6029 samples of this type
In Eugene O’Neill’s play “Long Day’s Journey into Night”, the playwright presents the inner workings of a dysfunctional family long before the term dysfunctional became a buzzword of American psychology. The play, written in 1941 but not performed until 1957, is set in 1912 in the predominantly Irish Connecticut home...
Individual versus society is probably the oldest theme employed by writers, playwrights, and film producers to demonstrate a difference one might make by their positive or negative deeds. In “Suddenly, Last Summer,” Tennessee Williams shows homosexuality as the central point of the conflict between the characters and makes broader implications,...
Introduction Shakespeare is a master craftsman who depicted almost all aspects of human life and psyche in his great tragedies. Hamlet is one of his all-time great tragedies that have a carefully drafted plot, characterization, development of conflicts, dramatic ironies, and a setting conducive to the development of pity and...
The character of Ulysses is very famous and it is mainly associated with two epics namely the Iliad and the Odyssey both these great epics were written by homer. Ulysses was a Greek king who went on an expedition in the later parts of his life leaving his kingdom, his...
The Hollow Men is a soliloquy by one of the hollow men, representing a modern generation of rootless, faithless, lonely, and aimless wanderers. The hollow men are bewailing their lot in the modern Waste Land. They are in Death’s dream kingdom from which they cannot cross to Death’s other kingdom...
Change is an inseparable part of existence, yet, when representing a deliberate intention, it becomes a strangely difficult step to take. In his 2018 poem, “American Sonnet for My Past and Future Assassin,” Terrance Hayes addresses the necessity to make a difficult choice, conveying the sense of lingering between inconsequential...
Janice Mirikitani’s “Suicide Note” and Robert Burns’ “My Love is Like a Red, Red Rose” are both poems that are extremely simple to read and understand. Yet, on comparison, the wide contrast between them is more glaring than the similarities. The context behind Janice Mirikitani’s “Suicide Note” is included within...
‘‘Barn Burning’’ by William Faulkner provides a comprehensive look at a typical family relationship as it existed in the XIXth-century America and was affected by history, traditions, and society. The story depicts both emotional and ethical aspects of a young boy’s struggle to behave appropriately with his father. As the...
Introduction “Antony and Cleopatra” is one of Shakespeare’s most dramatic plays; however, it has not been staged nearly as many as plays such as Hamlet or Macbeth because it is such a hard play to produce due to its enormous variety of content. However, the mere strength of the characters...
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...
Introduction Slavery and economics always go hand-in-hand. The state of currency, machinery, and capital which form the basis of economics determine the need of society in slavery as an economic force. Once more efficient means of them are covered, slavery loses its usefulness. Numerous historical examples show that slavery as...
Achilles and Hector are two heroic characters in Homer’s classic Iliad and both these fearless warriors display honour and virtue in their characters. The personal resolve, decisions, behaviour, valour and the commitment shown by these two act as the key to the development of the plot of the book. Both...
Introduction Shirley Jackson possesses a well-known reputation for dark fiction writing. She specializes in imparting fear by mixing the rational with the irrational and the unfamiliar with the familiar. Some of her famous works include “Just an Ordinary Day” and “The Haunting of Hill House.” Her masterpiece, however, remains the...
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...
Introduction Arthur Miller dramatizes not only the longings and disappointments of a little man in America and the inhuman attitude of the business world towards a man not useful to the organization, but he focuses readers’ attention on the gap between the American dream and the American reality. One of...
A radical innovative strategy in the literary analysis of a text in the modern literary learning and appreciation has been that of the literary experience which insists on the appreciating of a literary work as it is experienced by the reader and the elimination of the intimidating elements of literary...
Introduction A human being is a very complicated structure with a set of different qualities. A single quality does not represent whether a human being is good or bad. However, this quality can give a push to make a negative or positive opinion. Though what is good for one person...
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...
It is not a rare occasion that authors include some details from their personal life in their works. Sometimes, they explicitly remark that a book or a story is autobiographic. In other cases, writers entitle their characters with some features pertaining to themselves. Finally, there are also situations when nothing...
In the late part of the 19th century, short stories written by female authors shared certain similarities with reference to the topics they addressed. Thus, it is possible to compare literary elements in Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” and Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” when determining similarities...
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,...
Introduction Coetzee is regarded as the first South African novelist who had the courage to cover the miseries that people went through, particularly during the post-apartheid period. This book appeared after the country enacted a new constitution that gave people equal rights regardless of their gender or race. His novel...
Introduction Werewolves are one of the most recognizable types of monsters in modern culture. They are almost constantly featured in both mainstream and niche fiction, and the number of interpretations of the same creature grows every year. While the details of the stories vary, the core idea of a werewolf...
Introduction A poem can be defined in several ways. For example, we can define it as a piece of writing in verse form, which conveys strong feelings about a given subject. Poets always write poems for several reasons. For instance, one can write a poem to show his attitude or...
Introduction The novel The Age of Innocence written by Edith Wharton presents a critical or even satirical description of the social norms and values adopted in the upper-class society of New York at the end of the nineteenth century. In particular, the author focuses on such a concept as innocence,...
The Metamorphosis is an expressionist novella by Franz Kafka that is considered one of the most intriguing and absurdist pieces of fiction while presenting an intricate psychological and philosophical analysis of modern realities. The complexity and inherent meaning of the plot have been a widely debated literally topic. Kafka is...
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 Relationship Between Eliezer and His Father Eliezer is the protagonist of the Elie Wiese’s Night narrative. Eliezer was the son of a Jewish elder called Chomlo (Bosmajian 211). Throughout the novel, Wiese narrates how Chomlo treated his son throughout his life. Similarly, he narrates how Eliezer’s attitude towards his...
Introduction Elie Wiesel exhibits his struggle in religion and faith in a unique manner. As a Jew, Eliezer was brought up to be a staunch believer in God. However, the same is not evidenced throughout the book. Eliezer grows up believing that God is absolute and omnipresent. He is a...
Introduction Kate Chopin wrote The Storm which is a short story in eighteen ninety-eight. The story was however published in nineteen sixty long after she died. The author based the story in Louisiana where the two main actors are Calixta and Alcee. Most of Calixta’s neighbors are of the Catholic...
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...
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...
Introduction Humans have always been fascinated about the future. This fascination coupled together with limitless imagination led to the development of the science fiction genre, both in print and on the screen. The industrialisation period that began in the 1900s inspired a new form of science fiction that mainly dealt...
The proponent of this study attempted to figure out the importance of the title “Sonny’s Blues” in contributing to a theme in the story. At first glance, and without the benefit of a thorough analysis, the first thing that came to mind was the common understanding of the meaning of...
“Salvation” is a short narrative by Langston Hughes, the famous Harlem Renaissance writer. The narrative addresses Langston’s childhood experiences with issues of Christianity, faith, and salvation. Langston wrote the short narrative as an adult more than twenty years after this childhood experience. “Salvation” is quite a short narrative and it...
Introduction Mastery, Tyranny, & Desire is a book written by a historian Burnard Trevor and published by the University of North Carolina Press in 2003. The book addresses the subject of slavery, white privilege, and abuse of power by white plantation owners in Jamaica in the 18th century. The author...
Introduction Housekeeping is a novel written by Marilynne Robinson and first published in 1980. It is a story of two orphan girls who decide to break away from the static and sleepy existence within a remote town in Idaho, and are met with a dangerous lack of understanding from fellow...
Introduction Sonnet 43 by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, which is also called by its opening line How do I love thee, is a prominent example of English poetry. This sonnet reveals the selfless and pure love of the poetess to her husband. Despite all difficulties on her life journey, despite a...
David Tod Roy translated the Plum in the Golden Vase, a Chinese novel which was originally composed in the vernacular Chinese during the reign of the latter part of the Ming Dynasty in 1368 by unknown author who signed the literary work as Lanling Xiaoxiao Sheng. Initially, the famous Chinese...
Introduction The author’s desire to convey topical and vital issues of modern society is often one of the primary goals of literature. The ability to reflect the problem as sharply and clearly as possible is an indicator of the writer’s talent, and if readers can appreciate the creative message of...
Introduction Hamlet is one of Shakespeare’s most outstanding works. Feigned and real madness, incest, revenge, treachery, and moral corruption are some of the societal vices that the play depicts (Shakespeare, 19). Driven by a singular goal to avenge his father’s death, Hamlet lets his emotions cloud his judgments. This led...
Introduction: Relevance of the Topic to Early Modern Literature Although most of the early modern English plays seem innocent to the present-day audience, in fact, exploration of sexuality, ranging from playful and comic to tragic and taboo, was one of the most popular topics among playwrights. Sexuality in the early...
Introduction Classical children’s literature is full of examples of outstanding works that have become a cultural treasure and are still being discussed with interest today. One of these well-known works that are known to almost everyone in the book “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” written by the famous American writer...
Robert Frost is one of the most renowned poets in the twentieth century. Frost’s poem, “The Road Not Taken”, has remained an influential literary piece over the last few decades. Robert Frost uses a distinct mastery of the colloquial language as well as vivid depictions of rural life in most...
Introduction In his essay On Dumpster Diving, Lars Eighner explores the life of a person whose sole means of survival is dumpster diving. The author focuses on such themes as poverty, despair of homeless people, and their attitudes toward material wealth as well as the hopes that they cherish. The...
Nowadays, many people tend to assume that there are no reasons to believe that the socio-political realities in today’s America are being affected by any officially endorsed policies of racial discrimination against African-Americans, as it used to be the case up until the late 1960s. Nevertheless, it does not represent...
“Heaven” by Cathy Song In her poem, Cathy Song reflects on the ethnic identity of her children, ancestors, and herself. The main character is a Chinese boy, who migrated to the USA for a long time before the author wrote this piece of poetry. The character worked at the railway...
Introduction Everyday use is a short story authored by Alice Walker and published in the year 1973. The story in the book is told in first person by an African American woman known as Mama. She lives with her two daughters Maggie and Dee in the Deep South. The story...
Discussion Process and Questions “Brown Girl Dreaming,” the novel by Jacqueline Woodson, presents her life through a series of poems. During the discussion, the classmates revealed various themes and tensions that helped to understand the feelings and messages of the main character Jacqueline. Three themes the discussion was focused on...
Introduction The Portrait of a Lady is one of Henry James’ best novels. In the book, James addresses the conflict between the spirit of independence and social norms. Throughout the book, James uses America and Europe as symbols of these qualities. Precisely, he uses America as a symbol of innocence...
THESIS: The author demonstrates that previous judgment and prejudice can be wrong and harsh; as the result of a long way of reflection, due to the various events in the lives of heroes, Darcy proves himself worthy of Elizabeth and she changes her attitude, realizing that her prejudice is unreasonable....
Introduction Literature is an art form that has existed in society for centuries. It serves various purposes depending on the intention of the author of a given work. Some literary works serve solely for entertainment to diminish the stresses of everyday life by clearing the mind through laughter and inspiration....
Introduction Sometimes, the weight of past mistakes feels too heavy for a single person to endure. Sharon Draper’s fictional novel, Tears of a Tiger, is dedicated to exploring this concept. It is a morbid and tragic story of a young man who ruined his life by making just one poor...
This essay discusses a famous novel about the war in Vietnam called The Things They Carried. It also gives a piece of background information about the writer, Tim O’Brien. In the essay, there is a discussion of the main characters and the underlying themes. The author analyzes some of the...
Everyday use is an allegorical story that intertwines the African heritage and the modern world practices. Written by Alice Walker the story focuses on the lives of the African Americans who struggle to keep the African legacy amid a world engrossed with diverse cultures. Therefore, the narrator struggles to reveal...
The book “The Inheritance of Loss” by Kiran Desai talks about an important world issue of class division and the differences between the social layers. The Soviet times are analyzed as the period when there was a race for satellite and space control between nations, which created even more division...
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...
Introduction In the book Night by Elie Wiesel, the relationship between Eliezar and his father appears to be complex. It is shaped by harsh conditions, religion, deportation, and the interaction between the two and other people. In this essay, the author analyzes how this relationship changes throughout the novel. According...
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...
Introduction One of the reasons why the comedy Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare, continues to enjoy a lasting popularity with contemporaries, is that along with representing a high aesthetic value, it can also be considered utterly enlightening, in the philosophical sense of this word. After all, as this...
Richard Wright and Langston Hughes are the writers that were very concerned about the racial issues in the society of the United States of America. Both of the authors use their talents to address the problem of racial differences and the outcomes they cause. Hughes and Wright emphasize the equality...
Summary James Joyce’s story in Araby was written in 1914. The story sketches the glamor of new love and the end of innocence throughout the story. The story is narrated in first person. The boy, the narrator, is mocked by mere narcissism. Thus, he comes to the realization that what...
Introduction Night is a captivating piece of literal work that is the brainchild of Elie Wiesel, which gives a personal account of his experiences in the Nazi concentration camps at Buchenwald and Auschwitz, at the sunset of the Second World War, and the apex of the holocaust in 1945. He...
This “Who Moved My Cheese” essay explores Dr. Spencer Johnson’s short story and its characters. Check it out if you need to write a “Who Moved My Cheese” summary essay or a literary analysis. Introduction This book was written by one of the world re-known management expert Dr. Spencer Johnson....
The critical theory by Lois Tyson offers a literary analysis of the psychoanalytic theory whereby it seeks to explain individual character depicted in an individual who is lacking in terms of character and moral standing in his or her actions. The short story A Rose for Emily takes on a...
The Two Protagonists Can Help to Trace Changes Beowulf is one of the most influential works in the English literature. The book has inspired numerous authors. Tolkien was also inspired by the great epic. His famous book The Lord of the Rings can be regarded as a kind of the...
Introduction Jing-mei, a Chinese-American female in Amy Tan’s short tale “Two Kinds,” struggles to define her identity in a world that continuously enforces cultural and societal expectations. The story takes place in San Francisco in the 1950s and 1960s, when many Chinese immigrants were struggling to adjust to a fresh...
Introduction Kurt Vonnegut is one of those world-class American writers who has the most interesting feature for me: paradoxical thinking. The author wrote “Harrison Bergeron” back in 1961, but it is as relevant today as ever. The author describes a society that believes people’s abilities and appearance should not upset...
Introduction The social injustice that women faced in the 20th century has not changed much by the 21st century. Women’s voices remain unheard, and men disregard their opinions and feelings. Susan Glaspell invites the reader to look at women’s relationships through the prism of shared experiences with men. Repeatedly pointing...
Introduction The Meditations is a philosophical book comprised of Emperor Marcus Aurelius’ journaling on the essence of using Stoic philosophy in governing the country. The book is structured into twelve chapters, each devoted to analyzing different stages and aspects of his life. The book’s overall purpose is to articulate the...
Sumerian Religion and Environment The Epic of Gilgamesh is the greatest heroic tale of the peoples of Ancient Mesopotamia—the Sumerians, Babylonians, and Assyrians. The text provides a very deep understanding of Sumerian religious beliefs and worldviews. This essay will prove, using the Epic of Gilgamesh as an example, that the...
Introduction Every civilization has a distinct identity formed by local history and culture. Literature plays a huge role in this formation because it reflects national archetypes and traditions. In Latin American literature, a significant role is devoted to the clash between indigenous cultures (barbarism) and colonialist settlers who are perceived...
Introduction In world literature, many stories include tragedy as a driver of change that people can either accept or reject. The process and result of successfully accepting difficulties and dealing with problems can be defined as resilience. How people cope with stress shows their capacity for resilience. This paper analyzes...
Introduction The play’s title, Death Knocks by Woody Allen, is ironic as it suggests a profound encounter with death. However, there is a comedic approach to the theme of morality. Woody Allen turns the scenario and the main character into an engaging game with death that delays Nat Ackerman’s fate....
Introduction William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream is one of the most controversial plays in world literature and the author’s legacy. Different from his other pieces in the level of comedy or, rather, ridicule, A Midsummer Night’s Dream has kept audiences and critics alike wondering what occasion it might have...
The Significance Behind the Title: Why Trifles Reflects the Play’s Core Message The title “Trifles” by Susan Glaspell is a poignant choice that reflects the underestimation of women and their concerns by the male characters within the play. The term “trifles” refers to things of little importance or value. Throughout...
Introduction Harper Lee, a highly regarded American author, occupies a significant place in the history of literature due to her seminal work, To Kill a Mockingbird. The work has received critical acclaim due to its insightful examination of racial injustice and ethical development in the Southern region of the United...
Description of Poems Daniel Garcia Ordaz’s poems are like a colorful tapestry that celebrates different aspects of life, culture, and language. One of my favorites, “These Are a Few of My Favorite ‘Che’s,” is a lively homage to the Spanish language, filled with playful sounds and nods to cultural elements....
Introduction The concept of love has both troubled and inspired humankind since time immemorial, appearing in numerous forms and often leading people to act irrationally. Thomas Coraghessan Boyle’s “The Love of My Life” is a profound exploration of young love, its passion, and the shocking implications that can occur when...
Use of Personal Information In Joyce Carol Oates’ “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” Arnold Friend can be argued to be an incarnation of the devil or some fairytale villain. The evidence lies in how Arnold manipulates and preys on Connie’s vulnerabilities, using his charm and cunning to...
The Theme of Sympathy in The Old Cumberland Beggar by William Wordsworth Wordsworth’s poem touches on the theme of sympathy through the image of the old beggar. With no wealth and money, this man makes the audience pity and worry about him. The image is intensified when the narrator introduces...
Introduction For centuries, literature has played an immense role in conveying the acute issues in society. Among the most common themes is social status and the divide between the rich and the poor. One such literary piece is the play Cat on a Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee Williams, which...
Introduction The theme of war has always been one of the central topics in the world literature. Thousands of people have witnessed and participated in numerous military conflicts throughout history. It impacted their mentality, psyche, and lives and led to radical worldview changes. At the same time, the soldiers, who...
Introduction Toni Morrison’s Beloved is a famous and exciting novel addressing a few essential themes. For example, the literary piece addresses the topics of love, slavery, masculinity, and the supernatural. The author managed to focus on the life of the protagonist, Sethe, to demonstrate what challenges people experienced after the...
Hamlet and Oedipus are both complex characters who have struggled much and experienced many difficulties throughout their lives. Although they were created in different historical periods and settings, they had much in common, and, at some point, they both faced problems that appeared as a test of their resilience. Many...
Mona Lisa Smile tells the story of feminist teacher Kathryn Ann Watson, who leaves her boyfriend in Los Angeles to teach at a conservative private women’s college. Instead of the bright minds of her generation, Kathryn meets girls with the primary life purpose to get married. Watson tries to convince...
Ancient Greece stands out significantly among all other civilizations of its time due to its cultural development. The work of Greek philosophers, scientists, and writers countless times served as an inspiration to a younger ancient Rome, Europe, and consequently the whole world. Such tendency effectively showcases the definition of the...
Introduction The Divine Comedy is one of the most brilliant works of the great Italian poet and thinker Dante Alighieri. This is his last work, which reflects the poet’s worldview. The poem consists of three parts: Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise – and describes the state of the soul that has...
A Rose for Emily is a short story written by William Faulkner, the American author famous for their contribution to the gothic genre in the twentieth century. Faulkner’s fiction pictures the realistic episodes reviving the darkest aspects of human personality and relationships between people. Indeed, the main character of A...
Desdemona, Emelia, Cassio, and Iago arrive at Cyprus after crossing the sea. Iago designs methods to use Cassio’s ladies’ pleasing qualities against him during the demonstration of his courtesy. Iago frequently mentions webs and how they ensnare Cassio and Othello. Cassio arrives, breaking the news of Othello’s marriage and lavishing...
Introduction In literature, conflict is an artistic technique that entails a struggle between two antagonistic characters. Dramatic conflict is a driving force that produces the story’s content and determines flow direction. Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use” demonstrates how dramatic conflict aids in developing the plot of the story. In a narrative...
José Olivarez discusses his family, music and poetry, and race and identity. As a child of immigrant parents, the poet describes himself as white-presenting and an outsider to white culture. He says, “as a Mexican family, my family always had more in common with black families” (“José Olivarez”). The poet...
Introduction Primary and secondary sources in history are essential because they allow researchers to establish the course of certain important events. They serve as evidence to analyze the past and either confirm or refute different hypotheses or theories about it. Sources that are commonly considered unique and highly important for...
Swift was a figure of the Enlightenment Era, covering almost the entire first half of the eighteenth century. That time has entered the history of humanity as a time of progress and reform, the time of the dawn of human self-consciousness. Many Enlightenment thinkers defended the ideas of freedom and...
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...
Leadership is always a very difficult task, not suitable for every person, especially if leadership qualities need to be developed in a war. Tim O’Bryan describes in ‘The Things They Carried’ Jimmy Cross’ attempts to become a leader. The author demonstrates how important it is to have maturity, discipline and...
Introduction The historical fiction novel One Crazy Summer, written by Williams-Garcia, touches upon the topics of racial discrimination in America. The author provides the readers with the opportunity to learn about changing social times and how people in different states of America experienced racism. The novel also discusses the Black...
“The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin has been named as the mainstay of literary studies of feminist works. It explores the complicated reaction of the protagonist, Louise Mallard, to learning about her husband’s, Brentley Mallard’s death. The main interest of many scholars and readers in the story lies...
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...
Introduction The Open Boat by Stephen Crane is an endurance tale about four people who have survived a disaster and are now working as a team to locate any piece of land they can discover while only traveling in a tiny boat on the ocean. Nature is on their tail,...
Introduction Junot Diaz’s book “The brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao” revolves around the story of Oscar Wao, a young Dominican man, and his family after immigrating to New Jersey from San Domingo, Dominican Republic, during the dictatorial regime of Rafael Trujillo. Since its publication in 2007, the novel has...
Introduction This letter was written in defense of the public demonstrations undertaken by the people, predominantly the black Americans, in pursuit of equal rights. The main issues highlighted in the letter are discussed below. Acts that led to the demonstrations were condemned It is pointed out that the acts that...
Jonathan Swift is the author of the Gulliver’s Travels, which describes fantastic journeys to fictional lands. The novel is filled with caustic satire on the state system, outdated foundations, exposing human stupidity and shortsightedness. Swift’s text is a mixture of genres that reflects the ideas of revolutionism and enlightenment, at...
As an ancient Egyptian peasant, I am struck by the story of the Great Flood from The Epic of Gilgamesh. The story tells of a great flood that devastated all life except for a man and his family. They were able to survive by constructing a large boat (Jackson, 2014)....
Introduction Jorge Luis Borges is a talented writer and a gifted personality who has created many wonderful and influential literary works. Perceiving the library in the context of his multifaceted picture of the world, Borges wrote a significant work, “The Library of Babel.” This narrative focuses on the description of...
Introduction Gary B. Nash’s book Red, White and Black: The Peoples of Early America explores the complex and diverse peoples who inhabited the Americas before the American Revolution. Through a combination of primary source documents and narrative history, Nash sheds light on the various Native American societies, European empires, and...
Introduction While reading through the Harry Potter series by anyone, it quickly becomes clear that the series is more of a family friendly type of book. It gives of a child-like sense of adventure, giving magic and the excitement of a new world to whoever reads it. This does not...
Introduction “All these stories that we haven’t been telling all this time, that we haven’t been listening to, are just part of what we need to heal. Not that we’re broken” (Orange 137). This excellent use of irony demonstrates why Tommy Orange’s “There There” is a stylistic, form, and storytelling...
Introduction In the mythology of the Greeks, Ovid, a Roman poet, is credited with writing the epic poem Pygmalion, published many years ago but has maintained its relevance throughout history and into the modern day. The love Pygmalion feels for the creature he has created is the story’s primary focus....
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...
Introduction Emerson critiques and distinguishes between two categories of knowledge seekers as a writer. In particular, Thinking Man is against a bookworm, which is, in my opinion, a good stance. According to Emerson, the difficulty is that the holiness innate in creation, the activity of thinking, is immediately transferred to...
Bharati Mukherjee is an author of Indian descent who immigrated to America in 1961. She was born in 1940 and was raised in Calcutta, India. She earned an M.F.A and a Ph.D. in literature. Bharati Mukherjee has authored several books that have gained her worldwide fame and recognition. Two Ways...
“Sweat” is a story written by Zora Neale Hurston, an American writer, in 1926, and it provides valuable insight into the daily life of African-Americans during this historical period. Delia, a young woman, works as a washer in white families, while Sykes, her abusive spouse, struggles to find any job,...
Introduction Differences in the perception of life values, manifested in the context of a generation gap, are a common problem raised in literary works. In Hayden’s poem “Those Winter Days,” the poet demonstrates such an assessment by presenting himself as the narrator. In this short poem, he faithfully captures the...
Introduction It is hard to disagree that many literary works are mysteries to some extent, and it may be interesting for the audience to solve them. Reading between the lines is a challenging but engaging process that can provide new views on the writing and interpretations of characters’ lines. Some...
There is a saying that differences between men’s and women’s perceptions make them appear as beings from different planets. The differences may not seem evident in everyday activities and interactions. The theater allows viewers to observe the distinct worlds of men and women. Trifles is a one-act play written by...
Introduction The wolf in sheep’s clothing is a traditional trope born from the same-named fable that teaches that appearances can be deceiving. The fable tells the story of a wolf wearing a sheep’s skin to blend with the rest of the sheep and lure an innocent lamb to make a...
There is one constant throughout the ongoing evolution of the human species. Simply because it is human nature, people are motivated by money and power. King Lear, one of Shakespeare’s most well-known tragedies, is a nihilistic story of destruction, money, and power conflicts that was originally performed in 1606. The...
Introduction Everyday Use is a short story written by American author Alice Walker. The narrative revolves around an African-American family and the conflict they face, primarily the schisms created by money, materialism, and greed. The set of characters is relatively narrow (Mama, Maggie, Dee, and Hakim-a-barber), but can showcase a...
The first-person narrative of “The Yellow Wall-Paper,” a short story by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, immediately grabs the reader’s attention. The first-person viewpoint gives readers a clear window into the narrator’s thoughts and feelings. This window is helpful and harmful as the narrator’s mental state steadily declines. Third-person understanding of a...
Introduction For several years, novels, stories, and poems have been published daily. The field of literature has expanded significantly over time. Every novel is unique, yet they can share several similarities. The short tales “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner and “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman have...
Mythology is a big part of the culture of many nations and countries. It contains much wisdom and knowledge about the past, even though it is hundred percent fictional. Ancient Greek and Roman mythologies share many similarities but are not entirely the same. However, they both tell the story of...
Introduction From time memorial people worshiped deities considered to run the universe. Expectedly, religion has some social control function that discourages deviance, self-distractive behavior, and delinquency from establishing order (Hood et al. 413). However, some people may pretend that they observe the norm when in the presence of specific people...
Humans are often referred to as individuals due to each person’s extensive and ubiquitous depth of self. However, this was not always the reality and did not remain one in various parts of the world. In the work of Azar Nafisi, “Selections from Reading Lolita in Tehran,” it is possible...
Few literature creations convey as much information about a culture as its poems do. In the 1950s, the culture of Native Americans experienced a phenomenon known as the Native American Renaissance (Üney & Tanritanir, 2020). During this period, indigenous writers rose to prominence by accentuating important cultural values in their...
The narrator in the story under consideration plays the role of a modernist, interpreting the servant’s consciousness in everything and not just conveying his actions. This story is one of Akutagawa’s shortest works, but it is very memorable because of the complexity and multilevel nature of the narrative. The author...
Introduction The role of females in different societies and at different times is one of the most discussed topics nowadays. Although now the world is close to gender equality, thousands of years ago, the role of a man and a woman distinguished drastically, and a person was treated due to...
“Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” is a classic gothic novel depicting the complexities of life when people exhibit distinct personalities. The novel gives us a tour into an admired life of an England- based physician Dr. Jekyll. The protagonist Henry Jekyll is a composite that strengthens the theme of good...
Introduction Widely reputed for his mastery in infusing understatements in his short stories, Raymond Carver (1938-1988) is considered to have reignited the art of writing by the time of his death in 1988. As a poet and a writer of short stories, his works were characteristically multi-themed and could explore...
Teenagers often tend to subdue their peers to harm themselves or others as a form of a joke or tease. For the affected students, such an experience is usually associated with fear and the inability to escape the situation. In Roald Dahl’s poem, “The Dentist and the Crocodile”, similar fear...
In one of the sermons, Martin Luther King Jr. proclaims that “love has within it a redemptive power. And there is a power there that eventually transforms individuals” (King para. 24). The ideas of love and redemption are fundamental for The Kite Runner. The central characters of this novel are...
Rudy Wiebe’s novel “Peace Shall Destroy Many” surrounds the lives of the pacifist Mennonites in Saskatchewan during World War II. The main protagonist, Thom Wiens (a young farmer living in the most isolated community in Saskatchewan) makes the book fascinating by posing challenging questions. During wartime, local males would either...
Introduction Folk art, especially of the epic genre, doubtlessly is among the most reliable sources of knowledge about the worldview that is peculiar to a certain culture. The works of such a kind normally embody the values of the storytellers, which makes them a bright illustration of the ways those...
To begin with, one of the characters of the novel Kiss of the Fur Queen, written by Tomson Highway, who is known as Maggie Sees, is a form of the Trickster or Weesageechak in Cree. In other words, it is the mythological creature that “goes by many names and many...
This Boy’s Life is a story of a young guy growing up struggling with his problems and fears, misunderstanding, and condemnation of others. Notably, Tobias Wolff stays focused on his desire to reinvent himself, to have a different kind of life compared to the one he is living, and to...
English Literature, as people know it now, was shaped by Shakespeare. His famous works include “Hamlet,” “Macbeth,” “Romeo and Juliet,” and many others, and most modern people know Shakespeare’s plays. However, apart from literary contribution, Shakespeare revolutionized literature by setting a standard for other works. Shakespeare’s works created a revolution...
Introduction “The Odyssey” is one of the famous and classic poems of the ancient Greek poet Homer, familiar to every thinking person. The book’s plot is built around the main character – Odysseus, the king of Ithaca. He is clever, innovative, and resourceful, and these character traits help the man...
Introduction It is easy to say that there are no hopeless situations, that the most important thing is not to give up, and that people should believe that the best days are ahead. However, when trouble happens in real life, very few people find the courage to keep on fighting...
The Stranger is an essay written by Georg Simmel in 1908 in which the author explores the sociological meaning behind the term and the concept of the stranger. In his explorations, the author studies the concept through different lenses of philosophy, economy, and through his relations and position in the...
Introduction All of the pieces of literature contain a specific thought the author intended to make readers pay attention to, a lesson that can be learned based on one or another character’s conduct. The book entitled “The Things They Carried,” written by American novelist Tim O’Brien is composed of stories...
On the surface, there could not be anything less exciting than the lives of suburbanites. Often scorned for their mundane and often overly practical perspective, average middle-class U.S. citizens represent a rather uninspiring picture at first glance (Sañudo, 2020). However, John Cheever’s 1978 “The Wrysons” shows that there is much...
Writers have tackled the theme of tragedy and loss for as long as there was literature itself, contemplating the many different aspects of this hard yet omnipresent experience. In this respect, Alice Elliot Dark’s “In the Gloaming” is hardly a ground-breaker, as it is definitely not the first piece of...
Introduction Native Son is a story by American writer Richard Wright, which was written in 1940. The story is about Bigger Thomas, a growing black man who existed in absolute lack in a bad neighborhood in the southern part of Chicago. Without apologizing for Bigger’s violations, Wright presents an inextricable...
This paper analyses the short story “The Lottery” written by Shirley Jackson (1916-1965). Shirley Jackson is one of the most influential American authors of the twentieth century, mostly known for her short stories and novels excitingly describing different supernatural events. “The Lottery” tells about the annual lottery in a small...
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...
Oedipus Rex is a tragedy since it satisfies Aristotle’s criteria for a tragic hero in Poetics. The protagonist of a classic tragedy of a heroic and noble person whose downfall is triggered by a defect in his character. His frailty causes him to become caught in events that overwhelm him,...
Detailing the main characters is a significant task for any writer aiming to create a fascinating story. While most well-recognized literary characters are protagonists, the antagonists may also become the audience’s favorite heroes due to their interesting personalities or relatable motives. In this regard, unlikable characters can also make for...
The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin is one of English literature’s most famous short stories. The main character, Louise Mallard, is a young woman with a calm face “whose lines bespoke repression and even a certain strength” (Chopin 180). Louise is happy to learn that her husband, Brently,...
Introduction Literary devices are essential aspects and elements of any poem, and thus, to properly understand their uses, it is important to analyze one of the most well-known works. The given assessment will primarily focus on three pieces of poetry, which are “Mending Wall” by Robert Frost, “Death Be Not...
Water by the Spoonful is a play written by Quiara Hudes. The play narrates to the reader the story of the Iraqi war veteran and the group of drug addicts, including his biological mother. The author of this work raises several acute social problems, trying to address them through the...
