Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri

Introduction Written by Dante Alighieri in the fourteenth century, The Divine Comedy is considered to be one of the most captivating epic poems in literature. Dante’s Inferno paints an edgy and imaginative vision of the Christian afterlife by combining classical Christian influences with a classic touch of Renaissance culture. The...

Unhappy Marriage in “The Story of an Hour” by K. Chopin

Choplin’s story is set in a time when many females were supposed to play the role of a housewife and a homemaker. This was a time where roles for females and males were defined by society such as women took care of the house while the man was responsible for...

Jane Austen’s and Her Works’ Influences

Have you ever thought where the works of imaginative literature come from? The writers create them when inspired, but what is inspiration? It is nothing less than the genius that enables people to commit their thoughts to paper in such a way that these thoughts are embodied in words in...

The Impact of Art of Langston Hughes

Langston Hughes Langston Hughes holds a place in the history of American literature as a great poet, novelist, playwright, short story writer, and newspaper columnist. It was his work during the Harlem Renaissance that immortalized Langston Hughes. The Harlem Renaissance was a blossoming period for African American art, literature, music,...

Poet of Nature – Thoreau

Many things about a poet’s life can be observed in the poetry he writes. Over the years, their environment, lifestyle, and beliefs become reflected in their poetry. Henry David Thoreau was a factory worker, essay writer, and teacher before he was a poet. He was also a Transcendentalist and an...

“The Life You Save May Be Your Own” by Flannery O’Connor

Terry Teachout says that in Flannery O’Connor’s world “unbelievers living in a fallen world tainted by modernity suddenly find themselves irradiated by grace, but… they struggle in vain against its revelatory power.” In “The Life You Save May Be Your Own,” Tom T. Shiftlet lives in a fallen world tainted...

Chris McCandless’ Behavior in “Into the Wild” by Jon Krakauer

The closer analysis of the character of Chris McCandless, in Jon Krakauer’s novel “Into the Wild”, points out to his personality as such that can hardly serve as a “role model” for young people, due to the fact that McCandless’ “pro-nature” stance appears to have been an intellectual by-product of...

Coelho’s Biographical Representations in “The Alchemist”

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

Spellbound: A Line to Line Explication

The night is darkening round me. The poet is standing at the edge of a moor. She finds the night turning darker. She gets a sense of being trapped. The wild winds coldly blow; Added to the carpet of darkness thickening around her comes to the blowing wind. She feels...

Byron and Browning: “Don Juan” and “Andrea Del Sarto”

Lord Byron is a romantic poet and Browning is a Victorian poet. Byron is a nihilist and pessimist. Browning, on the other hand, is known for his robust optimism. However, both are very great as poets. Their poems deal with various aspects of love, and their capacity to depict the...

The Poetry of Emily Dickinson and Robert Frost

Introduction It is not by an accident that such literary genre as poetry requires the possession of strong metaphoric and imaginative skills, on the part of its practitioners – by exposing readers to metaphorically expressed messages, contained in their poems; poets enable them to derive a strong aesthetic pleasure out...

Characteristics and Similarities Between Realistic and Historical Fiction

Realistic fiction Similarities between the Realistic and Historic Historical fiction Realistic fiction is the outcome of the real situation which happens in one’s life. Both in realistic and historical fiction the characters and settings resemble the real life Historical fiction is the outcome of the story which happened in the...

Discussion of the Poem’s Context “Wulf and Eadwacer”

“Wulf and Eadwacer” is an Anglo-Saxon poem found in the 10th century Exeter Book and famous for its difficult interpretation. I believe this poem is essentially an expression of wife and mother’s grief. In the very beginning, it is made clear that by its context and emotional mood, “Wulf and...

Edward Estlin Cummings and His Poetry Review

Introduction Edward Estlin Cummings is amongst the most controversial figures of the 20th century American poetry. On the one hand, readers value him for sincerity and sensitivity in depicting the mystery of love as well as for idealized depiction of the beloved as well as for his sensual, almost three-dimensional...

“Up from Slavery” by Booker T. Washington Analysis

Introduction The life of Booker T. Washington can very well serve as the proof to the idea that it is namely the strength of one’s determination and his or her industriousness, which define such individual’s chances to attain social prominence, even in society hampered by racial prejudices. Therefore, Washington’s autobiographical...

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

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

Cinderella’s Stepsisters As Saviors

The story of Cinderella has been told in most cultures but the European version is the best known, partly because that version has been modified as times changed. It is mostly read as a rags-to-riches story of a virtuous girl who gets her just reward in this life rather than...

The Unique Writing Style of William Faulkner

Introduction William Faulkner is regarded as one of the leading authors of 20th century American literature (Lombardi). Listed among his many works are the book “As I Lay Dying” and the short story “A Rose for Emily,” both of which depict several similar features that are typical of the author’s...

The Role of Antigone’s Pride in Her Death

The idea of excessive pride plays a monumental role in Greek tragedy. Pride in itself can be seen as a positive attribute, but when it is expressed in arrogance and defiance of fate and the gods, it becomes a fatal flaw that leads to downfall. Aristotle stated, “the tragic hero...

Socrates and Antigone: Philosophical Comparison

Human society has gone through multiple numbers of epochs and stages in its development, and on each of those stages, human beings have coined certain rules and laws to regulate their lives. In the modern world, the rational mind seems to rule the creation of laws, but in the ancient...

“Iliad” by Homer and “A Thousand and One Nights”: Comparison

Supernatural power The Iliad by Homer in his character analysis uses supernatural strength to describe the development of the story. He uses Achilles to link a close relationship between humans and the gods. This superhuman strength describes the character as a warrior in the Achaean army. He uses this character...

Theme of Marriage in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

“Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen is the most famous novel and it may be considered as a classic of English literature. The novel, like the most part of Jane Austen’s novels, discloses the theme of marriage. Thus, the first sentence of the novel reveals its whole idea: “It is...

The Role of Women in Pride and Prejudice

The Role of Women During the 19th century, one major priority of women was marriage. In most cases women married for attraction and social status. It was hardly for true love. At times cases of happiness within the marriage context was purely based on whether the female was beautiful and...

A Clean, Well-Lighted Place: Critical Analysis

The short story by Ernest Hemingway titled A Clean, Well-Lighted Place is a bright example of the psychological literature in which all sins of human beings are revealed. In this story, Hemingway manages to illustrate the eternal differences between human beings through the short dialog of two waiters in a...

The Grandmother in A Good Man Is Hard to Find: Character Analysis

Mary Flannery O’Connor authored the short essay “A Good Man Is Hard To Find” in a style and manner that is not often seen in women writers. She chose to deal with the real-life issues of parent-child relationships and violent murders. Certainly not a genre that women authors are known...

Foreshadowing in ‘a Good Man Is Hard to Find’ by O’Connor

Flannery O’Connor(1925-1964) is one the most acclaimed American short story writers of the twentieth century. She was born in Savannah and brought up in Milledgeville, both in Georgia. With 31 stories and two novels to her credit, she died at the age of 39, almost 12 years after she was...

The Role of Love and Women in Great Gatsby and the Sun Also Rises

Introduction Love is inextricably linked to women in both Fitzgerald’s “Great Gatsby” and Hemingway’s “The Sun Also Rises” so much so that a serious discussion of one cannot be complete without the other. Daisy Buchanan and Brett in both books respectively are the agents that symbolize love, or the absence...

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

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

Ethical and Moral Principles in the Literature

Introduction Ethical relations became the core problems of the modern world as the increase of educated people leads to the rise of the morality and improvements of the relations. The interconnection of education and ethics in the society is objective as knowledge is the power, which gives people understanding of...

Paul Lawrence Dunbar. Poems of the Black Man

Paul Laurence Dunbar was born in Ohio in 1872, just a few years after the Civil War ended. He lived during a tremendous time of social change, not only for his people as they both hoped for a better future and struggled through more of the same, but also for...

Stereotypes in Ortiz Cofer’s Essay

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

Nature of Name in “The Namesake” by Jhumpa Lahiri

Introduction In most cases our backgrounds characterize us, for instance, where we grew up, our beliefs as well as traditions, the forms of education we acquire and the friends we make. It only becomes a problem when your background clash and as a result we are left torn between the...

Langston Hughes’ and Sylvia Plath’s Poetry Comparison

It is hard to think of two poets whose lives are more different from each other’s than Langston Hughes and Sylvia Plath. Hughes was born in 1902 in Joplin, Missouri of mixed-race parents, and was mostly raised by his grandmother in Lawrence, Kansas. He worked odd jobs, including a six-month...

A Comparison of “Hamlet” by Shakespeare and “Wuthering Heights” by Bronte

Literature has a way of continuing to explore many of the same themes that seem to plague mankind throughout history. One of the common themes that continues to appear throughout much of earlier literature is a representation of women as nearly hysterical creatures that needed the guiding and calming hand...

Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey — Comparison & Critique

The Iliad and the Odyssey are two of the oldest pieces of Western literature in existence today. They are canons of the west’s literary past even now and have a large following. The stories of both have been repeated countless times and used in cultural references and in making big-budget...

Analysis of Ferlinghetti’s A Vast Confusion

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

Sophocles’ Oedipus the King and Rita Dove’s “The Darker Face of the Earth”

Rita Dove’s “The Darker Face of the Earth” is a poet reading that narrates the Oedipus drama, fabricated in terms of the African-American experience of slavery. Oedipus the King’s reading is enriched with the beauty and richness of ancient images and distress dynamics of Greek myths. The transcendent power drawn...

“The Yellow Wallpaper”: A Short Story by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

“The Yellow Wallpaper” is a short story written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman and published in 1982. The story is a first person narrative with a woman describing her mental health problems and the development of her disease. The story, first criticized by a number of readers for being frustrating and...

English Literature: Frankenstein by Shelley

Introduction If we are going to compare Victor Frankenstein from the famous and the most disturbing horror novels by Mary Shelley to God, then we will probably suggest that God is ashamed, scared, horrified, and full hatred towards us, just like Victor towards his own creation. Looking at God, just...

Family Members in “Without My Cloak” by Kate O’Brien

Introduction In different epochs and changeable cultural values, different restrictions are put by the society on its members. In that sense, absolute freedom of choice was not a term that was known for any ordinary person in any chosen time or space. The main issue of contradiction is to what...

Comparison of Machiavelli and Don Quixote

Introduction Both Machiavelli and Don Quixote can be said to have contributed greatly to the period of the renaissance. In their different settings, they both seem to uphold the same views on the concepts of providence, prudence, fortune, and virtue. Don Quixote, in his madness, actually manages to defend the...

Metaphor Is a Many-Splendored Thing

Figurative language or Metaphor encompasses almost any unusual way of expressing meaning through words. As a means of communication through careful control of diction, metaphor is most typical of poetry. “In rhetoric, a metaphor is a figure of speech in which for the purpose of emphasizing a particular quality, one...

Marquez’s The Chronicle of a Death Foretold & Allende’s The House of the Spirits

Introduction The novel “The Chronicle of a death foretold”, written by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, is a novel based on a real murder that occurred in Columbia on January 22, 1951. The main characters in “The Chronicle…” and their actions, fate and intentions resembled that of the people in the actual...

Education in “Mansfield Park” by Jane Austen

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

Sophocles’ Antigone: Critical Analysis

Introduction The play Antigone is one of the best Greek dramatic works depicting life style of society and human relations between people. Antigone of Sophocles can be characterized as an astonishing achievement of world literature in which people are crushed by the entanglements of law whichever way they turn. Antigone...

Death of the American Dream in Death of a Salesman

The play Death of a Salesman depicts the American dream and the inability of a person to understand the meaning of life and family happiness. The play is often seen as tragic because of the death of the main character, Willy Loman who wastes his life searching for the American...

The Problem of Faith in Parables by Kafka and Nietzsche

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

“East of Eden” by John Steinbeck

The main message of East of Eden seems to be that the individual has a moral and spiritual obligation to discover for themselves whether they have acted for the good or the evil. This is stated outright by the narrator in Chapter 34, “There is no other story. A man,...

“Brutal Imagination” Poem by Cornelius Eady

As a form of literature, poetry is quite difficult to define and even more challenging to analyze, especially when attempting to decipher its original meaning and defining the author’s original intent. Expected to elicit an emotional response first and at the same time leaving enough place for thoughtful contemplations, poetry...

Dr. DuBois and The Harlem Renaissance

Introduction Dr. William Edward Burghardt Du Bois lived an intense life; the ups and downs of that altruistic life and his all-prevailing personality were all conscientiously and passionately documented by him in autobiographies, essays, notes, journal articles, and lectures through several decades. The Harlem Renaissance a.k.a. The Black Renaissance or...

Terrance Hayes’ “American Sonnet for My Past and Future Assassin”

Change is an inseparable part of existence, yet, when representing a deliberate intention, it becomes a strangely difficult step to take. In his 2018 poem, “American Sonnet for My Past and Future Assassin,” Terrance Hayes addresses the necessity to make a difficult choice, conveying the sense of lingering between inconsequential...

Alan Paton’s “Cry, The Beloved Country” Analysis

Introduction Cry, The Beloved Country by Alan Paton (Paton, 1948) is a classic story of South African apartheid in the years after World War II. The story is about a Stephen Kumalo a Black pastor who is searching for his son Absalom in Johannesburg. The son has been charged with...

Science Fiction: Wells’ “The War of the Worlds”

Science fiction and fantastic literature has been fascinating the readers since its very appearing. It is quite natural for people to dream, and imagine either alternative ways of history, or far future. As the discovering of the secrets which are concealed in space and far galaxies, and also the possibility...

Sarty Snopes Character Analysis

Faulkner’s Barn Burning is a story reflecting such crucial issues as class conflict and loyalty. The main one is an internal conflict in the mind of the child-protagonist. Despite the conditions in which the character finds himself, he embodies truly noble features, such as sympathy and compassion. He is eager...

Social Issues in “Effi Briest” by Theodor Fontane

Introduction Effi Briest by Theodor Fontane is one of the most famous realist novels, which stands in line with masterpieces like Madame Bovary and Anna Karenina. This book tells the story of a girl who enters into an arranged marriage and eventually becomes its victim. The novel’s plot is centered...

Masculinity in Shakespeare’s “Antony and Cleopatra” Play

Introduction “Antony and Cleopatra” is one of Shakespeare’s most dramatic plays; however, it has not been staged nearly as many as plays such as Hamlet or Macbeth because it is such a hard play to produce due to its enormous variety of content. However, the mere strength of the characters...

The Canterbury Tales Costumes as Symbols

Clothing in a literary work can serve as a detail that communicates certain information about the hero. Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales are replete with detailed depictions of various characters’ wardrobes. At the same time, Chaucer’s numerous descriptions of clothing are equipped with varying artistic functions, serving special expressive purposes. The...

“Desiree’s Baby” Short Story by Kate Chopin

Introduction In the short story, Desiree’s Baby Kate Chopin depicts truth of life speaking about social problems of women and role of racial differences. In this short story, a women character of embodies qualities and unique characteristics typical for many 19th century women, and reflects their expectations, values and morals....

“Because My Father Said” Short Story’s Analysis

The story “Because My Father Said He Was the Only Indian Who Saw Jimi Hendrix Play ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ at Woodstock” opens with Victor, the story narrator, recalling his father’s past life, how he was thrown to prison for assaulting a Private member of National Guards during a peaceful demonstration....

Barker’s Regeneration & Plath’s The Bell Jar: Compare & Contrast Essay

Introduction Literature is usually regarded as a guide, which leads us throughout the realities of life, impacts our conclusions, and permeates our cultural consciousness. It is in the literature that we find our characters; we find the evidence of our pasts and an expectation for our potential. It is literature...

A Good Man Is Hard to Find: Critical Analysis Essay

Introduction Flannery O’Connor is the brightest representative of the Southern Gothic in US literature. Her prose is filled with violence, erupting evil and dark features of a human being, and many stories shockingly end on a note of horror. “A Good Man is Hard to Find” first appeared in a...

Benjamin Franklin vs. Jay Gatsby: Character Comparison

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

The Lottery & The Rocking Horse Winner Compare & Contrast Essay

Introduction Everyone lives in a culture, where cultural norms, expectations, and traditions dictate what a fortunate or happy life is. They can choose to ignore these pressures or conform to them. Two authors, Shirley Jackson and David Herbert Lawrence in their short stories The Lottery and The Rocking Horse Winner...

Penelope’s Resilience in Homer’s ‘The Odyssey’

Introduction In Homer’s epic story of Odysseus, the character that stands out most to me is the character, Penelope. Although she has been left behind to run her husband’s kingdom and raise his son with little or no help, she still manages to find a way of keeping her family...

Racism Against Afro-Americans in Wilson’s “Fences” Play

Fences is a play by August Wilson, an American playwright, a Pulitzer’s laureate, who wrote about the life of African Americans in different periods of the 20th century. He chronicled the African-American experience through a series of 10 plays. In the 1950s, the South was still officially segregated, and in...

“The White Book” Novel by Han Kang

The White Book is a novel written in 2016 by a South Korean writer, Han Kang. The unique and unconventional way of narration that is usually used by the author ensures the popularity of her books that are recognizable in different parts of the world (Hartanto 265). In 2018, the...

Langston Hughes’ “Mother to Son” & “Harlem” Poems

Lorraine Hansberry’s play titled A Raisin in the Sun demonstrates readiness to challenge typical representations of minority families in theatrical pieces. The play has connections with two poems by Hughes, “Mother to Son” and “Harlem.” In his poem titled “Mother to Son,” Hughes refers to the exchange of experiences between...

Know Thyself: Sophocles’ “Oedipus the King”

The famous saying “Know Thyself,” which is written on the temple at Delphi, is one of the main messages of the Sophocles’ play “Oedipus the King.” Taking into account the historical context, it is easy to explain the problem that appeared at the end of the fifth century. “Know Thyself”...

Are We Rome? Lessons for America from Ancient Rome’s Fall

Introduction The book Are We Rome? The Fall of an Empire and the Fate of America gives a detailed analysis and comparisons between the United States and the Roman Empire. The author’s main subject matter revolves around the practices and developments recorded in the United States that have the potential...

Wilson’s “Fences” Play and the American Dream

August Wilson is one of the renowned American playwrights who displayed the complexity of the American society. Fences can be seen as one of his most referenced works that dwell upon the challenges of African Americans’ lives in the USA of the 1950s. The play uncovers the story of the...

“The Glass Menagerie” the Story by Tennessee Williams

It is important to note that there are significant similarities between Amanda and Jim, and Jim and Tom in various regards. Jim O’Connor is introduced by Tom as a person with a successful past but who undergoes daily struggles in the main timeline of the story. It can be compared...

“Epilogue” Poem by Robert Lowell

Analysis It is worth noting that Robert Lowell was a poet who did not use rhyme and rhythmic units to give his writings traditional sounding. Many of his works can be regarded as experimental poetry, and the author resorted to his creative method to produce the necessary impression on the...

“The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” by Le Guin

The article that resonates with me the most is the short story by Ursula Le Guin under the title “The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas.” In an exciting combination of descriptive narrative and directly referring to readers, the author manages to convey a complicated twofold message. On the surface,...

Slavery in “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” the Novel by Mark Twain

Introduction Anti-slavery is one of the central aspects of Mark Twain’s iconic novel, “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.” Given the years when the novel was written, Twain’s thoughts and beliefs regarding slavery channeled through the book’s main characters were quite revolutionary and ahead of their time. First things first, the writer...

Class & Race in Chesnutt’s “The Wife of His Youth”: A Study

The construct of class and race can have a considerable impact on the life choices of individuals. In “The Wife of his Youth,” Charles Chesnutt describes the story of Mr. Ryder, a prosperous African American with light skin which meets his wife, Liza Jane, after a long period of being...

Father-Son Dynamics in Homer’s “Odyssey”: A Deep Analysis

Introduction Being one of the most famous Ancient Greek plays, “Odyssey” has entered the realm of global culture, having left its mark on countless artworks and generations of readers. The poem addresses a large variety of themes, yet the father-son dynamics is one of the more subtle ideas integrated in...

Othello’s Image in Shakespeare’s Tragedy

Introduction The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice is an outstanding tragedy by William Shakespeare. It focuses on highly essential issues of tragic flaws, crucial miscommunication, revenge, deep hatred, and love. One of the most significant themes of a play that reflects both the social state of the Renaissance...

Humans in Dick’s “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?”

Back in 1968, Philip K. Dick made its readers consider what it truly means to be a human being with the help of the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? The central theme of the book, the struggle between people and artificially developed androids, is relevant for showing how...

August Wilson’s “Pittsburgh Cycle”: Music and Family

The Pittsburgh Cycle The issue of race was especially problematic for the U.S. in the early 20th century due to the legacy of the rampant racism that plagued the previous era of U.S. sociocultural development. The challenges faced by African American people in fighting against oppression and promoting equality were...

O’Connor’s “A Good Man Is Hard to Find”: A Literary Analysis

The short story written by Flannery O’Connor in 1955 is a striking and emotional representation of the goodness in the life of people. As the title implies, the plot of the story emerges around the idea of what it means to be good and if it is at all possible....

Marriage in “A Doll’s House” Play by Henrik Ibsen

Introduction There are several prominent themes raised in Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, including the discussion of feminism, freedom, happiness, and dignity. However, a significant topic to analyze within the play is that of marriage and the causes of its failure. Whether Torvald respected Nora due to his views on...

Symbol in “The Lottery” Story by Shirley Jackson

Introduction The idea of society is conditioned to violence is established immediately in Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery.” To represent the concepts of violence and murder, stones are used and mentioned numerous times throughout the story. By using stones as the symbol of violence in “The Lottery,” Shirley Jackson represents the...

The Dangers of Capital Punishment: Atavism and Arbitrary Condemnation

Introduction The concept of capital punishment is a highly controversial and widely discussed subject. The article discusses the topics of atavism, arbitrary condemnation, and sanctioned violence. The author makes an attempt to argue that capital punishment can be abused in someone’s interest because the victim will no longer have a...

Mathilde in “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant

Introduction The Necklace is a short story written by French writer Guy de Maupassant at the end of the 19th century. In the story, the main character Mathilde Loisel lives a humble life of a middle-class housewife believing that she is meant to be rich. She borrows a diamond necklace...

Moral Codes in O’Connor’s “A Good Man Is Hard to Find”

Introduction Flannery O’Connor (1925-1964) is an American novelist and a prolific author. She developed and finessed the Southern Gothic style and went down in the history of literature for her captivating short stories. In this story, O’Connor describes a family trip from Georgia to Florida for a summer vacation. The...

Religion & Hypocrisy: “The Summoning of Everyman”

Introduction The Summoning of Everyman is a medieval morality play that is more often referred to as Everyman. When called by Death, Everyman cannot persuade anyone, Beauty, Kindred, or Worldly Goods, to go with him. Only Good Deeds agree to accompany Everyman to his grave. The present paper discusses the...

Symbolism in “Disgrace” by John Maxwell Coetzee

Introduction People can find symbolism everywhere in their daily life and, especially, in literature. Each person can interpret symbols in their own way, depending on how they look at them. In books, symbols are utilized to make the story deeper and allow a reader to understand the author’s purposes and...

Dostoevsky’s “Crime and Punishment” Literary Analysis

Fyodor Dostoevsky became a classic of Russian and world literature due to his ability to feel the subtle psychology of broken people, to create them in his works so that they seem frighteningly real. In the novel Crime and Punishment, the author tells readers about the tragic events in the...

Heroism in “A Lesson Before Dying” by E. Gaines

Introduction/Thesis When it comes to writing a novel, authors must first make sure that the would-be produced literary work will have what it takes to prove discursively relevant. This, in turn, can only be accomplished if the novel’s themes and motifs are consistent with the prevailing socio-cultural climate, on the...

Exploring Play and Game Structures by Sicart & Fullerton

Introduction This essay is a review of two chapters from books by Miguel Sicart and Tracy Fullerton. The first chapter talks about the definition of play, and the second describes the structure of a game. The goal of the review is to find two interesting points in each chapter and...

Contents and Writing Styles of Insectopedia Written by Hugh Raffles

Introduction The writing style is an essential part of any science. Although the experiment’s results can be assessed with a certain degree of certainty, which excludes bias, the ability to write often determines the way the readers get to perceive certain subjects, be it literature, anthropology, history, sociology, or others....

Power in “The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World” by Marquez

Introduction Quote “They thought that he would have had so much authority that he could have drawn fish out of the sea simply by calling their names and that he would have put so much work into his land that springs would have burst forth from among the rocks so...

“I Cross Till I am Weary” by Emily Dickinson

Introduction In this work of poetry, the persona describes the struggles that she goes through, and what awaits her as she makes her journey to the place of grace (heaven) (Stanza five). As the persona nears the end of her narration, it is not clear whether her goal (place of...

Plato’s Philosophy: Soul Immortality and the Cave Allegory

Introduction Plato was one of the outstanding Ancient Greek philosophers. Most of his teachings were based on his conception of the ideas, which explained human nature, life, soul, relationships, and the state. Plato expressed his philosophy in the dialogues, among which the Phaedo and The Republic take a very important...

Ancient Greek Tragedies: Agamemnon, Antigone and Bacchae

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

A Good Man Is Hard to Find: Main Ideas

Introduction “A Good Man is Hard to Find” is a short story written by Flannery O’Connor in 1953 and is mostly known for its controversial and grim ending. O’Connor, being a Southerner, has been mostly using a Southern Gothic style in her writings; this genre is usually referred to as...

Transformation in Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis”

The theme of transformation is one of the most prominent ones in The Metamorphosis. Franz Kafka implemented various literary devices to illustrate how the central characters changed throughout the novella. Yet, the key aspect the author tried to convey is that Gregor’s physical metamorphosis led to everyone’s psychological transformation, including...

Hans Christian Andersen’ Works Analysis

Introduction The term ‘author’ can be used to refer to someone who “…….originates or gives existence (or life) to something” (Hodges 2002). In the context of literature, an author can be described as an individual who originates or gives existence to a piece of text. This is for example a...

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

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

Machiavelli’s The Prince and Its Modern Importance

Introduction Machiavelli’s “The Prince” is a powerful masterpiece that presents the best leadership concepts. This political treatise was written by Niccolo Machiavelli. According to many scholars, “The Prince” was the first political text to examine the issue of leadership ethics (Machiavelli 27). The book presents meaningful arguments that are applicable...

Family and Society in Tartuffe by Molière

Tartuffe was first performed in 1664. The play is about a beggar by the name Tartuffe, and Orgon’s family, which has taken the responsibility of helping him (Moliere 3). Tartuffe is a good man, according to Orgon, and this is the reason why he decides to help him. He even...

Sex without Love: by Sharon Olds

Literature has always served people to convey their feelings and emotions. It is a very powerful remedy which helps authors show their attitude towards some issue and make people think about it. That is why it is obvious that much attention in the literature is devoted to the issue of...

Cultures in Kiran Desai’s The Inheritance of Loss

Introduction This paper is a review of the article, Kiran Desai’s The Inheritance of Loss: Elements of American Dream and Globalization by Andhra Chandramani and Bala Reddy, which bases its discussion on the book, The Inheritance of Loss, by Kiran Desai. The article is mainly an analysis of what the...

Eliezer’s Crisis of Faith During the Holocaust

Eliezer was brought up in a religious family with a strong reverence to God. However, the harsh and cruel conditions in the Nazi concentration camps coupled with the inhuman experiences at the hands of the Gestapo officers during the Holocaust made Eliezer and other Jews lose faith in God. Nevertheless,...

“Antigone” by Sophocles: Antigone and Creon Characters

Character and motivation of Antigone and Creon In the play, Antigone is mainly motivated by love for her family, respect for the gods, and belief in the afterlife. When she is faced with a difficult choice concerning new law, which challenges Theban traditions, she opts to disobey because of her...

Life-Death Contrast in Flannery O’Connor’s Stories

Introduction The present paper is a review of two stories written by Flannery O’Connor – A Good Man Is Hard to Find and The River – regarding their depiction of the concept of death. The two readings incorporate the concept of death in very different ways, and it is apparent...

“Liberty and Power” a Book by Harry Watson

Author’s Argument Harry Watson’s “Liberty and Power” is a masterpiece focusing on the political changes and events that characterized Antebellum America. According to the author, the Jacksonian ideology played a critical role towards reshaping the political future of the United States. The targeted historical period led to the establishment of...

“The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao” by Junot Diaz

The central character of Junot Diaz’s novel, The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, does not seem like a traditional hero, and his foolish choices can cause the reader to gasp or shake their head over how ill-advised they are. However, Diaz has subtly endowed Oscar’s tale with some...

David Auburn, Kate Chopin, and John Updike: Masters of Figurative Language

When numbers and amounts of numbers receive their symbolic representation called figure, and various objects take a distinguished shape these representations or shapes are called figures. In the exact same way, the locutions can also change shape and become figures of speech. Such a phenomenon is called a figurative expression....

“The Yellow Wallpaper” a Story by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Sometimes, even experts in certain professions go wrong. Many of them always believe too much in their knowledge such that it never occurs to them that they can go wrong. It is a good thing for professionals to have self-belief for the sake of efficiency in what they do. However,...

Lucille Clifton’ Poems Comparison

Introduction Lucille Clifton is noted for her outstanding ability to say very much using very few words. Her poems are full of life and passion, though hardly any exclamations are used. She uses simple means to express powerful ideas. Proclamation of the need for racial and gender equality, a hymn...

Journey in “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” and “Alchemist”

Introduction Narrative fiction often seeks to attract and entertain readers with imaginative experiences of characters that go through a transformation; therefore, it often utilizes quest-like plots that allow readers to embark on journeys to achieve certain goals that will eventually lead to change. In The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho provides his...

Literature Comparison: “Lust” and “Sex Without Love”

Introduction The story ‘Lust’ by Susan Minot is very sensational and describes the carefree life of young college students who are keen to enjoy life without giving much consideration to the consequences involved. In this book, the narrator is a young college girl. She brings her audience to a world...

Key Farce Elements in Theater: Analyzing Their Role in Playwriting

Farce is an inevitable element of theater and plays. Having a personal point of view about which elements of farce the theatric performances are to follow, Eric Bentley has created several aspects which are believed to be the part of farce. The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for...

“Disgrace” a Book by John Maxwell Coetzee

Introduction John Maxwell (J. M.) Coetzee is a well-known novelist who received numerous awards and recognition for his outstanding works. He is also a linguist and translator who contributed to the field of literature. Today the author represents two countries as he moved from South Africa to Australia at the...

Awkward Scene in The Castle of Otranto by Walpole

Introduction One awkward scene in the novel was where Manfred stabbed his own daughter Matilda when she was out with Theodore at St. Nicholas church. Manfred was in love with Isabel, but he thought that she loved another man called Theodore. As a result, Manfred had deployed a man to...

Elie Wiesel’s Night: Ghetto and Concentration Camp Horrors

Elie Wiesel revealed his experience in the ghetto in his novel Night. He portrayed the horrors of the war years and the horrors of the Nazi concentration camps. The author shares his thoughts and deepest emotions. The book is a very intimate confession of a person who tried to come...

The Laramie Project: Exploring Themes of Identity and Community in Kaufman’s Play

The Laramie Project was supposed to highlight and unfold the story of how a town responds to tragedy, controversy and worldwide media attention. The citizens gave a chronology of events and how they were able to combat the disaster. The paper would discuss the unfolding events and their consequences in...

Social Class and Difference in Theatrical Comedies

Class difference is an inevitable constitute of literary work. A drama that reflects the social construct of time is an indispensable source to understand class and societal structure of an era. In an attempt to portray, the world dramatists demonstrated the littlest equations that set the people apart. Most prominent...

Burdens’ Impact in “The Things They Carried” by O’Brien

Tim O’Brien’s short story “The things they carried” is a set of short pieces of narratives that tell the experiences of young American soldiers during and after the involvement in the Vietnam War. O’Brien took part in the Vietnam War in his early 20s. O’Brien was born in Austin, Minnesota...

“Hills Like White Elephants” a Story by Ernest Hemingway

“Hills Like White Elephant” by Ernest Hemingway is told mainly in the form of a conversation between the couple and even though the words are not actually said, it becomes obvious that the girl in the story is about to get an abortion. The main theme of the story centers...

“The Female American” a Book by Unca Eliza Winkfield

Unca Eliza Winkfield wrote The Female American in 1767 as a religious memoir modelled after Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe. Just like Robinson Crusoe, despite being a work of fiction, there is a series of references to factual historical events meant to create an illusion of reality. From a non-critical perspective,...

A&P John Updike Analysis – Essay on the Short Story [New Sample]

This A&P short story analysis will provide you with a plot summary, reveal where the story takes place, and analyze the characters. If you need to write an A&P by John Updike theme essay or any other paper, this sample will inspire you. Introduction A&P by John Updike is a...

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” by William Shakespeare

The play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream by Shakespeare is characterized by comedy, farce and humor that are present throughout the play. It is mainly based on love, magic, mistaken identity and the sudden reversal of relationships. Act I begins with a scene where Duke Theseus is conversing with his bride....

“Catch” by Robert Francis and “Easter Wings” by George Herbert

Two poems written by Robert Francis and George Herbert are separated by more than three centuries of the literature process. These aspects influenced the style of writing and the peculiarities of the poetic language. Nevertheless, it is still possible to determine the main differences and similarities in Francis’s “Catch” and...

“The Romance of the Forest” a Novel by Ann Radcliffe

Despite being set in a particular time and place, Radcliffe’s story actually transpires in a space of imagination and feeling; it is the moral and emotional state of her characters that form the focus of the author’s attention, with a Cinderella plot underpinning their journey of towards discovery and reward....

Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson Literary Styles Comparison

Introduction One of the differences between Whitman and Dickinson was the thematic elements that were utilized by the poets. For instance, Whitman’s use of slang and “common” language in his poetry greatly contrasted with Dickinson’s overly formal language, however, this difference in the type of words utilized actually embodied a...

Drugs and Jazz in James Baldwin’s “Sonny’s Blues”

Introduction As an African American writer involved in the Civil Rights Movement, James Baldwin was primarily concerned with the discrimination against the African American community and used one of the most influential tools of all times – literature – to carry his political message. In his short story Sonny’s Blues,...

The Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor: Walter Lord’s Day of Infamy

Born in 1917, Walter Lord was an outstanding historian and author. He wrote many books, most of which detail major historical events such as the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. He toured many parts of the world, interviewing hundreds of eyewitnesses about their experiences before, during, and after...

Character Analysis of Beatrice and Hero in Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing”

Introduction One of the reasons why the comedy Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare, continues to enjoy a lasting popularity with contemporaries, is that along with representing a high aesthetic value, it can also be considered utterly enlightening, in the philosophical sense of this word. After all, as this...

Symbolism in “Disgrace” by John Coetzee

Introduction The Novel, Disgrace, revolves around David Lurie, a University lecturer who faces one disgrace after another. Disgrace follows David wherever he goes throughout the novel. The 52-year-old man faces life in a post apartheid South Africa where racial discrimination is still rife. David’s first scandal with Melanie at the...

“Much Ado About Nothing” a Play by William Shakespeare

Introduction One of the reasons why the comedy Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare, continues to enjoy a lasting popularity with contemporaries, is that along with representing a high aesthetic value, it can also be considered utterly enlightening, in the discursive sense of this word. The reason for this...

Octavia Butler’s Kindred: Essay Example

Kindred Essay: Introduction “Kindred” is a novel written by Octavia Butler, American writer who created an extraordinary combination of science fiction events and the issue of slavery. The book was published in 1979 and became popular in no time because it discusses the problems that are on the front burner...

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick

Introduction The problem of the relationship between humans and technology is often discussed nowadays. In the 20th century, when Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? was published. This problem was no less important than now. Many post-apocalyptic novels depicted the horrible future that could follow the future...

Mark Twain Biography

Samuel Langhorne Clemens, who commonly used his pet name Mark Twain, is one of the most celebrated writers of the 19th century because of his great contribution to the world of literature and history. Most of his literary pieces give an insight into the past as they explore events that...

Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert Literature Analysis

Introduction Madame Bovary is the novel written by the outstanding French author Gustave Flaubert. The novel is considered to be one of the masterpieces of the world literature and one of the most famous works of its author. The novel is interesting for its rich plot telling about the fortune...

The Future of Reading

Introduction It should be known that e-books and online blogs are definitely going to have an effect on the future of reading books and libraries. This is based on the popularity of e-books and online blogs that has been intensifying in recent years. E-books and online blogs will definitely have...

Orwell’s 1984 and Huxley’s Brave New World

Introduction Income inequality is a perennial problem that characterizes societal growth in many countries. It refers to the unequal distribution of wealth across different social and economic groups. The concept connotes different social indicators such as social opportunities, life expectancy, and equity (among others). People have varied opinions about its...

A Modest Proposal by J. Swift and Candide by F. M. Arouet Literature Analysis

Based on the evident mistreatment that women get in society, feminists have devoted themselves to making hefty campaigns to end gender segregation. However, the role of women in society has not received its due attention. As a result, the paper sheds light on the roles of women as portrayed by...

Analyzing the Genre of Romantic Comedies: Key Themes and Cultural Impact

Introduction Comedy is one of the techniques used by play writers to express opinions, views, and judgments. Through comedy, the audience is able to access information that would be difficult to explain using conventional communication means. Some scholars view comedy as an intellectual tool that helps writers express their intellectual...

Shakespeare’s “Much Ado about Nothing” Literature Analysis

Introduction William Shakespeare was an actor, a poet, and a playwright. He is still one of the most popular figures in the literary field many decades after his demise. His expertise in poetry earned him several titles in the field. For example, he was fondly referred to as the ‘Bard...

Poets’ Views on Love

Love in Poetry Admittedly, love has always been one of the major themes in poetry. Poets have always expressed their feelings in their works. More so, many people state that poets write their greatest masterpieces when they are in love (Arana 33). It is also possible to state that poems...

Complexities of Father-Son Relationships in Night by Elie Wiesel

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