Friendship and Good Life in “Song of Myself” Poem by Walt Whitman

The poem “Song of Myself” is an epic work of literature as the poet dedicates it to celebrating himself. An interesting aspect of the poem is its length and its free verse nature. It is divided into fifty-two sections, with each part introducing a slightly new concept about celebrating oneself...

Female Agency in 19th and 20th Century Literature

Introduction The problem of female agency and the constraints that patriarchy has placed on it became particularly prominent in the West in the late 19th-early 20th century. Due to the pressure of sociocultural, as well as socioeconomic and sociopolitical changes, the opportunity for women to add potency, urgency, and convincingness...

Loneliness and Emptiness in “Desert Places” Poem by Robert Frost

Introduction The poem “Desert Places” by Robert Frost depicts the speaker’s lonely mind in a deserted place, resonating with the current times; the inevitable return of depression and universal human loneliness. The poet uses simple vocabulary, “the loneliness includes me unawares,” which underestimates the actual extreme loneliness of human beings...

“The Broken Spears”: The Spanish Conquest of the Aztecs

“The Broken Spears” is a fascinating and captivating book that provides an engaging and graphical account of the annihilation of Mexico by the Spanish. The book provides a more expressive and human perspective of the events of the military confrontation between the Spanish and Aztecs (Leon-Portilla 1992). This literary text...

Amy Tan’s Reflections on English Varieties in ‘Mother Tongue’

Summary of Text: In her article “Mother tongue,” Amy Tan shares her views on different forms of English and their impact on the life of people, especially immigrants. She raises the problem of the limitations of their activities connected with the language barrier (Tan, 1990). In the article, Amy describes...

“The Year of Magical Thinking” by Joan Didion

How the setting (time and place of the novel’s events) has impacted the beginning of the plot The plot and course of the story are significantly shaped by the initial events of time and place. The author, Joan Didion, and her late husband, John Didion head to the hospital to...

The Meaning of Fairy Tales in Adult Life

Children love fairy tales, which is not surprising as books contain worldly wisdom, allowing them to find a way out of many life situations and in an accessible form explaining the structure of this world. Many of the world-famous fairy tales were initially written for adult readers. Only transformed and...

Langston Hughes’ Poem “Dream Deferred”

Poetry often has a way of reaching into the deepest elements of the human soul to expose the underlying natural desires and emotions that are frequently otherwise suppressed in ‘polite’ society. It does this by both appealing specifically to human emotion and by remaining sufficiently general to have broad common...

Love in Shakespeare’s Sonnets 141 to 145

William Shakespeare is one of the most prominent figures in world literature whose characters and imagery are still popular. His plays are staged and screened in many countries, while his sonnets are widely read and recited. William Shakespeare focused on diverse topics in his literary works, but his sonnets are...

Independent Child Hero in Coraline Novel by Gaiman

Introduction The book Coraline mainly focuses on courage among children, as depicted by Neil Gaiman. Neil Gaiman’s children’s novel, Coraline, is about a tale of a child and mother, belonging, and the variances between reality and fantasy. After Coraline moved into a new apartment located in a remote area, she...

The History Behind “On Being Brought From Africa to America”

In the Poem “On Being Brought from Africa to America” by Phillis Wheatley, an in-depth interpretation will show that Wheatley contrasts dark vs. light imagery, and her use of language highlights race and religion. Furthermore, the author uses an ambivalent representation of the African race using the perspectives of white...

Who Is the Monster, or Who Are the Monsters, in Frankenstein by Mary Shelley?

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is a good representation of human evils in literature. The main question concerned is who should be considered a monster: creative insane scientists or people around us. It is difficult to emphasize black and white characters because the situation differs from the classical villain-hero scenario. Each character...

Viciousness in “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson

Set in a village background, Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” illustrates the height of human potential to execute violence, although, it is depicted as ritual practices, tradition, and community order. The story reflects the society of the ancient time, but it has remained relevant even to today’s society. Through the use...

Walt Whitman as a Democratic Symbol

Introduction Walt Whitman was a poet that changed it all for the field of poetry across the United States and beyond its borders. He did not identify himself with any other poet while also conveying the idea that an ideal poet should never stay above anyone else. Walt Whitman’s audacity...

The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant Reflection

“The Necklace” is a short narrative by Guy de Maupassant that largely focuses on Mathilde’s life. The story has been used to educate people about the different issues they experience in society. Mathilde is a pretty and charming woman born in a middle-class family. Although Mathilde is adorable, she does...

The Boston Massacre. Historical Documents

While both documents are historical accounts of the Boston Massacre on March 5th, 1770, there are significant differences in the narratives. Unarguably, bias and political motivations are present in both, but from what is known by historians, Captain Preston’s account is more accurate. First, the description of the massacre itself...

Harlem Renaissance. Langston Hughes’ and Claude McKay’s Poems

Langston Hughes and Claude McKay are prominent representatives of the dawn of African American culture in the first half of the twentieth century. Harlem Renaissance was a powerful movement that shaped African American literature and aimed at reinforcing the racial bias. Despite leaving a mark in American poetry and being...

Three Waves of Feminism in Cunningham’s “The Hours” Novel

Introduction The Hours by Michael Cunningham is a novel, which follows and describes a day from three women’s lives. The main characters are Virginia Woolf, Laura Brown, and Clarissa Vaughn. The actions of these women take place during different timelines and locations. Virginia Woolf is an author who is writing...

Letter from Birmingham Jail – Summary & Analysis

The “Letter from Birmingham Jail” was authored by Martin Luther King (1963) while in custody. King references the church leaders as the audience in the first paragraph of the letter. In the article, the clergy term King as a sheer outsider who instigated the demonstrations. In the letter, King uses...

“The Necklace” by Guy De Maupassant: Character Portrayal

Introduction Guy De Maupassant’s story, The Necklace is an example of how a writer uses various characters to develop the plot of the story leaving an everlasting memory on the reader. This essay will focus and determine Mathilde’s character as portrayed in the story The Necklace by Guy De Maupassant....

Cisneros’ “Mericans” and Okita’s “In Response to Executive Order 9066” Stories

The short stories “Mericans” by Sandra Cisneros and “In Response to Executive Order 9066: All Americans of Japanese Descent Must Report to Relocation Centers” by Dwight Okita develop a common theme of cultural differences. Specifically, the differences experienced between the American culture and the home cultures of the protagonists. The...

The Concept of Fairness in the Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale”

Justice, equality, and fairness are the ideals people from different cultures in different parts of the world have always aspired to achieve. They are the values that not only have inspired people to speak up and fight against oppression, cruelty, discrimination, and abuse but also encouraged innovation and progress, bringing...

Poetry as Art: The Faber Book of Beasts

This essay builds on the belief that poetry as art is one of the most intense forms, combining the traditions of the past with innovation. In fact, it is common for authors to imitate idols, but for a poem to be socially and culturally relevant, it must bring something new...

Review of “Young Goodman Brown” Book

An American writer Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote “Young Goodman Brown.” The story’s setting is 17th century New England, which was predominantly Puritan. Hawthorne bases his work on the criticism of puritanism and its central premise that all people are responsible for the original sin. “Young Goodman Brown” is a literary criticism...

“A Vindication of the Rights of Women” and “The Subjection of Women”

Modern people are said to live in a democratic and equal world, but it has not always been free of negative issues. It is challenging to deny that women experienced much discrimination a few centuries ago. Society considered them inferior to men, and it created numerous problems for females. Various...

Mrs. Hale in “Trifles” by Susan Glaspell

Introduction Mrs. Hale is the protagonist of Susan Glaspell’s Trifles, and her actions as such constitute the main driving force of the plot. She is involved in both person vs. person and person vs. society conflicts, as she opposes patriarchy on an individual level and then realizes the need for...

James Joyce’s “Ulysses”: Literary Analysis

Introduction Ulysses is a novel by James Joyce, which was published in 1922. This work of classic 20th century Irish literature is known as the Bible of Modernism, and it became a unique phenomenon in the history of the English-language novel. The theme of the novel is one day from...

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

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

Themes of Oppression and Imperialism in Literature

Joseph Conrad wrote the “Heart of Darkness” to portray a Congo River journey during colonial times. The “Heart of Darkness” shares themes of oppression and imperialism with “The Epic of Gilgamesh” and “The Tempest.” Oppression can be defined as an act of treating a person with no respect for their...

“The House of Mirth” by Edith Wharton

In her book “The House of Mirth”, Edith Wharton addresses several values that play an important role in the society of those days. One of the values, she discusses in detail and from different angles, is the value of responsibility to family and marriage. In the following paper, the influence...

“Twelve Years a Slave” Book by Solomon Northup

Slavery and racial discrimination are the two ugliest forms of human interaction. Unfortunately, for a long period in history, they had been an integral part of society and determined relations between different groups of people. However, the evolution of human thought and the rise of humanistic values created the basis...

Twain’s and Hemingway’s Short Stories Comparison

A short story is an impactful and fundamental literature genre, as it utilizes essential stylistic qualities to convey a message. “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place” is a short story by Ernest Hemingway about a late night at a cafe where an old man is drinking. The plot centers around the discussion...

“Theatre 6” by Sarah Hall

Introduction It might be difficult for people to openly discuss the moral dilemmas that can cause one to choose between abiding by the law and helping others. The story that is described in this essay discusses this issue by placing the reader out of his or her comfort zone and...

“Jupiter and Io” by Ovid

Introduction In his poems, which Ovid wrote while being inspired by Roman folklore, he demonstrated the entire mythology of his time. In addition, the author also managed to illustrate through the prism of poetry the life of the people around him. Even though many of his characters are gods, they...

Rites of Spring: The Great War and the Birth of the Modern Age

Introduction In his acclaimed book Rites of Spring: The Great War and the Birth of the Modern Age, Modris Eksteins manages to examine the realities of the Great War from various perspectives, including a combination of historical and cultural considerations. The author explores diplomatic relationships prominent in Europe at the...

Communication in Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man Is Hard to Find”

Introduction Flannery O’Connor wrote probably the cruelest and piercing stories in American literature. They addressed a wide range of social topics and revealed peoples hidden tools and behavioral motivation. In “A Good Man Is Hard to Find”, the development of characters is described adequately through the prism of communication to...

Leitmotif of Women Empowerment in Kate Chopin’s Works

Introduction Kate Chopin was a well-known American novelist and short story writer who was born in the late 1800s. She is considered one of the founders of feminist ideas. Even though at the end of the nineteenth century, this movement was only in a state of formation and was widely...

Theme of Religion in “Salvation” by Langston Hughes

The “Salvation,” a short story by Langston Hughes, describes a young boy’s journey of searching for religion and redemption, which eventually ends unachievable. The boy abandons his pursuit for religion after realizing that the physical deliverance which he is looking for cannot be apprehended easily. The narrator loses hope after...

The Story “The Interpreter of Maladies” by Jhumpa Lahiri

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

Tennyson’s “Charge of the Light Brigade” and Wilmot’s “The Disabled Debauchee”

Alfred Lord Tennyson’s “Charge of the Light Brigade” and John Wilmot’s “The Disabled Debauchee” are two pieces of poetry belonging to different eras and styles. The poems have little in common, diverging in the most fundamental aspects. The first text is written in the nineteenth century to celebrate heroic deeds,...

A “Moment of Grace” in the Works of O’Connor

The fiction of Flannery O’Connor is known for its connection to the concept of grace. Its representation is widely discussed and compared to the Christian notions expressed in the Bible (Galloway 13). Nevertheless, there are specific peculiarities in the way the author employs this technique to demonstrate problems. Hence, a...

Differences Between Poetry and Prose

Introduction Differences between poetry and prose are highly noticeable even for people who are not knowledgeable in the forms of writing. The most obvious difference between prose and poetry lays in their structures – while poetry may be regarded as properly structured, the prose is more free and natural. Rhythm,...

“Joyas Voladoras” by Brian Doyle: How to Achieve Life Goals

Introduction Writers and artists employ different tools, techniques, and literary devices to pass the intended message to the readers. Individuals should follow such works in an effort to acquire additional insights and relate them to some of the challenges they might encounter in their lives. While analysts and scholars will...

Parenting in Lapine’s Play Into the Wood

Introduction Parenthood is one of the central elements of personality socialization, which lays the child’s primary skills in communication and interaction with the environment. For this reason, it is so important to provide effective and pedagogical education and training that stimulates the child’s successful and harmonious development. Otherwise, a parent...

“The Iliad” as a Primary Source for Historians

Any science is based on the analysis of evidence regarding diverse phenomena, individuals, or events. Historians try to unveil the secrets of the past by extracting information from different types of sources, including specific objects, documents, pictures, people’s accounts, and even literary works. Although the literature is associated with fictional...

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Jane Austen authored the title Pride and Prejudice in 1797 for ten months. However, the novel was published in 1813. To help in her writing, Jane Austen used personal experiences of the happenings during that era as the story describes the middle-class life in England. Jane Austen hails from a...

Phoenix in “A Worn Path” Story by Eudora Welty

“A Worn Path” is a story about the self-sacrifice and courage of vulnerable people in the name of a loved one. Written almost 80 years ago, the narrative remains relevant until now. The current paper claims that “A Worn Path” describes a feat that is minor in the context of...

“Love, I’m Done with You” by Ross Gay: A Poem Analysis

Love, I’m Done with You by Ross Gay shows the poet’s feelings after escaping from his partner. He realizes how wretched their relationship was and everything he liked about his beloved was an illusion. Gay sees all the flaws of his partner, which he did not pay attention to before....

Alexie’s “What You Pawn I Will Redeem”

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

The Novel “Hoot” by Carl Hiaasen: Domestic and Adventure Fiction Traits

American fiction has a plethora of notable representatives whose works left a significant mark in the genre. It would be reasonable to claim that Carl Hiaasen is among these writers. Hence, his books might always be considered as a relevant and pertinent theme to discuss. Plenty of scholars have recognized...

Pursuit of Daisy Buchanan in Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby”

Reasons Why The Pursuit of Daisy Buchanan Was Justified “Great Gatsby” is a novel written by F.S. Fitzerald and published in 1925. The book follows the narrator as he enters the world of the American socialite after returning from war and meets the eponymous main character. Jay Gatsby gained his...

Claudia Rankine: Biography and Works

Introduction Nowadays, more and more poets are starting to experiment with the possibilities of language. For example, some of them mix prose and poetry or create new genres in literature. Undoubtedly, the genre diversity and the formation of new departments of literature is a significant part of modern writing, but...

“Lusus Naturae” by Margaret Atwood

“Lusus Naturae” by Margaret Atwood describes an unknown creature that everyone renounces at first glance. It is a girl with specific congenital syndromes that make her appearance strange and intimidating. The author uses Point of View (PV) to describe characters and set up a plot in which the main character...

The “Sula” Novel by Toni Morrison

Introduction In the middle of the 1900s, the United States of America survived hard times when racism, poverty, and inequality shaped human standards. There are many literary works where authors tried to share their opinions and describe specific situations, conflicts, and lessons. One of them is Sula, a novel written...

Personification in the Works of Robert Frost, William Blake, and Thomas Wolfe

In Robert Frost’s poem “Out, Out”, personification plays a significant role. The poet deliberately gives the saw human qualities to impress the reader, for example, it “leaped out at the boy’s hand” (Frost 30, line 16). This effect is used to show the strong intention of the saw to hurt...

A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Literature has always been a tool used by authors to attract people’s attention to a particular aspect of their lives of problems topical for society. At the same time, some issues have always been topical for communities because of their universal character. These include love, relations, faith, morals, and values...

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

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

Who or What Is Responsible for Romeo and Juliet’s Deaths?

Romantic love stories typically end with a blissful moment, but it is not the case in Romeo and Juliet, the author of which preferred a tragedy rather than a happy ending. William Shakespeare puts a different vision of a love story by writing his most famous play Romeo and Juliet....

Analysis of the “Odyssey” by Homer

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

Viewpoint and Narration in Lusus Naturae by Atwood

The concept of the point of view in the narrative is useful in evaluating and critiquing stories. Each author selects it depending on different factors. This essay seeks to use the point of view to evaluate the story Lusus Naturae by Margaret Atwood, a tale of an outcast with whom...

The Snake in Hurston’s Short Story “Sweat”

Introduction The Sweat transitions enormously when Bertha is introduced in the story. Sykes is committed to having her put up with Della as a concubine. Delia is not ready to allow another woman to have the resources she has labored to buy. She resists, and in the event, the two...

Shelley’s Frankenstein: The Monster’s Description

The story of Frankenstein and his creation has been popular for many years. It was a base for movies, and the monster character was included in many other stories. This is not surprising since this monster is ambiguous and arouses many feelings and emotions. Many contradictions exist in this monster,...

‘The Things They Carried’ by Tim O’Brien: Reflection

War is a central theme in books of numerous authors, and Tim O’Brien is no exception to the rule. What makes him stand out from the rest is the source of information he uses and the way he presents the war. Being a war veteran, O’Brien writes about his personal...

White Slave Owners and the Tyranny of Slavery in Phillis Wheatley’s Poetry

Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral is the first published volume of poetry written by an African-American author Phillis Wheatley (Mulder et al.). Published in 1773, Wheatley had an opportunity to speak out on the tyranny she and her race faced from day to day. Without any fear, she...

Bidpai’s “The Camel and His Friends” Story Analysis

Lying at the crossroads between a children’s story and a part of the folklore-related legacy of a specific ethnicity, fables have a very special place in literature. With recurring characters and basic yet important life lessons to offer to their readers, fables serve as a shorthand for conveying important messages...

The Book “A Vindication of the Rights of Woman” by Mary Wollstonecraft

Introduction Mary Wollstonecraft, an 18th-century British author and philosopher, was among the first people who openly drew the public’s attention to women’s rights in society. Her fundamental work, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, explores several important topics, and education is one of them. The situation in this regard...

Hamlet’s Universality and Contemporary Cultural Discourse

Measuring the literary value of a text is a complex process. The worth of a piece of literature to human civilization is a notion that, for instance, the postmodernist worldview negates, as well as the need for literary idols. Nevertheless, some texts became deeply ingrained in social consciousness as those...

“Murder on the Orient Express” by Agatha Christie: Interpretation

Setting The first part of the book focuses mainly on the theme of identity and introducing the characters. The identity of the main character, Poirot, is not presented in the first chapters. Perhaps, the author used this method to emphasize his detective capabilities instead of merely stating his talent. Poirot...

Analysis of “We Are the Animals” by Justin Torres

Justin Torres debut novel We are the Animals is a rather excellent book, transforming the cruelness of upbringing and life events into an adventurous journey. Such a combination brought the novel popularity amongst contemporary readers, providing an escape from reality. The story is centered on three brothers whose childhood in...

“Fleabag”: A British Novel by Phoebe Waller-Bridge

Fleabag is a British novel that was written by Phoebe Waller-Bridge in 2013. Subsequently, the book was screened in the film of the same name, in which the writer played the primary role. The plot describes Fleabag’s daily life, whose non-trivial behavioral pattern leads to dramatic and comic episodes. A...

Frost’s “The Road Not Taken” and the Importance of Decision-Making

Many people do not even imagine how they are dependent on decisions they make, either it is a necessity to wear a new suit or an intention to get married. Decision-making may be a serious topic for discussion at a different age, and Robert Frost was one of the American...

“Invisible Man” by Ralph Ellison

Stylistic convergence is an essential component in any prosaic text system and serves as the most indicative means for expressing the author’s feelings and emotions. Expression with the joint use of individual stylistic devices is superimposed on the interpretation of another, and the overall stylistic effect as a result of...

“Jazz” by Toni Morrison

Introduction Any literature masterpiece is composed of numerous layers and themes, which supplement each other and give it new tones and accents. One can read a book looking for some evident events and the plot lying on the surface. However, this approach will not ensure a profound understanding of the...

“A Lesson Before Dying” by Ernest J. Gaines

From ancient history to modern days, people have worshipped heroes. Whether they were living or dead, fictional or real, those extraordinary individuals inspired others to be better. In A Lesson Before Dying, Ernest J. Gaines explores the theme of heroes in a seemingly brief, but significant way. The novel’s plot...

Analysis of the Short Story “A&P” by John Updike

Introduction “A&P” is a short story written by John Updike, an American novelist, poet, and literary critic. The story was initially published in 1961 in The New Yorker. Updike tells the story of Sammy, a nineteen-year-old working in a small-town grocery store. The central conflict in the plot revolves around...

Prisoner on the Hell Planet by Art Spiegelman

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

The Justification of Hamlet’s Revenge on Claudius

The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark is the most recognized play written by William Shakespeare and one of the most influential works in the history of world literature. The issue of revenge is the central theme of Shakespeare’s play, which concerns the main confrontation of two protagonists, Hamlet, and...

“Barn Burning” by William Faulkner

Introduction Barn Burning is a masterpiece short story by William Faulkner set in the late 19th century in the white plantations in the south. The narrative revolves around highlighting social classes characterized by a huge gap between the rich and the poor. Class conflicts in the south were relevant discussion...

The Theme of Transitioning into Adulthood in “Spirited Away” by Hayao Miyazaki and “Spring Awakening” by Frank Wedekind

Introduction Contrary to popular belief, childhood is definitely not an easy period in human life. This time is characterized by many qualitative changes in the child’s physiology and consciousness, and their worldview’s serious reconstruction. In other words, in late childhood, the individual unconsciously prepares for adult life to become part...

“The Man He Killed” by Thomas Hardy

The poem I chose for this essay is “The Man He Killed” by Thomas Hardy. It was written in 1902, and published at the time of the Second Boer War between the British Empire and combined forces of the South African Republic and the Orange Free State. The poem examines...

“Mr. Fox” by Helen Oyeyemi: Violence Against Women

Introduction Mr. Fox is one of the many novels written by Helen Oyeyemi. Through a set of short stories, the author explores a variety of different topics; however, the subject of violence against women seems to be the most prevalent. The issue is identified in the very beginning with the...

The Lesson by Bambara: Summary of a Short Story

The injustice of life is widely spread across the world and throughout time. Poverty and disparity are the critical elements of societal distress, and numerous national and ideological attempts have been made in order to eliminate societal and financial inequalities. However, most of these attempts have failed to exempt people...

“Uncle Tom’s Cabin” by Stowe

Introduction What if someone told you, that the Civil War was started by a simple book? Uncle Tom’s Cabin or Life Among the Lowly was written by the American author Harriet Beecher Stowe, who was a teacher and prominent abolitionist. Published in 1852, the novel gained widespread popularity and became...

Author’s Microcosm in “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan

Although Amy Tan’s “Mother Tongue” is a fairly short story, it manages to wrap the reader completely in its narrative and recreate the microcosm of the author’s life by using a myriad of intricate details. Tan incorporates quite many descriptive details in the text, primarily, adjectives and adverbs, to add...

The Issue of Identity in “Proof” by David Auburn

Published in 2000, a winner of Pulitzer Prize and multiple awards, Proof by David Auburn is a profound masterly written play that examines the issues of identity, the borderlines of genius and madness, sanity and instability, a correlation between logical mathematical proof and the emotional proof of human relationships, love,...

Acquainted with the Night by Frost: Writing Techniques

Introduction “Acquainted with the Night” is a poem written by an American poet, Robert Frost. He is a famous figure in the literary world because there are no other poets except for him who managed to receive four Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry. In this essay, the answer to the question...

Objectivism in “Anthem” Novella by Ayn Rand

The novella Anthem by Ayn Rand describes the dystopian strange world, where everything is subdued to the wills of the society. There is no place for personal interests or for your own feelings. The society is of the main priority and no one is allowed to go against it. The...

Hamlet as an Enjoyable and Exuberant Play

Introduction William Shakespeare was a renowned English writer, poet and dramatist. Shakespeare had a number of plays to his credit. Also, his works influenced quite a number of writers such as Charles Dickens, Herman Melville and a host of others. (Charles 602) This essay will focus on pointing out how...

“They Shut Me Up in Prose” by Emily Dickinson

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

Two Passages From ‘The Devil on the Cross’ by Ngugi

First passage In this passage Wariinga who is the main protagonist in this play talks about her material and emotional problems. In this case, it can be argued that Wariinga had been abandoned by her lover, which resulted in her emotional problems. From the passage, it can be argued that...

“Sitt Marie Rose” by Etel Adnan

The majority of people view other cultures from the perspective of their own one, which can partially be referred to as ethnocentrism. When it comes to such cultures as the Lebanese one, ethnocentrism is peculiar to almost all the people who regard modern society as equal and non-discriminatory. Sitt Marie...

‘The Right Stuff’ Book by Tom Wolfe

Tom Wolf in his book ‘The Right Stuff’ 1979 attempts to talk about the commitment of the pilots in US postwar research with the experimental speed-planes. The title, The Right Stuff dwells around the idea of having the right stuff. Wolfe also documents the tales of the initial development of...

Character Analysis in Mark Twain’s Works

Introduction By portraying the relationship between a young white boy {Huck} and a black slave {Jim} – a relationship that sees the racially prejudiced suspicion of the former dissolve and replaced by a warm friendship with the black slave – Mark Twain does well to depict the gross injustice of...

Themes and Styles in Anne Bradstreet’s Poems

Introduction The three poems by Anne Bradstreet, namely: In Honor of That High and Mighty Princess Queen Elizabeth of Happy Memory, To the Memory of My Dear and Ever Honored Father Thomas Dudley Esq. Who deceased, July 31, and of his age 71, and Contemplations have a number of elements...

J. Austen’s “Sense and Sensibility” Review

The novel Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austin depicts love relations through the lens of the 19th-century ideology and social philosophy of life. To some extent, Austin idealizes love and romantic feelings portraying passion and pre-marriage arrangements. The plot of Sense and Sensibility develops through a set of sub-elements, both...

Creation Myth of the Iroquois Analysis

Every culture on Earth has developed some form of creation myth to explain how they came to be and how they were placed in their environment. This myth typically explains how the land they stand on was formed, how the creatures and plants on this land were made and how...

“The Color Purple” by Alice Walker

Introduction Learning is the process that determines the further life of every single human being. The more knowledge you have, the stronger you are in all respects. Here, knowledge does not necessarily refer to the scholarly knowledge as such. It encompasses all the possible spheres of the life experience including...

Traditions of Magical Realism in Juan Rulfo’s Short Novel Pedro Paramo

Juan Rulfo’s short novel Pedro Paramo is one of the most eminent Latin American works in literature along with novels by Marquez and Borges. In this respect, the analysis of the novel gives a specific evaluation of it in terms of the traditions of magical realism. The reality which is...

“Mimsy Were the Borogoves” by Lewis Padgett

The short story Mimsy Were the Borogoves, written by Henry Cutter and Catherine Moore, has always been considered as one of the most prominent examples of American science fiction. The main reason, why this novella attracts so much attention of critics is its deep symbolism, and intricate ideas, which the...

Breaking Free of Tradition. Poetry

Early American Poetry Poetic tradition in America followed that in Britain for nearly 200 years. The Puritan poets, like Anne Bradstreet and Edward Taylor, likened their work to the British metaphysical poets, and followed in the footsteps of Milton, Spenser and Donne, among others. Their poetry was highly didactic, mostly...

“A Streetcar Named Desire” by Tennessee Williams

Tennessee Williams, is the author of the play ‘A Streetcar Named Desire,’ which was produced on Broadway in the year 1947. The play won many awards and was adapted to a film in 1951. The theme of the play is the decaying South and its arrogance, inability to accept truth...

The Theme of Change in Poetry

“Omnia mutabantur, mutantur, mutabuntur” as the Latin proverb has it. Antiquity has supplied us with perfect food for reflection since ancient literary sources are the treasury of wisdom, just as the sayings that have lived during centuries to supply humanity of the present with eternal wisdom. Everything changes. It is...

“Hills like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway: Problem of Choice

Introduction People usually appear before the choice: whether to do this or not, whether to go there or not, whether to stay with the person or to leave him/her. Analyzing the story “Hills like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway and imagining the conclusion of the story, three main developments may...

“The Beggar’s Opera” by John Gay

This essay will analyze the character of Captain Macheath from John Gay’s The Beggar’s Opera. The character analysis will pay particular attention to the multi-faceted nature of Macheath. Rather than adopting one position or another in plot and circumstance, Macheath drives the action of The Beggar’s Opera specifically by showing...

Coelho’s Biographical Representations in “The Alchemist”

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

“Nice Guys Can Get the Corner Office” by Edelman Russ

The Book, “Nice Guys Can Get the Corner Office” is a conflicting view of why being a nice guy in business and life has more benefits than what the conservative believes. Being a nice person is a fashioned thing in the modern world contrary to what the conservative has believed...

Socrates’ Belief About the Pursuit of Truths

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

A Pale View of Hills: The First Novel, Written by Kazuo Ishiguro

A Pale View of Hills is the first novel, written by a prominent English-speaking author, Kazuo Ishiguro. In this book, the novelist explores various themes, and this book can be analyzed from various perspectives, for example, the relationships between family members, the sense of alienation, the hardships, which many immigrants...

“1984” by G.Orwell, “Catch-22” by J.Heller Compared

Introduction Living in this world which is a complex of different processes influenced by people, it is difficult to understand for what people live, how they live. The most interesting thing is that this world is created by people also and people create everything they struggle against after. People create...

Characters in A Doll’s House Play by Henrik Ibsen

Introduction Henrik Ibsen’s play, A Doll’s House (1879) is mostly remembered for its heroine, Nora, slamming the door behind her as she abandons her husband and children to find herself. In this essay, however, Nora will be regarded as a secondary character because she reacts to people more than she...

Ahab from Moby Dick and Prospero from the Tempest

First of all, there is the necessity to explain the choice of the form of the essay and the choice of the characters that present nontrivial development of the comparative analysis of their characters. The work has the form of the panel discussion with two main participants, Ahab and Prospero....

Francois Voltaire’s “Candide, or Optimism”: Analysis of Satire

In the scope of classical literature, the writings of Francois Voltaire occupy a prominent position. Voltaire’s renowned shrewd outlook and sober judgment found reflection in his famous satire Candide, or Optimism – a book which, met with a scandal immediately after publication, has enjoyed great popularity for centuries due to...

Symbols and Metaphors in A Good Man Is Hard to Find

The story by Flannery O’Connor describes the particular event which was of terrific coloring. In this respect the term of murder is pointed out. The world of a man is not so easy to understand. Most of human beings are intended to believe in their righteousness more than to admit...

“Death of a Salesman,” Misinterpreting the Concept of the American Dream

The essence of human life consists in achieving something that others do not have, though most people are quite persistent in denying this fact. It is hard to argue with the conviction that striving to achieve more than the others gives hope which sustains life in a dreamer. This is...

Tragic Hero in A Death of a Salesman

The Death of a Salesman is play written by Arthur Miller that touches upon the analysis of the downfall of an ordinary man. The play submits a more democratic interpretation of the ancient form of the tragedy where the main hero is in decline since he harbors misconception pertaining to...

The Transition of a Woman in Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour”

“The Story of An Hour” by Kate Chopin (1894) tells us the transition of a woman from shock to grief to joy and then again to shock within a span of an hour or so. But it should be mentioned in the initial stages that there is no change of...

“Water for Elephants” by Sara Gruen

The book Water for Elephants by Sara Gruenn is full of rich accounts and actions. The reader is attracted into the vast arena of sideshows, elephants and ringmasters. One can also get experience about the conditions of nursing homes as also about old age. Indeed the book is remarkable in...

Stereotypes in Ortiz Cofer’s Essay

Discussion When you encounter the term “stereotype” you will remember an individual, or group of individuals being labeled in a prejudiced way either on the basis of race, ethnicity, or gender. When human beings are exposed to too many stereotypes, they make them eventually internalize and believe and conceive them...

“The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte P. Gilman

Charlotte Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” depicts the inner struggle of a woman unbalanced by post-partum depression, a problem for which even today’s doctors have no treatment. Her husband and brother are both doctors who have her best interest at heart but whose recommended rest cure is based on the accepted...

Women’s Role in “Top Girls” Play by Caryl Churchill

Caryl Churchill is the Playwright of the famous Play ‘Top Girls’ which captures a charming and amusing approach of some of the famous women in history and the role of women in contemporary society. The story has been described on the thematic structure of feminist ideas of women’s role in...

John Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath

John Steinbeck’s novel The Grapes of Wrath harshly criticizes American culture during the years of the dustbowls. He suggests the hardships of the people were driven not by the environmental factors as much as it was by the capitalistic fixation on economic profit regardless of the cost to the common...

“The Knight’s Tale” by Geoffrey Chaucer

In the history of the English literature Geoffrey Chaucer is undoubtedly the biggest poetic name up to Shakespeare, where the best of his works — “The Canterbury Tales” is certainly one of the greatest literary works of the English Middle Ages in which Renaissance features are clearly breaking through. The...

Analysis of Ferlinghetti’s A Vast Confusion

In a way, this poem is a verbal collage, a vast confusion of created mind images used to convey a mood, a message or just an observation. The poet uses images and sound, movement and symbols to tell us about what he believes. The poem reminds one of the short...

Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis Book I and II

Introduction The book Persepolis I and II, reflects on the life of Marjane Satrapi, an Iranian girl who fled to Vienna in Australia after the Islamic revolution in 1979. This occurred after the Iranian warfare augmented the government’s authority over its people. Satrapi’s parents saw the need to send their...

S. Armand’s Lesson and the Horror Genre

The key element in horror fiction is its ability to provoke fear or terror in readers with a sense of dread, unease, anxiety, or foreboding. A horror fiction may contain highly improbable and unexpected sequences of events that usually begin in ordinary situation and involve supernatural elements; explore dark, malevolent...

“The Boat” by Alistair MacLeod and “The Loons” by Margaret Laurence

Introduction While analyzing any work of literature, especially prose, it is of the crucial importance to give extra attention to the role of the narrator, because, the reader perceives the events through the eyes of this person. As a rule literary critics single out several types of story telling, like...

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

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

Education in “Mansfield Park” by Jane Austen

Introduction In the modern world today, the term education is viewed differently than in the past centuries. This versatile word today was limited only to one aspect, which is mostly meant the process of gathering information. However, education was considered. Differently, a statement the audience can authenticate reading novels that...

The Essay on Man and Candide: Character Analysis

Introduction The literature of the Enlightenment is generally of the great interest for the philosophers, researchers and simply for people keen on literature of that period. The Alexander Pope’s “Essay on the man” and Voltaire’s “Candide, or Optimism” are regarded as the satiric literature of the eighteenth century. Both are...

Good Wife Penelope in Homer’s “The Odyssey”

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...

Rita Dove: Analysis of Chosen Poems

Rita Dove was born in Ohio in 1952. Their family was neither rich nor poor and had four children. Rita’s father had a master’s degree and worked as a chemist for the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company in Akron. When she finished school she was put on the list of...

The Problem of Faith in Parables by Kafka and Nietzsche

Introduction The problem of faith is a rather controversial one. Different people have different views on what faith is. Some consider it to be a code of moral principles without which one cannot exist; others find faith a human’s failure to explain the life around. As long as humanity goes...

Big Brother in the “1984” Novel by George Orwell

Introduction In Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell explored the topic of governmental overreach and totalitarianism. The novel has been classified under the genre of dystopian political and social science fiction, which means that the themes explored by the author were characterized by a focus on the society that is contrary to...

“Gulliver’s Travels” Novel by Jonathan Swift

Gulliver’s Travels is the novel that became extremely fashionable as soon as it was issued (John Gay said in a 1726 letter to Swift that “it is universally read, from the cabinet council to the nursery”), and it is probable that it has never been out of print since then....

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

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

Father-Son Relationships in Barn Burning by William Faulkner

‘‘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...

Women in “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a 14th century poem by an unknown author, describing the adventures of the knight Sir Gawain, nephew of King Arthur. The work continues the tradition of Arthurian chivalric romances and most fully reveals Gawain as a character (Florschuetz 158). In addition to the...

Mateship in Australian Literature & History

Literature is rather a particular topic to write on because it presupposes that the person who writes on it has a profound knowledge not only of the topic he or she deals with but also has a great amount of background knowledge of a certain country’s history, culture customs, and...

Nora in “The Doll’s House” by Henrik Ibsen

Introduction Women in the Victorian period lived very different lives from women today. During this period, women began to question their allotted place in society as more and more opportunities opened for them in the urban centers of the country, providing them with a means of supporting themselves and freeing...

Ideas & Message in Pride and Prejudice: Reflection Essay

Pride and Prejudice: Reaction Paper Introduction Jane Austen is one of the most classical female authors in the Western literary canon, most famously known for her famous novel Pride and Prejudice. Originally published in 1813, this novel defines classic Regency fiction and is attributed to being a novel of manners,...

Benjamin Franklin vs. Jay Gatsby: Character Comparison

The Great Gatsby deal with contradictions present in a romantic figure, certain troubling discrepancies between appearance and reality which that figure reveals under critical scrutiny. The main character can be compared with Ben Franklin as he possesses the same qualities and virtues. Similar to Ben Franklin, Gatsby value knowledge and...

Themes of Feminism & Gender in A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen

The play, A Doll’s House by Henrik Johan Ibsen is one of the few literary works that openly fought for the rights of women in the 19th century at the time, when women were still considered inferior to men, especially in a family setting and in the corporate world (Farfan...

Giac Duyen in “The Tale of Kieu” by Nguyen Du: Character Analysis

Introduction The Tale of Kieu is a Vietnamese epic poem written by Nguyen Du in the early 19th century. The work has become a crucial part of Vietnamese literature, with many people believing that it holds great significance to the development of Vietnamese arts and poetry. The story is focused...

Importance of Self-Serve Kiosks

Modern technological developments are transforming human activities, processes, and behaviors. The proliferation of handheld devices and smartphones is discouraging more people from visiting libraries physically. The traditional reading culture in this community has also been affected negatively. Many people are currently busy focusing on their career goals and aims. Long...

The Defining Decade: Summary and Response

The Defining Decade: Why Your Twenties Matter and How to Make the Most of Them Now is a must-read book for those who are in the “twentysomething” phase and want to make their life better. Meg Jay, who has worked with clients of this age, has discovered some common problems...

Hubris vs. Nemesis in Literary Stories

Creating a story that stands the test of time is difficult not because of the necessity to build a compelling character or create a narrative that allows readers to remain engaged. Although the described items are also crucial components of a story, it is an action challenging the norm that...

Analyzing Female Voices in Chinese Literature: Themes and Impact

Introduction Many recent studies have focused on female representation in art and literature. Researchers are turning their interest toward the fleeting female identity to be found in literary works of the past and the present. Women’s writing is often inseparable from the concept of gender. Each era in human history...