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...

Nathaniel Hawthorne: Symbolism in Short Stories

Nathaniel Hawthorne is one of the most outstanding writers whose works are the guarantee of ultimate pleasure that the reading will provide. The secret of his talent is in the beauty of the figurative language he makes use of. In fact, language is the only means a writer can use,...

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...

Gothic in “A Rose for Emily” and “Young Goodman Brown”

Introduction Given the fact that stories “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne and “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner can be thought of as such that sublimate the particularities of authors’ Romanticist worldview, it would be logical, on our part, to expect strongly defined Gothic elements being present in...

“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...

Thorvald and Nore in A Doll’s House: Character Analysis

Introduction Nora is the main protagonist in The Doll House, a masterpiece written by the Norwegian playwright, Henrik Ibsen. Nora is married to a struggling young lawyer, Thorvald Helmer, by whom she has three lovely children. The couple belongs to the middle class as shown by their home, described as...

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...

Ancient Literature. Decision Making in Iliad by Homer

The story of the Iliad is a famous one. When the cruel Trojan prince Paris abducts the queen of Agamemnon, Helen, war ensues between the two countries across the seas. Many heroes and gods take sides and fight the war. It is the first famous book written in Europe, written...

“Beowulf”: Character Analysis of the Epic Poem

When people think of the ancient world before written history, most get the image of a world of barbarians engaging in terrible pagan beliefs systems and fighting against evil supernatural forces that seem strangely more prevalent than they are today. This characterization might be the legacy of a highly Christian...

The Role of Women in “The Things They Carried”

Introduction While looking at Tim O’Brien’s book and what the author implements in it according to the role of women, one can surely guess of an unfair attitudinal background represented by men being involved in Vietnam War. This point is emphasized in many episodes where women were blamed and criticized...

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...

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...

Code of Honor in Calderon’s Life is a Dream

Something that seems to have died out of the world today is the strong sense of honor depicted in many of the plays and other literature produced in numerous countries throughout the past several centuries. This code of honor that has been passed down to us through many different mediums...

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...

“Always Running: La Vida Loca, Gang Days in L.A.” by Luis J. Rodriguez

The autobiographical story told by Luis J. Rodriguez in his book “Always Running: La Vida Loca, Gang Days in L.A.” has been regarded as a masterfully written, trustworthy and honest book. It has received unanimous critical acclaim. The reason for this high appraisal is that the book is an intimate...

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...

Hearing “Sonny’s Blues”, by James Baldwin

James Baldwin spent most of his adult life living in France, but is widely recognized as an essential American writer. Through the experiences of his youth in Harlem and the distance of his adulthood in France, Baldwin was able to both illustrate the unique nature of the black community as...

“Midaq Alley” Novel by Naguib Mahfouz

Introduction The novel “Midaq Alley” by Naguib Mahfouz is a novel with many characters that live in a poor neighborhood called Midaq Alley during the Second World War. Among the protagonists are Umm Hamida, a marriage broker and bath attendant, her daughter, who was pimped by Ibraham Faraj; Hussain Kirsha,...

Short Stories by G.G. Marquez and I. Singer

The well-known short story writer Gabriel Jose Garcia Marquez was born on March 6, 1928, in Aracataca, Colombia. He had written a collection of short stories and “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” is a very famous one among them. It is considered a supernatural story with a realistic...

Tragic Hero in Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare

Introduction Aristotle, a well known and generally recognized dramatic tragedies pioneer, highlighted his vision of the true tragic hero which can be analyzed through the work ‘Julius Caesar’ by William Shakespeare. The story is considered to be a masterpiece of the world literature disclosing the era of ambitious political leader...

The Work of William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare is believed to have been born on 23rd April 1564 in Stratford near London. Though little is known about the life of this great actor and renowned writer, his parents John Shakespeare and Mary Arden are assumed to have taken him to a grammar school where he read...

John Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath

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

“Pool Players Seven at the Golden Shovel” by Brooks

The poem “Pool Players Seven at the Golden Shovel” discloses a bright and fashionable presentation of the main characters of the poem, namely the street boys whose fate depends upon their luck. In that regard, the poem is also a protest against the goodness of life, which came out of...

The Book “Nothing but the Truth” by Avi : Review

The problem of the behavior of the teenagers is the problem of the schools and their teachers, who should follow and correct this behavior. The book “Nothing but the Truth” by Avi is a good example of the conflict between teenager, whose behavior was awful, and a teacher who wanted...

“The Necklace” vs. “Paste”: Character Comparison

Comparing characters of Mathilde and Charlotte In these two short stories, Mathilde is portrayed as the pretty and charming wife of Mr. Loisel, a minor clerk in the Ministry of Education. She is disillusioned with her small time life, with no grandeur or high living. Charlotte Prime is a governess...

“Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”: Hidden Meanings

Medieval literature is often difficult to understand not only because the English was different in that time, but because the way in which they were written was intended for a more oral audience than a literate one. Within this story, Gawain is seen to be under the care of King...

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...

“Maigret Goes to School” Novel by George Simenon

Introduction George Simenon is French born novelist. He is the deft handler of the detective fiction. He has been acclaimed as its literate writer as well. His name reverberates with the creation of Paris police detective inspector named Maigret. He has brought about dozens of the mysteries of this inspector...

F. Scott Fitzgerald “Tales of the Jazz Age”

One of the great novelists of the American literature, F. Scott Fitzgerald has been a success in the shorter form of fiction as well. Fitzgerald’s short story “The Jelly-Bean” in the novella “Tales of the Jazz Age” confirms his literary merit as a successful narrator. An analysis 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...

Sassoon: Binary Vision and Repression Trench Experience

Introduction and Thesis statement Siegfried Sassoon is regarded as the preeminent war poet of the 20th Century. His works offer graphic narratives of the violence and brutality of war. What is ironic is that his background of wealth and privilege was about as far from the destitution of war that...

Some Reasons Why Reading Is Important

Introduction. Books are an integral part of our life. Develop imagination, transfer to the world where magical things are possible. “Haroun and the Sea” is written for a ten-year-old boy, Rushdie’s son. Reading is not just amusement. There is a couple of reasons why reading is important. They are sources...

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...

“Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” Review

“Where are you going, where have you been?” is a beautiful story written by Joyce Carol Oates. The author takes the archetypal theme of seduction and then presents it in the way he finds it today, particularly in America. The way she depicts the emotions of a 15 year old...

“The Things They Carried” Stories by Tim O’Brien

Introduction Books are written to deliver ideas, whether they fictional or based on real facts. There are cases when delivering the idea requires that the author recreates the truth even if it is based on real facts in order to have the readers relive a particular experience. In the book...

“Tuesdays with Morrie” by Mitch Albom

Introduction The need for guidance in life is something that people rarely admit, especially when they reach a mature age. The loss of such guidance could explain the fact that people do not appreciate the little things in life that they used to enjoy before facing real-life obstacles. “Tuesdays with...

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...

Gender & Feminism in A Doll’s House

Ibsen’s drama ‘A Doll’s House’ appears to be influential literary work, as it revises and reconsiders traditional male and female roles and reveals the threats underlying gender discrimination. The author definitely portrays courageous and goal-oriented women, who struggle with the challenges of the androcentric society and find their niche in...

Feminism in Antigone: Term Paper

It is difficult to identify as to who was the first feminist in the world and as to when the feminist movements had started, but majority of such movements can be traced during the last two centuries. However, there have been women feminists who have proved their abilities in this...

Fate vs. Free Will in Beowulf, The Wanderer, and The Seafarer

Nowadays, it is being commonly assumed that name, the Christian worldview defines the essence of Western civilization, as we know it. However, the close reading of the earliest Scandinavian and Anglo-Saxon poetical pieces, such as “Beowulf”, “The Seafarer”, and “The Wanderer”, provides us with insight into the spiritual foundation of...

Heroes and Cowards in “Oedipus Rex” and “Death of a Salesman”

Introduction In the two plays, “Oedipus Rex” and “Death of a Salesman” there are many parallels. One major parallel is courage and cowardice. The main characters of both plays are classic tragic men, and the themes center around the wisdom to see the truth and the courage to face it....

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...

“To the Young Wife” by Charlotte Anna Perkins Gilman.

Introduction Charlotte Anna Perkins Gilman was a staunch supporter of women’s rights and development and was really not recognized as a major author of fiction and poetry until the 1960s.She was born in 1860 in Hartford, Connecticut and wrote book length non-fiction tracts in support of women. She dies in...

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...

Alliteration in Thomas Hardy’s “The Darkling Thrush”

Thomas Hardy’s “The Darkling Thrush” is one of the most well-known poems written on the borderline of the 19th and the 20th centuries. The poet employs a variety of rhetoric devices in the piece, but the most prominent of them is alliteration. Hardy’s use of this rhetorical device helps to...

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...

Past and Present in “Under the Influence” by Scott Sanders

During a lifetime, each person witnesses a large number of events. Whether pleasant or unpleasant, these instances become an inseparable part of the individual’s life. Because of the ability to memorize things, people keep many events in their minds forever, digging them out under various circumstances. Sometimes, one may desire...

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...

Modern Fairy Tale: How The Necklace Tricks the Reader

The Necklace by Guy De Maupassant is an intriguing story with an unexpected ending that any average reader might find at least interesting. The author is highly esteemed for the skillful structuring of his writings’ composition as well as for their plot. A massive part of his legacy comprises the...

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 Role of Colors in “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”

What Does the Color Green Symbolize in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight: Introduction Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a medieval poem by an unknown author dated by the late 14th century. Some of the colors frequently mentioned in this poem have a symbolic meaning. A great semantic...

Mateship in Australian Literature & History

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

All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque

Introduction The novel All quite on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque was one of the first novels in modern European literature to present another side of the war which was rarely disclosed earlier in literature. Earlier war was mostly presented as a heroic glorious and patriotic event, described...

Voltaire’s Use of Satire in ‘Candide’

The purpose of Candide according to Voltaire was to “bring amusement to a small number of men of wit”. (Aldridge 1975, p. 251–254) Voltaire’s biographer, Ian Davidson, describes Candide as “short, light, rapid and humorous”. (Davidson 2005, p. 54 52) Voltaire is positioned with Jonathan Swift as one of the...

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...

Jazz Age & American Dream in Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby”

The Great Gatsby is considered to be one of the most renowned books of the beginning of the XX century. Written by a famous American writer Scott Fitzerald (1925), it represents extensive chronicles of the era named “Jazz Age”. The story is set on the background of the aftermath of...

Mustafa Sa’eed from Season of Migration to the North Compared to Shakespeare’s Caliban & Othello

Introduction Season of Migration to the North is an award-winning novel that explores many socio-cultural themes. Throughout it, the author Tayeb Salih makes direct comparisons and references to other popular cultural works and symbols. The character Mustafa Sa’eed is directly compared to Caliban from William Shakespeare’s renowned play The Tempest,...

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...

The Canterbury Tales: The Knight’s Tale Analysis

The Canterbury Tales is a book authored by Geoffrey Chaucer (1342 to 1400). The author was well known as a diplomat in the Royal Service, best known for his contribution to the world of literature in the form of writings on various subjects. His work has been notable for the...

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...

Analyzing Female Voices in Chinese Literature: Themes and Impact

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

Literature as a Means of Escapism in Alistair MacLeod’s “The Boat”

MacLeod’s short story “The Boat” presents several crucial themes for analysis, including an exploration of the tension between duties and aspirations. The author depicts the boat named in the story’s title as the embodiment of the narrator’s long-lasting family heritage as well as that of many other families living in...

“Sweat” Short Story by Zora Neale Hurston

Introduction “Sweat” is a fictional short story in Southern American literature written by Zora Neale Hurston. Telling an unfortunate and dark story of domestic abuse, the focus of this fiction focuses on the struggles and perseverance of the hardworking protagonist Delia. “Sweat” demonstrates a feminist perspective of overcoming abuse and...

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...

Setting in “Passing” Novel by Nella Larsen

Setting is a critical element of any story and can be used by the author for various purposes. For instance, in Passing by Nella Larsen, this tool is one of the factors creating the mood and helping readers to understand the main message of the author. The whole story takes...

“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...

Heritage in Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use”

Introduction Literary plots in which national identity and commitment to traditions are described are fascinating works that make it possible to immerse oneself in other cultures and their features. Alice Walker’s story Everyday Use is an example of such a genre, and despite its humor and irony, the essence of...

The Use of Disguise in “The Odyssey” and “The Metamorphoses”

Introduction The topic of disguise in the works of ancient authors is presented in different contexts and aimed not only at creating plot twists but also at using unique themes that were typical of that era. The works of Homer, Ovid, and other founders of the classical poem genre contain...

The Arabian Nights: Literacy, Art, and Human Values

Introduction The Arabian Nights take its readers on an exciting, even though slightly morbid, journey of an endless tale that serves as the main salvation for a woman who faces the threat of constant impending doom. The cunning and resourcefulness of the main character, who also doubles as the narrator,...

Ernest Hemingway’s Life and the Themes Presented in “Hills Like White Elephants”

It is not a rare occasion that authors include some details from their personal life in their works. Sometimes, they explicitly remark that a book or a story is autobiographic. In other cases, writers entitle their characters with some features pertaining to themselves. Finally, there are also situations when nothing...

Helena’s Role in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Introduction The play, A Midsummer Night Dream by William Shakespeare examines and describes the events that surround the marriage between Hippolyta and Theseus. The playwright uses several characters in his work to make it meaningful and informative to the reader. This paper gives evidence-based ideas, reactions, and opinions about Helena...

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...

“Snail” by Langston Hughes as an Inspiration Source

Introduction Poetry is one of the best ways of expressing one’s feelings and emotions, as well as understanding those of others. From ancient times, poets wrote about love and hatred, friendship and rivalry, life and death, and many other topics. Unlike prose, poetry does not relish the opportunity to use...

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....

The Role of Sacrifice in Idiots First, The Origin of Stories, and Yo!

Introduction The topic of sacrifice has been a subject of numerous works of literature since it refers to the range of qualities and actions that people do in order to bring good to others. Discussing sacrifice in the literary context is seen as beneficial because the acts of selflessness are...

Flannery O’Connor: “A Good Man Is Hard to Find”

Introduction “A Good Man is Hard to Find” was published in 1953 and may be considered a compelling narrative about the importance of personal religious and moral integrity. Flannery O’Connor, the short story’s author, remains an influential American writer who honed a uniquely grotesque style that brought to life realistic...

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...

Protagonist of “The Stranger” Novel by Albert Camus

Introduction Meursault is the name of the protagonist of Albert Camus’s novel “The Stranger.” He is a French Algerian man living and working in Algiers, and the book describes his life and his journey that eventually ends in his execution for murder. Meursault’s key trait is his detachment from the...

Three Appeals in Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar” Play

Introduction In rhetoric, the use of Aristotle’s three appeals is often viewed as a crucial component of any discourse. Implying that every argument must have ethos, logos, and pathos, the specified principle allows identifying a strong statement and determining the goals of a particular message. In Julius Caesar, William Shakespeare...

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....

“The Compound” by Bodeen: Close Reading

Choose a favorite chapter/section in your YA novel In this section (the beginning of chapter seventeen), Eli and his mother are trying to figure out how to leave the compound. Since Eli’s father is unconscious, they have the chance to leave the compound, but only if they can understand what...

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...

Philosophy of the “Good Life” Concept in Agamben & Armitage

The main idea that is being promoted throughout the book Homo Sacer by Giorgio Agamben is that, ever since the dawn of history, people never ceased being unconsciously aware of the fact that there is a qualitative difference between the notion of a ‘bare (primeval) life’, on the one hand,...

“For You Mom, Finally” a Book by Ruth Reichl

Ruth Reichl felt a need to re-title her book from “Not Becoming My Mother” to “For You Mom, Finally” because she finally came to an understanding about who her mother really was and that she had actually grown into the independent and self-reliant woman that her mother had always wanted...

“The Arbus Factor” Short Story by Lore Segal

The age of the characters Overall, I began to suspect that Jack and Hope could be elderly people when the author mentioned that in the past these characters were married to other people long time ago. In particular, the narrator says that Hope was a widow, while Jack had divorced...

Eliezer and Shlomo: Evolving Father-Son Bond in ‘Night’

How Eliezer’s relationship with his father changes throughout the book? Eliezer and his father Shlomo are the main characters of Elie Wiesel’s novel Night. In spite of the fact many issues associated with the Holocaust and the people living in concentration camps are discussed in the novel, the author pays...

The Rough-And-Tumble of the Business in the “Meet You in Hell” by Les Standiford

The history of America includes lots of positive and negative characters that influenced the country and its citizens. At the end of the 19th century during the gilded age, the economy of the country improved and businessmen were holding the power in their hands. Some of them decided to work...

Epic Heroes in Literature: Gilgamesh, Achilles, Beowulf

Introduction Epic heroes are considered to be one of the most important figures in history and literature, who represent the best human qualities and traits, illustrate proper morals and values, and teach the reader what it means to be a fair, honorable, and respectable person. As a rule, epic heroes...

Barbara Kingsolver’s “Knowing Our Place” Analysis

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

Trauma of Internment for the Nikkei Family in No-No Boy

Introduction John Okada’s No-No Boy recounts the story of challenging cultural identity of a Japanese American young man named Ichiro. In the midst of a bloody conflict with the Japanese, the United States undertook a radical move of creating concentration camps for those of Japanese origin, whilst still requiring these...

Essay Modes in “Nutcracker.com” by David Sedaris

An interesting way of looking at the quite radical alterations that information technologies in general and computer usage, in particular, have brought into people’s lives, Nutcracker.com by David Sedaris features nearly every essay mode that there is. Despite keeping their storytelling style consistent and their narration even, the author manages...

Elie Wiesel’s Night: Faith and Disillusionment in the Holocaust

Thesis statement Elie Wiesel’s novel Night is being often referred to, as such that represents a high philosophical value (Fienberg 169). One of the reasons for this is that Wiesel succeeded in exposing the illusionary essence of people’s belief in God, as an omnipotent entity that is supposed to be...

“Leaves from a Slave’s Journal of Life” by Lewis Clarke

Type Although the story is narrated from the third-person perspective, the primary source chosen for the analysis can be defined as an autobiography since the events described in it occurred in the authors’ life as well. Title The autobiography was published under the title of Leaves from a Slave’s Journal...

Sarah DeLappe’s Play “The Wolves”

There are different ways of getting acquainted with writers’ works, such as reading a book, watching a film, or attending a theatrical performance. Out of these three, the latter seems to have the greatest impact on the audience. A play is different from a book in that it presents characters...

Women’s Rights in Chopin’s, Updike’s, Auburn’s Works

Not many of us think about the way life was hundred, or fifty, or even ten years ago. Even less of us ponder on the topic of the change in society, for example, human rights. However, when one encounters a work of art, for example, a literature piece or a...

Religion in Enlightenment Literature: Moliere’s Tartuffe

Introduction Molière’s Tartuffe is a perfect example of the critical yet satirical exploration of the theme of religious hypocrisy in the Enlightenment literature (TheatreHistory par. 1). A symbolic capital of praise and admiration that the play has accrued over the centuries speaks tellingly of its theatrical worth as well as...

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...

Relationships and Rape in “Disgrace” by Coetzee

Introduction J. M. Coetzee is an author of a well-known novel that impressed the public at the end of the 20th century and is still often discussed. Disgrace was positively perceived by critics who appreciated the author’s desire to make the society question the morality of their actions. The novel...

“Emma Zunz” a Novel by Jorge Luis Borges

Jorge Luis Borges is a famous Argentine writer, he is well known for his innovative approach and his special view of reality. In his works history, imagination, memories and fiction have equal rights and can all be treated seriously, as if they all were possible. Borges refuses to have an...

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...

The Science Debate: Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein

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

Elie Wiesel’s “Night”: Father-Son Relationship Amidst Holocaust Horrors

People can experience a lot of difficulties on the paths to building strong relationships with their relatives. Eliezer and his father Shlomo, the characters of Elie Wiesel’s novel Night, had overcome the horrors of the concentration camp before they found their own vision of relations with God and with each...

V for Vendetta: Alan Moore’s Dystopian Masterpiece

V for Vendetta is a book written by Alan Moore; it is divided into different chapters. The story is about nuclear war that ruined Britain and left it under the rule of a strange revolutionary/activist known as V. He slowly killed the government representatives and challenged them. He rescued a...

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...

Sexual Energy in The Changeling and The Revenger’s Tragedy

Introduction: Relevance of the Topic to Early Modern Literature Although most of the early modern English plays seem innocent to the present-day audience, in fact, exploration of sexuality, ranging from playful and comic to tragic and taboo, was one of the most popular topics among playwrights. Sexuality in the early...

“Fairy Tales and Stories” by Hans Christian Andersen

About Hans Christian Andersen Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875) was born in Denmark in a poor family. Interestingly, his father loved books and encouraged Hans Christian to compose fairy tales. At an early age, the author had to start working at a factory to support his family, but then his poetry...

Gender Roles in “Herland” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Introduction The book Herland written by an American writer Charlotte Perkins Gilman tells about young men who randomly got into an unusual place where only women lived. The way of life of local inhabitants was completely different from a standard order. These women have special laws for raising children; they...

Jane Austen’s Novels: Pastiches’ Analysis

Pastiche of Jane Austen’s Novels The Use of Pastiche in Jane Austen’s Novels Jane Austen is regarded as one of the best English novelists of all time. In fact, some critics have compared her to Shakespeare, and her six novels have inspired and formed the basis of various contemporary works...

Elie Wiesel’s Exploration of Faith in “Night”: Themes and Reflections

Eliezer’s faith in God was something beyond question. He spent time in devotion to God. He frequently prayed to Him and at times he even cried. This was to show how deep his reverence to his creator was. It was made even more evident when Moshe questioned his faith and...

“The Secret Miracle” by Jorge Luis Borges

A short story The Secret Miracle by Jorge Luis Borges is written in the genre of magic realism and contains such characteristics of this genre as a mix of unreal events and reality and emphasis of mystery that can be found in usual life. Being in jail, Jaromir faces the...

“Cosmopolis” a Novel by Don DeLillo

The story of Cosmopolis by Don DeLillo is about the final day in the life of Eric Packer, a billionaire financial trader. The story is set in 2000 on “A Day in April” as delineated before the beginning of part 1 of the story (DeLillo 3). The novel opens with...

“The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison: Main Themes and Motifs

Nowadays, many people tend to assume that there are no reasons to believe that the socio-political realities in today’s America are being affected by any officially endorsed policies of racial discrimination against African-Americans, as it used to be the case up until the late 1960s. Nevertheless, it does not represent...

“High Lonesome” a Book by Joyce Carol Oates

Introduction In almost every environment, there exist mentally ill or physically impaired individuals. Cases of maltreatment to such people have continually been evident within societies but no one is watchful to such situations. On the other hand, people have always had wrong perceptions that riches are capable of making such...

Exploring Themes of Desire and Identity in Kate Chopin’s “Desiree’s Baby”

There is irony in the paper, Desiree’s Baby. It is evident in the reading that there are some instances where the irony comes out clear. It was unheard of to have two people from different races in a sexual relationship. It was common for people to have sexual relationships; this...

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...

Elie Wiesel’s Book “Night” Literature Analysis

Introduction Elie Wiesel was an American national (born in Romania in 1928). The book ‘Night’ is actually a translation (by Hill & Wang in 1960) of the original novel titled ‘Un di Velt Hot Geshvign’ that Wiesel wrote in 1955 (in the Yiddish language). In this book, Wiesel brings about...

Hamzanama: Cultural Insights and Heroic Tales

Introduction The work in question is entitled “Hamzanama” or “Dastan-e Amir Hamza.” From Urdu, the title translates as “The Adventures of Amir Hamza” (Lakhnavi & Bilgrami 2012). The book is an old Persian dastan – a heroic story usually told orally. The manuscript is known to be accomplished as late...

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...

“Pride and Prejudice” a Novel by Jane Austen

THESIS: The author demonstrates that previous judgment and prejudice can be wrong and harsh; as the result of a long way of reflection, due to the various events in the lives of heroes, Darcy proves himself worthy of Elizabeth and she changes her attitude, realizing that her prejudice is unreasonable....

Behavior in “The Slipover Sweater” by Jesse Stuart

There is no use denying the fact that people are different and they all have their tastes and styles of behavior. This fact makes our life more interesting as one can never know what awaits him/her and how a person will react to certain actions. The story The Slipover Sweater...

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...

Angel Island: Immigrant Gateway to America

Introduction People have been wondering about the history of the prehistoric America and the origin of the immigrants. Found in the archives and historical monuments, the historical development of America and its earliest immigration trends to wide and complex (Lee and Yung 2). The pursuit to understand the unique history...

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...

“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....

The Evolving Father-Son Relationship in Elie Wiesel’s “Night”

Night illustrates the life of Elie Wiesel and his father in the Nazi concentration camps during the World War II (Rucco 3). In the concentration camps, they underwent through cruel and brutal situations. The situations affected and changed their relationship in a number of ways. After being taken to the...

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,...

Mary Shelley’s Novel Frankenstein

Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein, or, The Modern Prometheus can be used for discussing the limitations of human knowledge, especially, the inability of a person to foresee the long-term effects of one’s actions. This paper is aimed at discussing such an issue as the responsibilities of the creator and the creation....