As Tom ventures to Jackson's Island and McDougal's Cave, he retreats further and further away from society, becoming somewhat of a recluse even. However, with each journey away from classical society he is able to venture further into his own mind in order to reach a mental maturity not possible through common practices amongst the community. Early in his adventures Tom uses Huck as an idol, as someone he can look up to and aspire to be, but as the story progresses Tom no longer needs to look up to Huck for guidance, in fact the reader could expect Huck to start idolizing Tom and perhaps even begin to shadow him through his mental journey into maturity. “Tom's personal growth is evident in his insistence, in the face of Huck's desire to flee all social constraints, that Huck stay with the Widow Douglas and become civilized” (“The Adventures of Tom Sawyer,” Spark Notes, online).

Counterbalancing the theme of social and moral maturation is the self evident theme of hypocrisy in society. This effect is achieved every time the author criticizes the values and standards of the adults in Tom's town, while at the same time expecting Tom to develop these beliefs and practices on his own in order to be a mature and valued member of society, a goal almost impossible to achieve with the projected morals to be enforced. Twain shows this hypocritical society in more than few aspects, including the school, law, gossip, hearsay, and opinion of the civilization. Another thing the author chooses to acknowledge as essentially flawed are the characters that he creates, pointing out specific personality faults and immaturities in some of the people in Tom's life.

Twain chooses to focus on the seemingly consistent law of inconsistentness in society's moral, ethical, and political outlook. Twain also separates the two, showing that not just people may be held to this law, but that organizations ands administrations can as well, include legislation. This law of inconsistencies is further enforced in the way Twain depicts families throughout the novel. “The town where Tom Sawyer was born and brought up is some such idle shabby Mississippi River town as Mr. Clemens has so well described in his piloting reminiscences, but Tom belongs to the better sort of people in it, and has been bred to fear God and dread the Sunday-school according to the strictest rite of the faiths that have characterized all the respectability of the West” (“The Adventures of Tom Sawyer,” The Atlantic Online, online). He shows two sides to each household, containing a parental restriction and authoritative stance, as well as the polar opposite, one filled with love and pleasure. “Though she attempts to restrain and punish Tom, Aunt Polly always goes soft because of her love for her nephew” (“The Adventures of Tom Sawyer,” Spark Notes, online). Following the progression of the story is the habits of the townspeople, who start going in the same direction as Aunt Polly, and begin to substitute punishment with indulgence. This switch becomes apparent when Tom returns unscathed from his adventures. When the villagers should be outraged and appalled, they instead show compassion and forgiveness towards Tom because they are so thankful he is not harmed, a parental persona absorbed by the people. This same sentiment is later mocked by the author when it is illustrated that the town so willingly forgives the outlaw Injun Joe once he is dead, being consumed by the emotions usually only evoked by their own "little rascal."

The activities partaken in by the towns small children as play, resemble training in the ways of subversion of authority and rule, and how to skillfully escape from the mainstream ways of the majority population of the novel's small town. “Skipping school, sneaking out at night, playing tricks on the teacher, and running away for days at a time are all ways of breaking the rules and defying authority” (“The Adventures of Tom Sawyer,” Spark Notes, online). However, this clever writer does not let his readers take this symbol at face value, and subjects them to another version or meaning to these games than one might first perceive. “Tom is highly concerned with conforming to the codes of behavior that he has learned from reading, and he outlines the various criteria that define a pirate, a Robin Hood, or a circus clown. The boys' obsession with superstition is likewise an addiction to convention, which also mirrors the adult society's focus on religion. Thus, the novel shows that adult existence is more similar to childhood existence than it might seem” (“The Adventures of Tom Sawyer,” Spark Notes, online). Even while constantly poking holes into the way commonplace society functions as one gigantic hypocrite, Mr. Twain choose to also back authority's right and the moral correctness of facing problems rather than running from them and their consequences. This is achieved every time the book demonstrates the system of crime and punishment, and displays how subversion can lead to larger problems or crimes in the future, while at the same time it shows the negative effects than can come from too strongly following authority. “He is mischievous, but not vicious; he is ready for almost any depredation that involves the danger and honor of adventure, but profanity he knows may provoke a thunderbolt upon the heart of the blasphemer, and he almost never swears; he resorts to any stratagem to keep out of school, but he is not a downright liar, except upon terms of after shame and remorse that make his falsehood bitter to him” (“The Adventures of Tom Sawyer,” The Atlantic Online, online). A certain level of free thinking is required to adequately function as a proper human being.

One lesser theme, but one still worthy of notation, is freedom through social exclusion. The town in the novel, St. Petersburg, is a tight knit social community, in which foreigners do not fit in well or obtain the same status as the other townspeople. Easily the most well known outsider is Huck Finn, who is banished to the outskirts of town and must provide his own means of food and shelter as his father does not privy him to such comforts and is rather preoccupied by alcohol consumption and the resulting drunkenness. Other foreign peoples to the town include yet another drunk; Muff Potter, and the criminalistic and horrifying Injun Joe. However, like every other theme in this novel, there exists a parallel to it. “Despite the community's clear separation of outsiders from insiders, however, it seems to have a strong impulse toward inclusiveness. The community tolerates the drunkenness of a harmless rascal like Muff Potter, and Huck is more or less protected even though he exists on the fringes of society. Tom too is an orphan who has been taken in by Aunt Polly out of love and filial responsibility” (“The Adventures of Tom Sawyer,” Spark Notes, online). The only person who isn't included even slightly into the town's inter-workings of love and hospitality is Injun Joe. However after the death of Joe, his remembrance is warped in such a way as to allow him to become part of the town, and be fully embraced by its loving arms, and not rejected like the scum he was always been viewed to be. One may start to worry about the living conditions of this child living out on his own, but these concerns are lessened, or more so distracted from, while the author disillusions the reader with whimsical tales of the boy's liberty allowed by his exclusion from society. The other children are not even allowed to play with him, as it would be looked down on by the entirety of the community, and a beating may even be in order should anyone ever find out about the goings on between Huck and Tom. Essentially all alone in the wilderness, Huck never attains any sort of formal education or rations to sustain and nourish his young male frame. As far as housing goes, Huck is also homeless. Perhaps in today's society this would not be acceptable, and the young man would be brought into a state-run foster center or at least taken care of by the generosity of the neighboring civilization, one would hope. It is assumed that Huck resorts to crime to attain all necessities or commodities that he consumes, as he is frequently mentioned as smoking a pipe, and as he is not described to have an unsightly visible skeletal structure, he must be getting food somewhere.

It is only after the treasure is had that Huck should be provided for. Once he comes into a great deal of money, the Widow Douglas offers to take him in and treat him as if he were her own son. The genius of this connection is to assimilate the relationship between economic value, and social value. It is only after Huck has money that he is able to be treated as a member of St. Petersburg. This change however is certainly not welcomed by Huck. It is obvious to the reader that this character would never willingly remove him self from the lifestyle to which he has become accustom. Although the offer by the widow is a generous one indeed, Twain illustrates that when removed from the conventions of society for so long, one cannot hope to return. Huck has been claimed by the wilds in which he lived, and to go back to a civilized lifestyle would not be possible for him, but as he is just a minor he does not have any option, he must accept this apparent choice as an inevitability. In this event the author again shows the hypocrisy of society, how it is only acceptable because the character is a boy, were it Injun Joe who found the treasure, the Widow Douglas would not offer to take him in. This double standard is apparent throughout the novel, and is expressed on a seemingly rhythmic basis, as it occurs more often than any other theme. This just goes to show another valid point made by the author, that being included in society comes at its own price too, and could be considered a luxury for which a tax must be paid, but the tax in question here is not one of a monetary value, but rather something more spiritual and sacrificial, ones own freedom. In order to be accepted into St. Petersburg, Huck is forced to give up his feral self, and take on a persona unbecoming of him, a persona of the average child, bound by the shackles of law and order which have been implemented, not by a court, but by the moral and ethical views of the society to which he is being incorporated into.

The final recognizable major theme of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is superstition in an uncertain world. Superstition can be defined as, “an irrational belief or practice resulting from ignorance or fear of the unknown. The validity of superstitions is based on belief in the power of magic and witchcraft and in such invisible forces as spirits and demons” (“Superstition,” The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition). This theme if first introduced when Tom and Huck venture into the graveyard to try some kind of voodoo or mysticism to cure some warts. The superstition of the main characters in this novel could be a reflection of the old times and under-educated characters, or a demonstration in the differences of childhood and adulthood. The superstition of the boys runs a close parallel to religion in society. When certain events are encountered they must choose which superstition they are going to follow and make their decisions from. It is in this manner that Twains pokes fun at mainstream religious beliefs, and exposes the hypocrisy in the world's belief system. However, in order to achieve all of these effects, Twain must evoke the help of an unrealistic universe in which he can place all his characters and events, so that they may interact without question from the reader. “The humorousness of the boys' obsession with witches, ghosts, and graveyards papers over, to some extent, the real horror of the things to which the boys are exposed: grave digging, murder, starvation, and attempted mutilation. The relative ease with which they assimilate these ghastly events into their childish world is perhaps one of the least realistic aspects of the novel. (If the novel were written today, we might expect to read about the psychic damage these extreme childhood experiences have done to these boys.) The boys negotiate all this horror because they exist in a world suspended somewhere between reality and make-believe. Their fear of death is real and pervasive, for example, but we also have the sense that they do not really understand death and all of its ramifications” (“The Adventures of Tom Sawyer,” Spark Notes, online).

One of the characters in this story is Athena. Athena only has one epithet. The reason for her to have an epithet is to show her personality, which for her, is always good.

Her only epithet is "clear-eyed", to show her judgments are not clouded. The reason for her to have this epithet is because she is a god and as such she is perfect.

Another god in The Odyssey is Poseidon. His epithet is usually "earth-shaking." Like Athena, his epithet is used to show his power as a god. Poseidon is also the god of earthquakes. This is yet another reason for his epithet.

The only human in this essay is Odysseus. Odysseus is a character with many epithets. One of his epithets is "god-like." By calling a mortal god like it shows what an exceptionally powerful moral he is. Another epithet of his is "resourceful." This epithet, like the last, shows great power. Resourcefulness is an attribute of intelligence, an uncommon commodity.

From this, one could conclude that epithets are very useful tools used by great composers. Of the many uses for epithets the main one is to show an exceptional quality of a character. However, epithets can be used in negative ways too. Epithets compare two different things, such as "god-like Odysseus." They can also be used to help the reader, listener, or even storyteller to better comprehend the roles of the characters in the story.

I think that the pictures the book paints really help to give the reader a feel for what Daniel goes through. Depictions of terrifying sights bring a sobering look at the holocaust. It is good to continue the knowledge of the holocaust so that it never happens again, and this book does a good job of ensuring that no one will ever forget it. Because Daniel is so hopeful the whole way through, it serves to inspire others not to lose hope.

Although I liked the book overall, I did not appreciate the time jumps in it. At times it was very confusing when all of a sudden the date changes and I have to regain my bearings. I think that because I am older I was able to successfully comprehend the story even when the time changed, but I do not think that younger readers and lower grade levels would have been able to get the same understanding out of the book.

Daniels Story is about the holocaust and depicts one fictional child's journey through death camps, resistance fighters, and survival. It takes place during world war two, specifically the holocaust era, and provides a historical aspect as well was a personal view of its time. Although Daniel is a fiction character, his person is derived from several pictures, and was made to display the events of the holocaust. I would recommend that this book be read only in history classes upon covering the second world war, because the teacher could transcribe the events to the students. Because it is sophomores who take history, they should be the ones to read and profit from it. Aside from a casual read, this book could be used to teach students about the holocaust.

The biggest downfall of Oedipus was his pride. He tired to prove the gods wrong and escape his fate. Because he was so zealous, he did not realize he had only caused the prophecy to become true, there as only missing his goal by a metaphorical inch. Jason also holds this grotesque mannerism. Jason obtained the Golden Fleece with the assistance of Medea, but attributes this accomplishment only to his self. Due to this undeserved pride, Jason thinks he can marry the King of Corinth's daughter, but is shocked when Medea turns on him for his misdeeds. Medea kills their children, causing Jason much suffering. Jason did not predict this because he was too wrapped up in himself. Although they are not the best of people, they do have virtues. Both have love for their wives and ambition towards their goals.

A vice that they do not share is greed. Jason is the only greedy one; in fact it was because of his greed that he tried to marry the Creon's daughter. Oedipus' marriage, in my opinion, was more about lust than greed. Oedipus wanted Jocasta, so he married her; it wasn't about the power so much as the woman. Both of these traits had an equal affect with the aforementioned others on their respective downfalls. Another vice unique to Oedipus is wrath. Oedipus is very vengeful, and when confronted by some travels on the road he mercilessly slaughtered them all. This is one of the events that enable Oedipus to live his dishonorable life.

As I have said, Oedipus and Jason are both tragic heroes, with tragic flaws, but not all of those flaws are the same. Jason is greedy, Oedipus is lustful and wrathful. But they both share excessive pride, all of which lead to their downfalls, making them tragic heroes. Jason and Oedipus share more than just their vices; they also have some common virtues, such as love, and ambition. It is a sad thing that these heroes had to be tragic, which is implied in the word. Because they were so close to their goals, it seems unfair for them not to reach them.

Puck goes to the mortals to attempt to resolve the love conflict. He cannot remember what Oberon told him to do due the excessive amount of intoxication he was experiencing when given the orders. Puck then decides that it would be best to put drops of love potion on everyone's eyes, and let this mess work itself out. Puck, however, is still inebriated and loses consciousness next to the love-potion-soaked mortals.

Open waking, Helena first sees Puck, and dashes to his side to awaken him. Puck, being the laid back and promiscuous type, accepts Helena's love. Demetrius and Lysander both wake to see Hermia, and begin fighting for the right to her affection. Due to an excess of morning eye gook in one eye, Hermia opens her left eye a moment or so before opening her right eye. She sees Lysander with one and Demetrius with the other, thus solving all love problems between the tree of them.

Titania and her Ass-headed lover live happily until his death only years after the consummation of their relationship. The enormous binge drinking and a diet consisting only of fruit pickled his liver and gave him constant diarrhea, causing a severe loss in functionality of his Auto Immune Defense System, nowadays termed AIDS. The Ass-head lover would die of an infection from a scraped elbow.

Oberon raised the Indian boy as warrior like he wanted. After fighting off some goblins in the eastern forest the Indian boy was confronted by group of people with the Spanish inquisition. He was immediately behead upon informing them he had never heard of “Jesus.” Oberon and Titania later renewed their relationship and ruled Fairy Land for the rest of eternity.

It turned out that Puck and Helena had formerly "known" each other a few years prior, of course at that time Puck went under the name “Robin Goodfellow.” Being a Sadder, Puck's life span was only slightly longer than a mortal's. Puck died three years after his wife Helena. During the three years between their deaths, Puck had 13 other major relationships, and one marriage.

Demetrius and Lysander constantly vied for Hermia's attention. One day, headed for Amsterdam, Lysander stocked the boat with plenty of food, liquor, and great tunes. Unfortunately he forgot to stock it with a captain and died soon after departing. With Lysander out of the picture, Demetrius and Hermia lived long lives together and died happily in their sleep.