The Portrayal of Racism in Literary Works

Introduction One of my main concerns about my paper is that I am unsure how to approach racism from an unbiased perspective. I aim to critically analyze how authors portray racism in their works without prejudice or preconceived notions. I may interpret things too personally, which could affect the accuracy...

The Character Study of Miller’s “Death of a Salesman”

Introduction Miller’s Death of a Salesman is iconic and representative since it takes place during a time of national catastrophe, the Great Depression. The author’s imagination was drawn to the seemingly insignificant lives exemplifying central themes, such as family relationships, financial wellbeing, and the shortcomings of the American dream (Churchwell...

Attitudes of “My Left Foot” by Christy Brown

“My left foot” is an autobiography of Christy Brown written in 1954. Brown was diagnosed with an incurable disability but lived a productive life thanks to intelligence and the ability to control his left foot. Despite being born with the disability of cerebral palsy, Brown, thanks to various attitudes as...

The “Tribal Ceremony” Poem by Janet Campbell Hale

In order to understand “Tribal Ceremony,” the communal feature of minor literature is used because it depicts the tragedy of an entire community. The communal feature can be described as representing the problem of a particular society, not only concerning the author of the poem. In “Tribal Ceremony,” it is...

The Complex Character: Hamlet From “Hamlet” by William Shakespeare

Introduction The infamous The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or simply Hamlet, written by William Shakespeare, is a powerful literary composition presenting the protagonist’s multidimensionality and complexity – Hamlet himself. The play traces Prince Hamlet and his contemplations on the topics like life, death, love, and revenge. The point...

Review of “Still I Rise” Poem by Maya Angelou

Introduction Maya Angelou was born in 1928 and died at 86 years in 2014. Despite being a poet, Angelou was also known for her civil rights activism, acting, dance, screenwriting, and authorship. The poet was best known for her 1969 memoir, I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, and the...

Poe’s View on “The Masque of the Red Death”

Introduction One of the most important themes explored in The Masque of the Red Death is the inherent equality of death. Edgar Allan Poe uses the word “masque” in the title to symbolize a one-of-a-kind celebration where people cover their identities behind masks to foster safety and experience joy. Shortly...

“A Room of One’s Own” by Virginia Woolf: Main Themes and Key Ideas

In her critical paper, Virginia Woolf introduces various binaries and complicates them by placing the opposite states into the contexts of time and place to illustrate and deepen these distinctions. For instance, she elaborates on the binary of women and men by explaining the two as complex socio-cultural categories in...

Characters in “Two Kinds” Story by Amy Tan

Introduction Literature has undergone several dynamic shifts as a field relating to how information is conveyed and structured in a written piece. Character choice is a vital step in narration as it determines the length, style, tone, and literary devices used. In essence, in any work of literature, the relationships...

The Play “Proof” by David Auburn

Prove that irony exists in the play In the play “Proof” by David Auburn, events unravel in the house of a mathematical genius Robert, who has been suffering from mental illness. His daughter Catherine is living with him in order to take care of. The first element of irony is...

Alan Moore’s Rhetoric and Writing Style in Watchmen

Alan Moore’s comic book Watchmen was a phenomenal breakthrough in the production of the comic. It was unexpected but a negative story about superheroes who, at the same time, reject the typical superhero canons and touch readers’ hearts. Many critics rightly consider Watchmen as an independent graphic novel, not a...

Rewriting Hamlet by Shakespeare

Shakespeare’s Hamlet is an eternal classic played in theaters worldwide and adapted in movies by multiple screenwriters and directors. One of these films that received an equivocal response from the critics and audience was the 2018 movie Ophelia, directed by Claire McCarthy (Schwanebeck, 2020). It was based on Shakespeare’s original...

Aeneas and Gilgamesh in Mythology

Two old stories that played a significant role in fate are the Aeneid and Gilgamesh epics. In these literary works, the protagonists Aeneas and Gilgamesh are obsessed with uncertainty, so these epic stories accurately reflect the ancient culture and society. From the story of fate, we can see that the...

Letters in “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen

Introduction Pride and Prejudice is a romantic comedy novel by Jane Austen during the Regency era in England. It is a romantic story that follows the character development of Elizabeth Bennet, who is the dynamic character of the narration. She learns about the aftermaths of hasty judgments and notes the...

“Guests of the Sheik”: Kinship System

The book Guests of the Sheik: An Ethnography of an Iraqi Village raises the topic of relationships and existence in the society of people in El Nahra. The subject of interaction between men and women is emphasized. While having different daily activities, men try to have complete control over women....

“The Butcher’s Tale” by Helmut Walser Smith

The Butcher’s Tale: Murder and Anti-Semitism in a German Town by Helmut Walser Smith is a 2002 book set in a Prussian town in the early 1900s. The novel begins with Smith outlining the details and history of a grisly murder that occurred in Konitz. While the town is now...

“The Unknown Masterpiece” and “The Beautiful Troublemaker”

Balzac’s short tale “The Unknown Masterpiece” contains several allusions to art. Porbus and Frenhofer have rationally presented two diametrically opposed concepts in the most aesthetically reflective manner imaginable. The two facets of an artist’s existence are depicted, namely love and art. Thus, this conflict is exemplified in the novel Gillette,...

Working-Class Resistance in Updike’s A&P

A&P is a short story by the American writer John Updike published in 1962. It recounts an episode from the life of Sammy, a cashier working for the local A&P grocery store during the summer to help provide for his family. He contemptuously observes and narrates the inner life of...

Life Influences and the Works of Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Introduction Literature has existed for centuries, teaching, admonishing, and highlighting social issues. Every piece of literature is unique, from the source to the intended message to the audience. In every case, authors are motivated to compose their works by several circumstances and life experiences. Although some authors may not directly...

Comedy Play “Tartuffe”: A Character Study

Tartuffe is one of Moliere’s most famous comedy plays. Although the first version was published back in 1669, the play is still present in the repertoire of modern theater companies. The reason for this is the bright comedy plot, as well as memorable characters. This essay aims to analyze one...

Environment in “Royal Beatings” Short Story by Alice Munro

Alice Munro’s “Royal Beatings” is a story that describes the life of a poverty-seeking society and families at the time of the Great Depression. The main characters of the tale Rose, her father, her stepmother, and her half-brother, present the image of the average family occupied by all hardships of...

The Colonial Education in Myal

Introduction Literature reflects the author’s world, showing their unique experience and illuminating the daily affairs of the members of their communities. Thus, in her novel Myal, Jamaican-born writer Erna Brodber explores Afro-Caribbean spirituality and culture and the effect colonization by the British Empire had on them. Furthermore, the author discusses...

Conflict in The Metamorphosis Essay Example

The Metamorphosis is a book based on Gregor Samsa, a traveling salesman who does a strenuous job to provide for his family. On waking up one day, he realizes he has transformed into a colossal insect (Kafka 8). His father, mother, and sister recognize something is wrong when they knock...

Technology in Burning Chrome by William Gibson

Introduction William Gibson’s story Burning Chrome depicts an advanced but soulless society where most technological advances are portrayed as distorted by commercialization and human mechanization rather than improving the quality of life. However, the main characters are depicted as completely dependent on technology. Technology is not only a global achievement...

“Henry V” Play by William Shakespeare

Henry V is one of the famous war plays by William Shakespeare. The play can be presented to be both anti-war and pro-war. The play is pro-war; this is because a part of it glorifies war through Henry’s speeches where he urges his troops into battle and through the chorus...

“Harry Potter and Prisoner of Azkaban”: Book and Movie Comparison

In 1997, over the span of one night, Harry Potter took the world by storm when the book sold 11 million copies within 24 hours of its release: 2.7 million copies in the UK and 8.3 million in the US. And as of 2021, More than 500 million copies of...

Espaillat’s “Bilingual-Bilingüe” & Hayden’s “Those Winter Sundays” Poems

Family relations, in particular between parents and children, are often complex and ambiguous. Moreover, the connection established with the mother and with the father also contrasts. Most modern adults were probably closer to mothers who took care of the home well-being, while fathers worked daily for the benefit of the...

“The Flick” by Annie Baker

There are many issues faced by an average person in their twenties and thirties in the modern era where authenticity is difficult to achieve. It is possible to suggest that the playwright decided to tell this story precisely to draw people’s attention to the fact that young persons may struggle...

Comparing and Contrasting Sonnet 103 with Echo and Narcissus

Shakespeare permeates his lyrics with amazing metaphors and comparisons to express love and feelings. The metaphors used in Sonnet 103 and Echo and Narcissus by Shakespeare also present the reader with an indirect description of the sublime romance. On the other hand, the romance in these two works is, in...

Theme and Symbols in Lawrence’s “The Rocking-Horse Winner”

“The Rocking-Horse Winner” provokes various emotions, including fascination and concerns about the boy, pity and disappointment about the mother, and misunderstanding of adult behaviors. Such attitude may be explained by the theme, morals, and symbols Lawrence uses. There are two evident topics in the story: a conflict between material and...

Hypocrisy and Christianity in “Tartuffe” by Molière

In Tartuffe, one of the primary topics that the author raises is the hypocrisy of some members of the society of that time and the detrimental effect of blind trust given to faithful people. To prove his point, the author uses Orgon’s family to show the result of this belief...

Sedaris’ “Us and Them” and “Who Is Malala?” by Yousafzai

Both written pieces represent memoirs, which implies that those stories happened in real life, and it raises more exceptional emotions within the readers. Us and Them is a powerful piece discussing mindless beliefs and adaptation to something uncomplicated, like television. Sedaris’s purpose is to show how people are unable to...

“Child of the Americas” by Morales

Child of the Americas is a poem focused on one’s multicultural ethnic background, where the main character’s identity became multifaceted and complex. The author is well-aware of the general heritage she possesses, and she is not inclined to dismiss any aspect of her history. The poet fully understands that her...

Explication of “Diving Into the Wreck” by Adrienne Rich

This poem dramatizes the conflict between the fight for women’s empowerment and rights. Rich’s oeuvre is characterized by the extended metaphor at the heart of this poem. She speaks about the struggle for women’s empowerment by using the image of a woman training for a deep-sea scuba dive and discovering...

“Back to My Arms”: A Romantic Poem Analysis

Poem – Back to my Arms In the dark of the midnight, Lay me, eyes open, lacking sleep in the night, Thinking, taxing my mind, wandering the valleys, You crisscross thoughts; within my thoughts are alleys, Wanting to see, hold, and have you again as I remember with nostalgia, The...

“The Reader” by Bernhard Schlink

Introduction The Reader, a novel written by Bernhard Schlink, is one of the heartbreaking books in the last 30 years. The author discusses many topics relevant to people born in the 20th century and analyzes one of the worst events during this period, the Holocaust. Topics include first love, male...

Poem Analysis: Langston Hughes

Introduction Racial and cultural identity are among the most prominent themes of Langston Hughes’s literary works. It is important to point out that many of his poems explore different aspects of African American identity in regards to the overall culture and race as well as the intricate topics on social...

Symbolism of Christmas Spirits in “A Christmas Carol”

In A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens renders the theme of fate, which is reflected in the three Spirits of Christmas. The Spirit’s demeanor and looks symbolize Scrooge’s life in the past, present, and future implying his fate if he does not rethink his behavior. The first Spirit, the Ghost of...

Character Analysis Papi Behavioral Traits

Introduction Autobiographical works often cause public resonance and critics’ interest due to the personal nature of such stories and unique plots that took place in authors’ lives. Junot Díaz can be cited as an example of a writer whose books are largely imbued with the narration of personal experiences. His...

Technology and Humanity in “Brave New World” by Aldous Huxley

Introduction Dystopian fiction is gaining popularity due to its deeply reflective nature and futuristic perspectives on the social order. “Brave New World” by Aldous Huxley is a dystopian fiction novel written and published in the early 1930s. It presents a society living in the so-called World State, where a strict...

Beowulf as a Tragic Hero of the Old English Warrior Culture

Beowulf is an old English story drawn from their native oral literature. Though the author is anonymous, its influence is still felt up to today in many of the works of contemporary writers. The protagonist exhibits all the character traits of a tragic hero as defined by Aristotle. According to...

Kafka’s Metamorphosis from a Legal Perspective: People vs. the Samsa Family

Closing Statement: The Prosecutor Your Honor, the life of a person, no matter what his or her body may look like, is sacred, which is why the Samsa Family must answer for their actions. There is clear evidence that, despite his transformation, Gregor Samsa still possessed the ability to feel,...

The Collection of Short Stories “Interpreter of Maladies” by Jhumpa Lahiri

Interpreter of Maladies is a collection of nine short stories written by an American author Jhumpa Lahiri. This writing presents its readers with stories about the experiences of Indian Americans who learn to live in the conflict between two distinct cultures. Therefore, in order to understand the life of these...

“A Rose for Emily”: Violence and Mental Illness in William Faulkner’s Short Story

Some of the key questions a first-time reader of William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” would ask involve why a sane person would consider sleeping or speaking with the dead and mete violence to their lover. Specifically, in the present-day society, a reader would refer to cognitive psychology to explain...

Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet: Play Analysis

Composed by William Shakespeare, Macbeth is a mental and shocking story of visually impaired aspiration and dangerous, all-expending power. This is a play brimming with detestable goals and horrifying killings. Fabulously coordinated by Dan Hodge and enlivened by the Ghost accounts of Edgar Allen Po, this creation, with its intriguing...

Greek Heroic Motifs in “The Iliad”: Agamemnon and Priam

Introduction Greek history is frequently discussed in many literary works, and Homer’s Iliad is probably the most famous and successful story about the Trojan War and its participants. In this epic poem, heroic motifs are determined by harsh social obligations and definite cultural beliefs, underlining the role of gods and...

“Going to Meet the Man” Story by James Baldwin

Koritha Mitchell’s Living with Lynching and James Baldwin’s “Going to Meet the Man” In the book Living with Lynching, Koritha Mitchel studies the so-called “lynching drama” and the role that lynching played in the American culture. She claims that the depictions of racial violence produced by the black and white...

Analysis of Wolfgang Schivelbusch’s Chapter “Coffee and the Protestant Ethic”

Wolfgang Schivelbusch, in the chapter titled “Coffee and the Protestant Ethic,” talks about the consequences of the introduction of coffee for the European countries in the context of the Age of Reformation. He argues that coffee satisfied the needs of the period of Protestantism and rationalism, and had significant political,...

Twyla and Roberta’s Friendship in Toni Morrison’s “Recitatif”

The story recounts the friendship of two girls, Twyla and Roberta who meet at the St. Bonny’s shelter after being abandoned by their families. Their relationship experiences both ups and downs highlight the dynamics of their respective characters as well as external circumstances. At first, they dislike each other given...

“Alien” Short Story by Riley Brett

Introduction Alien presents a short science fiction regarding a strange individual being returned to Earth after supposed abduction by a UFO. Told from the perspective of a blogger that encounters and connects with the man by accident, the short story offers a lighthearted but also tragic narrative of someone being...

“Tell My Horse” by Zora Neale Hurston Book Review

Zora Neale Hurston was a writer in the early 20th century. Her book Tell My Horse was published in 1938, which described the hands-on experiences in Jamaica and Haiti held two years prior. One of the book’s central discourses is the preservation of the traditional African customs in the era...

Robert Frost’s Poem “Mending Wall”

“Mending Wall” is a popular poem written by Robert Frost which attracts the reader’s attention due to the importance of the theme covered in this poem. The author touches upon one of the most important philosophical themes connecting with the nature of human existence and the relationships between people. Robert...

Kanjincho as an Example of Kabuki Performance

Kanjincho is one of the most famous plays of the Japanese kabuki theater. The kabuki genre is a classic dance drama; kabuki theater plots usually reveal historical events. Kanjincho story happens in the mid-to-late 12th century; the main characters are Togashi Saemon, the guardian of the gates, Yoshitsune, the emperor’s...

African-American Narration in Walker’s “Everyday Use”

Introduction The short story titled “Everyday Use” is written by Alice Walker. “Everyday Use” portrays the different understanding of African-American history. For some, it is a part of their daily lives, while for others – something they learn about from books and college lectures. The three main characters – Mama,...

“The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood

Introduction The Handmaid’s Tale is a dystopian novel where Margaret Atwood pictures a scenario of one way in which the world could develop. The story is set in a fantasy version of a near-future New England, in a regime resembling totalitarian theocracy. In this world, women have no rights or...

“A Rose for Emily” by Faulkner and “A Good Man is Hard to Find” by O’Connor

Introduction Moral corruption is one of the central themes of Southern Gothic. This literary genre frequently features characters that are not merely flawed but thoroughly debased to the point of being grotesque. In their pursuit of intensely personal obsessions and vices, they persistently violate both social norms and conventional human...

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s ‘The Scarlet Letter’ Review

Introduction Transcendentalism, as an introspective philosophical movement, arose during the Romantic era in literature and held that each person could arrive at extreme certainties through sound reasoning, sensory experience, and the expression of oneself outside the conformity of society. The Romantic period elicited highly contrasting intellectual as well as literary...

“They Shut Me Up in Prose” by Emily Dickinson

Annotation The writer speaks of a force that has tried to limit her ability to write in prose and compares this to a time when she was young and they tried to lock her up in a closet in a bid to silence her and make her still. She goes...

Self-knowledge in Oedipus, Socrates, and Achilles

Introduction The Delphic Oracle’s motto of “Know Thyself” applies to many stories from Ancient Greece. The characters of Oedipus, Socrates, and Achilles can all be examined from the point of view of the extent to which they knew themselves and the extent to which knowing or not knowing themselves led...

Barn Burning by Faulkner: Symbols & Setting Analysis

In the story Barn Burning by Faulkner, we first encounter Mr. Snopes in a courthouse. He is accused of burning Mr. Harris’ barn. The justice of the court tells Mr. Harris to prove his allegations but he is unable to do so because Mr. Snopes is cunning and does not...

Shakespeare’s “Othello”: Iago’s Honesty

Introduction In Shakespeare’s play Othello, the character Iago is the most well-known and multifaceted. To the characters in the play, he is a trustworthy and honest person who everyone in the community is willing to confide in. The audience on the other hand can note that he is the evilest,...

“The Tell-Tale Heart” and “The Black Cat” by Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Allan Poe was born on January 19 1809 in Boston Massachusetts. He was an American poet, writer, literary critic and editor. He was orphaned at an early age before he was even three years. He was raised as a foster child by John and Frances Allan in Richmond Virginia....

Vernaculars in “The Weary Blues” by Langston Hughes

In the Norton Anthology of African American Literature, there is a long discussion of vernacular, The Vernacular Tradition, and how it impacts the meaning and our understanding of the meaning in African American literature, particularly the blues. The article begins with, “In African American literature, the vernacular refers to the...

Emily Dickinson’s “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” Poetic Techniques

In the vast literary heritage left by one of the world’s unique poets, Emily Dickinson, the topics of death and immortality appear to occupy a prominent position. Among multiple poems dealing with that issue, “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” is notable for the author’s fearless attitude to death...

Gender in The Great Gatsby & The Yellow Wallpaper

The focal point of the paper is to explore the Male-Female Relationships in The Great Gatsby by the noted American author of the post first world war era F. Scott Fitzgerald and The Yellow Wallpaper by American short story writer Charlotte Perkins Gilman. The complexities of men and women in...

The Great Gatsby: Analysis

Introduction To begin with, I should pay attention on Francis Scott Fitzgerald as one of the greatest American writers of the last century. Also we should admit his many-faceted talent in depicting the Post-World-War I society of the United States in his outstanding novel “The Great Gatsby”. This one is...

“The Meal” Poem by Susan Berger

Poetry is by far the most powerful means of expressing ones thoughts and ideas, although these ideas are not always explicitly stated. There is no aspect of human relationships that poetry cannot describe. The relationships between parents and their children have always been a subject of thorough analysis in psychology;...

Nora in A Doll’s House: Character Analysis

The literary heritage of Henrik Ibsen counts lots of dramatic works, which appear to be very popular and bringing up the problems of today. Actually, the matters, brought up within his works are eternal. So, the books are really worth reading and analyzing. In Ibsen’s dramatic writings the several storylines...

Andromache in the Iliad: Character Analysis

The role of women in the ancient world is generally accepted to be that of possession and house-servant, mother and decorative status symbol, but not human, not thinking and not individual enough to act upon her own volition. This impression comes from a long line of ancient texts and documents...

Green Light in The Great Gatsby

Introduction Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald is an American writer whose works were never given proper appreciation to when he was alive. This was a person who died with a firm belief that he was a failure. Most of his works refer to the period of Jazz Age, the name he...

The Analysis of “The Philosopher” by Sherwood Anderson

“The Philosopher” by Sherwood Anderson is constructed to portray a certain multitude of paradoxical and unexpected contradictions as well implicitly as explicitly. This story has the ironic contrasts that illustrate the various emotions which are introduced by the philosopher – Doctor Parcival. That is why I would like to analyze...

Cultural Context of “Don Quixote” by M. de Cervantes

In the history of classical literary pieces, Don Quixote by Miguel De Cervantes enjoys one of the prominent positions among the masterpiece works and it is rightly considered as the foremost piece of fiction ever to be written by any important authors. The piece also holds the credit to be...

The “Little Man” in the Big City: Gogol’s The Overcoat

The title of the story is ‘The Overcoat’ published in 1842, authored by Nikolai Gogol, the father of modern Russian pragmatism. A Great Russian novelist, Gogol is acknowledged to have quite a name as a satirist. An artist of words he is known to exert enormous influence over Russian literature....

The Idea of Sublime: Critical Analysis

“You will remember, my dear Postumius Terentianus, that when we examined together the treatise of Caecilius on the Sublime, we found that it fell below the dignity of the whole subject, while it failed signally to grasp the essential points, and conveyed to its readers but little of that practical...

Social Issues in “Effi Briest” by Theodor Fontane

Introduction Effi Briest by Theodor Fontane is one of the most famous realist novels, which stands in line with masterpieces like Madame Bovary and Anna Karenina. This book tells the story of a girl who enters into an arranged marriage and eventually becomes its victim. The novel’s plot is centered...

“Desiree’s Baby” Short Story by Kate Chopin

Introduction In the short story, Desiree’s Baby Kate Chopin depicts truth of life speaking about social problems of women and role of racial differences. In this short story, a women character of embodies qualities and unique characteristics typical for many 19th century women, and reflects their expectations, values and morals....

A Good Man Is Hard to Find: Critical Analysis Essay

Introduction Flannery O’Connor is the brightest representative of the Southern Gothic in US literature. Her prose is filled with violence, erupting evil and dark features of a human being, and many stories shockingly end on a note of horror. “A Good Man is Hard to Find” first appeared in a...

Willy Loman’s Character in “Death of a Salesman” by Arthur Miller

Introduction In his play the Death of a Salesman, the author narrates a story of Willy Loman’s desperate searching for happiness and recognition. Though aiming for self-realization and professional success, the protagonist, undergo neither spiritual transformation nor liberation as the plot progresses. Instead, readers observe the personal failure of the...

Gender in “The Chrysanthemums” by John Steinbeck

Introduction John Steinbeck’s The Chrysanthemums focuses on the theme of gender roles and the discrimination of women based on their gender. The author tells the story of Elisa, who is trapped in her roles and responsibilities of being a perfect wife and housekeeper that is expected to take care of...

‘The Last Night of the World’ by Ray Bradbury

‘The Last Night of the World’ is a short story by Ray Bradbury written in a genre of speculative fiction. It presents an evening dialogue between spouses who are drinking coffee and watching their daughters play on the rug. It is an entirely ordinary evening except for the dream they...

The Reliable Narrator in Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart”

In the story The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe, the narrator tries to convince the reader that he is sane. However, he is also a murderer that killed a person with no tangible motive. He claims that the reason why he has killed his beloved benefactor because one of...

War Poetry: Turner vs. Owen on Empathy & Critique

War has existed with humankind for as long as humankind has existed, and it has defined many societal functions. Most people look at war from the perspective of the war winner and the loser of the war. However, war bears with it more themes than the winners and losers. The...

Symbol in “The Lottery” Story by Shirley Jackson

Introduction The idea of society is conditioned to violence is established immediately in Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery.” To represent the concepts of violence and murder, stones are used and mentioned numerous times throughout the story. By using stones as the symbol of violence in “The Lottery,” Shirley Jackson represents the...

Female Identity in Ortiz Cofer’s “Quinceanera”

Judith Ortiz Cofer Judith Ortiz Cofer (1952-2016), who wrote Quinceañera, was a Puerto Rican American author critically acclaimed for her poetry, short stories, essays, fiction, and autobiography. She was born in Hormigueros, Puerto Rico, in the family with a military father, J. M. Ortiz Lugo, who took his closest relatives,...

Hans Christian Andersen’ Works Analysis

Introduction The term ‘author’ can be used to refer to someone who “…….originates or gives existence (or life) to something” (Hodges 2002). In the context of literature, an author can be described as an individual who originates or gives existence to a piece of text. This is for example a...

Trauma of Internment for the Nikkei Family in No-No Boy

Introduction John Okada’s No-No Boy recounts the story of challenging cultural identity of a Japanese American young man named Ichiro. In the midst of a bloody conflict with the Japanese, the United States undertook a radical move of creating concentration camps for those of Japanese origin, whilst still requiring these...

Poems’ Form, Type, Tone, Voice, and Imagery

“Death Be Not Proud” by John Donne The poem “Death be not proud” by John Donne is an Italian sonnet. First, it has a total of fourteen lines with the first eight (octet) having a different rhyme scheme from the last six (sextet). The octet is of the a-bb-aa-bb-a rhyme...

Characters in E. Welty’s “Why I Live at the P.O.”

Motivations of the main characters Discovering characters’ motivations may be challenging in Eudora Welty’s “Why I Live at the P.O.” because the reader sees the story from just one perspective: that of Sister, the main character. Sister is not truthful about her motivations even with herself, so she decides to...

Irony, Sarcasm and Anecdotes in Tina Fey’ “Bossypants”

Tina Fey’s book “Bossypants” is a book that presents common themes in an unusual manner. The author is able to elicit a discussion about issues that beleaguer modern working women in an easy and sneaky manner. The book heavily relies on sarcasm, personal anecdotes, and irony in an attempt to...

Petrarchan Woman in Wyatt’s and Marvell’s Poems

Renaissance poetry has become influential in many ways. While not being followed directly, it has been incorporated in many areas of art and served as a source of inspiration to several generations of poets. A great example of this is Francesco Petrarch, whose poetry of the early Renaissance was both...

“Pierre; or; The Ambiguities” by Herman Melville

Books 1-5 The story told by Herman Melville in his book titled Pierre; or; The Ambiguities that was first published in the middle of the nineteenth century attracts the attention of the readers to a network of conflicts and troubled relationships between the protagonist and other characters. At the beginning...

“The Cay” by Theodore Taylor: Historical Perspectives

The Cay is a children’s war novel written by Theodore Taylor. It is a classic story about hard survival in an island engulfed by war. The protagonist in the story is an American boy called Phillip who experiences a harsh reality of war on the coast of Venezuela. A blast...

“The Secret Miracle” by Jorge Luis Borges

A short story The Secret Miracle by Jorge Luis Borges is written in the genre of magic realism and contains such characteristics of this genre as a mix of unreal events and reality and emphasis of mystery that can be found in usual life. Being in jail, Jaromir faces the...

“The Picture of Dorian Gray” by Oscar Wilde

“The picture of Dorian Gray”, it turns out, is not about a picture at all. It is about a book. It is about the transmission of that book into the mind of the protagonist and the destruction that ensues. The picture of Dorian Gray is about the spiritual risks of...

“I Dwell in Possibility” Poem by Emily Dickinson

Introduction Authors usually have unique personalities that make them stand out more than people from other professions. They either live controversial lives or die mysteriously and leave people wondering what makes them prefer these lifestyles. Emily Dickenson has a strange history that surpasses the mysteries of Shakespeare and other ancient...

The Novel “Disgrace” by John Maxwell Coetzee

Introduction The novel Disgrace by John Maxwell Coetzee depicts the harsh realities of the so-called “culture of rape” – a culture in which women are often perceived as objects that are to be utilized in order to satisfy the desires of men, the sexual ones in particular. The author tells...

Behavior in “The Slipover Sweater” by Jesse Stuart

There is no use denying the fact that people are different and they all have their tastes and styles of behavior. This fact makes our life more interesting as one can never know what awaits him/her and how a person will react to certain actions. The story The Slipover Sweater...

“The Romance of the Forest” a Novel by Ann Radcliffe

Despite being set in a particular time and place, Radcliffe’s story actually transpires in a space of imagination and feeling; it is the moral and emotional state of her characters that form the focus of the author’s attention, with a Cinderella plot underpinning their journey of towards discovery and reward....

Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson Literary Styles Comparison

Introduction One of the differences between Whitman and Dickinson was the thematic elements that were utilized by the poets. For instance, Whitman’s use of slang and “common” language in his poetry greatly contrasted with Dickinson’s overly formal language, however, this difference in the type of words utilized actually embodied a...

The Courtesy in “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” Poem

How does Sir Gawain show courtesy? Find the answer in this essay! Read it to learn all about courtesy in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Courtesy in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight: Introduction The concept of courtesy in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight features on almost every...

Water Buffalo Days: Growing Up in Vietnam by Nhuong

The book Water Buffalo Days: Growing Up in Vietnam by Nhuong tells the story of a young boy in a central village in Vietnam. The boy has an unlikely companion by the name Tank, a water buffalo. The water buffalo sends the bullies packing whenever they harass Nhuong. The buffalo...

The Animals Images in “Disgrace” by John Maxwell Coetzee

Symbolizing animals is an old practice that persists in modern literature. However, making the symbols too obvious is not considered professional. For example, attributing archetypal feline qualities to a woman or parallelizing cats and witchcraft is considered cheap (Hannah 4). Thus, we can configure that labeling a dog with the...

The Story of an Hour and Hills Like White Elephants Literature Comparison

Various literary works can be closely examined with the help of feminist interpretation, which lays stress on gender and sexuality. This framework is particularly useful if it is necessary to explore the way in which males and females are portrayed by different authors. This paper is aimed at discussing two...

“The Tyger” and “The Lamb” by William Blake

William Blake’s poems called “The Tyger” and “The Lamb” belong to the collection of the poet’s works called “The Songs of Innocence and Experience.” This collection is divided into two parts. The first part, called “The Songs of Innocence” was published in 1789, this part contains various poems, one of...

“A Raisin in the Sun” by Lorraine Hansberry

The issue of money has always been actual. Life of people changed greatly with the appearance of this remedy. Moreover, sometimes money is even said to be the main value in human relations. Very often, people prefer rich and careless existence in a golden cage to some bright and happy,...

“Woman Hollering Creek” by Sandra Cisneros

Referring to the folklore stories, women are often expected to do a lot of things in sake of men and sacrifice their vision of happiness and real love for the family’s needs. While focusing on the cultural differences, it is possible to note that the Mexican women are expected to...

Character Development in Interpreter of Maladies

Most writers rely upon the crucial point, which the stories they create reach, in order to develop fully some characters. Through relating the interaction of characters with others, their dialogues and actions, the readers get a clear picture of their true nature. Without it, there is no other way the...

A Hero: Character Definition in Literature

In literature, a hero is a type of character who shows courage and ability to endure dangerous or difficult situations or sacrifice themselves for the sake of the greater good. Heroes often perform feats and brave deeds and usually act according to their strong beliefs. Rayhanova (2006) explains that these...

Repression and Liberation in Paula Vogel’s “Indecent”

Introduction Paula Vogel’s “Indecent” explores the complex relationship between societal expectations and human impulses while also exploring the negative effects of suppressing these desires and their freeing potential. The relationships between the individuals inside the play’s plot serve as a microcosm for the larger investigation of these subjects. This article...

Harper Lee’s Life and Its Reflection in To Kill a Mockingbird Novel

Introduction Harper Lee, a reclusive American novelist born on April 28, 1926, in Monroeville, Alabama, is renowned for her seminal work, To Kill a Mockingbird. Lee’s life experiences notably influenced the themes and characters of her masterpiece, which stands as a poignant reflection of the societal injustices prevalent during her...

Exploring Life’s Complexity Through “Tuesdays with Morrie” by Mitch Albom

Introduction This introduction begins with an in-depth examination of the various stages of the human experience through the entertaining “Tuesdays with Morrie” story. By immersing readers in the emotionally charged bond between Albom and Schwartz, the author’s work sheds light on the intricate nature of human existence. Through a concise...

Contrasting the Strengths of Odysseus and Penelope in The Odyssey

Introduction Following the hero Odysseus as he seeks to return home after the Trojan War, Homer’s epic poem “The Odyssey” takes readers on a trip laden with both physical and emotional hardships. Odysseus and Penelope, two important characters in the story, stand out for their distinct characteristics and hardships. While...

Moral Absolutism vs. Cultural Relativism in “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson

Understanding Cultural Relativism and Ethical Absolutism Moral absolutism and cultural relativism are ethical understandings of social behaviors and actions. Moral absolutism holds that universal codes of conduct must be adhered to regardless of context. In particular, a moral absolutist believes that right and wrong are immutable and cannot be excused...

Analysis: “Caged Bird” by Maya Angelou

Slavery influenced millions of people around the world, particularly Black people. The poem “Caged Bird” by Maya Angelou concerns the most acute social issue for African Americans. The poet talks about slavery and the differences in the quality of life that free and enslaved people can enjoy. The poem aims...

“The Open Boat” by Stephen Crane: When a Few Words are Enough

Introduction Describing a disaster inflicted upon characters by an unstoppable and uncompromising force of the elements while keeping each protagonist fleshed out and well-developed is an extraordinarily difficult task. However, Steven Crane, who had a first-hand experience in a similar situation that involved being shipwrecked and having little to no...

Langston Hughes’ “Mother to Son” Poem

Mother to Son is a narrative poem written by Langston Hughes, an American poet, novelist, and playwright. The poem is constructed in the form of a monologue of a mother addressing her son. She states that life has been hard for her and compares overcoming the struggles to climbing stairs....

Werewolf and Rise of Beliefs in Such Creatures

Introduction Stories about people who turn into animals, especially a wolf, are not new to the current generations. However, many people interact with such tales through the media, particularly the horrific movies featuring medieval or sci-fiction characters. The werewolf is a typical feature in ancient accounts, indicating the possible link...

Tartuffe by Molière: Review and Analysis

Molière’s play Tartuffe, written as far back as 1664, has left its mark on the history of world literature forever. Many are still pondering what the author meant by this or that part of the work. It is studied in schools and universities, and many try to repeat the success...

Themes of Violence in “The Lottery” Story

In the short tale, The Lottery, violence is portrayed as a plea to tradition and social order. The narrator shows that while the people seem to be keepers of tradition, the irony associated with their devotion is their inability to remember its details. That is the reason why “no one...

The Poem “The Raven” by Edgar Alan Poe

The themes of death and the afterlife are frequently addressed in the works of famous authors. In The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe, mysterious symbols and dark signs that allude to death and remorse are integrated into the poem, revealing the thoughts and feelings of an unknown speaker. As the...

Characters of Toni Cade Bambara’s “The Lesson”

The story chosen for analysis is the work of Toni Cade Bambara “The Lesson”. The author’s main argument is that the black population has the highest level of child poverty among all racial groups in the United States. Toni Bambara conveys her point of view through the story of Sylvia...

Plot, Themes, and Ideas of Leo Tolstoy’s “Confession”

Tolstoy was prompted to write a work on the meaning of life by a spiritual crisis caused by a sense of disillusionment that appeared towards the end of his life. This feeling becomes the subject of reflection in Tolstoy’s first religious-philosophical treatise. His individual problem – the disgust at the...

Symbolism in Toni Morrison’s “Sula”

Introduction Toni Morrison is one of the most renowned American writers famous for her exploration of controversial topics in a humorous and solemn manner. Her novel Sula is one of the brightest illustrations of the author’s style, and it is a story that can hardly leave a reader untouched. One...

Analysis of “Anyone Lived in a Pretty How Town” by Cummings

“Anyone lived in a pretty how town” is a part of the poem’s collection written by Cummings. The poem represents a small society of people who lead ordinary life following the traditional cycle, such as getting married and creating a family to achieve something significant. The poem has two main...

Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman”

A dream is mostly defined as a succession of thoughts, images, feelings, and sentiments that happen unawares and involuntarily at different phases when one is asleep. Gary Hebert once said that dreams were just but universal liars that never lost their reputation for honesty because hope was the bread for...

Analysis of “The Death of a Salesman” by A. Miller

The Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller is a play that sheds light on issues several individuals in America experience in their quest for the American Dream. The story’s protagonist, Willy Loman, is caught up in a web of self-denial, contradiction, and desperation. Like many individuals, he envisions living...

Reasons Why Shakespeare Still Matters

Shakespeare is a great playwright who created unfading and ageless works that have fascinated readers worldwide throughout the centuries. The secret of Shakespeare’s fame lies in the fact that, in his works, he raised such issues as love and hate, loyalty and betrayal, and truth and lies that are still...

Exploring Idealized Love in Marie de France’s Poems

Introduction Marie de France was a poet from the Early Middle Ages best known for her lays, or narrative poems written in Old French. These lays address a wide range of subjects, from courtly love to morality to societal conventions. The novels frequently feature romanticized types of love, in which...

Naipaul’s “B. Wordsworth” Story Psychological Analysis

Introduction “B. Wordsworth” is a short story written by V. S. Naipaul, a Trinidad-born descendant of indentured workers shipped from India, and a Nobel Peace Prize recipient. The story is about the relationship between a young boy (from whose perspective we see the story unfold), and a man named Black...

McMurphy, the Savior in “One Flew Over…” by Kesey

Ken Kesey in his widely anthologized work titled “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” features several illusions in the novel while making references to Christianity. Outstanding in the work is Randle McMurphy’s demonstration of martyrdom at the climax of the novel. However, the incident is presaged with a set of...

Gothic Elements in “The Passion” by Jeanette Winterson

Introduction Jeanette Winterson is a postmodernist writer whose work blends history, fiction, fairy tales, and feminine romance. Postmodernism allows the combining of different writing techniques and genres. In this sense, in The Passion the author could employ parody, irony, historical rewriting, self-reflectivity, and gothic elements. Postmodernism is often characterized as...

Analysis of “Room” by Emma Donoghue

Introduction Room by Emma Donoghue is a novel that reveals the essential aspects of child abuse, psychological trauma, and social adaptation through a child’s eyes. The events in this book are fictional, although the experiences that the author put in her work require a thorough examination and comprehension. Depicting such...

The “Patriotism” Short Story by Yukio Mishima

The story Patriotism by Yukio Mishima reflects the ideas of loyalty and sacrifice portrayed with consideration for human feelings and relationships. The events described during the scene are not unambiguous, as they reflect several perceptions of the main characters. At the same time, the story plot represents the direct path...

Play vs. Come and Go by Samuel Beckett

The novelty of Samuel Beckett’s vision of performance art continues to affect the American scene. Postmodernism is apparent in the author’s works, which are thoughtful and complicated in their writing, acting, lighting, and other aspects (McNaughton, 2018). Beckett’s Come and Go is a short play with only a few lines...

Teach Us to Outgrow Our Madness by Kenzaburo Oe

Kenzaburo Oe, the author of the book “Teach us to outgrow our madness,” has displayed several ways to uphold our passion and original vision for things. A fascinating account of the 1964 Christmas Eve party at Yukio Mishima’s house, where Nathan first met Oe and fellow novelist Kobo Abe, serves...

“The Tragedy of Julius Caesar” by Shakespeare

Literary Element Act I Act II Act III Act IV Act V Archetypes A common type of character, conflict, or plot seen in literature Scene:II Explanation:The archetype in act 1 focuses on Brutus, representing the tragic hero, who is usually a protagonist. In this scene, Brutus is proven to be...

Compare and Contrast Essay: Magical Realism

One of the most popular genres of fiction is magical realism. Magical realism is an artistic method in which supernatural elements are incorporated into a realistic world picture. A striking example of the works of this genre is the works of Nikolai Gogol, The Nose and Mikhail Bulgakov Master and...

The Use of Symbolism in John Steinbeck’s “Of Mice and Men”

The purpose of this paper is to analyze symbolic meanings behind the main characters of John Steinbeck’s novella “Of Mice and Men”. Symbolism is a common trope used in the narrative, which is done via representation of a larger idea through smaller means. Symbols are diverse and can take the...

Kate Chopin’s “The Storm” vs. “The Story of An Hour”

Introduction “The Storm” and “Story of an Hour”, both written by Kate Chopin, bring out aspects of oppression, imprisonment, and struggle for freedom experienced by women in the nineteenth century. Women have always been portrayed as having weaker personalities and being emotionally fragile. On top of that, a patriarchal society...

Creon in the Antigone Play by Sophocles

Antigone’s opponent Creon is a notoriously very arrogant dictator who demands absolute loyalty from his subjects. He displays his conceit from the outset of the performance via both his words and deeds. He claims the inhabitants of Thebes as his own and uses fear to compel them to submit completely....

Gregor Zamza’s Image in Kafka’s The Metamorphosis

Almost from the story’s first lines, Gregor appears to be a tedious and shallow philistine with no interests of his own. However, later it turns out that he is a compassionate person who loves art and is in dire need of the love and approval of his loved ones. Another...

The Poem “Easter, 1916” by William Butler Yeats

The Easter Rising of 1916 is one of the critical moments in the history of Ireland. Although the goals of the uprising were not achieved, and it ended extremely abruptly and harshly, this event was the most significant act of Ireland’s defiance since 1798. The significance of these actions is...

Def Poetry: The Last Poets- “Take Your Time”

The poem’s main message is to show that people lose their identity and more individuals are becoming faded behind mink coats and alligator shoes. Human progress brings many positive aspects, but it also ruins the traditions that people have been building over time. When bad luck happens, we remember that...

Analysis of Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

Introduction Heart of Darkness is a novel written by Joseph Conrad and was first published in 1902. It centers around Marlow, a sailor, and his journey up the Congo River to meet Kurtz. As Marlow travels, he encounters cruelty and inefficiency in the treatment of the black inhabitants in Congo....