Lorraine Hansberry’s “A Raisin in the Sun” and Racial Discrimination

Introduction Lorraine Hansberry’s acclaimed play A Raisin in the Sun narrates the struggles and prejudices suffered by black families in the America of the 1950s as they endeavor to improve their financial wellbeing. The piercing drama draws its title from Langston Hughes’ poem Montage of a Dream Deferred and follows...

Moses’ Biblical Journey

The hero’s journey, or the Monomyth, is a primary component of stories in historical myths. According to Joseph Campbell, the expedition entails a hero venturing on an exploration, emerging victorious in a defining confrontation, and coming back to his home reshaped or transformed (Ross, 2019). Ross (2019) states that an...

Shakespeare’s “Sonnet CXXX” Analysis

Love poems are usually filled with admiration for the author and exaltation of his or her romantic feelings, or vice versa, with the pain and despair of the cruelty of love. However, Shakespeare’s “Sonnet CXXX” has no such elements that make the reader doubt its sincerity. This sonnet can be...

Lincoln’s Death in “O Captain!” Poem by Walt Whitman

“O, Captain! My Captain!” was written by American poet Walt Whitman and was first published in 1865. The poem is created as an elegy in honor of Abraham Lincoln, whom the poet admired. Therefore, the work has a particular value from the historical context perspective as it refers to the...

What Do Hamlet and Oedipus Have in Common?

Hamlet by Shakespeare has similar elements in its plot and main characters with Oedipus Rex by Sophocles. This essay aims to show the common features of Oedipus and Hamlet, the main characters of eponymous plays. Both texts are tragedies; this genre largely defines the main characters of respective works and...

Family Conflict in A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry

A Raisin in the Sun is a story about an African American family trying to overcome poverty and find a place in the middle class written by Lorraine Hansberry. The main plot which the reader can identify in the first half of the work is the conflict between the sixty-year-old...

“Liveware”: The Quote by David Eagleman: Review

“The brain is fundamentally unlike the hardware in our digital computers. Instead, it’s “liveware”. It reconfigures its circuitry. Although the adult brain isn’t quite as flexible as a child’s, it still retains an astonishing ability to adapt and change” (Eagleman, 2015, ch. 6). The quote by the book’s author David...

“The Box Man” by Barbara Ascher

The Box Man is a short but impressive story written by Barbara Ascher, who is known for her prominent essays. It deliberately has a simple plot telling about one evening spent by a homeless man. The essay includes the narrator’s memories and comparisons made to contrast the lifestyles of others....

How Greek Mythology Subdued the Stress of Natural Phenomena

Introduction People have always created various stories to describe the world surrounding them. They were known as myths several millennia ago, which attracted individuals regardless of their backgrounds. Slaves, peasants, artisans, poets, and rulers appreciated them, as tales made their lives more meaningful and less stressful. Even though many people...

Jane Austen and Her Accomplishments

Jane Austen was born on 16th December 1775 and died on 18th July 1817 at the age of 41. She is considered to be among the world’s greatest novelists and she is mainly known for her six major novels which portray the British manners, customs, and beliefs of landowners near...

The Story “The Interpreter of Maladies” by Jhumpa Lahiri

On the surface, it is most likely that a reader may understand ‘The Interpreter of Maladies” as one of the simplest stories about a family of five on vacation in a foreign country. However, the introduction of Mr. Kapasi, who is portrayed as a lonely tour guide, makes the short...

Review of “Dear Current Occupant” by Chelene Knight

Dear Current Occupant is a memoir by Chelene Knight, a Canadian writer, and it is a mixture of different forms. There are essays, poems, and letters, all telling the autobiographic story of her childhood. Her unique style invites the reader to get absorbed into her writing, empathizing with her experiences....

The Relationship Between Land and People

It is very early on a chilly morning that you wake up from bed and take a warm bath in the bathroom with water running out from the shower filter. You dress up in your cotton made clothes and decide to have a cup of brewed coffee before going to...

Struggles in ‘Immigrant City’ by David Bezmozgis

Introduction The hardships of settling in another state are not known to many people. Most of the population does not have to immigrate and adapt to new conditions; hence, it is informative to learn about the process from the perspective of a person who had to. The paragraph from the...

Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis”: Empathy as the Key

Introduction Change is one of the concepts that appear both thrilling and frightening to people at the same time. However, even during the most drastic change, those who can keep their humanity intact are capable of surviving the challenge of transformation and even turning it into something beautiful. Examining the...

Book Review: “They Say I Say”

Chapter 8 in the book discusses forming a cohesive whole out of the disparate thoughts gathered by the author for their writing. Graff and Birkenstein (2014) recommend using transitions and pointing words as well as repeating key terms, phrases, and longer passages (in a different manner). The aim of all...

How Money and Wealth Depicted in the Fitzgerald’s “Great Gatsby”

Introduction Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby documents a classical manifestation of the implications of social status and wealth. Fitzgerald uses numerous examples to illustrate material and wealth as though very influential and make people powerful; it cannot imply or buy happiness for an individual. In essence, wealth is portrayed as...

Ernest H. Griffin’s “The Oasis: Africa”

Throughout world history, wartime has always been considered as the darkest and most dooming time for the world community. However, modern textbooks are not capable of expressing the actual feeling of terror and trembling fear people lived through during those years. To bring modern generations closer to their ancestors’ history,...

The Symbolic Nature of Franz Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis”

Introduction Kafka’s The Metamorphosis is oftentimes seen as an allegorical, psychological, and quintessential exploration of the author’s inner state. However, despite the core of the story centering on the physical transformation of Gregor Samsa, the real metamorphosis occurs in his family which demonstrate a dramatic shift in attitudes at his...

Alexie’s “What You Pawn I Will Redeem”

Introduction Literature has a unique connection with the real world as, through literary works, writers reflect the complexity of human nature and relations. Especially through a first-person perspective, readers have an opportunity to understand a different mindset and culture better. In particular, in Alexie’s short story What You Pawn I...

Henry’s Perspective on War Changing in Hemingway’s “A Farewell to Arms”

Harsh realities of war may make many people question their views, and literary characters are not an exception to this rule. Henry from Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms is initially eager to play his part in the war, but then is almost executed for no fault, and this lack of...

The Role of the Supernatural

Introduction The term “supernatural” has several meanings and is used in both everyday speech and scholarly works on philosophy, psychology, and literature. In its most general meaning, the adjective “supernatural” means something not explained naturally, which is not subject to the laws of nature. In the field of fiction, the...

Francis Scott Fitzgerald’s Jazz Age Perception in “The Great Gatsby”

Introduction Great works of literature remain in history for a variety of reasons. Some of them represent a particular era masterfully, leaving the reader with strong, vivid impressions. This objective is attained through accurate use of specific symbols, strengthening the work’s relation to a particular epoch, and contributing to its...

Response to George Orwell’s “Animal Farm”

Introduction Animal Farm written by George Orwell during World War II is one of the prime examples of an allegorical novel. The images of animals presented in the book personify social vices and attract readers with realism and similarity to history, which are shown openly in the plot. Despite the...

Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit by Winterson

Since ancient times, myth has been one of the main ways of mastering reality by a human. Thanks to mythological consciousness, people explained the events of the world and understood each other better. In addition, myths allowed people to create standards of behavior and to educate people in becoming decent...

Authority, Resistance, and Submission in Literature

Introduction Literature has always been as much a commentary on society as an examination of human nature. Political authority and resistance against it have become a central theme of many literary works that attempt to ascribe the relations of power between structures, societies, and its subjects. Such works can inspire...

Analysis of “Girl in Translation, Chapter 11 and 12” by Kwok

One of the most key characteristics of chapter eleven revolves around relationship dynamics between various characters. The first major event takes place when some boys, who surrounded Vivian as the center of their attention, show disrespect towards Park. At this moment, Kim observes such behavior and steps to defend him,...

The Theme of Death in Plath’s “Lady Lazarus” Poem

The American poetry of the twentieth century is marked with many outstanding works that still draw the attention of the public and literature researchers. Sylvia Plath is one of the authors whose profound poems and vivid language brought her posthumous fame. In this essay, one of her most well-known poems,...

Analysis of Hamlet Passage by William Shakespeare

Introduction William Shakespeare is one of the most significant figures of the United Kingdom and the whole world. His contribution to the development of culture and literary and theatrical art is priceless, and the fact that this ingenious writer lived and created literary works is a gift for all humankind....

“To His Coy Mistress” by Marvell and “The Flea” by Donne

“To His Coy Mistress” is a well-known poem by Andrew Marvell, in which the speaker addresses his lover, who is reluctant to be intimate with him. Even though the speaker seduces his lady, it is mostly a carpe diem poem full of profound contemplation about the brevity of life. “Had...

Value of Honor in Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing

Introduction People have a tendency to develop various attitudes towards the concepts of honor, respect, and loyalty. On the one hand, an idea of honorable behavior pervades human activities, and it is necessary to rely on personal knowledge and skills to demonstrate the best examples. On the other hand, honor...

The Analysis of “A Note on Mascots” by Brian Doyle

Opening the essay with personal experience proves to be an efficient introduction. The author starts the novel with the story of his first favorite sports teams at the age of two or three. He then jumps to the description of his high school games and the first time paying attention...

Analysis of Odysseus’ Adventures and His Fatal Mistakes

The Odyssey is an integral part of the ancient Greek epic, and its authorship is usually attributed to Homer. The poem narrates Odysseus’s adventures after returning from the Troyan war. The hero faces many dangers during a long journey and returns home after 20 years. On the way, he loses...

Analysis of the “Odyssey” by Homer

Introduction The “Odyssey” is an epic poem depicting Odysseus’s ten-year journey after the fall of Troy. The narrative has more than one perspective, following both Odysseus retelling his story and the view of his son, Telemachus. The “Odyssey” is an example of ancient poetry that had a despicable influence on...

Theme and Fiction in Poe’s The Cask of Amontillado

Introduction It is no secret that Edgar Allan Poe is an iconic representative of the Gothic literature genre. His works are important and exciting not only for researchers in the field of literary criticism but also for amateur readers. It is necessary to understand why his work has earned popularity...

The novel “A Man of the People”

Introduction The novel A Man of the People was first published in 1966 by Chinua Achebe, who depicted a wide range of problems concerning the corrupted nature of politics, power, and greed. Despite its date of publication, the novel presents a high relevance even these days due to the acute...

The Short Story “A&P” by John Updike

In “A&P,” one of John Updike’s widely read and critiqued short stories, the author presents three barefoot girls, who walk into a local A&P grocery store while wearing bathing suits. While the rest of the people, including the Store manager, Lengel, and customers, two young men emerge as exceptions when...

Eliezer’s Lost Childhood in Elie Wiesel’s “Night”

The catastrophe that destroyed millions of lives Elie Wiesel’s literary work Night touches upon one of the most disastrous catastrophes in the history of Jews that is known as the Holocaust. It is difficult to understand why the most religious nation in the world has become the victims of the...

Grief and Blight in Poem “Spring and Fall” by Gerard Manley Hopkin

Introduction Gerard Manley Hopkin’s poem “Spring and Fall” is centered around one’s perception of death and mortality. The central figure of the writing is a girl called Margaret, who is crying over dead leaves and ordinary seasonal changes. However, the narrator understands that the underlying reasons for such an emotional...

Crane’s “The Open Boat”: The Central Idea and Language

Central Idea The narration centers around the correspondent, the captain, the cook, and the oiler, who are lost in a boat in the middle of the sea after a shipwreck. The central idea of the story is to show the place of a man in the world and to demonstrate...

Father-Son Relationship in Night

Introduction It is natural that the relationship between parents and their children is usually composed throughout the period of early childhood. Special attention often has to be paid to the father-son relationship because these two male figures may be both prone to covering their emotions. The deep connection between sons...

Dumbledore and Odin: Comparison

Introduction Mythology is a critically important element of any culture. It represents values and ideas that attract people and contribute to the creation of inspiring stories. Myths also reveal the current state of society’s evolution and issues that are important at the moment. At the same time, there are still...

The Epic of Gilgamesh and The Tempest: Being “Civilized” or “Uncivilized”

Introduction Civilization is one of the most significant achievements of the whole world. However, is it indeed rational to consider people who fail to meet local norms uncivilized? When it comes to a postcolonial analysis, the concepts of “civilized” and “uncivilized” are interpreted differently from their modern meanings. It refers...

“I, Too” by Langston Hughes

Introduction By “I, too sing America” the author means that he also sings the anthem of America as he is a full-fledged citizen of the country, has the right to be a patriot, and can be proud of his homeland. Hughes “sings” and tries to convey the main idea of...

The Exploring Freud’s “Uncanny”

Argument The main argument laid out by Freud in The Uncanny is that there is strangeness in the ordinary. Psychoanalysts rarely investigate the subject of aesthetics understood as a feeling of the qualities of feeling. However, the uncanny interested Freud as something belonging to all that is terrible, which arouses...

A Child in Whiteness: The Snowy Day by Ezra J. Keats

The Snowy Day by Keats Ezra J. is one of the pioneer writings among stories for children that depicted an African American child as the main central character. The story was published during the Civil Rights Movement era by an author of Jewish heritage. Although it is a children’s book,...

The Great Gatsby: Gatsby and the Decline of the American Dream

Introduction Millions of people all over the world consider books to be a form of entertainment and use them as a gateway from their busy daily routine. Nevertheless, most of the writers aim at raising essential topics in their novels and stories and encourage individuals to think and gain more...

Prisoner on the Hell Planet by Art Spiegelman

Art Spiegelman depicts each nationality in his book as a specific animal: Jews as mice, Germans as cats, Poles as pigs. This form of representation shows the absurdity and horror of Nazi ideologies of dividing people into different species. However, the insert Prisoner on Hell Planet differs in style from...

Dialogue, Stage Directions, and Interpretation of a Play the Crucible

Introduction A written play can be staged in multiple ways by changing how the characters look, behave, and talk. On the other hand, the stage reflection can also attempt to communicate what the author originally intended with no alterations. This essay will compare and contrast the stage directions, dialogue, and...

Challenging the Rules in “Animal Farm” and “Fahrenheit 451”

All conventional norms established by members of society have a specific purpose and a prevailing ideology as a basis. Generally, rules are created by a hierarchical elite based on an ideology that is either initially shared by the majority as in Orwell’s Animal Farm or eventually imposed on it as...

The Explication of “The Garden of Love” by William Blake

The poem “The Garden of Love” by William Blake dramatizes the conflict between official religion and human instincts and emotions, such as love and sexuality. The feeling of love is treated as a path to God, while the institutionalized Christian church as an obstacle for spirituality due to its hostility...

“A Late Aubade” by Richard Wilbur

Introduction “A Late Aubade” is a poem by Richard Wilbur, one of the most prominent American poets of the 20th century. The title of the poem suggests that it is a morning farewell song from one lover to another. The poem consists of seven paragraphs and “features a carpe diem...

English Introduction to Literature: “Journey Into Literature” by R. Clugston

In his book “Journey into literature”, Clugston provides an engaging and informative outlook on varied aspects of the process of reading. Clugston shows reading as an interesting and inspiring journey into the world of human wisdom. In the following paper, I aim to address particular concepts from Clugston’s text to...

The Time Bind’ by Hochschild: Book Chapter Review

Introduction The chapter presents selected information adapted from Hochschild’s 1997 book The Time Bind: When Work Becomes Home and Home Becomes Work. In this chapter, Hochschild discusses the changing relationship between work and home life based on her research of working parents. The main conclusion of the author is that,...

“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...

The Story “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall” by Katherine Anne Porter

“The Jilting of Granny Weatherall” is a story about an octogenarian lady named Granny Weatherall. The woman suffers from a fatal disease and the whole narrative describes the process of her dying. The author of the story, Katherine Anne Porter, covers the topics of the strength of women, the dichotomy...

Juxtaposing Fences and Girl

In his famous play Fences, August Wilson reveals one of the central themes that were of great importance for African American citizens in the 1950s, and during the whole history of the country as well – the theme of racial discrimination. The short story Girl by Jamaica Kincaid also touches...

“A Supermarket in California” by Allen Ginsberg

Introduction Allen Ginsberg and Walt Whitman were both American poets during the 19th century. The end of both the First and Second World Wars resulted in civilization BUT for individuals who had been brought up in the previous century, they seemed to get lost and confused with this so-called civilization...

‘The Friar’ in Canterbury Tales

Introduction The Friar, one of Chaucer’s portraits of what he perceived as a corrupt clergy, can simply be described as a fraud. At a glance The Friar is a religious and pious figure. But a close scrutiny reveals a character different from what he presents to the naked eye. Infact,...

Hamlet’s Vision and Candide’s Consideration of Love

Love is the ruling force of the evolution. People all over the world consider love as the brightest and the warmest feeling. Love is often the main theme of the greatest works of world literature. The theme of romantic love is also discussed in such masterpieces as William Shakespeare’s Hamlet...

Themes in Hemingway’s “A Farewell to Arms”: The Cruel Reality of War

Although there were numerous prerequisites and indications of a military crisis approaching the world in the early 1910s, World War I swept the humankind into massive bloodshed and introduced it to chaos. “A Farewell to Arms” by Ernest Hemingway deserves to be titled as the most prominent of prose pieces...

The Bus Driver Who Wanted to Be God

A metaphor of journey has been an important tool for many writers to explore characters, themes, and story of a work of fiction. Mark Twain’s “Tom Sawyer” is a vivid example of the journey structure as a way to explore society with all of its flaws. Etgar Keret uses a...

Hemingway’s “The Sun Also Rises” Close Reading Analysis

“…Also Belmonte imposed conditions and insisted that his bulls should not be too large, nor too dangerously armed with horns, and so the element that was necessary to give the sensation of the tragedy was not there, and the public, who wanted three times as much from Belmonte, who was...

Medieval Society in The Canterbury Tales

Introduction The work and organization of the medieval society proposed in the Canterbury Tales by Charles Chaucer can be easily connected with the organization of modern society. This is a point that can be established if the two settings were to be compared. Chaucer depicts a society wherein work is...

The Necklace: Mathilde Character Analysis

Introduction Every woman wants to be graceful and refined, beautiful and elegant, admirable and fascinating. Though the appearances can be deceptive, it is natural for people to pretend to be what they really want to be. Women are considered to be more deceptive than men because they use their natural...

Cultural Approach to Tim O’Brien’s Works

Introduction Literary theory is one of the most ambiguous aspects of discussion with regard to the definition of literature, understanding of the basic elements, and analysis of effectiveness of presentation of different events and characters. When the book is written, it is read by ordinary audience as well as by...

A Valediction: “Forbidding Mourning” by John Donne

The metaphysical poet John Donne is one of those poets that are deservedly called the pre-eminent and prolific masters of poetry. His poem called A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning written in 1611 was a wonderful reflection of the seventeenth-century metaphysical poetry features. The title of the poem seems very intriguing. The...

Playing Steve in “A Streetcar Named Desire” by T. Williams

Premiering in 1947, Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire is a play set in the late 1940s about the downfall of Blanche DuBois and the relationship between Stanley Kowalski and his wife Stella. Blanche and Stella come from an upper-class background in Mississippi, where Blanche lived and worked as a...

Ambrose Bierce and Henry James Works Comparison

“An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” by Ambrose Bierce is rather a short story originally published in 1890. The primary characteristic of the story is irregular time spacing and unclear ending. By the end of the story, the reader does not have an understanding of what has really happened with...

“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....

Ernest Hemingway and Shirley Jackson Writing Style

Introduction The current paper contains a discussion of the writing styles of two American writers Ernest Hemingway and Shirley Jackson whose works are now considered the classics of American literature. Some writers are influenced by others with a view to the chosen topics, manner of presenting facts and settings, the...

The Comedy of “The Importance of Being Earnest”

In this research paper, I would like to analyze Oscar Wildes play The Importance of Being Earnest. In particular, it is necessary to focus on those features which are traditionally characteristic of comedy. The play should be discussed from several points of view: the development of the plot, the evolvement...

Time Machine in The Olive Tree by Aldous Huxley

Introduction Aldous Leonard Huxley was born in the year 1824 and died in the year 1963 at the age of 69 years. He was born in England but spent several years in United States in his latter life from 1937 till his death. He was a humanist and in later...

The Characters Dreams in “A Raisin in the Sun” by Lorraine Hansberry

This paper will study the important characters in the play A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry in the context of the substance of the dreams that they have. The paper will analyze the character roles from two perspectives; the first is about the American dream regarding material prosperity...

“Nathan the Wise” Play by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing

Nathan the Wise is a dramatic work by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing which is outstanding for its close relation to the epoch of the Enlightenment. It is an outstanding German play in five acts that discloses most of the ideals of the era. The theme of rationality in relation to religion...

“The Life You Save May Be Your Own” by Flannery O’Connor

Terry Teachout says that in Flannery O’Connor’s world “unbelievers living in a fallen world tainted by modernity suddenly find themselves irradiated by grace, but… they struggle in vain against its revelatory power.” In “The Life You Save May Be Your Own,” Tom T. Shiftlet lives in a fallen world tainted...

Coelho’s Biographical Representations in “The Alchemist”

Introduction Paulo Coelho is one of the most famous novelists of the world of today (Coelho, 2009). This Brazilian author wins a lot of respect for his talent of making people think of the simplest issues they have never thought of before, even when those issues directly touch their lives...

Literary Analysis Methods: Feminist Criticism

Overall, any work of literature should be analyzed from various standpoints such as for instance, cultural, social, historic etc, certainly if it is possible. It seems that only one approach cannot reflect all the complexity of art. Thus, it is difficult to single out only one method of criticism. However,...

Socrates’ Belief About the Pursuit of Truths

Socrates was a Greek Philosopher who has been credited with founding Western Philosophy. He exists in history as a mysterious figure that is only known through the accounts of other people. There are no philosophical texts written by Socrates himself. His life, knowledge, and philosophy are found in the writings...

Lady Lazarus by Sylvia Plath from the book Ariel

Introduction Poems at most always appear enigmatic for ordinary readers. They remain just a puzzle of words that at most must have been written by madmen and women who had nothing better to do. But for the many who have come to understand and appreciate the importance of poems for...

Cinderella’s Stepsisters As Saviors

The story of Cinderella has been told in most cultures but the European version is the best known, partly because that version has been modified as times changed. It is mostly read as a rags-to-riches story of a virtuous girl who gets her just reward in this life rather than...

The Things They Carried: What Did They Carry?

Tim O’Brien’s short story, “The Things They Carried,” begins as a highly literal enumeration of objects soldiers in Vietnam carry, each thing valued not only for its utility but also according to its weight because every object has to be “humped” and therefore each soldier eliminates whatever is not needed,...

The Lottery Short Story: Personal Response

Introduction Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” is a short story which reveals the dark side of human nature. It depicts the collective unconscious of the people of a village, of about three hundred people. The author brings them together to take part in an annual rite in the form of a...

Symbolism in The Things They Carried

Literature is the means of expressing the feelings and emotions that human being perceive during their lives. It is the form of art that allows people depict the most tragic and the most joyful events in their life, the most necessary and dangerous experiences, etc. The significant occurrences in the...

Willy Loman and His American Dream: Essay on Death of a Salesman

Introduction In Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, we see a devastating portrait of a man, Willy Loman, consumed by the wrong dream. For him, the “American Dream” is the pursuit of material wealth as “the whole reason for being.” His obsession is to become a great salesman. This obsession...

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 Role of Love and Women in Great Gatsby and the Sun Also Rises

Introduction Love is inextricably linked to women in both Fitzgerald’s “Great Gatsby” and Hemingway’s “The Sun Also Rises” so much so that a serious discussion of one cannot be complete without the other. Daisy Buchanan and Brett in both books respectively are the agents that symbolize love, or the absence...

Hesiod’s Idea of Justice Based on His Works

Hesiod’s writings are known for discussing universal truths, such as law and justice. One of such works is Works and Days which expresses the idea that labor is an essential part of human beings’ lives, and if they are diligent enough, they will be able to handle even the hardest...

“Bad Leadership” by Barbara Kellerman

Introduction The book under consideration is called “Bad Leadership” and is written by Barbara Kellerman (US: Harvard Business Press 2004). The book is a kind of warning for those who blindly follow the false leaders and are unable to differentiate the qualities of a full-fledged leader. In addition, the book...

Rhetorical Scheme in “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck

Introduction Just like any other novel this one utilizes three rhetorical schemes such as emotion, character, and logic. Yet upon closer examination the strongest is emotion or pathos. Steinbeck was able to do this indirectly. Without explaining what he is doing and without being explicit about his goals he was...

Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey — Comparison & Critique

The Iliad and the Odyssey are two of the oldest pieces of Western literature in existence today. They are canons of the west’s literary past even now and have a large following. The stories of both have been repeated countless times and used in cultural references and in making big-budget...

Similes in The Odyssey – Greek Literature

Introduction The ancient Greeks had a worldview that established a close relationship between the world of the gods and the world of mortals, typically expressed as a close relationship between the natural world and human activity. This was because it was felt the will of the gods was expressed through...

English Literature. Swift’s “A Modest Proposal”

Introduction Jonathan Swift was popularly known as a satirical writer during his era. Aside from being a poet, essayist, and a political pamphleteer, he became the dean of Saint Patrick’s in Dublin. Swift was born on the 30th of November, 1667 and died on the year 1745. Most of his...

“Columbus and Western Civilization” by Howard Zinn

“Who controls the past controls the future. And who controls the present controls the past.” By the above quote, it is meant that Orwell claims those historians to be in power who govern our society. Only such historians who lead the society through their deeds or words are in a...

“Half Slave and Half Free: The Roots of Civil War” by Bruce Levine

Introduction The American Civil War, also known as the War Between the States started at 1861 and ended in 1865. It was a civil war in the United States of America when the Southern slave states declared about their desire to get separated from the United States and formed the...

Theme of Judgement in the “To Kill a Mocking Bird” by Harper Lee

Introduction To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee is one of the most vehement novels that break the tradition of ‘ part pour l’art’ and proceeds to provide some strong lessons. Racism and classism are one of its major themes, and in course of exploration of such a theme,...

Isolation and Loneliness in Shelley’s “Frankenstein”

The feeling of loneliness is one of the worst inner states. It makes people weak and helpless. Everyone tries to spend most of his time in communication and movement. The novel Frankenstein reflects the characters who got used to living in loneliness during their whole life. Their life is constant...

Gender & Feminism in A Doll’s House

Ibsen’s drama ‘A Doll’s House’ appears to be influential literary work, as it revises and reconsiders traditional male and female roles and reveals the threats underlying gender discrimination. The author definitely portrays courageous and goal-oriented women, who struggle with the challenges of the androcentric society and find their niche in...

Heroes and Cowards in “Oedipus Rex” and “Death of a Salesman”

Introduction In the two plays, “Oedipus Rex” and “Death of a Salesman” there are many parallels. One major parallel is courage and cowardice. The main characters of both plays are classic tragic men, and the themes center around the wisdom to see the truth and the courage to face it....

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...

Coelho’s Alchemist and Homer’s Odyssey: Theme Comparison

Themes Fate is apparent in life and everyone has to work hard to realize it. The alchemist is a novel that has the story of a boy called Santiago who had a dream of going to the pyramids to look for treasures. His dream turned out to be true after...

Arabian Nights: The Tale of the Husband and the Parrot

Introduction The Arabian Nights have always been viewed as the staple of the Arabian folklore and a source of wisdom on which the Arabian philosophy is based. However, apart from addressing the general notions of justice and the battle between the good and evil, the collection of tales also examines...

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck.

Introduction In Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck portrays human dreams and inability to fulfill them, psychological problems experienced by one of the characters and life grievances. Steinbeck’s knowledge of the natural world becomes evident in a number of ways: through his landscape; through his description of the power of nature...

Science Fiction: Wells’ “The War of the Worlds”

Science fiction and fantastic literature has been fascinating the readers since its very appearing. It is quite natural for people to dream, and imagine either alternative ways of history, or far future. As the discovering of the secrets which are concealed in space and far galaxies, and also the possibility...

Analysis of “The Miller’s Tale” from The Canterbury Tales

Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales exemplify a precious immersion opportunity into not only the Middle Age’s world but into the nature of human redundancy as well. The customs, surrounding realia, and occasional mishaps of various strata of society living in the 14th century are presented in a facetious manner: in the form...

Authorial Vision of Women in Gilman’s Short Stories

Charlotte Perkins Gilman The Yellow Paper in The Yellow Paper and Other Stories. Oxford University Press, USA, 1996. This short story portrays oppression of women and negligence her husband which lead the main character to psychological distress and madness. Gilman underlines that women have no freedom limited by false social...

“Because My Father Said” Short Story’s Analysis

The story “Because My Father Said He Was the Only Indian Who Saw Jimi Hendrix Play ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ at Woodstock” opens with Victor, the story narrator, recalling his father’s past life, how he was thrown to prison for assaulting a Private member of National Guards during a peaceful demonstration....

Heroic Code in Homer’s Iliad

Homer’s Iliad is somewhat unique among the ancient tales because of its tendency to include human features in its heroes. Although it displays the same sort of adherence to the early ‘heroic code’, the heroes in this tale retain many of their human frailties and concerns. Each character displays a...

Themes in Death of a Salesman: Research Paper

Introduction “Poor Willy!” Charley laments in the end at Willy’s funeral. Poor Willy indeed! None of his delusions of grandeur or the glories of being a Salesman came true. Not only is he not rich he committed suicide precisely because he was so poor that he wanted to die just...

The Canterbury Tales: The Knight’s Tale Analysis

The Canterbury Tales is a book authored by Geoffrey Chaucer (1342 to 1400). The author was well known as a diplomat in the Royal Service, best known for his contribution to the world of literature in the form of writings on various subjects. His work has been notable for the...

In-depth Analysis of William Faulkner’s Short Story “Barn Burning”

William Faulkner’s “Barn Burning” (first published in June 1939 in Harper’s Magazine) is a short story that is notable for underlining the problem of class conflict as well as for reflecting on family dynamics and the role fathers play in the lives of their children. The story is told from...

“The New Automaton Theater” by Steven Millhauser

Introduction It should be noted that Steven Millhauser is a writer and author of many popular works that raise important philosophical and moral questions. He uses the images familiar to every individual and creates a small world, a micro-universe, into which the reader is immersed from the first lines. The...

“The White Book” Novel by Han Kang

The White Book is a novel written in 2016 by a South Korean writer, Han Kang. The unique and unconventional way of narration that is usually used by the author ensures the popularity of her books that are recognizable in different parts of the world (Hartanto 265). In 2018, the...

The Detective and the Criminal: “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” by Edgar Allan Poe

Introduction The genre of a detective novel always attracted a large audience with its suspenseful premise and a satisfactory and often revelatory ending. One can argue that this genre has a set of traits that were established once and had not changed significantly since then (Rosenheim 81). Many short stories...

Women and Gender Roles in “Antigone” by Sophocles

The discussion of gender issues and female social roles in the literature has been associated primarily with the works of 19th-century feminist writers. However, there are examples of much older literary pieces that explored the same themes, and one of them is Antigone, written by an ancient Greek tragedian, Sophocles....

“The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” by Le Guin

The article that resonates with me the most is the short story by Ursula Le Guin under the title “The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas.” In an exciting combination of descriptive narrative and directly referring to readers, the author manages to convey a complicated twofold message. On the surface,...

“The Drowned World” by James Ballard

Dreams of fantastic technologies of the future usually border on an incredible catastrophe that threatened humanity with extinction. Typically, such ideas are beautifully depicted in dystopian novels. The problem of the post-apocalyptic planet is often reflected in the works of fiction writers, which is typical for the work of The...

“Inside the White Cube” the Book by O’Doherty

Summary of the Book The book, Inside the White Cube, by O’Doherty focuses on the concept of the gallery space, how it has evolved over the years, and its significance in passing a specific message to the audience. In this book, the author explains the relevance of neutral patterns in...

Punctuation in E. E. Cummings’ “Anyone Lived in a Pretty How Town”

E.E. Cummings’ poem “Anyone Lived in a Pretty How Town” consists of nine four-line stanzas characterized by a dynamic rhythm and frivolous punctuation. The main theme of the literary piece is the survival of individuality in a hostile world that is biased against uniqueness. The inhabitants of a “pretty how...

Spoon River Anthology: Doctor Meyers

Spoon River Anthology is a 1916 collection of short, free-verse poems by American poet Edgar Lee Masters. The universe of Anthology, a small imaginary town on the Spoon River named after a real city in Illinois, contains 212 original characters and 244 accounts of their life plights with their joys...

“Oedipus the King” Play by Sophocles

In the tragedy, Oedipus the King, the writer Sophocles poses one of the most important issues of his time — the will of the gods and the free will of humans. The mythology served as the basis for ancient poetry, especially for tragedy written by Sophocles. The writer used the...

Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” Analysis

The end of the Victorian era may be viewed as a period when the movement for female equality gathered momentum. Before that, women enjoyed much fewer rights than men and occupied a lower, subordinate position in society. However, throughout the 19th century, many females aimed to oppose the established situation,...

Pirandello’s “Six Characters in Search of an Author”

Introduction The play written by Luigi Pirandello in 1921 under the title Six Characters in Search of an Author is an example of a drama that utilizes the method of theatre-in-theatre. The author is a Nobel Prize-winning Italian writer and dramatist. As the title implies, the play concentrates around six...

True Freedom Theme in American Short Stories

Despite the existing variety of stories and authors, all of them have several things in common. The presence of a theme is usually defined as a major idea of a work that can be stated directly and indirectly (Literary Devices, n.d.). In this discussion, three short stories, “The Cask of...

“Barn Burning” Short Story by William Faulkner

This is an American story by William Faulkner. It revolves around the burning of barns where this article will major on the burning of the first barn. The themes of this short story are class conflicts, racism, vengeance, betrayal, father influences, etc. The characters of the stories are Sartoris Snopes...

Themes in Shakespeare’s “The Tragedy of Hamlet”

Hamlet is one of the most significant works by Shakespeare. More so, this is one of the most famous plays in the world literature. The author considers various important issues and this makes the play so influential. This play makes people think of some of the most meaningful issues. Some...

Ancient, Medieval and Modern Literature

Introduction Literature turns out to be one of the most captivating things, any person can enjoy any time. It does not matter where this or that piece of writing came from, but its unique style, its contents, and its idea – all this can easily amaze the reader and attract...

Characters Analysis of Joyce Oates’ “Four Summers”

Sissy In the story, Sissy is the protagonist and the narrator. In the first summer (or the first episode of the story), Sissy is a child, accompanying her parents and brothers at a tavern near an unnamed lake. She is dependent on her parents because she is quite young. For...

Annotated Bibliography: Shakespeare Studies

Chedgzoy, Kate. Shakespeare, Feminism, and Gender: Contemporary Critical Essays. New York: Palgrave, 2001. Recently, feminist criticisms of Shakespeare’s works have greatly expanded. Chedgzoy notes that the modern field of feminist criticism is not as obsessed as it once was on whether Shakespeare’s works were feminist or proto-feminist, or in the...

Cinderella Fairy Tale in Narratology and Feminism

Introduction Children’s literature can be defined as that form of literature that is designed for readers and listeners of about twelve years or below. Barry (2009) is of the view that children’s literature can be viewed from four perspectives. The first perspective defines children’s literature as that form of literature...

“The Awakening” Analysis by Culley and Chopin

The article “The Awakening: an authoritative text, biographical and historical contexts, criticism” kicks off by giving the novel The Awakening appreciation for being among the few fiction publications that front a female protagonist. The author then goes ahead to explain how the gender of the main character causes her to...

“Night” by Elie Wiesel: The Powerful Book

“Night” by Elie Wiesel is a powerful book filled with the tragic psychological development of the main characters and their relationships. Wiesel’s writing’s power is that all the unbelievable events described in the book happened in real. The book describes Elie Wiesel’s experiences, a Jewish man captured by the Nazis...

Ha Jin’s “Saboteur” in Nicola McAllister’s Critique

While reading the critical response on Ha Jin’s short story Saboteur, I’ve realized that the critic Nicola McAllister has a low opinion of the Chinese government and knows nothing about the policy of China. On the other hand, he is just ignorant of the historical changes that took place in...

“Leaves from a Slave’s Journal of Life” by Lewis Clarke

Type Although the story is narrated from the third-person perspective, the primary source chosen for the analysis can be defined as an autobiography since the events described in it occurred in the authors’ life as well. Title The autobiography was published under the title of Leaves from a Slave’s Journal...

Symbolism and Racism in Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird”

Exploring the issues of the racisms in the book “To Kill a Mockingbird” cannot be separated from the use of symbolism since symbolism has been used as the vessel by which racism is expressed in an indirect manner that allows the reader to explore the meaning behind such symbols, Harper...

Second Person Narrative in The Fall: A Unique Perspective

The point of view an author chooses to use when writing is often an integral choice to make in describing a story (Hawke 1). The most common points of view used by writers are first person, second person, and third person. Although they affect different aspects of writing, they are...

Jewish Unity in Modern Hebrew and Yiddish Literature

Modern Hebrew and Yiddish literature are extremely versatile in terms of subjects. Nevertheless, the themes of Jewish tradition, history, and culture pervade many of the pieces written by Hebrew and Yiddish authors. As stated by Miron, art and literature often serve to strengthen the collective identity of the communities that...

Samuel Daniel and Richard Lovelace’ Poems Comparison

Introduction This work is dedicated to two wonderful poems called ‘Fair is my Love’, and ‘To Althea, from Prison’, written by Samuel Daniel 2016, lines and Richard Lovelace. The purpose of this paper is to compare them, to reflect their contrasts and mood, and to define their meaning and core....

Chinese Intellectuals’ Moral Dilemma in Dafu’s “Sinking”

Introduction Sinking is a chef-d’oeuvre piece of classic literature written by Yu Dafu. The story revolves around an alienated and depressed nameless protagonist whose life is sinking and he cannot seem to rescue himself. However, the author’s subtle message addresses a crisis that many Chinese intellectuals have continued to face...

Myths in Modern Literature

It is not uncommon for creators to be inspired by different pieces of art or other literature. Moreover, various fields of study, for instance, psychology, use these literary works to apply their concepts and gain a better understanding of human development and ancient traditions. Thus, it can be argued that...

Sex without Love: by Sharon Olds

Literature has always served people to convey their feelings and emotions. It is a very powerful remedy which helps authors show their attitude towards some issue and make people think about it. That is why it is obvious that much attention in the literature is devoted to the issue of...

Thoreau vs. Woolf: Insects as Metaphors for Life and War

Philosophical ideas about the meaning of life, the role of death, and causes of war are discussed by many writers and thinkers in their works because of the importance of the mentioned issues. However, writers often use different effective approaches in order to attract the readers’ attention to the discussion...

Analyzing Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken”

Introduction While the textbook offers a wide range of captivating, deep poems, fully of effective and meaningful symbolism, few of them are as captivating and current as the poem “Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost, which is rightfully one of his more popular works (Frost). This is a narrative poem,...

Dramaturgy in “The Piano Lesson” by August Wilson

The Piano Lesson is a play that was written by August Wilson in 1990 with its main theme being a family legacy. It is set during the dark days of the Great Depression in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Wilson managed to encompass and deliver the main problems of the American society during...