Keep reading with a 7-day free trial

Subscribe to Mr Salles Teaches English to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.

Home / Essay Samples / Philosophy / Philosophical Concept / Good and Evil

Good and Evil Essay Examples

Do the right thing: philosophical viewpoint of thomas hobbes.

What is the right thing to do? It means doing what is best for the more noteworthy or basic great. It means settling on choices that are not founded without anyone else individual needs, that don't grow your notoriety, or uphold your own convictions. It's...

The Things that Make Good and Evil in People

There are many things scientists and philosophers can’t answer one being whether humans are born into the world good or evil; a concept that has been around since the wonders of human origin. In the novel The Lord of the Flies, written by William Golding...

Good and Evil in Our Everyday Life

In our world good and evil coexist in a harmony of chaos. Evil, in a terribly broad sense is simply the absence of good. Often in legends or religions, evil is denoted as something of the supernatural or magical force. It can sometimes be seen...

The Idea of Good Vs Evil in Toni Morrison's Sula

Toni Morrison writes the book Sula with the intention of questioning the idea of good versus bad. The novel talks about good vs bad and compares them between two main characters. The author uses the characters Sula and Nel; their values and qualities to prove...

Animosity of Good Over Evil

The majority of people have enough common sense to make the split-second decision in favor of good over evil. However, the friction between good and evil is an immense conflict for those without proper reasoning. In The Crucible and “Where Are You Going, Where Have...

A Theme of Good Vs Evil in Grendel by John Gardner

The nature of good and evil has been talked and discussed for centuries. The novel Grendel by John Gardner depicted good and evil. The novel is about a monster called Grendel with a bear-like body lives with his mother in an underground cave. When Grendel...

Evil and Good in Beowulf

In society today, we like to judge people and put a label on them before even meeting them. In the book Grendel by John Gardner, we can see the good side and bad side from the main character, Grendel. We see in today’s world, how...

The Concept of Human Will to Power: Friedrich Nietzsche

In Beyond Good and Evil, Friedrich Nietzsche presents an unorthodox argument concerning the natural state of humankind and the means of its ultimate decline. Nietzsche claims that individuals do not allow their own natural impulses and desires to guide them, but they rather observe the...

The Balance Between Good and Evil

There are many opportunities for Steinbeck to build anticipation within the novel by leaving the option for his characters to continue to develop. This gives a prominent theme of choice to overcome within East of Eden. The moral question on whether people are born evil...

Maleficent: Choice Between Evil and Good

The issue I can find in this movie is The Human Capacity for Evil. Quoted by Maleficent in the movie, who wishes to protect Princess Aurora from all the evil in this world but it is difficult and nearly impossible, ‘there is an evil in...

Trying to find an excellent essay sample but no results?

Don’t waste your time and get a professional writer to help!