5522 samples of this type
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...
In William Faulkner’s short story A Rose for Emily, Homer Baron plays the second fiddle to the main character who is Emily Grierson. Even so, Homer cannot be described as being a minor character or an antagonist in the story. Homer, as portrayed in the story, suits that of a...
Davis, in her Life in the Iron-Mills, depicts the world of industrial capitalism, with class divisions. She especially emphasizes the impossibility of professional or personal development for the middle class. Davis actively criticizes the existing system, thus winning the sympathy of the growing middle class. Limited opportunities for self-realization, which...
Geoffrey Chaucer uses Canterbury Tales to describe different professionals and their perceived stereotypes. Skipper is one of the many characters who narrate their tales as the pilgrimage journey progresses. The pilgrimage journey brings together people working in different industries. Therefore, it presents a perfect opportunity for the author to expound...
“The Great Gatsby” by Scott F. Fitzgerald is one of the defining books for American society. In the novel, the author raises many social issues and carefully describes the way of life of that era. Moreover, since the plot of the novel is set in the “roaring twenties”, the writer...
Introduction Book censoring and banning transpire to prevent teenagers from being exposed to explicit topics that are not fit for children. To Kill a Mockingbird transpires in the fictional city of Maycomb in the Great Depression. The central character is Jean Louise (“Scout”) Finch, a bright though unconventional young lady...
Like many other stories addressing the complexity of human nature, Flannery O’Connor’s “Good Country People” introduces a complex moral issue under the guise of a seemingly simple ethical problem. By showing how evil can assume the disguise of morality and, thus, affect unsuspecting people, O’Connor proves that both experiences, when...
The life of a person has always been filled with worries and apprehensions, the majority of which do not actually play any important role. Henry David Thoreau provides a brilliant explanation of this argument in his book Walden, or, Life in the Woods. The thing that motivates the author to...
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...
Introduction Junot Diaz’s book “The brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao” revolves around the story of Oscar Wao, a young Dominican man, and his family after immigrating to New Jersey from San Domingo, Dominican Republic, during the dictatorial regime of Rafael Trujillo. Since its publication in 2007, the novel has...
“A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner is a short story that contains many themes, but the story is undoubtedly built on the theme of aging out and decaying. The story tells readers that once the town of Jefferson was one of the nicest towns in the South but lost...
The Canterbury Tales represent Medieval English literature. The work was written by Geoffrey Chaucer in the XIV century. The character of Nun Prioress was depicted by the author in the General Prologue, where he described her with irony and subtle humor. The Canterbury Tales present the stories narrated by the...
Introduction The present paper dwells upon production of the play by August Wilson entitled Fences. It is necessary to note that the play is often seen as a valuable “portrayal of the social and psychological effects of discrimination” of African Americans as well as their ways to address the issues...
Introduction Poe’s story, “The Tell-Tale Heart,” features a man who plans and murders his elderly next-door neighbor. The story rushes into the action, leaving the reader with no time to get to know the characters or learn about their relationships with the environment. Although the male protagonist of story adaptations...
The human experience is complex and multi-faceted, encompassing many emotions, experiences, and qualities. Throughout history, writers and artists have attempted to capture what it means to be human, exploring the universal qualities that connect us all. During the Renaissance in Elizabethan England, a time of significant cultural and societal change,...
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...
It might be argued that myths like King Arthur play an important cultural and historical role in their belief. Legends like King Arthur frequently have their beginnings in genuine historical personalities and events, reflecting the values, beliefs, and aspirations of the civilizations in which they developed. For example, the story...
The novel Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson tells the reader about the girl Melinda who entered high school. People begin to understand why the story has such a name. This is a story about a girl who, due to certain circumstances, became very close and stopped trusting people. The book...
Introduction The author and feminist classic Virginia Woolf, is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in developing modernist literature. Her novels like “Orlando,” “To the Lighthouse,” and “The Mark on the Wall” have stood the test of time because they both entertain and provoke their readers. Woolf...
Shakespeare’s works are still highly relevant to modern society and people. Despite the fact that his plots unfold in a historical setting, the poet talks about timeless matters and themes. Firstly, his characters experience the same conflicts and problems as modern people do. Secondly, they have difficulties understanding themselves and...
Martin Espada dedicated “The Trouble Ball” to his father, Frank Espada. The author takes readers on a poetic journey to Brooklyn. Espada alludes to the experience of his father’s first American baseball game at Ebbets Field in 1941 as a new immigrant. This game has significantly shaped how the poem...
Introduction Gary B. Nash’s book Red, White and Black: The Peoples of Early America explores the complex and diverse peoples who inhabited the Americas before the American Revolution. Through a combination of primary source documents and narrative history, Nash sheds light on the various Native American societies, European empires, and...
Introduction While reading through the Harry Potter series by anyone, it quickly becomes clear that the series is more of a family friendly type of book. It gives of a child-like sense of adventure, giving magic and the excitement of a new world to whoever reads it. This does not...
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 novel Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes can be described as a parody of chivalric romances. The main character is a man “about fifty years old, of a strong complexion, dry flesh, and a withered face,” who imagines himself a knight and calls himself Don Quixote (Cervantes 19). The...
Introduction Ancient Greek tragedies are marked by the poets’ use of moral, social, and political themes to unveil human character and relations. One such tragedy is Antigone, written by Sophocles; it features a strong female character in opposition to an oppressive, politically bound male. Since Antigone crosses the limits of...
Introduction The book “In Search of Respect,” written by Philippe Bourgois, was published in 2003 and comprises 432 pages. It tells the story of a group of Puerto Rican men who live and work in the Bronx. Each of these men has a unique backstory and personality contributing to the...
Poems are often called an indicator of a person’s soul. Many famous writers have put their lives into their characters, not to forget their character traits but also to show their lives through the eyes of others. This allowed not only the reader to plunge into the world of the...
Notably, Homer’s Iliad is the oldest extant work of Greek literature. Schein (2022) emphasizes that the artifact is most likely the outcome of extraordinarily sophisticated procedures that involved both orality and writing, resulting in the creation of a fixed manuscript in the late eighth century. In historical terms, the heroic...
Introduction “A Rose for Emily,” written by William Faulkner, and “A Good Man is Hard to Find” by Flannery O’Connor are two short stories that illustrate the complex relationship between the past and the present. Namely, common topics highlighted in both literature pieces are the time and location setting and...
Hindustan Times defines myth as an individual’s truth; it may be a “cultural, religious, and national” fact that provides society with a similar perspective to operate inside and binds them. The myth chosen to be written about is the tale of the Aesir tribe’s God-King Odin, who sacrificed greatly to...
Elizabeth Bishop’s poetry remains rather controversial to many modern literary critics. Many consider her an outstanding poet that is attentive to detail, while others believe that the author’s lack of much literary production makes it difficult to analyze her poetry. It is also criticized that Bishop had no personal experience...
A Doll’s House is a play by Henrik Ibsen about a married woman Nora Helmer. This piece of art tells a story about morality, money, women, and their worth. Like many other plays, this work should not be perceived entirely literally because it is filled with different symbols. The symbols...
Introduction In A Good Man Is Hard to Find, Flannery O’Connor explores such themes as family, prejudice, and finding grace, showing that human compassion could have transformative power. The juxtaposition between the two main stereotypical characters, the Misfit and the grandmother, is used to transfer the key message that in...
The literature is a powerful tool for provoking the thought process by various means. One of those mediums is a political analog, seen in Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible. By focusing on the events that happened in the late 17th century in the United States, during the Salem Witch Trials,...
In the tragedy, Iago is presented as an ambitious person, ready for any action for his own benefit. The ambitiousness of this character is expressed in the first verses of the tragedy: “I know my price, I am worth no worse a place. / But he, as loving his own...
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...
Elie Wiesel’s memoir Night presents one of the most prominent works of Holocaust literature, which captures the author’s experience in Nazi concentration camps. One of the central themes in the Night is the development of the relationship between Eliezer and his father. Moreover, the father’s role as a caregiver in...
Puritan faith was defined by several key characteristics that made it unique among other Christian denominations. In particular, the Puritans shared an exceptionally powerful religious fervor, believing that one should strictly adhere to the Bible and live as close to the model of Jesus Christ as possible (Mark). As a...
There is one constant throughout the ongoing evolution of the human species. Simply because it is human nature, people are motivated by money and power. King Lear, one of Shakespeare’s most well-known tragedies, is a nihilistic story of destruction, money, and power conflicts that was originally performed in 1606. The...
A Separate Peace (1959) novel tells the story of a teenage student’s maturing at a preparatory school during World War II. In this context, the novel’s setting and plot were greatly influenced by the author’s (John Knowles) personal experiences at Phillips Exeter Academy, where book and the author’s real life...
Act 3, Scene 2 The poems of William Shakespeare are filled with words that might be confusing for modern readers. For example, in one line of Act 3, scene 2, the author writes: “Thou liest most ignorant monster, / I am in case to justle a constable” (Shakespeare 82). Here,...
Gambling addiction has been haunting people for years. It is too difficult to give up the opportunity to make easy money because it seems to every gambler that his day will come and he will win a substantial sum of money. This craving for an easy life without worries and...
Marie de France’s depiction of females in Lanval and Laustic illustrates an inclination to sympathize with their sexuality despite the trend of shaming them by male writers at the time for their sexual desires. This tendency is seen throughout the two texts, further affirming the notion of feminist eyes in...
The Divine Comedy is an epic narrative poem by a great Italian poet and scholar, Dante Alighieri. In the poem, Dante’s character has to travel through Hell (Inferno) and Purgatory (Purgatorio) before being brought into Heaven (Paradiso). During Dante’s exploration of hell, he is accompanied by Virgil, a mentor figure...
Introduction Like many other works by Franz Kafka, The Metamorphosis is a surreal look at human psychology. This story bizarrely combines fantastic events and the dry style of realistic narration, as well as the lack of emotions in the presentation and the personal drama of the protagonist. The current paper...
Scott Sanders uses various literary techniques and skillfully manipulates his vocabulary to produce the necessary conciliatory tone across his essay “Under the Influence.” Analogies and tropes are some of the most frequently utilized literary devices in “Under the Influence,” although the book contains numerous other literary devices. Sanders’ syntax plays...
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...
In 1984, Kate Chopin published a short story titled “The Story of an Hour”. The name of the narrative alludes to the period of time during which Louise Mallard, the protagonist of the story, first finds that her husband, Brently, has passed away. Later on in this story, Brently discovers...
The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka is a true classic of fiction of the early twentieth century. However, it is underestimated because of the abundance of symbols that many readers do not understand. The novel was written in 1912 and implied as a part of a compilation called Punishments, along with...
Introduction Ancient literary texts are among the richest sources for research and history analysis. First of all, such works by themselves allow one to get an idea of the culture of a particular people. However, their research can also lead to broader conclusions by detecting intersections and similarities between completely...
Désirée’s Baby, a short story written by Kate Chopin, depicts a woman’s life with unknown origins in Louisiana. The dramatic story includes her Southern husband, who exiles her from home because of her African – American origins. Chopin utilizes various symbols to raise themes of racism, hypocrisy, love, and woman’s...
Mythology is a big part of the culture of many nations and countries. It contains much wisdom and knowledge about the past, even though it is hundred percent fictional. Ancient Greek and Roman mythologies share many similarities but are not entirely the same. However, they both tell the story of...
The novel From Uncle Tom’s Cabin; or, Life Among Lowly is an impactful piece, showing the cruelty and inhumanity of the slavery system in the United States. The novel shows many aspects of real life, from childhood, labor, motherhood, and gender to many more. Slavery being at the center of...
The novel A Good Man is Hard to Find was first published in 1953, and this work perfectly captures Flannery O’Connor’s style and writing technique. Her atmospheric writing does not leave anyone indifferent. Flannery O’Connor in “A good man is hard to find” uses literary elements such as description of...
In Anzia Yezierska’s Bread Givers, the story of a woman named Sara Smolinsky is told. The latter tries to assimilate into American culture, but there are too many challenges that avert her from doing it. Due to the cultural limitations of the Jewish, Sara has to work hard in order...
This study explores how binary oppositions in the personality of Jo March, depicted in Louisa May Alcott’s novel Little Women, deconstruct the character’s writing adventure. This research uses deconstructive criticism to examine Josephine’s material conditions, other characters’ responses to the girl’s writing, and her attitude towards other characters’ stereotypical gender...
The monster’s mother is one of the three main antagonists of the Beowulf poem, along with Grendel himself and the dragon: different versions have referred to her as both a “female monster,” a “warrior-woman,” and even “the monstrous bride from hell.” This paper examines the episode of the battle between...
Growth and development are ongoing themes in the Parable of the Sower. When the old and new are not exactly ideal, the characters, led by Lauren Olamina, struggle with how to construct a perfect future. The Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler combines religious and imaginative elements. The text’s...
Family is among the most important elements of a person’s life. From one’s birth to the time a person chooses to have their own children, family support and connection help one get through difficulties. However, in some cases, dysfunctional relationships or problems of one family member can burden the others....
In world practice, there is probably no other topic, common, provocative, diverse, or centuries-old, as love or its absence. Hence, it is essential to consider how different authors have described love. Hills Like White Elephants, by Ernest Hemingway, depicts the story of a man and a female waiting for a...
“Not Waving but Drowning” was composed by British poet Stevie Smith in 1957. The poem consists of only three stanzas about a man who is drowning while the observers think he is merely waving hands and enjoys swimming. Even though the idea is clear on the surface, the text’s true...
A Mercy unveils the story of an Anglo-Dutch farm owner whose life has been closely associated with the genesis of the American society under colonization, racism, and slavery. While the story itself presents deep insights into the life and thoughts of an enslaved woman told from Florens’s perspective, the imagery...
Introduction The role of females in different societies and at different times is one of the most discussed topics nowadays. Although now the world is close to gender equality, thousands of years ago, the role of a man and a woman distinguished drastically, and a person was treated due to...
Introduction Owl Eyes is a minor character from Scott Fitzgerald’s novel “The Great Gatsby”. While only being present a few times in the story, his character is important to the overall message of the book and to the reader’s understanding of its characters. The audience first meets him in Gatsby’s...
The nature of interaction among individuals in a family setting is an initiative that prominently faces dynamic elements. One of the critical factors that influences personality development is socio-cultural practices. In this case, it is vital to establish the distinctive elements that foster the bond between people from a nuclear...
Introduction The poem Caged Bird written by Maya Angelou follows the same theme as Paul Laurence Dunbar’s Sympathy. Thus, both poems focus on the theme of freedom through the perspective of a caged bird. However, despite using similar imagery of the bird in the cage, the poems can leave a...
The book “Teach Us Your Name” by Huda Essa is a story about diversity, and the author teaches children to pay attention to the cultural differences between themselves and their peers. This is achieved by outlining a lesson for children, where they ask other students to introduce themselves and discuss...
In Chapter 18, Soccio (2016) discusses how philosophy can be incorporated into life and used as a base for developing one’s worldview. First, the author speaks about the concept of philosophical advocacy – a specific way of proving one’s agenda with the help of philosophical ideas – explaining its argumentation...
In 1879, Henrik Ibsen’s masterpiece “A Doll’s House” was published. It is about a central figure Norwegian family in the middle ages. Torvald Helmer works as a provider, whereas Nora Helmer babysits to raise the children and property. As the piece unfolds, it becomes clear that Nora’s marriage is seriously...
Introduction The short story Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a metaphorical narration created to express the process of taking vital decisions in life. The author uses such literary elements as setting and symbolism to convey the essential ideas related to the themes of faith, hope, sense of living,...
The book that I read approaches the issue of growing up gay. The protagonist talks about engaging in his first gay experience with another young boy in the book. The protagonist engages in a journey of self-discovery in a world where being gay has not been embraced in society. The...
The play True West reveals the theme of the personality’s duality and the motives of money that can take away the true power of creativity. Sam Shepard talks about a pair of inseparable brothers, one of whom is a deeply educated person, the second is a swindler and a thief....
Introduction The Graveyard Book is a children’s fantasy book written by the English author Neil Gaiman. The book was published in America and Britain in 2008. The setting is mostly in the graveyard since it is the location where Nobody Owens was adopted and raised by the residents after his...
To Live in The Borderlands is an eight-stanza poem published in a 1987 semi-autobiographical book Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza by Gloria Anzaldua. The work investigates the meaning of mixed heritage and its implications on one’s self-identification. The author explores her understanding of being a multi-ethnic and multi-lingual individual through...
Introduction Hamilton’s “The City Always Wins” and Pamuk’s “Istanbul” are two major literary works that describe the development of cities, their historical heritage, and the way they reflect the culture of the country and its people. At first glance, the books seem different as “The City Always Wins” deals with...
Introduction Literature has undergone several dynamic shifts as a field relating to how information is conveyed and structured in a written piece. Character choice is a vital step in narration as it determines the length, style, tone, and literary devices used. In essence, in any work of literature, the relationships...
Introduction Literature is characterized by a set of characters used by the author to convey their message. While each character has unique features, their levels of influence differ. The protagonist is the main actor in literature, who is often opposed by an antagonist. The protagonist makes crucial storyline decisions, largely...
Russian literature has always been focused on describing people’s deep feelings and emotions linked to particular events. Trying to make readers understand all peculiarities and nuances, the authors described the smallest details of the setting and motifs influencing the main characters. At the same time, much attention was given to...
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...
Modern Fantasy is a chapter from the book Charlotte Huck’s Children’s Literature: A Brief Guide written by Barbara Kiefer and Cynthia Tyson (McGraw-Hill Education, 2018). This chapter of the book focuses on the theme of the modern fantasy genre of literature, the types of fantasy literature for children, and whether...
The book “Goodbye Columbus” is one of the world’s best-known literary works. The themes raised in it – first love, the pursuit of one’s dream, and the formation of one’s identity – have a universal character and have remained relevant throughout the decades. The book’s main character leaves home to...
Introduction Othello is a tragedy about heavy and terrible trials that the sublime and deep love of two beautiful people underwent. The noble Moor – Othello – who absorbed the culture of the Italian Renaissance, an experienced warrior, wounded by years and suffering, turns out to be powerless before the...
Picture books use not only verbal but also visual means to build a story, including codes, structure, and narrative. William Moebius (1986) suggests looking at different codes in order to understand how text and pictures interact to create meaning. According to the researcher, positioning, perspective, framing, line, and colour can...
Katherine Mansfield Murry is regarded as one of the eminent New Zealand writers. She was born on the 14th day of October 1888 in the middle class of the colonial family. She wrote several short tales, narratives, and poems under the name Katherine Mansfield. In 1898, the First Mansfield Printed...
The video features the award-winning author of poetry, Naomi Shihab, Nye, reading from her work of adult and children poetry that includes 19 varieties of Gazelle such as Fuel, Poems of the Middle East, and Red suitcase. Her collection features a variety of poems about the Middle East and Palestinians...
Introduction The Awakening is one of the most popular novels by the American writer Kate Chopin, who is famous for her brave illustration of sexuality in her works. The story tells about a woman named Edna, who struggles to fight the societal perceptions of motherhood, which define her as the...
Melville’s story “Billy Budde” culminates in the death of the main character – an innocent, inexperienced sailor, who through no fault of his, was hanged. While the captain’s Vere decision about the fate of the young sailor can be justified – he did it to avert a mutiny on his...
Shen Cogen’s works The Husband and Xiao Xiao tell the stories of a young woman and a girl who were born into poverty and live out the destination that is designed for them by Chinese traditions. A remarkable thing that unites both works is that the Chinese customs seem to...
Writers have tackled the theme of tragedy and loss for as long as there was literature itself, contemplating the many different aspects of this hard yet omnipresent experience. In this respect, Alice Elliot Dark’s “In the Gloaming” is hardly a ground-breaker, as it is definitely not the first piece of...
Introduction Literature serves as a mirror of society, capturing events in a fictionalized form; the purpose of literature is to inform, educate, and connect people. It enables individuals to express their emotions and thoughts; this catharsis improves individuals. Reading literature allows people to connect personally and discover meaning in life....
Introduction The period that followed the second world was characterized by an ideological war between capitalism and communism. This essay is based on the book ‘Under a Cruel Star’, written by Heda Margolius Kovály. It details the author’s experiences during the Nazi detention and those of her husband Rudolf Margolius....
The epic of Sunjata features stories of adventures and achievements of the Mande people, both male and female. Thus, the stories allow valuable insight into the roles that women played in society when the epic took place. Similar to the way women were treated in other ancient societies, such as...
Introduction Where Are You Going? Where Have You Been? is a short story written by Joyce Carol Oates in 1966. The narrative emphasizes the modern culture and norms of American society in the 1960s by telling a story of a 15 years old girl – Connie. The author uses various...
A symbol is an object or a word that conditionally expresses the essence of a phenomenon. The symbol contains a particular mystery, a hint that only allows us to guess what is meant, what the writer wanted to say. Edgar Poe was the first to introduce symbolism into poetry, and...
This paper analyses the short story “The Lottery” written by Shirley Jackson (1916-1965). Shirley Jackson is one of the most influential American authors of the twentieth century, mostly known for her short stories and novels excitingly describing different supernatural events. “The Lottery” tells about the annual lottery in a small...
Lupke, Christopher. “Bridge Essay: Modern Poetry as a Global Phenomenon.” A Companion to World Literature (2020): 1-7. The essay by Christopher Lupke provides an insight into the history of poetry and the way different styles from different parts of the world contributed to the formation of modernism in poetry. The...
The Lost Letters of Pergamum is a collection of letters in which prominent people from the nobility and churches of the century first communicate and discuss various matters. In general, this book shows people writing letters about how Christianity gradually and appeared influenced the world around. The plot describes the...
The novel Invisible Man is rightfully perceived as one of the pillars of American classical literature. Its main themes include identity, racial oppression and prejudice, civil rights, radicalism, and the contradiction between an internal and an external vision of oneself. The identity turmoil specifically acts as a central conflict of...
Incisive and filled with profound commentaries about the human nature, Hawthorne’s works often skewer some of the most rigid and inflexible beliefs and standards of the time. The writer dissects the concept of Puritanism unbiasedly, allowing the reader to see the ridiculous nature of it. Making his characters question the...
Introduction Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is one of the most prominent works written by Mark Twain. The novel addresses one of the most crucial issues of the society of Twains times – slavery and describes the life of people living along the Mississippi River. Undoubtedly, on one side, the Mississippi...
Introduction William Blake, a native of London, is one of the significant figures in poetry and the fine arts of the Romantic era. His literature is refined and full of meaning: he grew from rebelliousness and a spirit of rebellion into a creator with ideas of forgiveness and self-sacrifice. Blake...
The common theme of “Cathedral” by Raymond Carver and “The Management of Grief” by Bharati Mukherjee is the misinterpretation of people’s feelings and perceptions by representatives of different population groups. Its general idea is the impossibility of understanding each other without walking a mile in their shoes. As a result,...
In the “Parable of the Sower,” the character Lauren has a disability, which causes her to overshare and feel overly empathic towards others. Lauren understands her disability as something that allows her to be more compassionate and understand others’ feelings. For example, in one of the passages, she talks about...
“One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” is a novel, created by Ken Kesey in the middle of the 20th century. The actions described in the book happen in Oregon psychiatric hospitals, and in general, this work of literature is devoted to the exploration of the human mind. It includes opposition...
King Oedipus is the central character of the same name’s play, a bright and significant person with an unshakable strength of spirit and a thirst for knowledge. The literary prototype of King of Thebes is the central character of Shakespeare’s play ‘Hamlet.’ Prince of Denmark is a multifaceted image, which...
Classic fairy tale storylines can often be sighted in numerous folktales throughout the world. As such, the tale of Cinderella can be observed in such works as Yeh-Hsien, Lin Lan, and The Three Gowns, common fairy tales from China and Latin America, respectively. Although the environment surrounding these locations and...
Kate Chopin was a prolific figure and a writer of the mid-to-late 19th century, who has contributed significantly to the growth of feminism in the United States. She was a well-read woman who has started writing after the death of her husband, publishing both longer works and short stories. The...
Characters, theme, dialogue, the setting, symbolism and narration are both part of a short story and a poem. On the other hand, unlike poems, stories do not have features of sound and tone. A short story is written in a narrative form but is made of fiction, just like the...
A Rose for Emily – William Faulkner’s Storytelling by Emily Grierson. The yellow wallpaper is a short story by Charlotte Perkins Gilman about the young woman Jane. Both stories illustrate girls who became recluses in one way or another. If Emily did not let anyone into her house after her...
In the article by Best (2019) in the scene “play extempore” of Henry IV part I, the author, Shakespeare through deconstruction makes obesity fat. Shakespeare in the play put a crippled character to assume the role of a fat person. In the scene, “play extempore,” Prince Henry is supposed to...
The idea that permeates through the novel is one that the past and the present are deeply intervened: often, in more ways than one is accustomed to think they are. These connections are more delicate and intricate, and non-linear: another overarching theme in Kindred is how drastically one’s perception of...
Hamlet can be considered a literary character whose procrastination leads to gruesome consequences. The main hero’s level of procrastination can be considered extremely high, as he is exceptionally likely to delay completing urgent tasks and frequently misses necessary deadlines. Hamlet’s inability to fulfill the responsibility of killing Claudius is an...
Max Bledstein’s analysis of “Asterios Polyp” by David Mazzucchelli This work focuses on the analysis of the article by David Mazzucchelli “Beyond Stereotypes”, which examines the literary work Asterios Polyp. The main themes are racism, sexism and characterization. I believe that the essay has fulfilled the necessary requirements, as it...
Introduction The assessment of poetry is generally conducted with regard to the essential elements that it incorporates. They include characters presented by the narrator and their audience, dialogues, image, setting, themes, voice, style, and tone, and the consideration of corresponding techniques can demonstrate their importance for the message. Hence, poems...
V. Frankenstein, Dr. Jekyll, and Mr. Hyde are the characters created by the famous writers M. Shelly and R.L. Stevenson. These are deathless, and in some way, cult images familiar to many of those who are interested in world classical literature. Each of these fictional personalities is incomparable, individual, and...
Kate Chopin’s The Story of an Hour follows Louise Mallard, a woman who receives news that her husband has died in a railroad accident. To her own surprise, she feels happiness at the freedom she gains from his death. However, when he returns, the shock kills her instead, and the...
The philosophical and satirical story of the renowned famous French writer of the Age of Enlightenment Candide was created in the late 50s of the 18th century. One of the most glorious works of Voltaire has an unexpected destiny. It was forbidden for a long time, and the writer himself...
The author presents a series of advice that the mother gives to the daughter in the Antiguan community. The mother notices that her daughter has reached adolescence and realizes she is the only person to guide her daughter to live a non-promiscuous and respectful life. She imparts general knowledge to...
Beyond simply telling a good story, Mary Shelly is trying to convey the information that while technology and science have an essential part in human life, the two can only go as far. The author at the end of the story proves that technology and science can only go far...
The novel Pride and Prejudice was initially an epistolary piece that June Austen wrote in the early 1800s. Jane Austen is one of the renowned novelists from England. She is majorly known for focusing on women’s position in marriage. The novel’s setting was during the 18th Century, when individuals in...
Introduction In The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath authors a story about herself. The life of Esther Greenwood, who aspires to be a poet, is depicted in The Bell Jar as she tries to realize her ambitions via education, using Ladies’ Day magazine as a starting point. She chose a month-long...
Postcolonial literary theory is a broadly related theory of the struggles and consequences of colonial rule in European countries. The theory implements literature techniques to describe effects of colonialism and the struggle for independence. Nonetheless, the concept of this theory does not solely imply struggle for freedom and life in...
In “My life as a Muslim in a West’s Grey Zone”, Laila Lalami discusses the treatment of Muslims not involved in terrorist organizations in the West. She explains that Muslims who do not support the actions of ISIS are referred to as a grey zone. However, the attitude towards this...
Introduction The problem of racism is topical for modern American society. Unfortunately, racism is not only about hatred of people with different skin colors but also about encroachment on their lives and inviolability. One of the most famous victims of racism is Recy Taylor, who was kidnapped and raped by...
The narrator wanted to take revenge with impunity, also making sure that it would be recognized as revenge, otherwise, there would be no point in it. The retaliation could go unpunished if it was portrayed as an accident, but, in this case, Fortunato would not understand the meaning of the...
Starting as a rather serene and slow-paced story, Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” gradually spirals into a rather frantic pace with a blood-curdling revelation at the end. Apart from an unexpected and frankly horrifying twist, “the Lottery” incorporates believable and relatable characters and a rather peculiar plot. However, its themes are...
Introduction Upon reading Yellow Woman for the first time, I was amazed by how much the author keeps the story interesting, especially when she connects myths and reality. Leslie Marmon Silko has maintained an appreciation of history and culture and thus the Laguna Pueblo. What she goes through and what...
Douglass’s work captures the era of abolitionism, the struggle against slavery, and black Americans’ contribution to their liberation. In Frederick Douglass, the writer and the social activist, the educator and the statesman were happily united. Beginning his life under the harshest conditions of slavery, he achieved recognition through natural talent,...
Having been detached culturally from the West, Japan has always been a mystery to the rest of the world with its unique culture and philosophy. However, even though Japan has undergone substantial changes over the course of its development, some of the cultural markers of the bygone era remain essential...
As a form of art, storytelling always pursues similar goals of appealing to the audience’s core values and fueling the imagination. Thus, although some of the most famous literary pieces might seem culturally divorced from one another, they still share the same underlying sentiments. Although the “Epic of Gilgamesh,” the...
Frankenstein is one of the greatest books of the nineteenth century that remains relevant today. Shelley explores many topics in her work that reflect social and philosophical aspects. In particular, the work refers to the problems of opposing nature and humanity, as well as the issues of ambition and blind...
Frederick Douglass was a notable abolitionist and social reformer who escaped from slavery and depicted his experience in his memoir Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave. He strongly believed in equality and shared his ideas in a direct and intimate fashion through his own story. Throughout...
As a writer, Haruki Murakami’s 2009 book, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, has been an eye-opener for me. Reading this book in this setting has given me a deeper appreciation of the power that comes from experience, even if I have always been strong at telling...
The book is about a young boy called Max who is unruly, and at the opening of the book, he is running around the house wearing a wolf-suit. He is carrying a large hammer, runs around making mischief, and later chases the dog around with a fork. The mother shouts...
Introduction Walt Whitman presents an idyllic vision of American life through “I Hear America Singing” (1860). The piece of poetry covers every corner of the nation introducing the reader to all sorts of works, from housewives to farmers to show makers. As the audience makes an imaginary journey traveling through...
All Souls is a memoir biography by Michael Patrick McDonald of his childhood in South Boston, Massachusetts. In the 1970s, it was one of the poorest and most problematic areas in America and also went down in history for its violent rebellions. The author comes from a family in which...
“Hills like white elephants” is a heartbreaking story about two beloveds who are going to make a fatal decision in their lives. This story depicts a couple whose relationship has poorly changed because of the woman’s unexpected pregnancy. The pregnancy implies the end of their frivolous life full of pleasure...
The Metamorphosis is a book based on Gregor Samsa, a traveling salesman who does a strenuous job to provide for his family. On waking up one day, he realizes he has transformed into a colossal insect (Kafka 8). His father, mother, and sister recognize something is wrong when they knock...
The Book of the City Ladies presents Dido, the foundress, a tender lover, and wife to the Trojan hero, Aeneas. The book by Christine de Pizan reveals Dido as a strong and powerful character, and her only flaw is excessive love (Zajko and Hoyle 7). Besides, the author is a...
In “The Yellow Wallpaper” (1981), Gilman describes the wallpaper using different epithets, metaphors, and comparisons. Among the most interesting ones, there were phrases concerning the pattern, It “commits suicide” and “destroys itself in unheard of contradictions” (78) as if it were a living creature. The paper is the cause of...
All Souls: A Family Story from Southie, written by Michael Patrick MacDonald, is a sincere memoir published in 1999. The author uses his talent of putting life experiences and feelings into words to describe the place where he used to live in his childhood. The book starts with the author,...
Introduction William Shakespeare is known as the author of several great stories about human relationships. He focused on such eternal themes as love, friendship, respect, and family. Each of his plays delivers a serious message to the reader and helps understand the complexity of life. At the beginning of the...
The master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house is Audre Lorde’s provocative admonishment, and it is a warning that Black and other academics of color should heed. Lorde uses dismantling the master’s house as a metaphor for intersectional systems and structures of oppression that produced and perpetuated health inequality...
Introduction At the dawn of human history, humankind was able to transfer information only in the oral form. However, the invention of writing more than five thousand years ago changed the way information was spread through human societies. Since then, both oral and written formats of information transfer have coexisted....
Synopsis The Red and the Black is a novel by Stendhal, and it is also called The chronicle of the XIX century. The book reveals the tragic story of Julien Sorel, “in whose soul there is a struggle between natural nobility and dangerous ghosts of ambition” (Stendahl, 1967). The plot...
Le Morte d’Arthur retells the legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. The medieval setting of the literary piece is traced through the use of outdated language that describes the atmosphere, social relations, and the environment of the medieval times. However, the themes of love, friendship,...
In a story as concise and rightly packed as Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado,” every little detail serves to highlight and stress the piece’s main conflict. This certainly applies to the story’s secondary character – the protagonist’s perceived arch-nemesis Fortunato. There are two symbols clearly related to Fortunato...
Introduction The phenomenon of the American Dream appears vague and indeterminate in the American literature. In a broad sense, this term indicates both material and spiritual values of the American citizens. It is a complex of various ideals, inherent for the Americans since their childhood. The American Dream is a...
Kindred is a fictional novel written by Octavia Butler, which touches upon the topic of the value of human life, referring to the horrifying antebellum South events. The female protagonist Dana suddenly experiences the time-traveling to the past and meets her ancestor Rufus, the antagonist of this story. Dana has...
