1. conscience– this is the first text in wich this inner sense of right and wrong is the main focus. Frasier’s conscience was a key component in his crimes. it is also a word that helps us to under- stand the effects of an action on the mind. it links a mental state, often guilt, with a physical feeling: “upon committing these last thefts, i found what i had never experienced in all my scene of sillainy before, which was the working of a guilty conscience, whose power was so great that it forced me to recede from my wicked designs several times.”
2. flames– “i was in eminent danger of being consumed by the flames.” in this sense, frasier is speaking of the literal flames which he was responsible for creating while in prison. however, in a more spiritual sense, avoiding the horrifying idea of hell and its flaming wrath, is the main argument used by the ministers who admonish criminals like frasier, hoping to deter them from their wicked ways and persuade them of a godly path.
3. notorious– this term re-emphasizes the role of the public in the sense of crime. criminals like Frasier were known publically, scorned publically, and eventually killed publically. this article, however, broadens the role of the public from just an audience at an execution. the term notorious indicates that the public was not only aware of the criminal’s execution, they were aware of his life before he was sentenced to death due to his repution as a person.