Tess James Goodwill Student
Tess James is a student at Enka High School. Photo: Urban News
by Tess James

Envy, vanity, anger, lust, greed, gluttony, and sloth; the seven deadly sins are also known as the capital vices or cardinal sins.

Each is a form of Idolatry-of-Self, wherein the subjective reigns over the objective. A mortal or deadly sin is believed to destroy the life of grace and charity within a person.

According to moral thought, the seven deadly sins are not different from other sins, but are instead the origin of the others. Vices can be either venial or mortal, depending on the situation.

Sins Eye; Newspaper Tess- Goodwill Industries
Eyeing Windows to the Soul,
illustration by Tess James

The eye is said to be the looking glass to the soul of every living being. Some people see the world and their priorities these days with eyes full of lust, greed, and vanity. Many lust for power and money, and are greedy for the same. Some also believe that they can have more and are better than one another.

People are vain by human nature; we look and do for ourselves by instinct. In evolutionary theory, we advance through “survival of the fittest.” Most can figure out how to get themselves out of bad or dangerous situations rather than turn to someone they don’t know. This is how the world is seen, due to TV, advertisements, and everyday life.

In my drawings I use symbolic colors, red for lust, purple for vanity, and green for greed. These three vices, shown inside of the eye, represent how you find these in almost everyone. I use a demonic claw coming out from the eye to show the “eternal damnation” assosiated with these sins and how it will, sooner or later, overcome them.


Tess James, a student at Enka High School, is completing her summer internship with Goodwill NWNC.

Her work will be featured in the July, August, and September editions of the Urban News.

Tess is a graduate of “Onelife,” a program sponsored by Goodwill NWNC Youth Services, that teaches students to create individual career plans, develop soft skills, work on communicating effectively, learn conflict resolution techniques, and boost job readiness skills.

Her passion is drawing and she dreams of becoming a tattoo artist after obtaining a degree in art at Warren Wilson College.