What is a good way of starting an essay about societal standards without using a quote from a novel? im stumped.

Read the quotation from "an occurrence at owl creek bridge." and now he became conscious of a new disturbance. striking through the thought of his dear ones was a sound which he could neither ignore nor understand, a sharp, distinct, metallic percussion like the stroke of a blacksmith’s hammer upon the anvil; it had the same ringing quality. he wondered what it was, and whether immeasurably distant or near by—it seemed both. its recurrence was regular, but as slow as the tolling of a death knell. he awaited each stroke with impatience and—he knew not why—apprehension. the intervals of silence grew progressively longer, the delays became maddening. with their greater infrequency the sounds increased in strength and sharpness. they hurt his ear like the thrust of a knife; he feared he would shriek. what he heard was the ticking of his watch. which best describes the effect of the narration in the excerpt? it suggests that the man being executed feels tranquil and at peace. it suggests that the narrator is sympathetic to the man being executed. it suggests that the plot will become less tense as the story continues. it suggests that the story will become more intense and mysterious.

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In the sweet hereafter and the following poem, what does the newborn symbolize? "every death is magic from the enemy to be avenged" by brooks haxton when fever burned the last light out of my daughter's eyes, i swore to find and kill the ones to blame. men must mount the long boat in the dark with spears. at dawn, where the flowering spicebush hid my scent, i crouched. a young wife, newborn slung across her chest, came first for spring water. she stooped. my god, for vengeance, spoke her secret name inside my ear. her god stepped back with no scream, his right hand at his mouth, the knuckles clenched between the pointed teeth. death is not evil. innocence of childhood the continuing cycle of life and death the children that will never be born