“The Chrysanthemums” by John Steinbeck

In his short story, The Chrysanthemums John Steinbeck describes a person who at one point understands that her life lacks meaning and value at least in the eyes of other people. The protagonist Elisa Allen feels that her life is deprived of emotional and intellectual intimacy. To some degree, this...

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge and “Blue Winds Dancing”

“An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” by Ambrose Bierce In what ways are the condemned man’s perceptions of time and motion distorted as he is waiting to be hanged? Ambrose Bierce depicts the protagonist who is condemned to be hanged, and he does not realize the fringe between illusion and...

Ancient Greek Tragedies: Agamemnon, Antigone and Bacchae

The Agamemnon Agamemnon, one of Aeschylus’ greatest work, is a classic Greek Tragedy. This play shows the extension of a curse that was on the house of Atreus. The time setting for this play is the end of the Trojan War, and King Agamemnon’s come back. The play entails the...

Barbara Kingsolver’s “Knowing Our Place” Analysis

Behind the Writing: Reading the Author’s Mind There comes a time when a person needs to have a place where he or she belongs. When one knows that there is a safe place worth being called home, no matter how far this place might be, one starts feeling somewhat relieved....

Antigone and Nora: Defiant Women in Patriarchal Societies

Introduction Even though the two plays; ‘Antigone’ by Sophocles and ‘A Doll’s House’ by Henrick Ibsen were written in completely different times, they share certain thematic elements when it comes to the portrayal of the female characters. For instance, the characters “Antigone” by Sophocles and Nora in “A Doll’s House”...

“Ghosts” vs. “A Doll’s House” by Henrik Ibsen

Introduction Ghosts were written in eighteen eighty-one as a scathing commentary on nineteenth-century fatalities. The two plays were sensational and often regarded as being indecent. Ghost and a Doll’s House criticized contemporary Norwegian society. A Doll’s House is an earlier play than Ghosts written in 1879 during the European revolution...

Eliezer’s Faith Struggle in “Night” by Wiesel

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...

Resolving Sexual Violence Issues in J. M. Coetzee’s “Disgrace”

Introduction Coetzee’s “Disgrace” is a reflection of the extent to which brutality and sexual violence characterized the famous South African era of apartheid. This novel features David Lurie as the central character whose negative perceptions of women, racist attitudes, and cases associating him with rape depict the level of moral...

Symbols in “Good Country People” by Flannery O’Connor

The Southern setting of the short story “Good Country People” affects characters’ way of identifying themselves and others. Hulga’s mother, Mrs. Hopewell, judges people by their perceived characteristics and shows a tendency to divide people into familiar and foreign types, treating both differently. Her use of the phrase “good country...

“Not Either an Experimental Doll” by Shula Marks

Nowadays, it represents a commonplace practice to refer to the policy of apartheid in South Africa, as having been innately racist – something that serves as the best indication of this policy’s sheer inappropriateness. The main assumption behind such a point of view is that the policy’s practical implementation used...

“Mastery, Tyranny, and Desire” by Bernard Trevor

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...

The Science Debate: Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein

Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein, or, the Modern Prometheus appeared at a time when the science fiction genre was only at the initial stage of its emergence and development. For the 19th century, the story of a man who managed to create an unnatural living being was, on the one hand,...

“Literature: How Do I Love Thee?” by Elizabeth Barrett Browning

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...

Themes and Devices in “Disgrace” by Coetzee

Introduction The novel “Disgrace” written by John Maxwell Coetzee can affect anyone who reads it. The author of the work has received several awards for it, and experts in the field have highly appreciated the book. The reading reveals the essence of extremes that can exist in any person, and...

Magical Realism of Julio Cortazar Literature

Julio Cortazar together with Borges, Garcia-Marques and Asturias began something that became a great boom or El Boom in Latin American literature. The generation of talented writers and the appearance of magical realism made Latin American literature popular all over the world. In his works Cortazar goes beyond sharply detailed...

Corruption in “Motives and Thoughts” by Lauren Hill

The poem “Motives and Thoughts” by Lauren Hill, discloses a distinctive way of life in many societies at present. It is evident that corruption is a significant meaning of the poem. The poet explains that corruption is a vice with deep roots in every human life, “While vice and corruption...

Poverty in “On Dumpster Diving” by Lars Eighner

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...

“The History of Love” by Nicole Krauss

Prompt How does the theme (love) provide a deep sense of interweaving between individuals otherwise unknown to one another? Introduction An eminent philosopher once said that human is a social animal. Indeed, people are rooted in society from the moment of their birth. They develop inside its ties, its relations,...

Nathaniel Hawthorne Short Stories Analysis

In Hawthorne’s stories, men of supposed decency sometimes do very unpleasant things, and these often affect the women in their lives. The gentlemen in these tales demonstrate is a willingness to take risks with or abuse the good will of women that today would be considered thoughtless at best, or...

The Warrior Culture in “The Iliad” by Homer

In The Iliad, a culture that portrays bravery, honor and masculinity is highly honored. Men were expected to participate in warfare fully. Therefore, any man that shuns this responsibility or did not take part in the war was later faced with criticism. Individuals who failed to engage in the battles...

“The Scar” Story by Amy Tan

Introduction The short story, Scar, is about An-Mei Hsu who is the main character. Her mother had deserted the family and married a rich merchant as a concubine and the fourth wife. When her father died, her brother and she were forced to live with their relatives. The grandmother, Popo,...

Jonathan Swift’s Hidden Satire in Gulliver’s Travels

Introduction Many scholars agree that Gulliver’s Travels was written as a bitter satire designed to parody the human race, with particular emphasis to England and Europe. However, despite this, the satirical significance of this book has over time diminished with its secondary meaning, as a children’s book emerging as the...

Themes of Loss and Connection in Elie Wiesel’s Night: A Relationship Analysis

Introduction The essay will explore the relationship between Eliezer and his father. An extensive study of the relationship right from the beginning to how they later change in the novel will be examined. It is notable that, during the Holocaust, Eliezer and others who were ready to face the executions...

Canto III in The Divine Comedy by Dante

Introduction Canto III describes Dante’s first acquaintance with Hell and the interpersonal changes that occur in the pilgrim’s inner world as a result. This part demonstrates to the pilgrim the sufferings of those people who did not strive hard during their earthly life to make the right choice between the...

Character Portrayal: “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant

Introduction In his captivating must-read chef-d’oeuvre ‘The Necklace’, Guy de Maupassant presents the story of Mathilde Loisel who happens to be a woman from a humble background who ends up doomed into a life of poverty by her dreams of wealth. Mathilde Loisel is the central character in the story...

The Novel “The Inheritance of Loss” by Kiran Desai

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...

“The Turn of the Screw” a Novel by Henry James

Introduction As literature about socioeconomic, cultural, and political differences and bias between genders continues to accumulate, some authors of books seem to change their writing agendas towards focusing on addressing the forgotten women influence in the modern world (McCollum 49). Feminism is a common theme that has dominated modern literature,...

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep Analysis

Introduction Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep is a novel that covers Phillip Dick’s analysis of the human state and his pursuit to retire six androids. The story trails John Isidore based on a post-apocalyptic future. The movie Blade Runner assumes the same story line as the novel. The difference...

“Night” by Elie Wiesel Literature Analysis

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...

Complexities of Father-Son Relationships in Night by Elie Wiesel

Introduction The relationships between a father and a son usually compose in early childhood. However, there are families where father-son love is hidden too deep in their souls that they are unable to see it until something bad happens and only the support of the closest people may help. Reading...

Literature Issues in “Into Thin Air” by Jon Krakauer

Introduction One of the reasons why the book Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster (by Jon Krakauer) was able to attain the status of a bestseller, is that, along with being utterly entertaining, it provides readers with the insight into what can be considered the...

Moral Dilemmas and Choices in Ursula Le Guin’s The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas

Introduction “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” by Ursula Le Guin is a thought-provoking short story that challenges people’s morality and choices. It tells the tale of a utopian city called Omelas, where the citizens live in contentment and bliss. However, unbeknownst to them, the community’s prosperity seems to...

The Imaginary Raven in Poe’s “The Raven”: Symbolism of Grief and Madness

Introduction Edgar Allan Poe’s timeless poem, “The Raven,” tells the chilling tale of a grieving scholar’s encounter with a mysterious bird that speaks only one word: “Nevermore.” Through this poem, Poe weaves a complex narrative that leaves readers questioning the nature of the raven’s existence. I believe the raven is...

S. Selvon’s Literary Skills in the “Brackley and the Bed” Short Story

Introduction ‘Brackley and the Bed’ is a short story written by Samuel Selvon, revolving around the life of Brackley in England. He is the protagonist, an immigrant from Tobago who came to England to improve his life. However, he is later joined by his distant cousin Teena and thus is...

Grotesque and Satirical Elements in One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez

Introduction In humor, grotesques describe something horrifying, ugly, and distorted. It often refers to art or images intended to be shocking or disturbing in nature. On the contrary, satire is humor that uses irony or sarcasm to ridicule someone or something. It usually targets political leaders, celebrities, or other public...

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Life, Major Works, and Themes in American Literature

Biography F. Scott Fitzgerald was born to Edward Fitzgerald and Mollie McQuillan on September 24, 1896, in St. Paul, Minnesota. He grew up in an upper-middle-class family, which allowed him to attend prestigious schools and receive a quality education. During World War I, his time in the military profoundly influenced...

Bilbo Baggins’ Heroic Journey and Transformation in Tolkien’s The Hobbit

Introduction It is hard to disagree that literature written for teenagers and adults often offers many important lessons and allows readers to understand the values they want to nurture and follow. The Hobbit, or There and Back Again, is a 1937 novel by J. R. R. Tolkien, and this marvelous...

Gender Roles and Power Dynamics in Lynn Nottage’s Poof!

Influence of Identity on Character Interactions Gender highlights the power disparities and repressive dynamics in the characters’ relationships, affecting their interactions. As a victim of domestic abuse, Loureen is subjected to her husband Samuel’s domination and control (Nottage, 1993). The play’s depiction of gender-based violence sheds light on the systematic...

The Turner Diaries and White Supremacist Terrorism: An Analysis of Berger’s The Turner Legacy

Introduction The Turner Legacy, a research paper by the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism author J.M. Berger, reviews The Turner Diaries, a highly controversial book considered by many a White Supremacist Bible. Written by William Luther Pierce, a prominent figure within the American White Nationalist movement, The Turner Diaries tells a...

Learning Lessons from Paulo Coelho’s “The Alchemist” Novel

Free Will in Achieving Dreams The primary lesson in Coelho’s “The Alchemist” is that every person should capitalize on their free will to achieve something valuable. This is why “the secret of life, though, is to fall seven times and to get up eight times” (Coelho 9). According to the...

Barbarism vs. Civilization in Latin American Literature

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...

Comparison of Resilience in Sophocles’ Oedipus and Shakespeare’s Hamlet

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...

Trauma and Memory in The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Introduction In each person’s life, there are events about which they, in consequence, reflect in the future—the various obstacles that had to be overcome or the happy moments that were important to remember. This essay will review the memories of Charlie, the protagonist of The Perks of Being a Wallflower. His...

The Ephemeral Nature of Power in “Ozymandias” by Shelley and “My Last Duchess” by Browning

Introduction In exploring Percy Bysshe Shelley’s “Ozymandias” and Robert Browning’s “My Last Duchess,” the paper delves into the complex web of human pride, power dynamics, and the ephemeral nature of heritage. It offers profoundly moving insights into the complexities of ambition, revealing the inevitable progression of time that transforms even...

Feminist Themes and Tragic Structure in Kate Chopin’s The Story of an Hour

Introduction The main idea of “The Story of an Hour “is freedom and its importance for an individual. Louise Mallard is a happily married woman with a very loving husband. She doesn’t really have much independence, though; she only obtains it after she finds out about her husband’s passing. In...

Comparison of Domingo’s and Mr. Z.’s Conflicts in Oscar Casares’ Short Stories

Introduction Domingo and Diego struggle with different but related matters that influence their storylines. Both characters deal with issues of identity, belonging, and the complexity of friendship despite the differences in the causes and expressions of their problems. Conflict in Domingo Domingo represents the wrangle with cultural distinctiveness. Domingo’s conflict...

Gilgamesh and Batman: A Comparative Analysis of Heroic Journeys

Introduction The epic of Gilgamesh, one of the earliest known works of literature, recounts the transformative journey of a hero in search of immortality. This Mesopotamian hero, Gilgamesh, embarks on a quest that exposes him to various characters who profoundly shape his path. The thesis of this essay is that...

The Warmth of Other Suns: Isabel Wilkerson’s Accounts of African American Relocation

The Book’s Overall Topic In the history of the US, Americans have been part of many relocation incidences seeking a better life, including the Dust Bowl and the Gold Rush. However, one large migration stands out of all of them: The Great Migration. The Great Migration included a significant number...

“The Most Handsome Drowned Man in the World” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

The paper shows the story presented by Gabriel Garcia Marquez called “The Most Handsome Drowned Man in The World.” The narrator explains to writers that humanity has created an unhealthy romantic relationship with the surrounding world, and the quote “happily ever after” should not be the source of hope. The...

Narrative Style of Austen’s Pride and Prejudice and Mansfield-Park

Introduction Jane Austen is one of the most famous writers of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. The novels of this brilliant author have had an incredible impact on the development of culture, have been adapted many times, and have inspired generations of writers. Jane Austen has written such...

The Poem “Poet’s Obligation” by Pablo Neruda

“Ode with a Lament” uses imagery and metaphors effectively to convey themes of death, sorrow, and brokenness. The speaker compares the woman’s skin to “a bell filled with grapes”, an image of illness that prompts the reader to readjust any presumption of the relationship at hand. In a world of...

Identity and Cultural Heritage in “Everyday Use”

Introduction Everyday Use is a short story written by African-American writer Alice Walker and published in 1973. Mrs. Johnson, an African-American woman and the main character of the story, lives in the suburbs of an unknown town in the Deep South and is a mother of two adult daughters. Johnson’s...

Satire in the Essay on Criticism by Alexander Pope

Alexander Pope is considered one of the greatest English poets and an outstanding poet of the early 18th century. He is best known for his satirical and discursive poems. In England, at the time of Alexander’s birth, there were still quite strict laws against Catholics. They could not hold public...

Women in “Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin

The story of an hour, written by Kate Chopin, narrates the story of Louise Mallard, a wife in a typical Victorian relationship who learns that her spouse has been murdered. The period in which the narration takes place unveils the miserable position of women in society, their roles, and the...

Tartuffe by Molière: Review and Analysis

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

“Araby” by James Joyce Is Not a Love Story

Compared to his other words, James Joyce’s “Araby” seems almost simplistic, with a touching yet fairly straightforward story of a boy falling in love with a girl living across the street being the main plot. However, while the love story is placed at the forefront and emphasized strongly, the true...

Hamlet: Shakespeare’s Detective

Written at the turn of the 16th century, The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark is the longest and one of the most renowned works by William Shakespeare. Right from the start, the author sets the mood for tragedy with the mysterious death of Hamlet’s father, king of Denmark. The...

Analysis of Atonement by Ian McEwan

The novel Atonement by Ian McEwan is a romantic war tragedy metafiction that follows Cecilia and Robbie’s lives as the protagonist. They experience conflicts trying to fulfill their dream of eternal love and separate, shutting down all their achievements. McEwan intertwines irony and symbolism to explore the theme of love...

Characters of Toni Cade Bambara’s “The Lesson”

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

Questions of King Milinda in Buddhism

The “Questions of King Milinda” is a Buddhist text written between 100 B.C – 200 B.C. It is a fictional dialogue between the Buddist Sage Nagasena and the Greek King Milinda. Although it is not included in the Pali Canon, it is cherished because it addresses Buddhism’s most complicated questions...

Themes in ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ Short Story by Gilman

The essay focuses on a short story The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, during the analysis of which the main themes of the work and the author’s attitude to them are established. In the center of the story is the unnamed main character, on whose behalf the story is...

“Oryx and Crake” by Margaret Atwood

Modern society is increasingly concerned about the problems of environmental destruction, which are the consequences of human activity. Although many works have been written in the 21st century describing the possible catastrophic results of long-term human impact on nature, Margaret Atwood in Oryx and Crake does it from a new...

Plot Map of “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Charlotte Perkins Gilman, who is the narrator of the story “The Yellow Wallpaper,” first published it in January 1892 in New England Magazine. At that time the role of women in American society was minimal both legally and socially. The main theme of the book is self-expression and identity; the...

“Fight Club” a Novel by Chuck Palahniuk

Fight Club – The Novel Describe the Narrator’s life before Tyler The narrator’s life before he meets Tyler is characterized with chronic insomnia which has been disturbing him for a while. His condition becomes a problem at his Work place where he works as a product recall specialist and prompts...

“Free Ham” by Bertino Marie-Helene

It is almost scary how people—in everything they do—are driven by hidden motivations inside them of which they are not even aware. The unconscious—the pivotal concept in psychoanalysis—is comprised of repressed feelings that shape people’s behaviors; specifically; dysfunctional behaviors. The story by Bettino titled “Free Ham” provides a lot of...

National Identity in “The Namesake” by Jhumpa Lahiri

In different cultures, there are many beliefs connected with names. It is believed that a name given to a newborn child, to a large extent, predetermines all his future life. At the same time, an attitude towards a name given to a person is different in various countries. In Western...

The Pursuit of Freedom in “Mansfield Park” by Jane Austen

Jane Austen authored several novels in the course of her literary career but “Mansfield Park” is by far her most relevant work of literature. One critic observes that most of Austen’s books are characteristically “vulgar in tone, sterile in invention, imprisoned in the wretched conventions of English culture, and without...

Zora Neale Hurston’s ‘Their Eyes Were Watching God’: Self-Discovery and Empowerment

“Their Eyes Were Watching God” is a story written by Zora Neale Hurston and it describes life’s hardships that an African-American woman experiences. There are many factors, both social and personal that influence Janie’s life, and provide an insight into a person’s emotional being. It supposes alternatives that were not...

Wealth and Illusion in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s ‘The Great Gatsby’

In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald explores the theme of the American Dream. In particular, the author shows the decline of this ideal and people’s disillusionment with it. This novel provides several examples illustrating this thesis. Much attention should be paid to the characters’ cynicism, their desire for sensual pleasures or...

Gilgamesh and Homer’s Achilles as Epic Heroes

In many aspects, Gilgamesh and Homer’s Achilles, the main figure of the Iliad, are similar. Achilles is a demigod, like Gilgamesh, born of the goddess Thetis and the human Peleus (Homer 10). Hector, the Trojan prince, is defeated by him in single combat, demonstrating his strength and combat prowess. Additionally,...

Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels

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...

Perspectives on a Global Issue: Charles Baudelaire’s Poem “Albatross”

Introduction The concept of finding one’s place in the world has been addressed in various poems. For example, the classic theme of the person and the crowd is presented in the Charles Baudelaire poem Albatross in the traditions of both romantic and symbolic art. Eugenio Montale also touches on this...

The Wanderer’s Thoughts in “Rhapsody on a Windy Night” by T.S. Eliot

The poem of Tomas Eliot, “Rhapsody on a Windy Night,” represents such phenomena as mind, memory, and time experienced by the main character of a wanderer going down the streets. The context is full of frightfulness and hopelessness because the time continues to go on desperately. Life and its sense...

“Death of Salesman” by Arthur Miller: Play Review

American dramatist Arthur Miller wrote about the moral predicament of the working class. Playwright David Ives uses the last twenty-four hours of his protagonist’s life as a montage of dreams and recollections to explore the theme of identity loss. The play’s central plot revolves around the American Dream. Many people...

Creative Poem Based on “The Stranger” by Albert Camus

Poem One says: “Go find yourself in life.” But what would be the point? The other says: “Go find yourself a wife.” But what would be the point? The third one claims: “There is no sense in days” Yet life was full of pleasure. The other cries: “I want to...

The Use of Satire as Education by Pope and Swift

Introduction Satire is a literary technique that considers the use of any genre and combines sharp humor and critique of a subject to improve its meaning, making authors like Jonathan Swift and Alexander Pope use satire due to many societal problems. By deftly critiquing and making light of society’s concerns,...

“Red, White and Black” by Gary B. Nash

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...

Analysis of “She Lives in a Pat of Butter”

The poem “She lives in a pat of Butter” by Ramsey Jade revolves around the role of women in conducting domestic chores and setting good examples for their children in the modern world. Even though the efforts provided by mothers and wives are similar, the societal expectation is for women...

The Story “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens

Introduction The spirit of Christmas is the story’s central theme, which gives us an insight into Victorian England. Ebenezer Scrooge, a narrow-minded, selfish man who loathes Christmas was hard on the people who worked for him. Christmas ghosts visit him, allowing him to glance at himself as a man who...

Gothic Elements in “The Passion” by Jeanette Winterson

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

The Vietnam War: The “Hue 1968” Book by Mark Bowden

The book Hue by Mark Bowden (2017) narrates about the Vietnam War. The Vietnam War holds a special place in American history and is significant on a global scale. The battle served as a metaphor for the failure of American cold war strategy. Force was not effective in stopping the...

The “King Lear” Play by William Shakespeare

Introduction King Lear, a tragedy by William Shakespeare, is a play that creates an alarming mental picture of different societal structures, for instance, the political, social, and familial. These reflect the other broken orders in the whole play. For example, earlier in space, King Lear breaks the order of a...

Melville’s Bartleby vs. Kafka’s The Hunger Artist

Introduction The two literary works by Melville and Kafka contain several important similarities that have to be considered when making any conclusions regarding the contents of the two stories. First of all, it can be noted how Frantz Kafka and Herman Melville utilize a similar language for their respective stories...

Writing Style of Amy Tan in “Mother Tongue”

Introduction It is important to note that the author uses the strategies of logos, ethos, pathos, and kairos to convince the reader of the arguments in the essay. At the beginning of the essay, the author uses ethos because she immediately states that she is not a researcher of the...

“The Pillow Book and the List of Hateful Things” by Sei Shonagon

Introduction The Pillow Book and the List of Hateful Things, written by Sei Shonagon, is a portrayal of the Heian culture in regard to elitist approaches to etiquette, social interactions, and gatherings. Namely, one of the hateful elements that the author highlights is “One is telling a story about old...

Thematic Significance of the Image in Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”

Introduction The variety of well-known images that Shakespeare presents in Hamlet reflects the genius of the playwright and the demand for his play in the modern world. Many of the quotes still apply to this day, and some of the scenes have become iconic. One of the images that deserve...

Unconditional Fatherly Love in Hayden’s “Those Winter Sundays”

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...

The Role and Impact of Gertrude in Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”

Introduction Gertrude is the mother of the protagonist of the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare. She is the widow of King Hamlet of Denmark, the protagonist’s father, and the new wife of Claudius, the new king, brother, and murderer of the protagonist’s father. Her role in the work is significant...

Grendel’s Story in Poem “Beowulf”

Introduction The literature of the early Middle Ages gives an idea of ​​the people’s values ​​and tastes who lived many centuries ago. Beowulf is a heroic poem, written by an unknown author between 700-1000. The reader witnesses a fantastic story about the struggle of a glorious war against villains, and...

Tradition in “A&P” Short Story by John Updike

In “A&P,” John Updike uses Sammy’s point of view on the new generation of women to develop his new wisdom on change over tradition. Sammy, the narrator, gives us an insight into how he perceived three girls walking into a grocery store in bathing suits during the sixties. John Updike...

Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing: Dolores Umbridge

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...

Review of “1776” Book by David McCollough

Introduction 1776, written by David McCullough, is a follow-up to his earlier biography of John Adams and is intended to expand the reader’s understanding of the early stages of the American Revolution. The book provides a fresh viewpoint on those events in a clear and exclusive manner. This review essay...

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

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

Neoliberalism: “Neuromancer” vs. “Blade Runner”

Neoliberalism in the 1980s espoused globalization and deregulation of economies, which encouraged open markets and corporate development. Consequently, the themes in popular cyberpunk literature showed the extrapolated effects of neoliberal policies, as shown in the novel “Neuromancer” and “Blade Runner” film. Themes include technological development and the idea of consciousness....

Themes in “The Kite Runner” by Hosseini, Khaled

The Kite Runner raises a range of topics and themes that have sociological importance and exemplify the pillars of power imbalances. In particular, the author thoroughly incorporates some divisive worldview- and ethnicity-related factors in the storyline. Some themes of interest include ethnic prejudice and religious devotion used as an excuse...

Marxist Criticism in “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson

Introduction The Lottery, written by American author Shirley Jackson, was first published in The New Yorker on June 26th, 1948. When it was initially published, it raised controversy. The author’s life may have been reflected in The Lottery. She struggled with depression and an identity crisis, which forced her to...

Character Analysis of Nora Helmer in Ibsen’s “A Doll’s House”

Henrik Ibsen left a rich literary legacy, including several dramatic works that deal with contemporary issues and seem pretty popular. The issues that he raises in his works are timeless. Worth reading and appreciating. Many stories in Ibsen’s theatrical works are intertwined, which ultimately leads to the disclosure of the...

Techniques That Make Claudia Rankine Poems in “Citizen” Relatable

Introduction Claudia Rankine is politically charged prose poet, and her works, especially Citizen, have a great influence on the modern American society. Citizen is a poem conducted in prose, thus making it one of the staples of the contemporary literature. One of the important things about Rankine’s work is that...

Identity Development in Yukio Mishima’s “Sound of Waves”

Introduction The Sound of Waves is a fishing love story in the style of the poem about Daphnis and Chloe. Yukio Mishima focused on the story of noble heroes with strong and invincible characters. Consequently, the novel’s key theme is cognition of oneself and the world around these individuals through...

Othello: Iago and His Self-Knowledge

Introduction Most storylines require a villain or, at the very least, an antihero. Shakespeare’s plays are a case in point in this regard. The plot is typically advanced by the antagonists, who pave the way for the protagonists to either succeed or fail. In Othello, Iago is the villain who...

The “Animal Farm” Novel by G. Orwell

Introduction The interconnectedness and the importance of the following concepts, totalitarianism, power of language, and class warfare, are hard to overestimate in “Animal Farm” novel by G. Orwell. They have become the cornerstone of the literacy techniques employed. In this respect, it will be useful to explore each of them,...

Evil in Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Introduction An author’s main objective while composing a literary work is to communicate a specific message to his audience. Factors such as historical occurrences, political ideologies, and global economic status are among the factors that influence an author’s message. One such work written at a historical time described as the...

Feminist Issues in the Poetry by Adrienne Rich

Cimalová, Natalie. “Feminism in the Poetry of Adrienne Rich: A Comparison of Her Early and Late Poems.” (2015). The present article is devoted to the development of feminism in the poems by Adrienne Rich. The author states that it was strictly formal at the beginning of the 1950s and only...

Mango in “The Gift” Short Story by R. F. Ramirez

It should be noted that in “The Gift” by Rosario Ferré, several social issues are addressed, ranging from patriarchy and racism to institutional corruption and indoctrination. Puerto Rico serves as an ideal framework to assess and analyze the vast differences between the poor and the rich, which is the result...

Character Sketch of Dr. Jekyll

“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...

“The Baron in the Trees” by Italo Calvino

Annotated Bibliography Abbot, H. P. The Cambridge Introduction to Narrative. NY: Cambridge University Press, 2008. The book explores the features of the narrative, its perception by the reader, the authenticity and reliability of the narrative, and the interpretative nature of the narrative as a whole phenomenon. This work is important for...

Afghan Women in Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns

Those who read The Kite Runner expected from the author another inspiring story about male friendship but received a heartbreaking novel about the women of Afghanistan. Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns was first published in 2007 and immediately received positive feedback (Dhakal 229). The story represents the period from...

The Book “Brain on Fire” by Susannah Cahalan

Author’s Main Message Brain on Fire – My Month of Madness touches on several important themes related to mental illness and the treatment process. Susannah Cahalan writes about the love and care demonstrated by her parents and her boyfriend, Stephen, which were vital for her recovery. She exposes the unprofessionalism...

“The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” Poem by T. S. Eliot

The poem “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” by T. S. Eliot is one of the most prominent examples of 20th-century postmodern poetry. Most significantly within the framework of the analysis of this work is what means the author used to convey the meaning. In particular, the reader may...

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

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

Sonnet 116 by William Shakespeare

Like many other sonnets by William Shakespeare, sonnet number 116 has no title of its own and is named after the first line: “Let me not to the marriage of true minds.” This sonnet rejects the theme of love, which is regularly encountered in the works of the author. In...

“On the Run” by Alice Goffman

Introduction ‘On The Run’ is a book released in 2014 by Alice Goffman; it is the most potent piece of ethnography. The narrative of how it came to be is almost as fascinating as the story at the center of the literature. This is a description of some of the...

Domesticity in Narrative “I” from Kincaid’s “Girl”

In addition to the fact that Jamaica Kincaid’s short story “Girl” consists of one sentence, the reader should never forget about the number of lessons the author tries to share. This narrative presents the evaluation of multiple issues that fulfill human life and the life of young girls in particular....

Utopias and Dystopias in Literature

Depictions of imaginary ideal societies, as well as the critiques thereof, are a popular genre and staple of world culture, including literature. One may reasonably argue that the difference between utopia and dystopia is in the eye of the beholder, as it ultimately depends on one’s ideas of a perfect...

“Killers of the Flower Moon” by David Grann: Plot, Main Idea, and Characters

The author, David Grann, presents his understanding of the relationship between the United States government and the Native Americans. He explains that the adverse treatment of the Native Americans was driven by the jealousy the government had for them. The United States government saw all the wealth the Osage tribe...

Comparison Between “Young Goodman Brown” and “Rip Van Winkle”

Young Goodman Brown and Rip Van Winkle both tell stories of family men, of which each starts their story as one person and becomes completely different by the end of it. The two stories are written in different narrations and settings; however, they have something in common. While it may...

Complex Claim: “Sonnet 18” by William Shakespeare

Sonnet 18 is one of Shakespeare’s most famous and best-known works. Some people like this poem because of the opening romantic phrase: ”Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day” (Shakespeare line 1). Every avid romanticist knows by heart this comparative metaphor and uses this literary comparison towards their beloved....

Willson’s “Fences”: Where Masculinity Is Born

August Wilson’s Fences is a play built on the difficulties of understanding the characters. It concentrates on the characters’ ideas of right and wrong, honor and dignity, and how to live life. Strong male characters are revealed in Troy, the main character, and his son Cory, who transcends the fences...

Moral Catastrophe in “Les Misérables”

Introduction The moral concept of Les Miserables corresponds to Hugo’s view of life as a continuous alternation of light and darkness. Hugo raises the theme of crime as one of the terrible vices faced by the characters. Is it possible to justify a crime that is entirely in the throes...

“Joy” by Smith and “Peculiar Benefits” by Gay: Comparative Analysis

Certainly, for a better understanding of any information, one should not only describe or analyze but also compare. Thus, two essays were selected for the current analysis, which would be analyzed and compared in the context of its genre, choice of authors, and conventions. Primarily, one should note that the...

The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark: Analysis

William Shakespeare and his works occupy an honorary place in world literature. At the same time, the play The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, briefly referred to as Hamlet, is one of the most famous. The plot reveals complex themes of revenge, mortality, deception, madness, and other issues. The...

Edwidge Danticat’s “Brother, I’m Dying” Themes

Introduction In her memoir published in 2007, Edwidge Danticat tries to gather the whole picture of her broken family’s life: when Edwidge was four, her mother left the children with their uncle in Haiti to join her father in New York. At the age of twelve, Edwidge reunited with her...

Analysis of “Native Son” Story by Richard Wright

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...

“The Butcher’s Tale” by Helmut Walser Smith

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

Lon Po Po Analysis and Comparison

Even though Red Riding Hood’s tale is universally recognizable, it has many versions that have both shared and different features. Its Chinese variant, Lon Po Po, can be considered the most distinguishing interpretation of the familiar idea. Thus, the essay will comment on what differences and similarities Lon Po Po...

Sin and Punishment in Dante’s Poem “Inferno”

Introduction Notably, Dante discusses how souls are tormented, implying a symbolic link between sin and punishment. He intended to illustrate the concept of damnation and present examples of individuals suffering damnation as a result of the way they lived and the choices they made; ways and choices that were violent,...

Angelitos Negros by Andres Eloy Blanco Review

The United States is a country rich in cultural diversity and differences in ethnic communities, due to this fact, it has repeatedly faced racial, ethnic, confessional and social problems, which are still perceived very acutely in our time. Discrimination, racial segregation, racism, nationalism led to acute social conflicts, which in...

Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily”: Analysis of the Plot

A plot is a series of events in a story. The plot in the short story “A Rose for Emily ” is well–developed. A plot must be chronological or non-chronological; chronological means the events happened in order of their occurrence. Non-Chronological implies that there were regressions into the past from...

Feminist “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

The Yellow Wallpaper enlightens the reader about women’s health, motherhood, mental disorders, and treatment. This story is about feminism and gender relations in America at the end of the XIX century. Although many details have changed, the story is semi-autobiographical. The author relies on her health crisis, particularly her fraught...

Emotional Trauma in “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien

My topic is the emotional trauma described in The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien. My main point is that the physical belongings of the soldiers depicted in the book represent their emotional states and priorities. I argue that the author depicts each item to reveal exact traumas American soldiers...

Anthony Anaxagorou’s Text Message Poetry Explanation

Anaxagorou’s poem Text Message is about the changes in the contemporary world, more so those brought about by technology. The persona, who is living in the modern world, describes how things have transformed and the resultant effect on humans and the entire ecosystem. For instance, the use of information technologies...

Absence in War by Candlelight by Daniel Alarcon

In his story, Daniel Alarcon, raises an important topic and conveys the secret of all immigrants from disadvantaged countries. The author says: “leaving is no problem. It’s exciting actually; in fact, it’s a drug. It’s the staying gone that will kill you. This is the handed-down wisdom of the immigrant.”...

Critical Analysis of Lu Xan’s Madman’s Diary

A Madman’s Diary is a story written by a Chinese author in 1918. The story is divided into two parts – the introduction written by the author serves as a short preface. The second part contains excerpts from the diary the author’s friend led during the exacerbation of his mental...

Plot, Tone, and Themes in Lorraine Hansberry’s “A Raisin in the Sun”

In 1959, a play by the writer Lorraine Hansberry, A Raisin in the Sun, was successfully staged for the first time on Broadway. This play was chosen as a research subject due to its importance for the theater industry and the overall American culture. This work combines well all significant...

The Wars by Timothy Findley: A Novel Analysis

The Wars, written by Timothy Findley in 1977, is a novel that narrates the personal experiences of a young Canadian soldier amid World War I. As the narrative opens, we are introduced to Robert Ross. Following the tragic loss of his sister, Rowena, he decided to enroll in the army....

Geoffrey Chaucer: The Master of Popular Poetry

Geoffrey Chaucer is an extremely famous English poet from the 14th century best known for his “Canterbury Tales.” This work of poetry depicts several pilgrims traveling to the town of Canterbury, which was a very important holy place in Medieval England. Travelers belong to all walks of life and, in...

“A Clockwork Orange”: Alex’s Character Evolution

In the novel “A Clockwork Orange” by Anthony Burgess, the narration is conducted on behalf of a difficult teenager Alex. He and his friends rob, rape, and arrange brutal reprisals. At the same time, he describes all the actions in an ordinary tone, as if nothing is happening. During one...

Sappho’s and Egyptian Love Poems

Sappho’s Poems Sappho was a poet and a singer whose works were meant to be sung and accompanied by music. In one of her most famous poems, “Fragment 31,” Sappho uses imagery, such as “sweet speaking” and “lovely laughing,” to describe the narrator’s fascination with the woman observed from a...

Father-Son Relationship in Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” Play

Often children respect and honor their parents even after they have passed. In many movies, for instance, Disney movies, a child’s motivation is a result of their parent(s) passing and that becomes their new reason to keep them going. Another example of this is when a child grows up with...

“Beauty and the Beast”: Similar Fairytales in Europe and Asia

Fairytales are universal human creations that exist not only to amuse children but also to amaze adults and transmit the wisdom of distant generations. Indeed, each fairytale is unique in the matter of its characters and details of the narrative. However, certain themes are common for multiple people around the...

The “Christ in Concrete” Novel by Pietro di Donato

The novel Christ in Concrete, written by Pietro di Donato in 1939, tells the story of construction workers. The book shocks the audience with its straightforwardness and leaves a deep imprint. The first chapter of the novel is called Geremio and describes the death of this character and his coworkers...

Hypocrisy in “The Death of Ivan Ilyich” by Leo Tolstoy

The works of Russian classical literature have gained a great deal of popularity around the world over many years. Their main characteristic is the stimulation of intense, often ambiguous feelings in the reader, which make him think. Leo Tolstoy’s “The Death of Ivan Ilyich” was just such an example. The...

Humor and Its Purposes in Literature

Introduction Humor in literature and art can be characterized as a kind of tendency, the desire to evoke a laughing reaction from the audience. Initially, it seems that the humorous presentation of information, the description of comic situations, is aimed at entertaining the audience, arousing positive emotions in it, and...