Analysis of Social Issues Raised in American Literature

Any literary work raises an issue related to a political or social problem in society. An examination of a narrative’s historical context, its literary features, and plot helps identify and understand such societal issues. The poem “Ballad of Birmingham” by Dudley Randall, the poem “The Star-Spangled Banner” by Francis Scott...

The Sound of the Trees, and the Noise of the People

Robert Frost was a prolific American poet born on March 26, 1874, in San Francisco. Although he holds the absolute record for the number of Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry awarded to a single person, Frost struggled to find any recognition in his early years. In fact, he had to work...

“Grandmother” by O’Connor

“A Good Man is Hard to Find” The Grandmother is egoistic, self-centered, and hypocritical; she is obsessed with herself and “afraid she’d miss something” (O’Connor 32). She is also judgmental and manipulative with her family and tries to convince everyone to behave as she wants, which leads to tragic consequences....

Unconscious Irony in “Oedipus the King,” by Sophocles

Tragic heroes often embrace unconscious irony, leading to their downfall. In any literary work, it becomes fascinating when some of the characters are self-denial after engaging in different heinous actions unknowingly and later face the consequences after realizing the truth. Denotatively, unconscious irony is when various characters within the play...

The Problem of Power and Powerlessness in “Hard Times” by Charles Dickens

Introduction The problems of public life and power are central in any culture, and their poignancy is expressed throughout the history of literature: literary forms are often seen as a safe place for ideas to dwell. The desire to achieve a lawful legal order and a moral and ethical climate...

“The House of Mirth” by Edith Wharton

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

“Dulce et Decorum Est” by Wilfred Owen

“Dulce et Decorum Est” is a poem written by Wilfred Owen after his experience of fighting in World War I. The title is a Latin clause meaning it is worthy to die for one’s country. However, Wilfred Owen shares the reverse opinion, implying that it is an awful death. Due...

The Aria “Ev’Ry Valley” by Handel

The aria “Ev’ry Valley” by Handel is an oratorio with both biblical and historical context, and it can be considered a classic of the modern-day. It fits in the theme of the Messiah because the piece glorifies the fact that no mountain or valley can be a barrier in his...

Oedipus, the King and Hamlet: Analysis

Belonging to entirely different cultures and addressing quite different social and psychological issues, “Oedipus, the King” and “Hamlet” might seem quite distant from each other. However, with the advent of psychoanalysis and the development of the psychoanalytical theory, parallels can be drawn between the emotions by which Hamlet and Oedipus...

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

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

The Norton Anthology of American Literature

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

The “Hills Like White Elephants” Short Story by Ernest Hemingway

The given analysis will primarily focus on Ernest Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants.” It is a short story about a man and a woman who are having a conversation at a Spanish train station and waiting for their train to Madrid. The key theme abortion, where a male character wants...

Tonto as a Plot Driving Character

The play by Taylor Only Drunks and Children Tell the Truth conveys the journey of a lady with Indian roots who was adopted into a white family. Several characters help in the development of the story and define the genre. Tonto is the crucial character in the work who plays...

Love, Life, Death, and God Concepts in Poetry

Introduction The themes of love, life, death, and belief are commonly discussed in poetry, and people are free to expand their own opinions and judgments. One of the main reasons for poets and poetesses to choose these concepts is their emotional complexity. These issues can be easily coupled with each...

The Main Theme of Hawthorne’s The House of the Seven Gables

The House of the Seven Gables is a romance by Nathaniel Hawthorne, an American novelist of the first half of the XIX century. The romance tells the story of the Pyncheon family and the life of the family members in the mansion in the small town in New England. This...

The Duality of Societal Prejudice in “Désirée’s Baby” by Kate Chopin

Désirée’s Baby is a short story written by Kate Chopin, one of her most famous pieces. It was written in 1892, a little less than thirty years after the abolition of slavery in the United States. Kate Chopin’s family came from St. Louis, Missouri, where having slaves was considered to...

Montley Fool Money Guide: A Book’s Review

Introduction Montley Fool Money Guide is a book that has been authored by Selena Maranjian and a foreward by David Gardner. It is an educative book that gives an insight about saving, spending and investing. The author tries to bring out the foolish things people do with their money and...

“Jupiter and Io” by Ovid

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

Caution and Restraint in Books 17-20 of Homer’s “The Odyssey”

Introduction Books 17-20 of Homer’s The Odyssey concentrate on Odysseus’ arrival to his palace in a beggar’s disguise and the adventures surrounding his unannounced return. There are several critical ideas reflected in these parts of the epic, including loyalty, pride, patience, a strategic approach, and Athena’s involvement. However, it seems...

Animal Themes in Mythology: The Fox

Introduction Animals often have a prominent role in the world’s mythologies and folklore. The fox is a common figure in many traditions, representing a cunning trickster or, sometimes, messenger, figure (Ashkenazi 148; Lihui and An 239). This figure is not necessarily negative or malevolent but is often described as dangerous...

Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” and Sandars’ “The Epics of Gigamesh”

The Europeans’ conquest is one illustration of how people’s desire for power and ownership can subject others to suffering. The results of such actions are oppression and loss of identity since the conquered often have to obey the policies and rules that the conquerors impose on them. These perspectives help...

The Play “Fences” by August Wilson

As the Director The play “Fences” by August Wilson has a plethora of messages that the author wanted to share with the audience. The play was released in 1986, and it is possible that at the time, its presentation of racial inequality issues was appropriate. However, in 2020, the younger...

“Shooting an Elephant” and “Stranger in the Village”

The themes of oppression, alienation, and identity often permeate the well-known pieces of modern and classic literature. Conflicts that are understood on an instinct level are often engaging for the reader and broad with possible meanings. The basic issue at the core of a story can be expanded and turned...

Poem Analysis: Go Down, Moses

Addressing a crucial part of the biblical narrative, Go Down, Moses bears a crucial cultural meaning apart from its doubtless artistic merit. However, since the song has been popular for multiple decades, its novelty may have gradually faded, which, in turn, has led to people taking a range of unique...

The Tragedy of “A Streetcar Named Desire” by T. Williams

Tragedy, as a form of drama, is defined not necessarily by the overall sorrowful atmosphere of a literary piece, but by the comeuppance that the protagonist receives due to their faults. With this distinction, the calamity of the situation is achieved using having no one to blame for the ending...

The Short Story “White Hills Like Elephants” by Earnest Hemingway

If there is one universal quality that describes humans, it is the unwillingness to confront or accept harsh realities like death, terminal illness, and loss. This human nature is seen in humankind’s attempt to downplay the seriousness of issues through the use of euphemisms, ignoring painful truths, and the use...

The Stories of Mental Illness: “A Rose for Emily” and “The Tell-Tale Heart”

The topic of mental health is not only studied by psychologists but is also widely used by authors in fiction. Psychological problems and mental disorders are complicated and understood differently by various authors. The following essay will examine and explain the differences and similarities in “A Rose for Emily” by...

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

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

Autobiography as a Literary Genre: Review

Autobiography is an exciting and unusual literary genre popular worldwide. Writing an autobiography is an excellent opportunity to declare oneself, tell stories, and teach future generations something new. This allows people to transfer their useful experience to other people, which contributes to society’s development. However, in addition to having an...

Jane Austen and Her Accomplishments

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

Literary Analysis of Jackson’s “The Lottery”

Shirley Jackson’s Lottery is one of the jewels of classic American literature of the twentieth century. This work made a massive contribution to the development of the genre of mysticism. Although the Lottery is a short story, it contains an amazingly detailed and colorful description of the American hinterland. Even...

Nnedi Okorafor’s “Akata Witch”: Magical Education

Sunny’s magical journey is closely related to the Harry Potter books’ plot and its character regarding the heroes and the action. However, the author excellently opens up about African ideas of magic, creating an engaging plot story, and educating on a rich cultural heritage; the following essay will discuss the...

“Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley and “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding

Notwithstanding that both William Golding and Mary Shelley created hypothetical situations to explore the nature of humans, their approaches and motives significantly differ. However, the given paper will prove that simultaneously they share the research on how the environment influences people and on what the inner nature of these creatures...

Domestic Violence in “Othello” by W. Shakespeare

Introduction Arguably, William Shakespeare’s works are a critical way of thinking about the different contemporary subjects existing today. In Shakespeare’s tragedy Othello, various issues affecting society during the 16th century are discussed. Writers, historians, sociologists, linguists, and the public, in general, use Shakespeare’s works as a vital reference point and...

Women and Men in the Play “Trifles” by Susan Glaspell

The play Trifles depicts a profound disagreement between two types of attitude and performance. The play’s research exposes a significant contrast between female and male actions, based on a different perception of the environment. As Holstein claims in her paper, “the difference in initial perception ultimately leads to the creation...

“The Plague” by Albert Camus Critique

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

“Maus: A Survivor’s Tale” by Art Spiegelman: Characters Analysis

Art Spiegelman made his book sound very human, and his characters are real and complicated. Vladek causes controversial feelings during the course of the story. First words about Anja’s personality in his narrative include that she was from a rich family (Spiegelman, 1987). One may assume that if not for...

The Tragedy of a Modern Man

I agree with the quote by Vaclav Havel, who outlines the tragedy of a modern man. After reading the quote written by Havel over and over, I have concluded that a person who knows less about the meaning of their own life lacks the ability to understand the general worldview...

Analyzing ‘Out, Out—’: A Deep Dive into Robert Frost’s Poem

Robert Frost’s poem “Out, Out—” (1916) is a single stanza poem describing the accidental death of a young boy who cuts his hand off when sawing wood. The poem has powerful imagery and rhythmical structure that creates a vivid picture of the accident. When describing the scene, the author uses...

“Gentle Ben” by Walt Morey: Review

Gentle Ben is a novel by Walt Morey set in the Alaskan wilderness. The main character, Mark Andersen, experiences loneliness after the death of his older brother Jamie; however, he finds comfort in Ben – an Alaskan brown bear. A family-oriented adventurous story of a boy’s friendship with a terrifying...

“Romeo and Juliet” by Shakespeare

Some masterpieces of the world literature and culture, in general, have now become deeply integrated into the human mind. As a result, the vast majority of the world residents no longer have the need to read the whole work or see its interpretation in order to retell its main gist...

Types of Dunbar’s Poetry

Paul Laurence Dunbar was born into a family of former slaves. He is considered the first African-American writer in the United States to be widely known. His poems written in dialect, a folk speech of the American South, were most popular. They reflect all the ambivalence, torment, and contradictions that...

Symbolism in Poe’s “Masque of the Red Death”

The Masque of the Red Death is a horror story by E. A. Poe that talks about Prince Prospero and his masquerade ball during the Red Death plague spreading. The disease symbolizes Tuberculosis, an illness common during the writer’s lifetime (Jones, 2017). In the film, it is possible to see...

Inspiration by Elizabeth Browning’s Love Poetry

Art Creation There is a significant number of topics that are especially loved by both authors and readers and used in literature rather often. Though all of them were being discussed for many centuries, poets can still find ways of expressing their thought and feelings about such themes in unusual...

“The Book of Questions” by Pablo Neruda

The Book of Questions by Pablo Neruda is a complicated and stimulating poem that encourages readers to delve deeper into the fundamental questions of life and reality. From the very beginning, the speaker asks a set of four questions that are seemingly unrelated to one another at first glance. The...

The Importance of Friendship Between Arnold and Rowdy

The book “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” by Sherman Alexie tells a story of a boy named Arnold (nicknamed Junior) with a disability that made him an easy target for his peers. However, there was one person who was not being aggressive towards Arnold due to his...

“The Jewelry” Story by Guy de Maupassant (1969)

First of all, before analyzing the main contents of the essay, it would be fair to say that the author manages to grab the reader’s attention by discussing the issue of perception. He begins the analysis by asking if lies affect people in a negative way. The writer also poses...

“My Father Was a Writer” by Dubus

How would you sum up what Andre Dubus III is saying in this memoir? Try to express in the sentence or two the significance to him of the events he relates. Dubus focuses on two transformative experiences that affected his childhood. When his father leaves the Marines to become a...

Feminist Literary Criticism: Shoshana Felman’s Ideas

Opportunities to convey one’s ideas to society through literature are effective tools that allow not only leaving a personal mark on history but also indicating an individual position on a specific topic or issue. However, when taking into account modern social norms and foundations, not all the categories of the...

Symbolism of “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a long poem that tells the story of the adventures of the brave knight Sir Gawain. This story is a fairy tale that shows the bravery and courage of the knights, which were popular at the time of its writing; however, it also...

Literacy Narrative: “Make a Wish”

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

“The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” by Thomas Sterns Eliot

Introduction The poem The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock by Thomas Sterns Eliot is full of imagery that is used by the writer to create a specific atmosphere and affect a reader. The work introduces a speaker who is full of various fears and feels miserable and useless. The...

Phoenix in “A Worn Path” Story by Eudora Welty

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

“Holiday” Play by Philip Barry

Introduction Philip Barry wrote Holiday in 1928. The stock market crashed in 1929 leading to the Great Depression of the 1930. Perhaps these events brought out better what Barry’s work criticized about the American society of that time – the affluent and nobles had a false face. Additionally, the play...

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

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

The Novel Atonement: Mcewan’s Cogitations About the Nature of Creativity

Introduction Ian McEwan is one of the novelists who touches upon the nature of art and creativity as the act of forming a new world and influencing people who live there. In this Atonement, McEwan parallels the author with a God because of the similarity of their roles and their...

Character Analysis of “Othello” by Shakespeare

At first glance, Othello seems simply a tragedy of jealousy, just as Macbeth is a tragedy of ambition. It is easy to imagine that Shakespeare decided to explore several exciting and dangerous passions and warn the audience against them. However, the ideas ingrained in the play seem to be broader...

Literary Analysis “The Leavers” by Lisa Ko

Introduction The given literary analysis will primarily focus on The Leavers by Lisa Ko, which narrates the story of an abandoned child and his search for belonging. The main character is Daniel or Deming, whose mother is Polly Guo. The narrative focuses on the continuous abandonment of the protagonist, which...

Approaches to Love and Relationship in Poetry

Introduction The perceptions of love and relationship are continuously changing, and one of the easiest ways to trace this shift is through consideration of love poems. To convey the imagery of love, poets use a variety of literary techniques that allow them to share not only their views but also...

A Farewell to Arms Novel by Ernest Hemingway

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

The “Sula” Novel by Toni Morrison

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

“To His Coy Mistress” by Marvell and “The Flea” by Donne

“To His Coy Mistress” is a well-known poem by Andrew Marvell, in which the speaker addresses his lover, who is reluctant to be intimate with him. Even though the speaker seduces his lady, it is mostly a carpe diem poem full of profound contemplation about the brevity of life. “Had...

Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley

Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley was first published in 1818. It is now referred to as one of the first pieces of science fiction. The reception of the book was somewhat controversial, and literary critics’ views were mixed. John Wilson Croker’s review, published right after the novel...

Mental Health in “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe and “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Nowadays, mental health is a significant concern in the United States, as more and more people become affected by psychological conditions. However, the discourse around this topic, especially that of schizophrenia, has existed for a considerable time. The main characters of Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper and Edgar Allan...

A Driving Conflict in Wilson’s Fences Play

The events of August Wilson’s play Fences revolve around the Maxson family. Troy Maxson, a 53-year-old African American man, struggles to provide for his family. He has experienced racial inequalities throughout his life, which has shaped his bitter and skeptical character. One of his most unfortunate experiences was that, although...

Analysis of the “Odyssey” by Homer

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

The World State and Dystopia in “Brave New World” by Aldous Huxley

The issue of finding the right balance between personal freedoms and the need for social stability and development has been a pressing one for a long time. Its urgency has further been increased by the spread of terrorism, which resulted in certain measures intended to control and protect citizens and...

American Dream in Fitzgeralds’s “The Great Gatsby”

Among the many concepts explored in Fitzgeralds’s The Great Gatsby, American Dream is one of the most notable ones. The titular character, with his extravagant lifestyle, acts like its embodiment and manifestation in the hedonistic, consumerist atmosphere of the Roaring Twenties. Yet the author questions this interpretation of the American...

Legends of British Literature: Beowulf and Macbeth

Introduction The theme of heroes and villains has always been one of the most popular in literature. Whatever the historical period, there were narrations about brave and noble men who courageously defended their lands from enemies. However, the motives those heroes had for fighting were not always dignified. An Old...

Shelley’s Frankenstein: The Monster’s Description

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

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

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

“Refresh, Refresh” by Benjamin Percy

Anticipate your Reader’s Responses The story Refresh, Refresh takes place in a small town Crow, which does not have many male citizens. The author describes that the town was populated only by three types of men: old, incapable, and vulturous (Percy 3). All the worthy men left to fight a...

“The Life and Culture of the Gebusi” by Bruce Knauft

Introduction In his book, Bruce Knauft describes the life and culture of the Gebusi, a people living in Papua New Guinea. His anthropological research is deep and covers various aspects of the development of this unique culture. The evaluation of life, religion, social relations, spirituality, and other features of the...

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

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

Dumbledore and Odin: Comparison

Introduction Mythology is a critically important element of any culture. It represents values and ideas that attract people and contribute to the creation of inspiring stories. Myths also reveal the current state of society’s evolution and issues that are important at the moment. At the same time, there are still...

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

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

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

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

The Namesake’ by Jhumpa Lahiri: Compare and Contrast

Introduction Jhumpa Lahiri’s novel The Namesake expresses a complex combination of the emotions and feelings of the main characters who are trying to understand their places in society and identify themselves. The author shows an immigrant father, Ashoke, and his son, Gogol, who, despite different upbringings and cultural affiliations, go...

Kreon in “Oedipus the King”: Analysis of the Character

The embodiment of the rival for Oedipus is Creon who does not represent the same interpretation that takes place in Sophocles’ Antigone. In Oedipus the King, this character does not want to obtain power and aspires rather a share of it. The chorus reaffirms the reliability of Creon’s words, as...

Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in the Wonderland”

It is difficult to imagine a person in the world who has never heard about the famous story of Alice in the Wonderland. The address to this fascinating plot about a little girl who appears in miraculous surroundings seems to have its reflection both direct and indirect one in a...

American Dream as a Symbol of Hopelessness in Gothic Fiction

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

“Endgame” by Samuel Beckett

In the twentieth century, many artists paid great attention to existentialism. In addition, the theater of the absurd became a remarkable phenomenon, which described in colors all the strangeness and meaninglessness of life. A striking example of such a work is Endgame by Samuel Beckett. One of its theatrical performances...

Traditional European Society in Voltaire’s Candide

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

Creative Analysis of “The Epic of Gilgamesh”

Introduction Images of the Scandinavian epic had a significant impact on the European culture of the XIX-XX centuries. R. Wagner created the four operas of “The Ring of the Nibelung,” and J. R. R. Tolkien wrote, “The Silmarillion” based on Old Norse literary works. The popularity of the characters and...

“Their Eyes Were Watching God” by Zora Neale Hurston

The novel Their Eyes Were Watching God was written by African-American writer Zora Neale Hurston in 1937. The book describes how Janie Crawford, the main character, turns from a voiceless vibrant teenage girl into a strong and brave woman who can choose her destiny. It has some essential themes and...

The Novel “The Screwtape Letters” by Clive Staples Lewis

Lewis’ Screwtape Letters is a novel that provides advice in reverse, presenting temptations and people’s attitudes towards them in the context of religion and faith. Screwtape, the devil, teaches his nephew, Wormwood, to tempt people and make them suffer, which is expressed by means of irony. The author aims at...

Masculinity in “Refresh, Refresh” Story by Percy

Setting is an element of fiction often used by authors to support the ideas and themes presented in a literary work. Setting refers to the place and time where the story takes place and may include social statuses, weather, historical period, and details about immediate surroundings (Elements of Fiction). The...

Youth and Adulthood: A Comparative Analysis

Poems “We Old Dudes” by Joan Murray and “We Real Cool” by Gwendolyn Brooks are going to be the primary focus of this essay. It might be easy to draw comparisons between the pieces as the poem by Murray derives its leading themes and literary elements from “We Real Cool.”...

“The Return of Martin Guerre”: Book Analysis

“The Return of Martin Guerre” is a book that creates certain controversies in the understanding and analysis of people and historical events. It supposes alternatives that were not possibly considered at the time and raises doubt as to the correctness of the decisions that were made. It also makes the...

“What We Talk About When We Talk About Love” by Raymond Carver

Introduction What We Talk About When We Talk About Love is a concluding story in a self-titled collection of short stories written by Raymond Carver. It sets to explores various notions humans have about love. The title itself suggests that there are different perceptions people can have about this concept,...

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

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

“A Late Aubade” by Richard Wilbur

Introduction “A Late Aubade” is a poem by Richard Wilbur, one of the most prominent American poets of the 20th century. The title of the poem suggests that it is a morning farewell song from one lover to another. The poem consists of seven paragraphs and “features a carpe diem...

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

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

Review of the Essay “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan

Introduction Each paragraph of The Critical Review of the Essay “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan begins with a clear thematic sentence, which summarizes the main idea of the following statements. The first paragraph summarizes the concept of people using language at different levels to express themselves, which is precisely reflected...

“Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan: Critical Review

People express their feelings and thoughts with varying levels of grammar proficiency. The essay by Amy Tan discusses this phenomenon, stating that her version of English differs from one situation to another. The author notes that while she makes grammar mistakes when she speaks to her mother, but she uses...

Pressure in George Orwell’s “Shooting the Elephant”

Class Time Cruelty from one party spreads it to others where there are no alternatives left. Such was the case demonstrated in George Orwell’s “Shooting an Elephant,” where the main topic of discussion is the author’s inner conflict of serving the British Empire, which he despised with all of his...

“Oedipus the King” by Sophocles

“Oedipus the King” is a piece of art that displays the inner world of a suffering person, who is faced with one of the most harsh and destructive truths in life. At first glance, it might seem that Oedipus is a victim and must deal with the unexpected turns of...

Euhemerism Theory and Myths Across Cultures

Introduction to mythology Myths are the basis of our cultural construct. Myths are based on gods and heroes who narrators of myths insist should be emulated. Myths provide insights about the cultural past of modern society. Theories of mythology Euhemerism The euhemerism theory explains how myths are actual accounts of...

Child Soldiers in a Postmodern World

Children who become a part of an army are a crucial problem in the modern world. The book A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier written by Ishmael Beah is the autobiography of the author, who was one of the soldiers in Sierra Leone during the internal war....

Comparison: “A Pair of Tickets” by A. Tan and “Everyday Use” by A. Walke

Introduction The two stories created by Amy Tan and Alice Walker depict the similar paths of girls that explore their heritage. Both characters have their concerns regarding the history of their families that are initiated from different parts of the world. Girls go through the process of evaluation of their...

Race and Identity in Milton Murayama’s “Plantation Boy”

The novel Plantation Boy Literature is often a reflection of society as seen through the writer’s eyes. In his works, the author usually tries to convey an idea, his understanding of a particular problem, or the entire worldview. Sometimes, the path of fiction leads the author far back reassessing all...

Symbolism and Social Issues in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Scarlet Letter”

“The Scarlet Letter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne is an excellent piece of literature enabling to examine the way symbolism may be applied in order to reveal the most appealing ideas and address the most complicated issues of human life. This romantic work discusses a row of important problems existing within the...

“Night” by Elie Wiesel: Eliezer’s Struggle to Keep Faith in God

Introduction The manner in which Eliezer struggles with his faith in God is portrayed throughout the novel. In the beginning, the faith he has in God is strong. This is evident when he asks himself, “Why did I live? Why did I breathe?” (Wiesel). This shows how absolute his faith...

Acquainted with the Night by Frost: Writing Techniques

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

A Modest Proposal: Jonathan Swift’s Political Satire

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

The Lais of Marie de France: Idiosyncratic Perspective on Love in Medieval Literature

Critical History The ‘Lais of Marie de France’ is an omnibus edition of works by a medieval female writer. The collection consists of twelve narrative poems, among which are Bisclavert, Cheverfoil, and Lanval. Glyn Burgess, who studied her works, notices, that ‘the theme of love is certainly the fundamental preoccupation’...

Works by Carl Sandburg and Robert Frost Review

The first two poems are good pieces written by Carl Sandburg. The First poem is titled “A Fence” and the second one “Onion Days”. The third poem is a very interesting piece by Robert Frost titled “Mending Wall”. The three poems have apt language of metaphorical compositions. The themes in...

Love Obstacles in Betty Keller’s Tea Party

Betty Keller’s essay Tea Party is one of her best works. It demonstrates the talent of the author as far as the reader may observe how many themes may be covered in such a short story (Betty Keller). This essay is like a hymn to the remote love between two...

“Journey Home” by Yoshiko Uchida

Yoshiko Uchida’s Journey Home is written about a Japanese American family which undergoes various hurdles during their way back to home. The author Yoshiko Uchida herself belonged to an immigrant family. The novel is an autobiographical account of Uchida who saw the horrors of the aftermath of the Second World...

Frankenstein vs. Paradise Lost

The stories about the Devil, Adam, and Frankenstein’s monster seem to have nothing in common at first glance. However, a more detailed consideration of each of them allows tracing certain similarities between them. People (or other beings) who have negative qualities always seem alike. They are united by their desire...

“Yellow Wallpapers” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

The Yellow Wallpaper is a book narrated first-person point of view (Perkins, 2010). It is about a young woman who is mentally disturbed and hence depicts a true-life story of the writers’ experience. She is strongly against the domination of men over their wives. They do not see them as...

Native Americans in the United States: Literature Review

What you Pawn I Will Redeem The narrator of the story by Sherman Alexie is a homeless man Jackson Jackson, a very unusual person with a generous heart, an “After Columbus Arrived Indian” (Perkins 402). He is a heavy drinking homeless Indian man, with bad health, leading a destructive lifestyle;...

“Night” by Elie Wiesel: Struggle to Keep Faith in God

When under serious pressure of life whoever is not broken? Whoever is not shaken, embarrassed and confused? Who will be able to save one’s spiritual heart from a “shipwreck of faith” which is described by Apostle Paul in his writings to the first century Christians? Sort of a “shipwreck of...

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

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

Fathers in Faulkner’s Barn Burning and Barreca’s Nighttime Fires Comparison

In the story Barn Burning by William Faulkner and in the poem Nighttime Fires By Regina Barreca we encounter fathers who react to their situation using fires. Their need for revenge against society affects their families as they become involved. The fathers are disappointed by society and fire helps them...

“The Odyssey” Analysis by Richard P. Martin

Odyssey is a Greek poem attributed to Homer; and is an essential aspect within the contemporary western principle. In this epic Odysseus had traveled to fight the Trojan War and due to his return, suitors tried to convince his wife Penelope that he had died in the war so that...

The Canterbury Tales: Chaucer’s Views on Social Mores

In The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer constructs a rich portrayal of medieval society and social mores. Chaucer’s world is vibrant and populated with archetypes that seem to fit neatly in social and moral categories. The knight is of high moral stature and chivalry, the prioress is “gentle” and “piteous.” The characters...

‘The Rocking Horse Winner’ by Lawrence

One of the most famous short stories of the acclaimed English writer D.H. Lawrence is ‘The Rocking Horse Winner’. The story mainly focuses on a mother, and in other words, we can say that she is the most important character and also the driving force of the story. Though in...

Playing Steve in “A Streetcar Named Desire” by T. Williams

Premiering in 1947, Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire is a play set in the late 1940s about the downfall of Blanche DuBois and the relationship between Stanley Kowalski and his wife Stella. Blanche and Stella come from an upper-class background in Mississippi, where Blanche lived and worked as a...

The Inkspell and Its Relation to Inkheart

Inkspell previously referred to as Tintenblut, is a junior adult novel authored by Cornelia Funke. It received a book of the year recognition under the children’s literature category in 2006, therefore was referred to as the 2006 book sense. This book is the second in the ink world trilogy after...

‘The Right Stuff’ Book by Tom Wolfe

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

“Othello” by William Shakespeare

Introduction William Shakespeare is a well known writer who has written various interesting play books. In Particular, he wrote a remarkable play called Othello. In the play, Shakespeare portrays a very jealous character. Lago is the jealous character who got disappointed with his friend Othello for denying him the chance...

“Fahrenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury: The Roots of Fear

Introduction The novel Fahrenheit 451 by Bradbury is a fiction story which unveils the untold and underlying lawlessness in anti-intellectual teenagers in America; who engage in various anti-social activities. In his novel, Bradbury brings the corrupt and evils society build on the fear of unknown as a result of inferiority...

Values and Conflicts in The Oresteia by Aeschylus

Values are actions that society universally qualifies as good; therefore, the wider community sets them as their goals in life. The play revolves around Atreus’s house in which it seemed there was a revenge cycle. Haunting in the Atreus house by ancient crimes began with the patriarch, Pelops. Atreus invited...

“Cultural Literacy and Critical Literacy” by Donald Lazere

Donald Lazere has devoted his numerous works to the matter of critical thinking in the modern culture. In his Cultural Literacy and Critical Literacy (1992), Lazere focuses on the notion of the critical literacy, which, in his opinion, is rather important for the intellectual potential of an individual. He has...

“The Hero With a Thousand Faces” by Joseph Campbell

A hero strikes one as an individual whose personal attributes elicit admiration both before and after their death. Mythology presents a hero as one with great strength and courage, one who is widely celebrated for bold exploits. Making such a unique character entails a process as Joseph has explained in...

‘Girl Powdering Her Neck’, Poem by Cathy Song and Painting by Kitagawa Utamaro

Introduction Every poem expresses a certain idea presented by the poet. It could be a personal thought or a story. Sometimes a poem describes a certain scene with certain events. In this case, the poet draws an image. Many poems have paintings to describe their events. The painting helps the...

Peter Lewis on the Beggar’s Opera

In his article “The Beggar’s Opera as Opera and Anti-Opera,” critic Peter Lewis first analyzes the title of John Gay’s The Beggar’s Opera as something that was not originally intended to be an actual opera in the traditional sense of the word. In making this claim, Lewis is largely in...

Kate Chopin: Early Feminist Writer

There are many early feminist writers who wrote prolifically in the late 19th century up to the early phase of the 20th century. In this study the focus will be on early feminist writers that came from the South. This means that they are female writers who are not only...

An Independent Woman in American Literature

What is the place of a woman in modern society? Should a woman be a classical housewife and the ‘mother of the family’ or a modern independent businesswoman with a strong position in the so-called ‘men’s world’? Today we have a right to choose. Today we have equal rights and...

“Sadie When She Died” by Ed McBain

Ed McBain’s “Sadie When She Died” is one of the stories from the 87th Precinct series which he started writing in the mid-1950s. It presents the story about the officer, Steve Carella, who knew from the beginning the identity of the real murderer but lacked proof to accuse him of...

Internal Strife and Conflict in Literary Works

Introduction The paper is about to discuss the literary elements of inner struggle and meditation in various literary works such as Frost’s poem ‘The Road Not Taken’ Theodor Roethke’s ‘My Papa’s Waltz’ and the play ‘All My Sons’ by Arthur Miller. It begins with a thesis statement. The body of...

“Girl With a Pearl Earring” by Tracy Chevalier

As we can see in “Girl with a Pearl Earring”, written by Tracy Chevalier, the author can be free in selection of facts and settings. The novel is a kind of composition on a free topic or the description of one’s feelings at the time of looking at the picture....

Mitch Albom’s “Tuesdays with Morrie” Reflections

Morrie’s lessons are a guideline to veritable values The professor’s lessons personify communication, love, and moral values. Morrie’s story is rather emotionally charged, through which the reader could perceive the eternal topic of life and death. Those lessons captivated me with the problems they revealed and the amazing solutions taken...

Mura’s “An Argument: On 1942”: An Interpretation

David Mura is a third-generation Japanese-American writer. “An argument” is a poem written by him depicting the traumatic experience of the Japanese living in America during the days of the Second World War. The situation then was something similar to the one the Muslim population in America (though not so...

“Travels With Herodotus” and “Marco Polo Didn’t Go There”

Traveling as the Core problem in the Compared Books Traveling notes have always been interesting and exciting for both, the writer of them and the reader. Different people, visiting the same countries may write absolutely different works about these countries as personal perception in traveling is one of the main...

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

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

Oedipus Rex, a Victim of Fate or a Tyrant

“In 1834 poet and critic Samuel Taylor Coleridge described this play as one of three works of literature with perfect plots; in 1900 Freud plucked out the name Oedipus for his theory of a son’s unconscious sexual longing for his mother; in 1974 lyrics to a song in the film...

“The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini Book Report

Introduction Betrayal is a universal human experience that we don’t typically think about, but that permeates the book The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. Although we are all likely to experience betrayal at some point in our lives, Hosseini also provides us with a means of defeating it through loyalty...

The Curse vs. Antigone: Compare & Contrast

Introduction “Antigone” by Sophocles is a story about family relations, pride, and death, reason, and passion. The play acquires significance in the development of European consciousness since it reveals the conflict between the individual and the State. This is also a conflict of nature and spirit, where it is difficult...