“The Epic of Gilgamesh”: Qualities of a Good Leader Described by Machiavelli

Gilgamesh is one of the most interesting epic stories in the modern-day, even though it was composed 28 centuries ago. The epic illustrates the success of a king, Gilgamesh, who built high walls for its empire and laid out its orchards and fields. He was regarded as a wise person,...

Peace and Compromise in “Ender’s Game” by Card

Although “Ender’s Game” is set in the distant future, the themes and ideas that it conveys are quite close to present-day readers. Child mercenaries, which the protagonist is supposed to embody, do exist, representing a major ethical concern and a moral issue for the modern world. Raising the questions of...

Review of “Two Kinds” by Amy Tan

The story of “Two Kinds” by Amy Tan narrates about a Chinese girl who finds it hard to recognize her identity, who is in disagreement with her mother who believes that she can achieve great things in the USA. Her mother motivates her to be a musical expert, to challenge...

Extended Similes: “The Faerie Queene” by Edmund Spenser

The poem The Faerie Queene (1552-1599) by Edmund Spenser follows the adventures of a number of medieval knights and is deliberately written in an archaic style to draw inspiration from myth and history, particularly the legends of Arthur. As mentioned by the author himself, the reading of the work should...

Desdemona and Lago’s Conflict in “Othello” by Shakespeare

In this passage, there is a conflict between Desdemona and Iago over women’s nature, which ends with the victory of a rational and objective way of thinking. The woman argues with the man and is indignant at his feeble mind. Although she does not have so much experience in life,...

Mother-Son Conflict in Toole’s “A Confederacy of Dunces”

Introduction John Kennedy Toole’s novel A Confederacy of Dunces unveils diverse issues people encounter in their lives. These problems include but are not confined to relationships with others, ways to fit in the community, and attempts to realize oneself and satisfy one’s needs. At that, family issues, or rather the...

George Orwell’s Work “1984” Review

George Orwell’s work 1984 is a utopian social and political science fiction book and morality story. Issues and topics of the novel include totalitarianism’s effects, surveillance, and coercive regimentation of individuals and activities of the community. The dictatorial regime in the story was designed after Communist Russia and Nazi Germany...

Hubris of Odysseus and Ozymandias

Excessive pride or hubris becomes a significant concern in Odyssey by Homer and Ozymandias by P.B. Shelley. Hubris defines pride as a destructing quality of a character, which might even be dangerous for the hero and his family and friends. Odysseus and Ozymandias are men from faraway islands; they function...

“The Princess on the Pea” by Hans Christian Andersen

“The Princess on the Pea” is one of the shortest and most well-known classic fairy-tales, and its plot may seem quite simple to some. I believe that there are two ways to answer the question why it was so important for the royal family to find a “real princess”. First,...

Discussion of “Aeneid” Story by Virgil

Introduction Virgil’s “Aeneid” is the story of the Trojans who had to flee their hometown after the Greeks destroyed it. This story explains both the details of the Trojan war, the Aeneas’s journey to Carthage, their arrival to Sicily, and Aeneid’s destiny as the founder of Rome. This paper will...

Junot Diaz’s Literary Works: The Theme of Racial Superiority

Junot Diaz is among the most artistic, literary writers of all time. Diaz has won many awards for his creative writing, including the innovative 2008 Pulitzer award for best fiction literary works. Diaz’s literary works mainly focus on racial issues, prejudice, Dominican attitudes and immigrant assumptions on U.S culture. Diaz...

Similarities Between “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Gilman and “The Story of an Hour”

Introduction Traditionally, women were viewed as less equal, which led to them fighting for their rights. Through different amendments touching on equal rights for women, everything seems to be changing whereby women are now holding prestigious positions alongside men. Besides that, they are receiving almost similar treatment like men. Literature...

“The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe Analysis

The Tell-Tale Heart is one of Edgar Allan Poe’s scary stories. The story is told on behalf of an unnamed narrator who killed an older man with whom he lived under the same roof. The narrator insists on his sanity, explaining the crime by saying that the old man had...

“All Souls” Biography by Michael Patrick McDonald

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...

Response to “Hills Like White Elephants” by Hemingway

“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...

Gilgamesh’s Search for Immortality: Inevitability of Death in a Story

The Epic of Gilgamesh is an interesting work to analyze on the topic of life and death. It is one of the oldest literary works that have survived to this day, extremely psychological in its essence. This epic is composed of old material, but the old legends were woven into...

Technology in Burning Chrome by William Gibson

Introduction William Gibson’s story Burning Chrome depicts an advanced but soulless society where most technological advances are portrayed as distorted by commercialization and human mechanization rather than improving the quality of life. However, the main characters are depicted as completely dependent on technology. Technology is not only a global achievement...

Michael P. MacDonald’s “All Souls” Memoir Analysis

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,...

“The Fall of the House of Usher” and “To Build a Fire” Comparison

The Fall of the House of Usher is a story in Edgar Allan Poe’s famous Gothic style, with the setting as eerie as one would expect. Poe builds on several horror staples, such as the haunted house of the Usher family, the bleak landscape around, and the mystery disease. Apart...

Ancient Mesopotamian Religion and Its Influence in ”The Epic of Gilgamesh”

Introduction All ethnic groups, especially in ancient times, had their heroes and iconized characters. In ancient Mesopotamia, such a hero was Gilgamesh- a warlike and wise king bent on immortality. The found tablets with the story of his life can be identified as the first memorial of literary skill. It...

“Escaping Salem” Book by Richard Godbeer

Richard Godbeer’s Escaping Salem: The Other Witch Hunt of 1692 was first published in 2005 by the Oxford University Press with a total count of two hundred pages. As a historian, Godbeer gives a contextual and descriptive account of a much lesser known series of witch trials that occurred in...

Review of “There Will Come Soft Rains” by Bradbury

In many literary works, the house is presented as one of the most essential parts of the novel. The authors give it a particular character, like living characters, a specific meaning, add important plot events to attract the reader’s attention to it. In the work “There Will Come Soft Rains”...

Harper Lee and “To Kill a Mockingbird”

There are numerous various books in the world, and some of them are products of pure imagination while others reflect real life. Often authors implement some aspects of their lives into their works, and one such example is Harper Lee and her novel To Kill a Mockingbird. To understand the...

Reflections on “Why Don’t You Dance?”

The path from the son of an Arkansas lumberjack to a guru of short prose is related to Carver who wrote only short stories and poetry. Carver was born in the tiny town of Clatskanie, with about seven hundred inhabitants. His mother is a waitress for life, and his father...

Racial Inferiority and Blacks Empowerment in Brooks’ Poem “Primer for Blacks”

Introduction Poetry is an art that many individuals use to pass information. From politics to liberation movements and racial awareness rallies, poetry enables communication that conveys crucial messages to the public. Poetry can influence decision-making among people as it can give the truth to the public and also manipulates some...

Greek and Roman Tragedy. Euripides and Seneca

Euripides Euripides was a Greek writer who wrote about women and mythological themes like Madea and Helen troy. He was considered to have a great contribution to the Greek creation of new comedies. Life and Career Euripides was born in or about 484. He was well educated, attending the lectures...

The Theme of Family in “Dreams From My Father”

One of the first books in the memoir series by the 44th president of the United States, Barack Obama, is the Dreams From My Father, which raises such issues as family, bonding, and community. The excerpt offered for literary analysis tells a tragic episode in Barack’s life when he learned...

The Hunger Games Book One: Inequality Problem Relation

The first part of the trilogy tells about the despotic government, which organizes an annual demonstration game of survival, which is watched from the air by the whole world. The lot to participate in the Games falls to the young Katniss and Pete, who is secretly in love with her....

Family Relations and History in “The Best We Could Do” Novel by Bui

Thi Bui’s “The Best We Could Do” brings out the theme of family relations and family history. The author explains that she started researching and writing the book to understand their family and better connect with her mom and dad and learn to love them. Although a vast gulf separates...

Aeneas and Dido in Virgil’s “Aeneid”

Ancient epic literature tends to portray their protagonists as incomparable heroes of unparalleled strength and skills. However, Virgil’s “Aeneid” takes a different route, creating a character that matches Aeneas’ character remarkably, sharing a range of similarities in her choices. Due to the parallels in Aeneas and Dido’s fates, their willpower...

Analysis of “The Portrait of Dorian Gray” by Oscar Wilde

Oscar Wilde’s book The Portrait of Dorian Gray has constantly been mentioned everywhere in the world. This is understandable because the book presents a hedonistic worldview that was completely new back then. One of the quotes to be analyzed in this essay goes like this, “None of us can stand...

The Outcasts of Poker Flat Short Story by Bret Harte

Human nature, as complicated and mysterious as it is, has been a subject of artists’ expression since the old days. However, frequently, the peculiarities of existence become rather modified in order to create a “wow” effect on the recipient. Driven by the idea that people’s life may be thrilling with...

The Past in the “Educated” Memoir by Tara Westover

Educated is a memoir by Tara Westover, where she explicitly describes her challenging way toward education. Born in a conservative family isolated from mainstream society in the mountains of Idaho, Tara decides that a university education is the best way for her to start a new life full of opportunities....

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...

Satire in “The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz”

The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz is a satirical novel written by Canadian writer Mordecai Richler, which describes Duddy Kravitz’s life. The main character, a Jew from Montreal, Quebec, tries his best to become rich, not paying attention to all the sacrifices made for this purpose. The author of the novel...

Reflection on William Shakespeare’s Quote

“For There is Nothing Either Good or Bad, Thinking Makes it So.” William Shakespeare’s statement is partially wrong as it contradicts the possibility of either good or bad occurrences happening. There cannot be a dispute that good or bad exists because a human being can experience that they feel happy...

“The Bite of the Mango” by Mariatu and McClelland

Mariatu calls Santigie (her half-brother) her “Spirit Watching Over Me.” Who is the “Spirit Watching Over You”? Describe the person you believe or would like to believe is your guardian angel. In every person’s life, there are special people who are of great value to them. These people can be...

Lies vs. Truths in Shakespeare’s “The Tragedy of Othello”

Different people may subscribe to different types and levels of beliefs due to cultural-religious or social factors. Some of these beliefs may not be straightforward altogether in terms of the meaning and truth they carry, but people may tend to stick to them. What exactly this means is that a...

Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. Review

“Harrison Bergeron,” a short story written by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. in 1961, presents the world 120 years later when the government has complete control over freedom of thought and full equality has finally been achieved – at a price, obviously. The story is interesting in many ways, especially in analyzing...

Maya Angelou’s “Still I Rise: A Renaissance Anthem”

The spirit of renaissance stirs through many literary works from the last quarter of the 20th century, rejuvenating African American’s will to defy an oppressive system. One such invigorating creation is Maya Angelou’s Still I Rise. This paper analyses how Angelou’s poem criticizes racism and marginalized conditions that have perpetually...

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...

August Wilson “Fences”: Plot and Themes

“Fences” is a Pulitzer-winning American drama play written in 1985 by August Wilson. This work tells the reader about Troy Maxson, a 53-year-old black blue-collar worker and a family leader, and his life in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the 1950s. Troy’s chaotic inner state and his relationship with those around him,...

Symbolism in “Dante’s Inferno”

It is difficult to diminish the notable unpredictability of Inferno to a short rundown of significant images. The story includes Dante going from the external levels of Hell into the most profound areas where Lucifer dwells. He encounters the disciplines of various sins and investigates his own feelings and scholarly...

Features of a Post-Apocalyptic Story in McCarthy’s “The Road”

The parallel realities might be closer than we used to think they are. One possesses an inexplicable ability to travel through time and space, and explore the worlds full of unknown scents, feelings, and senses. Fiction is a powerful and wise guide through each of the existing realities. One of...

Modern Meets Ancient in A. E. Stallings

Death took me by the hand and took me to the underground. Did it not know that I still had life to live and more to explore? It was the second chaotic, unpleasing home it placed me on. Never did death feel a little sorry for me. Dealing with the...

Analysis of “Ozymandias” and “My Last Duchess”

Literary devices are intended to give the text various expressive qualities and originality, reveal the author’s attitude to what is written, and convey some hidden meanings. A detailed description of the sculpture of Ozymandias and word choice, including such imageries as “Two vast and trunkless legs,” “shattered visage,” and “wrinkled...

Monologue of Hamlet by William Shakespeare

‘Tis sweet and commendable in your nature, Hamlet, To give these mourning duties to your father: But, you must know, your father lost a father; That father lost, lost his, and the survivor bound In filial obligation for some term To do obsequious sorrow: but to persever In obstinate condolement...

Strength in One’s Convictions in Shakespeare’s “Othello”

Introduction Strong convictions pave the way for great actions. In his play Othello, Shakespeare explores the extent to which characters display strength of conviction when confronted with societal expectations from them by developing ideas around constructs such as objectification of women, prejudiced pride, and warped masculinity. The struggles of the...

Iliad and Odyssey: Hector and Menelaus Comparison

Introduction Two epic poems, the Iliad and the Odyssey have great significance due to the poetic content they encompass. It is essential to consider two characters in these readings – Hector from the Iliad and Menelaus from the Odyssey. The former is the oldest descendant of the Trojan king Priam...

“The Other Two” Short Story by Edith Wharton

In the short story “The Other Two,” Wharton describes a husband, Mr. Waythorn, whose wife Alice has two divorces. At first sight, it seems that Alice is miserable because she marries and divorces in strive for social prestige. Nonetheless, it is essential to notice that Wharton depicts the upper class’s...

“Philip Seymour Hoffman” by Nick Flynn: Poem Analysis

In “Philip Seymour Hoffman” by Nick Flynn, the narrative sets the former addict in front of a box with Vicodin, which he had put away for an emergency when he decided to stop using drugs. The author describes the thoughts and feelings of a person who struggles with addiction, demonstrating...

Amanda’s Influence on Laura in Williams’ “The Glass Menagerie”

The Glass Menagerie is a well-known Tennessee Williams’ play which partially relates to his bibliography. The audience thought it to be unusual because of the distorted depiction of reality and the widespread use of symbolism. Moreover, there were only four characters: Tom, Amanda, Laura, and Jim. One of the most...

Realism and Naturalism in Spanish and French Literature

Introduction It might be stated that both realism and naturalism played a substantial role in the history of Spanish literature. Hence, the approaches of the founders of these genres are an appropriate theme to discover. It should be mentioned that French authors – such as Balzac and Zola – affected...

“Wild Nights!” by Emily Dickinson

Who is the Speaker? Wild Nights is known as one of the most thought-provoking poems written by Emily Dickinson in 1891. This verse has captured readers’ attention and imagination due to its ambiguous nature. It narrates about passion, desire, rapture, and ecstasy; yet, it also describes the powerful natural phenomenon....

“My Papa’s Waltz” and “Porphyria’s Lover”: Sounds Show

In prose and verse, sound extensively contributes to indirect characterization: authors use sound devices to shape readers’ perception of characters and nuance characters’ descriptions. In this respect, such unlike texts as “My Papa’s Waltz” and “Porphyria’s Lover” is exemplary for investigating the connection between form (in this case, sound) and...

Life in the Iron Mills by Davis: Realism and Sentimentalism

In Life in the Iron Mills by Davis (1861), the possible function of mixing two modes of fiction is to highlight the moral importance of the story for readers while making it very real to the audience. Being focused on the truthful representations of life, realism supports the author in...

Comparing “The Egg” by Weir and “Other People” by Gaiman

The Overview In Neil Gaiman’s short story Other People, a person finds himself in Hell, and his greatest torture is to relive his life through the eyes of those he hurt. It is a circular narrative in the sense that it ends just like it began: an arrogant person enters...

Role of Religion in “Moby Dick” by Herman Melville

The adventure novel “Moby Dick,” written by Herman Melville, is an excellent example of a literary work full of symbols transmitting the secret message behind the narrative. Most of these symbols are somehow related to religion, and this fact conditions the central place of the religious theme in the book....

Loss Is a Disaster: Bishop’s “One Art” and Kay’s “B” Poems

Emotional pain is one of the unique aspects peculiar to human beings. As social creatures with a strong devotion to people who surround them, people cannot avoid feeling sad or frustrated because of various losses. These might include the death of close people, failures, or the inability to attain success....

What You Pawn I Will Redeem: Annotated Bibliography

The What You Pawn I Will Redeem presents the message of cultural identity through the setting, symbolism, and historical context of the story. Skwiot, E., & Clugston, W. (2019). Journey into literature (3rd ed.). Web. First, the essential reference for this literary analysis is the primary source. What You Pawn...

Creation Myths of Ancient Greeks and Egyptians

Since time immemorial, humans have wondered about the origins of everything, including the Earth, natural forces, animals, and even themselves. Such curiosity about the unknown encouraged early humans to search for answers; however, since at that time, science was not yet as developed as today, people started to create myths....

The Novel “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley

In his Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine article, reviewing Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus (1818), Walter Scott introduces the idea, that the novel, dealing with the supernatural, as a possibility for personal reflection. Scott advocates questioning the morals and conventional train of thought by submitting a character of an ordinary man to...

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

The short story written by Kate Chopin in 1894 raises essential feminist issues. Despite the short form of the literary work, it successfully and powerfully conveys the deprivations American women of the end of the nineteenth century experienced due to the dominantly patriarchal society in which they lived. Meticulously using...

Poem Analysis William Shakespeare

Sonnet 18 by William Shakespeare can be viewed as a message from a man to his beloved women. The speaker talks to a girl describing her beauty and her importance to him. For this reason, the tone is solemn, inspirational, and at the same time, it is full of warmth...

“Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night” by Dylan Thomas Review

The theme of death and mortality is discussed from varied angles in “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night” by Dylan Thomas. Overall, the poet encourages his audience to fight against death with screaming and kicking just like the new born babies fight for their life when they come...

The Hymn to Demeter. Eleusinian Mysteries

The Eleusinian Mysteries played a vital role in ancient Greece. Moreover, during the Hellenic era, these initiations became a major festival that was later exported as a cultural phenomenon to various parts of the Mediterranean and even encouraged a similar celebration in Ancient Rome. The initial idea behind the initiations...

“Hamlet” by William Shakespeare: Character of the Ghost

The importance of each character in a literary work can be either revealed explicitly by the author or implied by the character’s interactions with other individuals or relations to some events. In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, there is one character that does exist in the same dimension as all the others. The...

Current Culture in Le Guin’s “The Ones Who Walk away from Omelas” Story

“The Ones Who Walk away from Omelas” is a fiction by Ursula K. Le Guin. Through the elaborated imagery of reflective narration, the author explores urgent moral issues still relevant to our society. This paper aims to apply Le Guin’s short fiction to the cultural analysis of our modern society....

“The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson: A More Positive Ending

“The Lottery” is a famous short story by Shirley Jackson that embodies a great number of themes and encourages readers all over the world to take a critical look at traditions and related problems and think about the sanctity of life in different societies. Having read the ending, one suddenly...

Daffodils and Falling Leaves in Wordsworth’s and Cummings’ Poems

The poems “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” by William Wordsworth and “l(a” by E. E. Cummings could not be more different. Nevertheless, the theme of both of these poems is the same: loneliness and solitude. William Wordsworth weaves a vivid floral tapestry that invites the reader into the recesses...

Edgar Allan Poe’s Dark Tale: The Cask of Amontillado Explored

“Cask of Amontillado” is a dark but romantic story that illustrates the horrors of evil. Poe portrays revenge and murder in the tale as expressed by Montresor and Fortunato who are the main characters. Amontillado means sherry in Spanish, referring to fortified wine, while the cask is the barrel. Montresor...

Poem Response “I Heard a Fly Buzz – When I Died” by Emily Dickinson

The symbolism of the poem “I Heard a Fly Buzz – When I Died” by Emily Dickinson is the most striking aspect of this literary work. Stillness stands for the end of human life, which is something grand and frightening. The poet manages to make the reader see the picture...

Claudius as the Main Antagonist in Shakespeare’s Hamlet

Despite the fact that Claudius is introduced as the main antagonist in William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, he actually posses a number of strong qualities. In the beginning, the character shares his emotions about the death of the king and demonstrates his intention to support the family and “to bear our...

Symbolism in Herman Melville’s Moby Dick: Or, the White Whale

Introduction Evaluating fiction due to the use of literary analysis tools is a valuable practice in identifying the unique interpretations and thoughts laid down by writers. As a topic for research, symbolism in the novel Moby Dick: Or, the White Whale by Herman Melville will be considered from the perspective...

The Norton Anthology of American Literature

When pondering upon the notion of democracy, the vast majority of people will inevitably think of the United States of America. Since the US declaration of independence in 1776, the state itself became the synonym with the idea of the public will. In fact, researchers who spend years on investigating...

Reflection of Livy’s Ideas in Aeschylus’s Book

Individual ancient literary texts reveal specific stories in detail and serve as useful guidelines to interpret other works. As an example, one can discuss the role of Livy’s The History of Rome as an epic that contains important historical notes. Comparing his individual ideas with those of Aeschylus in Prometheus...

Treatment of Women in Society in Shakespeare’s Plays

The audience of all art forms perceives and forms different ideas from the works of art. In this context, some readers may find the treatment of women in William Shakespeare’s play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, unreasonable and, therefore, troubling. The readers may have several reasons for forming the opinion. Some...

“The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” by Stevenson

The Hazy London and Its Dwellers The small excerpt depicts the scenery of London in the 19th century. The central streets are small, quiet, and clean from dust. Nonetheless, it is just an illusion of a prosperous city. The text suggests that people are unhappy and unsatisfied with the situation...

“The Thousand and One Nights”: Technique Embedded Narration

Embedded narration, or story within a story, is a technique widely used in The Thousand and One Nights. This approach implies the inclusion of extra-plot elements in the text that are not directly related to the plot but discuss the main topic. In most cases, the embedded narration is a...

The Role of the Goldfish in “The Secret Goldfish” by David Means

Introduction The authors of short stories have to work hard and use their best writing skills to present interesting ideas within a limited amount of words. It is not enough to choose several characters and raise a topic that appeals to the reader. In the majority of cases, the success...

“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...

The Role of Christianity in Slavery: Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass

Human rights are a multifaceted concept that requires subjective respect and documentation of relationships. In other words, the individual has that set of possibilities and freedoms that are generally accepted. Nonetheless, the times of slavery are a notorious period in social existence in which injustice and cruelty were models for...

The Great Gatsby: A Book Review and Summary

Scott Fitzgerald is a famous American writer, and most of his works are devoted to the jazz era. He elaborated this term, which means a happy decade between the end of World War I and the beginning of the Depression. This era involves the rebellion of the young generation against...

Greek Heroic Motifs in “The Iliad”: Agamemnon and Priam

Introduction Greek history is frequently discussed in many literary works, and Homer’s Iliad is probably the most famous and successful story about the Trojan War and its participants. In this epic poem, heroic motifs are determined by harsh social obligations and definite cultural beliefs, underlining the role of gods and...

Pip in “Great Expectations” by Charles Dickens

Introduction As the title suggests, the novel ‘Great Expectations’ is about the expectations of a young man as he moves into the harsh cruel world of reality outside his home. His tryst with destiny, first at the hand of a golden hearted criminal, Magwitch, and then at the hands of...

Jane Austen and Her Accomplishments

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

The Glass Menagerie: The Roles of Amanda and Society

Autobiographic works do not only help understand the author’s writing better but also do it credibly and convincingly. The Glass Menagerie is a memory play by Tennessee Williams, in which he recollects life challenges his family had to face. This paper aims to prove that the social environment, rather than...

“The Plague” by Albert Camus Critique

The biggest problem of our life is its ending. However, this can happen either when the time comes or undesirable due to some disease. The Plague is a perfect representation of a horror that took many people’s lives. The book represents the circumstances that a town in Algeria had to...

“Addicts Who Survived” by David Courtwright: Crucial Work on Drug Addiction

Despite all the government’s measures to combat drug addiction, this problem remains relevant to this day. Unfortunately, at the moment, it is not possible to cure every drug-addicted person. There is a significant amount of research on this topic. They are dedicated to the effects of various drugs, discuss remedies,...

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,...

“The Four Voyages of Christopher Columbus” by Edwin Williamson

Introduction This paper summarizes the plot of The Four Voyages of Christopher Columbus. It also briefly describes the main character and analyzes the main ideas of the story. The book is written from a historical point of view, so it does not focus on a specific issue. Nevertheless, this essay...

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

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

Primary Source Analysis Concept: Raw Historical Materials

Introduction Anyone who seeks knowledge of historical reality draws this knowledge from sources. The primary source is the subject, with the help of which one can learn certain information about the time it was created. However, in order to establish which fact a historian can obtain from a given source,...

Literacy Narrative: “Make a Wish”

I vividly remember the day I realized life was too short and unexpected not to wish for more. It was April, and I sweet-talked my mom to take me to the amusement park on the weekend. I was eight years old, and I had never been to the amusement park...

Blood Symbolism in “Macbeth” by Shakespeare

Authors often utilize symbols to signify the importance of events, objects, or relationships in their works. Indeed, the majority of the great poetic or literature works use some degree of symbolism to allow readers to visualize the writers’ messages. Correspondingly, in the play Macbeth, Shakespeare uses symbolism to portray the...

Robert Burns the Scottish Poet

Biography Burns’ family was relatively poor, and he had to work at the farm as a child. His father, William Burnes, taught him writing, reading, and arithmetic at home (Crawford 50). Later, he received lessons in French, Latin, and mathematics from John Murdoch, a student hired by his father (Carswell...

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

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

Cedar’s Journey in “Future Home of the Living God” by Louise Erdrich

The story presented in Louise Erdrich’s novel under the title Future Home of the Living God is an example of a hero’s story. Being set in pre-apocalyptic America, the dystopian novel is written from the first-person perspective. It conveys a journey of a pregnant twenty-six-year-old Native American woman named Cedar...

Oedipus and Hamlet: Review

Oedipus the King by Sophocles and Hamlet by William Shakespeare belong to the most famous tragedies in the world. Even though the creations belong to different historical periods, they have a few common concepts. The ground for this is that both works explore human feelings, actions, and desires and the...

Maus: A Survivor’s Tale by Art Spiegelman

This paper will analyze the graphic strategies used by Art Spiegelman on page 13 of his graphic novel, Maus: A Survivor’s Tale. This page represents a part of the narration when a father tells his son about his past, so it includes both the current timeline of the story and...

Nod and Kick & Friendship and Racial Conflict in “Recitatif“ by Toni Morrison

Introduction The central idea of the Recitatif by Toni Morrison is race and racism, the “black-white” conflict. It must be noticed that the author’s approach to this subject is nonconventional, and the first sign of it is that she makes the reader guess who between the two protagonists of the...

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...

The Philosophy of the Middle Path in the “If”

Introduction The poem “If” by Rudyard Kipling develops the theme of resilience, manhood, and middle path utilizing devices of rhythm, rhyme, repetition, and symbolism. This didactic poem presents the author’s advice to his son John and consists of one compound sentence. In this sentence, Rudyard Kipling describes paradoxical life situations...

“Crack” by David Farber Analysis

This review dwells upon David Farber’s Crack: Rock Cocaine, Street Capitalism, and the Decade of Greed. The book sheds light on diverse aspects of the war on drugs and the crack market in the USA in the twentieth century. The author attempts to identify the major causes of the problem...

A Farewell to Arms Novel by Ernest Hemingway

War is an essential topic in A Farewell to Arms due to the novel’s setting at the time of World War I. While reading the book, it is particularly interesting to monitor the growth of the main character and the change in his attitudes towards war. In this essay, I...

Analysis of Hamlet Passage by William Shakespeare

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

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...

“The Boarder” Short Story by Isaac Bashevis Singer

The exposition begins when the characters and the setting are introduced to the reader. The dialogues between the characters filled with their constant disagreement serve as the rising action. The story reaches its climax when Moris Melnik decides to let the spoon of salt define the state of things in...

“Illness in Literature: “Nightmare Begins Responsibility“ and “The Metamorphosis““

The Importance of Literature For every reader, literature opens up the marvelous world of human relationships and experiences. Different epochs and cultures would describe the term literature differently. In its simplest definition, literature refers to a set of written and printed works of a certain people and period. At the...

Mont Blanc: Lines Written in the Vale of Chamouni

Percy Bysshe Shelley wrote this first-person poem inspired by the Chamonix Valley landscapes near Geneva. The Romantic style of William Wordsworth significantly influenced Shelley’s poetry. The former applied a similar writing style by describing feelings and emotions with physical objects. The young Englishman visited the Arve Valley by Mont Blanc,...

Death in John Donne’s and Percy Shelley’s Sonnets

Death is a controversial topic for many people since its perception varies from person to person. Some see it as liberation from earthly shackles while others dread it and try to postpone the final moment of life for as long as physically possible. Nonetheless, human lives are finite, and at...

Andie from “Honky” Play by Greg Kalleres

Sexuality Stereotypes One of the main characters in Honky, Andie Chastain, is a young woman whose behavior reflects multiple stereotypes linked with sexuality (Kalleres, 2014). Today, social media researchers are concerned about the harmful stereotype, according to which women tend to lie about rape or sexual harassment (Stabile et al.,...

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...

Allen Ginsberg’s “Howl” Summary and Analysis

Over the course of history, it has become clear that in a world replete with cruelty and mischievous triumph, people crave freedom even if it implies going as far as possible from the established behavioral norms and patterns. The undisputable eagerness to feel alive and find the new connotative meanings...

“Know Your Why” by Ken Costa

This book has comprised several simple truths that help an individual to figure out their main purpose in life. It is addressed to those who burn out at work spending numerous hours doing things they do not enjoy. Those activities do not bring them closer to the desired future. The...

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

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

Chaucer’s Book of the Duchess and the Gawain Poet’s Pearl: A Critical Essay

Introduction The feeling of a personal loss is one of the emotional experiences that transcend all cultures and are easily understood by the members of any cultural environment. Moreover, the concepts of love and loss, as well as those of life and death, transcend not only cultures but time as...

Environmental Effects in My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante

The environment plays an essential role in dictating the traits of a person. However, despite the hostility of the surrounding, the individuals who are determined to achieve their life goals always embrace success. The surrounding can make people develop fear even of their closest friends, hence seeing them as enemies....

“Why I Live at the P.o.” by Eudora Welty – Story Analysis

Narrator and her Relationships with Sister The first paragraph of Why I Live at the P.O. presents the reader with the narrator’s evaluation of relationships with her sister (Stella-Rondo). The narrator appears to be female having good relationships with her elders (Mama, Papa-Daddy and Uncle Rondo). The relationships between sisters...

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...

Analysis of a Scene from ‘Fences’ by August Wilson

Fences written by August Wilson is a play that revolves around the conflict within an African American family that takes place in the year 1957 in Pennsylvania. The play’s title has a metaphorical meaning, and the unfinished fence the audience sees on stage symbolizes the uneasy relationship of the main...

Love and Loss in Poem “Annabelle Lee” by Edgar Allan Poe

The poem “Annabelle Lee” is considered the last poem by Edgar Allan Poe. It is believed to be related to the love of Poe’s life, his wife Virginia, who died at an early age of tuberculosis (Syafitri & Marlinton, 2018). Since Virginia was much younger than Edgar, her image could...

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

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

Oedipus and Hamlet Characters’ Comparison

The plays, Oedipus Rex by Sophocles and Hamlet by William Shakespeare was written centuries apart but they share common themes, specifically that of a tragic hero, as shown by the protagonists in these two chefs-oeuvres. Both Oedipus and Hamlet seek to avenge the death of their fathers, but in the...

William Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Gertrude

William Shakespeare’s Hamlet is one of the most known tragedies in the English literature, while Hamlet himself is an illustrative example of a turbulent mind. His inner thoughts and his attitude towards his father is often at the center of the discussion, but his relationship with Gertrude, his mother, is...

“Room” Story by Emma Donoghue

In the world of the 21st century, people seem to have forgotten about the cruelty of being deprived of freedom. With the impression of living as a free man, they have now become more focused on the notions of respect and equality. Only few, however, realize that every human being...

American Dream as a Symbol of Hopelessness in Gothic Fiction

Introduction The Street is a novel by Ann Petry, an AAfrican American writer, whose other famous works include novels Country Place and The Narrows. The Street was first published in 1946 and sold more than a million copies. The main character of the novel, Lutie Johnson, decides to build a...

Racial Tensions in “Recitatif” by Toni Morrison

Introduction “Recitatif” is a short story written by Tony Morrisson, which depicts the experience of Twyla and Roberta. The story uncovers many themes, including child neglect and racial tensions of the era. The plot development allows seeing the relationship between two childhood friends and the different life experiences and views...

Romantic Era of English Poetry

The Romantic era is an important period in the history of English literature when many of the touching and evocative poems were presented to the public. My choice of the “Romantic” group is explained by the profoundness of themes and emotions expressed by the authors. Through the use of imagery...

Traditional European Society in Voltaire’s Candide

Introduction Candide, ou l’Optimisme is an 18th-century novel written by Voltaire, the French philosopher of the Age of Enlightenment. Focused on the story of a young man named Candide who was taught by his tutor, Professor Pangloss, in the spirit of Leibnizian optimism, it satirizes religion, the optimistic beliefs of...

Social Satire in Canterbury Tales

Introduction The 14th-16th centuries period received the name Renaissance in European history. As a cultural phenomenon, the Renaissance marked a slow transition from medieval era to modernity. During that time period, a significant part of European states experienced severe changes in their social structures, as well as the rise of...

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 Necessity of Self-Contemplation

Introduction While modern technology and social media have done wonders in terms of connecting people, it can be argued that this integration has come at the price of one of our least celebrated necessities. Time strictly devoted to oneself is time spent analyzing beliefs, values, and the purpose one takes...

Othello, Cassio and Iago in the Play “Othello” by William Shakespeare

In the play “Othello” by William Shakespeare, a close look at the characters is being taken. Othello, Cassio and Iago are very different people with their own life experiences and this plays a very important role in the play. Each of them was raised uniquely and this makes up their...

Ralph Ellison’s “Battle Royal”: Racism

Introduction The main character of Battle Royal, a short story which was written by Ralph Ellison, describes the life of a young black man, who is forced to endure violent acts of racism towards him and other African-Americans. Even though it depicts the events from centuries ago, the issue that...

“The Bean Trees” by Barbara Kingsolver

Barbara Kingsolver’s The Bean Trees is one of the most popular and urgent literary works nowadays. It touches upon burning issues of the modern society such as the conflict between ethical and legal, racism, adoption laws, homelessness, multiculturalism, kidnapping, depression suicide, the conflict of nature and nurture etc. We are...

“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...

Marshall Berman’s Views in “All That Is Solid Melts Into Air”

Introduction The book All That Is Solid Melts Into Air is about Marshall Berman’s views on the relationship between different manifestations of modernity, and the concept of modernism as an approach to understanding the world. This academic text talks about the changes that the world is constantly experiencing and the...

Oedipus as a Perfect Tragic Hero

Introduction Aristotle made a considerable contribution when he conceptualized the notion of a tragic hero. According to the ancient thinker, a tragic hero should possess five major qualities. The Ancient Greek philosopher used Oedipus as a prototype for his tragic hero. Based on the major concepts of Aristotle, Oedipus can...

“Gooseberries” by Anton Chekhov: Character of Ivan Ivanovich Chimsha-Himalayan

Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, a famous Russian writer, was a short story master who dreamed that people should be free and happy. Unfortunately, in real life, Chekhov had to deal with rudeness and callousness, which he called vulgarity. Chekhov made fun of philistines, stupidity, and the writer especially did not like...

Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

Introduction Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley’s novel Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus addresses conventional romantic themes like isolation and beauty of the nature and one can find that the novel discusses the ultimate pain of lose. It is often considered as a humanistic critique of technological development or new scientific inventions. Personal...

Juxtaposing Fences and Girl

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

A Modest Proposal: Jonathan Swift’s Political Satire

Introduction Jonathan Swift’s political satire, A Modest Proposal, introduces an extreme and appalling plan for reducing the financial burden Irish children had upon their poor families and society as a whole. There is much criticism in this political satire that is directed toward the landlords, government, and wealthy citizens of...

Shakespeare: “Romeo and Juliet”, the Development of Juliet as a Woman

The style of thinking, reasoning as well as acting changes with time during the process of development. Playwrights have resolved to address the changes or experiences that one encounters during his/her development. For instance, William Shakespeare in his Romeo and Juliet illustrates the process of development through Juliet, the hero...

“Their Eyes Were Watching God” by Hurston

Their Eyes Were Watching God is the story of people who failed to be up to the image and likeness of God the humankind has been created after. Janie Crawford is the protagonist of the novel. Ever since her grandmother arranged 16 years old Janie’s marriage the latter succumbs to...