Money & Wealth in Death of a Salesman

Introduction Arthur Miller’s play “Death of a Salesman” is, to me, all about the dangers of defining happiness in terms of financial success. Charley sums up this idea when he says, “The only thing you got in this world is what you can sell” (97). For this reason, I plan...

Old West American Literature: Owen Wister’s Virginian

Introduction It is generally understood that while The Virginian is a romance novel, it carefully incorporated the themes of masculinity, vigilante justice, the educated easterner and landscape. The protagonist is simply called the Virginian, introduced and described as an American cowboy, setting a standard for positive image of the previously...

“A Lesson Before Dying” by Ernest Gaines

‘A Lesson Before Dying,’ written by Earnest J Gaines, tells the story of two men who have to fight hard to survive in a world that metes out suffering to them through racism and discrimination. Jefferson, one of the men, falls victim to the white people’s indifference when he gets...

Emily Dickinson’s Poetry of Privation

The collected poems of Emily Dickinson include joyful ones and despairing ones. Some two hundred of them are regarded as poems of despair, some of them about literary recognition, others about her inability to engage with formal religion but most are about the absence of love in her life. As...

Shakespeare, Milton, and Keats: Similarities & Differences

Introduction In this paper, our task is to compare the works of such prominent English authors as Shakespeare, Milton and Keats. Overall, we can say that in their poems they explore themes, which have always been vital for any artist, namely, the fear of death, brevity of human life, love...

“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,...

“Absalom, Absalom!” Novel by William Faulkner

Sutpen and his intention of building the Sutpen’s Hundred Thomas Sutpen is a mysterious man, in the sense that people never really understood him and his idea of building the Sutpen’s hundred was borne out of the fact that he realized while he was growing up that men are not...

Women as Oppression Victims in American Literature

Introduction Literary works dealing with serious subjects such as woman rights, discrimination and oppression can be completely different in genre and style, but nevertheless sharing a mutual theme, each approaching it from a different perspective. In Everyday Use by Alice Walker and A Jury of Her Peers by Susan Glaspell,...

My Personal Ithaka. “Ithaka” by Constantine Cavafy

In his poem “Ithaka,” Constantine Cavafy encourages his readers to go off on a journey that will last most of their life. In the poem, he talks about how the journey needs to be full of adventure and discovery but he also warns against monsters like Laistrygonians and Cyclops, and...

Faulkner’s “Barn Burning” and O’Connor’s “The Life You Save May Be Your Own”

Introduction Life in South America had unique conditions. This was because of the unusual race relations, conflicts, problems and its history. Life was different for the descendants of the white aristocrats and of the poor whites. This paper will endeavour to discuss the South and Southerners as they appear in...

“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...

Cathy Song’s “The Youngest Daughter”

The generation gap is one of the popular themes addressed in the literature, as the lack of understanding between the older and younger family members often causes conflicts and life dramas. Cathy Song’s poem “The Youngest Daughter”, however, is distinguished for its delicate depiction of the relationship between the narrator...

Relationships and Dialogues. “The Awakening” by Kate Chopin

Edna Pontellier, the heroine of “The Awakening” by Kate Chopin, lives in the United States during the 1800s. During those days, men dominated U.S. society while women were considered inferior to them. The Feminism movement that demanded women should be treated equally as men, having the same political, economic, and...

“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...

Gender Roles Within Greek Society

Introduction Gender roles in Greek society were determined by social and cultural traditions, position of women in society and their significance as citizens. The position of women in society was determined by absence of political rights acquired by men. Many Greek plays portray women as canny and jealous. The play...

A Critical to “Mary Poppins” by Travers

It is a common knowledge that people always thought of something that would make their life easier. Charms and topics related with them have always attracted the attention of different writers who created stories and fairy-tales where people achieved everything they wanted by means of magic not even lifting a...

“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...

Joseph Conrad’s Book “Heart of Darkness”

Introduction In Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, the main character Marlow continuously calls into question the modern assumptions that are made by his listeners as well as his readers, blurring the lines between inward and outward, civilized and savage and, most especially, dark and light. The bulk of the book...

“The Barrelmaker Brimful of Love” by Ihara Saikaku

“The Barrelmaker Brimful of Love” is a short story written by a famous Japanese poet Ihara Saikaku. In this work, the author addresses several issues: first, the relationships between love and religion, in particular Buddhism. Secondly, he explores the conflict between individual happiness and general welfare within the context of...

William Shakespeare’s Hamlet: Is He Insane?

Introduction The issue of insanity has often been uncomfortable, for the average human being as well as for the writer. It often provides a fascinating subject for drama, as has been demonstrated brilliantly by William Shakespeare as insanity plays a key role in Shakespeare’s tragedy Hamlet. In this play, the...

Anne Sexton’s “Cinderella” Analysis

Introduction Many people take pleasure from reading fairy tales, whose endings are normally happy and which depict the triumph of “the good” over “the evil”. Anne Sexton is among the writers, who have a non-traditional vision of fairy-tales, as she creates her own interpretations of fantasy narratives. As Sexton is...

Literature: History of Theory and Criticism

The place of Alexander’s Pope’s An Essay on Criticism in English literature is that of Boileaur’s Art Poetique in French criticism. Keeping in line with the neoclassical tradition, Pope gives a detailed account of his views on literary writing and the art of criticism. His essay has been seriously studied...

“The House of Mirth” Novel by Edith Wharton

Introduction In the novel, The House of Mirth Lily’s development as a character is certainly not negligible to the novel, her primary role is as the means through which Wharton reads and writes this culture. Thus, The House of Mirth is not primarily the story of Lily; it is rather...

Angela Bourke and Irish Oral Tradition

It is a rather specific matter when one has to write about the peculiarities of the culture of a certain nation because not always people are acquainted with the national customs and traditions. It becomes even more complicated when the cultural peculiarities are to be studied with the help of...

Is Mr. Lockwood a Reliable Narrator in Wuthering Heights?

Reading classic literature provides plenty of benefits to the reader such as a better understanding of other people’s feelings and thoughts and the consequences of their actions. Often, the perception of those benefits directly depends on the narrator of a book. Emily Bronte’s novel Wuthering Heights narrated by two characters,...

The Theme of Bravery in Antigone: Research Paper

The ancient Greeks, with their pantheon of gods, had deep religious convictions that reinforced many values we continue to hold sacred today, such as honor and loyalty to family and loved ones. Bravery was typically measured by one’s performance in battle or their ability to stand up to strange mythological...

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...

King Lear and Beowulf: Compare & Contrast

Introduction English literature contains wonderful works related to royal families as well as common individuals that teach the readers ethical principles, moral lessons and codes of leading a dignified life on the one hand, and wide-open new horizons of intellect and wisdom to them on the other. The same is...

“Arabi” by James Joyce: The Overview of the Story

The story Araby is included in the series of the so-called Dubliners written by James Joyce. The series still fascinates its readers with epiphany, used in each story. The use of the device of epiphany means that the end of the story is unexpected and abrupt while the plot of...

Analysis of an Extract from Beloved

It is very hard for any reader of Toni Morrison to escape her ‘black magic’. The reason is that this great Afro American writer speaks through history and ages in a language that is dipped in the dual hues of pain and poetry both. The two hundred years of horrid...

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...

Poetry and Prose 1660-1800- John Dryden’s Absalom and Achitophel

Introduction Absalom and Achitophel was written for the King Charles II in 1681. This poem represents a political satire and critically depicts the Court and royal manners. The uniqueness of this poem is that it presents not merely a series of pictures of personalities, but the whole situation and in...

Flannery O’Connor Was an Epistle of Hope

Hope is an ambiguous feeling to describe. It is the shining candle in the gloom and the final sprite released from Pandora’s Box to mitigate the swarm of gloom that Pandora inadvertently released. When Flannery O’Connor makes this statement, she speaks with a conviction of a person who knows the...

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...

Personal and Cultural Identities in “Ceremony” by Silko

Introduction Self-consciousness, as a significant part of personal identity, largely determines not only the views on certain concepts but also the ability to adapt to society within the framework of specific living conditions. Those communicative, religious, and other beliefs that a person follows are the background for the perception of...

Heroes’ Qualities: Gilgamesh vs. Odysseus

Introduction In the modern world, many people like discussing the theme of true heroes and the required qualities. Ancient literature is probably one of the most frequent sources of information to be applied to find out good examples and evidence. During the last centuries, The Epic of Gilgamesh and Homer’s...

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...

Father-Son Relationships in William Faulkner’s Novels

Introduction William Faulkner is a master craftsman in the history of novel tradition who spins the masterful artistic pieces by conjoining very similar parts of the whole tied together to form the strong webs in the form of novels that attract the readers to rule their fictional world with the...

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...

Authorial Vision of Women in Gilman’s Short Stories

Charlotte Perkins Gilman The Yellow Paper in The Yellow Paper and Other Stories. Oxford University Press, USA, 1996. This short story portrays oppression of women and negligence her husband which lead the main character to psychological distress and madness. Gilman underlines that women have no freedom limited by false social...

Sophocles’ Antigone: Critical Analysis Essay

The classic Antigone by Sophocles is one of three plays about Oedipus and his family. It tells of the daughter of Oedipus Antigone, who fights to bring her brother’s corpse home to a proper burial when the new king, Creon, rules against it for his “betrayal” of Thebes. Sophocles uses...

Cause and Effect in Sophocles’ Antigone: A Noval Analysis

There are many instances in the novel “Antigone” that shows the relationship of cause and effect. It is particularly important to recognize such causes and effects for they are simply the highlights of the novel itself. Theses causes and effects are what makes up the novel and without them, the...

Achilles and Hector in The Iliad by Homer: Comparison

Achilles and Hector are two heroic characters in Homer’s classic Iliad and both these fearless warriors display honour and virtue in their characters. The personal resolve, decisions, behaviour, valour and the commitment shown by these two act as the key to the development of the plot of the book. Both...

A Clean, Well Lighted Place: Book Review

There are times when a person would just want to find solace in a place where they can hang out and do nothing but feel they are just drifting over their weary existence in the outside world. It is just one of the nights when depression sets in and a...

Beowulf, The National Epic of the Anglo-Saxons

Introducion An epic is a long, narrative poem written in a noble, dignified style and telling of exploits perfumed by great heroes. It differs from other narrative poems in that it has greater dignity and sweep and presents more lifelike characters, Beowulf, the national epic of the Anglo-Saxons, relates how...

Pride and Prejudice: Book Review

“Pride and Prejudice” was first issued on 28 January 1813 (Bloom, 1987). This book is considered to be the most well-known of Jane Austen’s works. This novel is related to one of the first works in the genre of romantic comedy. The author of the novel Jane Austen (16 December...

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...

Themes in Death of a Salesman: Research Paper

Introduction “Poor Willy!” Charley laments in the end at Willy’s funeral. Poor Willy indeed! None of his delusions of grandeur or the glories of being a Salesman came true. Not only is he not rich he committed suicide precisely because he was so poor that he wanted to die just...

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,...

Social Life in Canterbury Tales vs. Pride & Prejudice: Compare & Contrast Essay

Introduction Geoffrey Chaucer and Jane Austen belong to two different remarkable periods in English Literature. Chaucer was born in 1334 and Austen in 1775. The birth of the English language and literature in the fourteenth century provided a proper atmosphere in England for the growth of new trends and tendencies...

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...

Human Issues in Chaucer’s ‘Canterbury Tales’

The Parson and the Plowman The story of Parson can be described as the sermon on virtuous living. Parson may be regarded as the only member of the clergy in Chaucer’s cycle who is depicted in a positive light. Parson, asked by the host Harry Bailly to tell the fable...

Class and Family in Victorian Literature

Introduction The Victorian era in English literature coincided with great reformations in society due to changes brought upon by the Industrial Revolution. Traditional agrarian communities were dissolved, family units became smaller, and the degree of economic instability grew. The expansion of cities and the creation of factories in major English...

Know Thyself: Sophocles’ “Oedipus the King”

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

Gender in “The Chrysanthemums” by John Steinbeck

Introduction John Steinbeck’s The Chrysanthemums focuses on the theme of gender roles and the discrimination of women based on their gender. The author tells the story of Elisa, who is trapped in her roles and responsibilities of being a perfect wife and housekeeper that is expected to take care of...

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...

The Essence of Machiavelli’s Book “The Prince”

Introduction In the early 16th century, when Italy consisted of city-states ruled by princes, Niccolo Machiavelli wrote a handbook for princes and dedicated it to Lorenzo de Medici, Duke of Urbino and the ruler of Florence. This work became infamous because it justified criminal deeds committed for the sake of...

Injustice and Lack of Sovereignty in Danticat’s “Brother, I’m Dying”

Introduction In her memoir, Brother, I’m Dying, Edwidge Danticat narrates her life experiences in Haiti and in the US without following any chronological order of events. The book’s title could be interpreted as the pain that underlines the stories it recounts. Family separation, suffering in a foreign land, becoming refugees,...

Eudora Welty’s Influence and Monologue on Phoenix Jackson

Eudora Welty is considered one of the most sophisticated prose writers of the US of the 20th century. Her stories began to be published in the 1940s and immediately marked the emergence of a new and genuinely distinctive voice in literature. Moreover, the author gained a plethora of medals, honorary...

“Inside the White Cube” the Book by O’Doherty

Summary of the Book The book, Inside the White Cube, by O’Doherty focuses on the concept of the gallery space, how it has evolved over the years, and its significance in passing a specific message to the audience. In this book, the author explains the relevance of neutral patterns in...

Narrative & Meaning in Jackson’s “The Lottery”

Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” is one of the brightest examples of how a sophisticated theme can be transferred within only a few pages of a short story. However, this is not the greatest feature of the piece. In “The Lottery,” the use of narrative techniques favored by the writer serves...

Truth & Myth in O’Brien’s “The Things They Carried”

Introduction Literature as art aims at retrieving readers’ emotions by conveying accurately created characters, plots, and symbols. In such a way, those who read a literary work obtain an opportunity not only to receive information but also to relive it through the author’s experience. In its essence, therefore, literature cannot...

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...

Social Problems in Wilson’s “Fences” Play

In 1985, the American playwright and Pulitzer Prize winner August Wilson published the play Fences. This work was published as part of the ten-part Pittsburgh Cycle, which recounts the complexities of African-American life in different decades of the twentieth century. Fences is a theatrical play that raises acute social problems...

Claudius’ Ramblings: A Night of Comedy and Confessions

In a dimly lit room, a dark figure of King Claudius occupies a large sofa. He occasionally stands up and walks across the room, his appearance disheveled, and they look exhausted. Think Dylan Moran is doing stand-up comedy at one AM after a party. Others are gathered quietly in the...

“The Lottery” the Story by Shirley Jackson

Children learn about morality while being educated by their parents and teachers in the contexts of certain communities and cultures. Depending on what they see and perceive as ethical and normal, children form their own views and behavior. In her short story “The Lottery,” Shirley Jackson discusses numerous provocative themes...

Punctuation in E. E. Cummings’ “Anyone Lived in a Pretty How Town”

E.E. Cummings’ poem “Anyone Lived in a Pretty How Town” consists of nine four-line stanzas characterized by a dynamic rhythm and frivolous punctuation. The main theme of the literary piece is the survival of individuality in a hostile world that is biased against uniqueness. The inhabitants of a “pretty how...

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

The end of the Victorian era may be viewed as a period when the movement for female equality gathered momentum. Before that, women enjoyed much fewer rights than men and occupied a lower, subordinate position in society. However, throughout the 19th century, many females aimed to oppose the established situation,...

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...

Oates’ “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” and Updike’s “A&P”

Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been by Joyce Carol Oates, and A&P by John Updike are both short stories that explore the subject of rebellion. The key conflict in Oates’ text is between Connie’s freedom to explore her beauty and sexuality and the views of people around her....

The Killing of Balder in Norse Mythology

Introduction In spite of the fact that myths are perceived as fictional stories about different events occurring thousands of years ago, they still influence people’s spiritual life. The reason is that myths represent ancient people’s views regarding the cosmos, the relationships between nature and a human being, and the sacred...

“How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents” by Julia Alvarez

Today’s nurses are faced with the challenging task of delivering culturally competent care to a large number of patients with different ethnic backgrounds. Among other things, a culturally tailored approach requires overcoming prejudice and racial stereotypes, which have shown to have a negative impact on patient health (Perkins, 2014). The...

Characters in the Play “Fences” by August Wilson

Introduction Fences, a play by August Wilson, was published in 1986. The play details the African-American experiences and deals with the themes of racism, infidelity, and forgiveness. This paper explores how Cory, son of Troy and Rose, has avoided following in his father’s footsteps and learned to manage his anger...

Band of Brothers: Stephen Ambrose’s WWII Insight

Authored by Stephen Ambrose, “Band of Brothers” is a must-read piece that comes in handy in providing an insight on the Second World War. The book tables the turn of events or rather the journey of the citizen soldiers from the Easy Company, 101st airborne and the 506th Regiment units...

Plato’s Philosophy: Soul Immortality and the Cave Allegory

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

Killings for Love in Shakespeare’s and Garcia’s Works

In both Shakespeare’s Othello and Garcia’s Chronicles of a Death Foretold, the themes of love, passion, and death are connected. In most cases, death occurs as a result of the violence that is ignited by passion, which seemingly originates from love. However, a critical reading of the texts begs the...

A Good Man Is Hard to Find: Literary Analysis

Brief introduction of the short story “A good man is hard to find” is a story that talks about a family that is killed by a social criminal named Misfit. The main characters are the Misfit and the unnamed grandmother. It depicts human beings as untrustworthy creatures; it is consistently...

Annotated Bibliography: Shakespeare Studies

Chedgzoy, Kate. Shakespeare, Feminism, and Gender: Contemporary Critical Essays. New York: Palgrave, 2001. Recently, feminist criticisms of Shakespeare’s works have greatly expanded. Chedgzoy notes that the modern field of feminist criticism is not as obsessed as it once was on whether Shakespeare’s works were feminist or proto-feminist, or in the...

Abu-Bakr’s Journey: From Saudi Village to NY Success

“Finally, high school is over,” softly said Abu-Bakr Mohammed to himself as he walked down the sandy road that led to his village from the school he had attended for the last six years. Abu, as most of his friends called him, was excited beyond measure because he had made...

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...

Symbolism in Irving’s “Rip Van Winkle” Short Story

“Rip Van Winkle” is a symbolic story, its author, Washington Irving, used a fictional and unrealistic event to be able to portray the difference between the same places of America before and during the Revolutionary War. The story of a mysterious situation when a character skips a long period without...

Wiesel’s Night: Dehumanization and Hope

Introduction Wiesel’s book Night can be regarded as a story of dehumanization and lost hopes. However, it is also a story of affection and desire to remain a human in inhumane conditions. There are different themes in the book, but the father-son relationship is one of the central and most...

Anne Bradstreet’s Poem “Contemplations”

In the literary scholarship, Anne Bradstreet’s poetry is usually discussed as Puritan and feminist. Therefore, Bradstreet’s poems should be considered as unique representations of the revolutionary female vision that combines the discussion of religious ideas and the discussion of a woman’s place in the world. “Contemplations” is the most vivid...

“A Death in the Family” Novel by James Agee

Introduction A death in the family is an autobiographical book by James Agee. The writing of the book started in 1944, but the book was printed in 1957, two years after the death of its writer James Agee. The novel is entirely based on what happened when the author visited...

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...

Chinese Intellectuals’ Moral Dilemma in Dafu’s “Sinking”

Introduction Sinking is a chef-d’oeuvre piece of classic literature written by Yu Dafu. The story revolves around an alienated and depressed nameless protagonist whose life is sinking and he cannot seem to rescue himself. However, the author’s subtle message addresses a crisis that many Chinese intellectuals have continued to face...

Metaphor in “Sonny’s Blues” Story by Baldwin

The proponent of this study attempted to figure out the importance of the title “Sonny’s Blues” in contributing to a theme in the story. At first glance, and without the benefit of a thorough analysis, the first thing that came to mind was the common understanding of the meaning of...

“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...

Poems Comparison: The Necklace and I Stand Here Ironing

It is a good idea to compare and contrast Maupassant’s The Necklace and Olsen’s I Stand Here Ironing, because of the way the authors examined the subject of poverty. They share the same interest as manifested in their desire to explore the meaning of poverty in the lives of young...

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 Necklace” and “The Rocking-Horse Winner”

Comparison “The Necklace” and “The Rocking-Horse Winner” At first glance, The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant and The Rocking-Horse Winner by D. H. Lawrence are very different stories. The former is set in 19-th century Paris, while the latter is set in England after the First World War. However, both...

Analyzing Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken”

Introduction While the textbook offers a wide range of captivating, deep poems, fully of effective and meaningful symbolism, few of them are as captivating and current as the poem “Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost, which is rightfully one of his more popular works (Frost). This is a narrative poem,...

Characters in E. Welty’s “Why I Live at the P.O.”

Motivations of the main characters Discovering characters’ motivations may be challenging in Eudora Welty’s “Why I Live at the P.O.” because the reader sees the story from just one perspective: that of Sister, the main character. Sister is not truthful about her motivations even with herself, so she decides to...

Hubris in Ancient Greek Tragedies

A tragedy is an act of human suffering. This act invokes feeling in viewers’ hearts which seem to enjoy the process of someone suffering. In view of culture, tragedy refers to a form of drama in a given tradition. The term drama in the context of tradition has been the...

Symbolism in Coetzee’s “Disgrace”

Introduction Symbolism is often used in fiction to describe pressing but controversial issues. Through subtle comparisons and allegories, authors can connect simple objects and situations to more complex problems. The novel Disgrace, written by Coetzee in 1999, uses a number of symbols to strengthen the message of the author. First...

The War Prayer Mark Twain

The War Prayer Analysis: Essay Introduction Mark Twain, officially known as Samuel Langhorne Clemens, is a celebrated American author whose work and practice both in academic and political fields contributed immensely to shaping American literary history, socio-political environment, and global academic development. The author, a critic of American discriminative leadership,...

The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton: Novel on New York’s Upper-Class

Introduction In the chef-d’oeuvre book, The Age of Innocence, Edith Wharton highlights a form of innocence that comes by simulation. The strict societal rules that govern every aspect of living impose this form of innocence that does not come by one’s choice. In a bid to understand the context of...

Layers in “Riders to the Sea” by John Synge

Introduction “Riders to the Sea” was written by John Millington Synge as an attempt to create a play based on his experiences of life on Aran Islands. It became a success and led to the creation of further plays based on that region. This paper will examine this play from...

Captain Nemo on the Lost Continent

In the twenty thousand leagues under the sea, Nemo comes out as a captain who does not value the chain of command. He believes in himself and thinks that his decisions are his visions. In chapter nine of part two, he shows up in the submarine only to exit with...

Magical Realism of Julio Cortazar Literature

Julio Cortazar together with Borges, Garcia-Marques and Asturias began something that became a great boom or El Boom in Latin American literature. The generation of talented writers and the appearance of magical realism made Latin American literature popular all over the world. In his works Cortazar goes beyond sharply detailed...

Ben Jonson’s Comedy “Volpone”

Abridged Production History The history of British dramaturgy cannot be discussed without mentioning Ben Jonson’s comedy Volpone, as such that represents a particularly high dramaturgic value. In its turn, this can be partially explained by the fact that the themes and motifs, contained in this play, did not only correlate...

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...

“The Bean Eaters” by Gwendolyn Brooks

The subject of the Poem The poem The bean eaters deals with a seemingly simple subject, which is a scene of two old people having dinner and eating beans. However, a closer look at the narrative will show that it addresses an array of social issues, poverty being the main...

The Tempest by William Shakespeare: Viewing and Reflection

St. Louis Shakespeare’s production of Shakespeare’s The Tempest was staged in 2010 and performed at the Grandel Theatre in St. Louis, Missouri. The play was directed by Jerry Vogel, the stage set by Cristie Johnston. The cast of this critically acclaimed performance includes Robert A. Mitchell as Prospero, Betsy Bowman...

Injustice in Shelley’s Frankenstein and Milton’s Paradise Lost

“Th’ infernal Serpent; he it was, whose guile Stird up with Envy and Revenge, deceiv’d 35 The Mother of Mankinde, what time his Pride Had cast him out from Heav’n” (Milton Lines: 34-37) The monster created by Mary Shelley in Frankenstein (henceforth mentioned as Frankenstein) and the character of Satan...

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...

“The Cay” by Theodore Taylor: Historical Perspectives

The Cay is a children’s war novel written by Theodore Taylor. It is a classic story about hard survival in an island engulfed by war. The protagonist in the story is an American boy called Phillip who experiences a harsh reality of war on the coast of Venezuela. A blast...

Faith in “The Hollow Men” and “The Funeral Blues”

Introduction Thomas Stearns Eliot and Wystan Hugh Auden belong to the brightest representatives of the American literature of the twentieth century. The unmatched virtuosity of each poet deserves particular attention and admiration from the audience. In their work, Eliot and Auden rise such crucial topics as love, war, faith, death,...

“Oedipus Rex” a Play by Sophocles

Oedipus Rex is a Greek tragedy play written and directed by Sophocles who lived many centuries ago. The play is a classic master piece of Greek talent in theatre and drama and has generously contributed to modern forms of theatrical arts. The play revolves around the tragic fate of Oedipus...

Poverty in “On Dumpster Diving” by Lars Eighner

Introduction In his essay On Dumpster Diving, Lars Eighner explores the life of a person whose sole means of survival is dumpster diving. The author focuses on such themes as poverty, despair of homeless people, and their attitudes toward material wealth as well as the hopes that they cherish. The...

“Grief” a Poem by Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Writing about poems is always interesting and challenging. The analysis of Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s poem is not an exception. On the one hand, it is a real challenge to understand the meaning of each word in the poem and the intentions of the writer. On the other hand, it is...

“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...

Historical Memory in the “Barefoot Gen” Manga

Artistic expressions are part of every society’s collective memories and subsequent history. The main role of historical memory is to make a society remember what it has forgotten. Furthermore, historical memory upholds the concept that forgetting is part of remembering. This is why memories might change over time in the...

Nathaniel Hawthorne Short Stories Analysis

In Hawthorne’s stories, men of supposed decency sometimes do very unpleasant things, and these often affect the women in their lives. The gentlemen in these tales demonstrate is a willingness to take risks with or abuse the good will of women that today would be considered thoughtless at best, or...

The Warrior Culture in “The Iliad” by Homer

In The Iliad, a culture that portrays bravery, honor and masculinity is highly honored. Men were expected to participate in warfare fully. Therefore, any man that shuns this responsibility or did not take part in the war was later faced with criticism. Individuals who failed to engage in the battles...

Viviane Namaste and Julia Serano’ Views on Transgenders

In order to create an original argument, I chose Beyond Image Content: Examining Transsexuals’ Access to the Media chapter from Sex Change, Social Change: Reflections on Identity, Institutions, and Imperialism book by Viviane Namaste and Trans Woman Manifesto from Whipping Girl by Julia Serano. This paper is aimed at revealing...

Poems Analysis: “Heaven” and “La Migra”

“Heaven” by Cathy Song In her poem, Cathy Song reflects on the ethnic identity of her children, ancestors, and herself. The main character is a Chinese boy, who migrated to the USA for a long time before the author wrote this piece of poetry. The character worked at the railway...

Character Analysis of the Protagonist in “The Glass Menagerie” by Williams

I believe that Tom is the protagonist of the play by Tennessee. The play revolves around the lives of three key characters. The three characters include Tom, Laura and Amanda. Tom encounters many challenges in his life and he tries everything possible to have a new kind of life. The...

Understatement in Robert Frost’s “Out, Out—”

Robert Frost wrote his famous poem “Out, Out—” in 1916, during the First World War. The poem reveals the author’s dark thoughts at a difficult time in the world’s history. The author was not at war, as well as the audience is not. However, Frost manages to reflect the core...

“The Martian Chronicles” by Ray Bradbury

Americans, in the twentieth century, saw wonderful scientific discoveries like the atomic bomb, the space age, and political moves that came as a result of a sense of superiority for America. It elevated America to a nation that was ahead in civilization and development. All these phenomena had a great...

The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane: A Quest Unveiled

“The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane” was written by Katherine Howe. The book was first published in 2009. The story in the book involves a quest a young Harvard graduate and doctoral candidate Connie Goodwin needs to complete in order to uncover the secrets of Deliverance Dane, the woman who...

Gender Discrimination in Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper”

American society encountered several changes. The changes included the gender equality issue. The author was one of the gender equality victims. Charlotte P. Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper novel describes the plight of discriminated women during the 19th Century American period. Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper is a feminist novel. The Gilman...

Hilda Doolittle’s Poems, Themes and Style

Hilda Doolittle Hilda “H.D.” Doolittle was an American poet who was born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and lived between the years 1886 and 1961. She gained fame in London through her published works. Her charisma and literary prowess earned her the leading role within the Imagist movement that was rapidly growing...

“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,...

The Narrative Form of Sarah Scott’s Millenium Hall

During the 18th century, the topics of creating the perfect social model and developing a strong friendship among the representatives of the high social class were popular. However, in her novel Millenium Hall (1762), Sarah Scott focused on the specific approach to discussing the above-mentioned topics and presented the story...

Evolution of War Depictions in Tim O’Brien’s “The Things They Carried”

In the history of literature there were many writers who became the living witnesses of the horrific realities of their times; some of them were Erich Maria Remarque (who was a soldier during World War I), Elie Wiesel and Primo Levi (who survived in concentration camps during the World War...

Human Animal in “Gulliver’s Travels” and “Life is a Dream”

Introduction When we think of the human animal, we envision a complex of behavioral qualities that all primeval humans could have. Before the establishment of the social order in its familiar form and the development of the cultural aspects of life, people were closer to nature and did not suppress...

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

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

The Novel “Disgrace” by John Maxwell Coetzee

Introduction The novel Disgrace by John Maxwell Coetzee depicts the harsh realities of the so-called “culture of rape” – a culture in which women are often perceived as objects that are to be utilized in order to satisfy the desires of men, the sexual ones in particular. The author tells...

“Disgrace” a Book by John Maxwell Coetzee

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

Analysis of The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas: Essay Sample

The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas: Essay Introduction The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas is a short story by Ursula Le Guin. Like most of her texts, the story raises a number of issues related to the problem of obedience to authority and compliance with social conventions and...

W. E. B. Du Bois and Marcus Garvey’ Works Comparison

Introduction It is imperative to mention that the works by Du Bois and Garvey are truly fascinating, and both leaders were extremely influential. “The Souls of Black Folk” and “Africa for the African” are the ones that are especially noteworthy. Both pieces are regarded masterpieces by many scholars, and they...

“Divine Comedy” and “Confessions”

Just like any other religion, Christianity had a period when it was to pave its way through the doubt and rejection of the people in order to gradually win more and more followers. The intent to move on from one religion and set of beliefs to another always comes along...

“Modern Chivalry” a Novel by Hugh Henry Brackenridge

‘Modern Chivalry’ is an American novel based on Captain John Farrago, who is portrayed as the American frontier Don Quixote. He departs from Pennsylvania to take a “ride” around the world accompanied by his servant Teague presumably to observe human nature. His comparison to Don Quixote is quite justified given...

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...

Review: Formisano’s ‘The Tea Party: A Brief History’ Analysis

Introduction Formisano is an American political historian and the author of the concise book, The Tea Party: A Brief History. This compilation is one of the books that broadly talk about the Tea Party in the history of American politics. The books mainly talk about the rise of the Tea...

The Poetry by Emily Dickinson

Emily Dickinson is one of the most famous and loved poets in American literature. The author’s word choice and use of punctuation make her works outstanding, as they combine both sound and pause, resembling the wind. Dickinson avoids conformity, as Emerson would say, and she creates her own poetry rules....

“The House on Mango Street” by Sandra Cisneros

Introduction Sandra Cisneros’s The House on Mango Street is an illustration of the problems faced by Latin women in a culture laden with racism, prejudice, and discrimination. Society as depicted in the book is being dominated by men where women are generally praised for their physical features; however, the Latin...

“Schoolsville” a Poem by Billy Collins

The Introduction: The Author’s Humorous Tone First of all, I would like to point out that the poem Schoolsville reminded me of my own school life. Of course, it is obvious, that the writer Billy Collins used expressive language devices to impress the readers. In other words, his speech is...

“The Karma of Brown Folk” a Book by Vijay Prashad

Introduction The book, The Karma of Brown Folk, is the book that presents the history and the life of the minority groups in the United States. Some of the minority groups that the book examines include Asian and Black Americans. According to Prashad, Asian and Black Americans living in the...

Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson Literary Styles Comparison

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

Nineteen Eighty-Four: Orwell’s Warning Against Totalitarianism

Introduction Written by Orwell (1), Nineteen Eighty-Four is a celebrated literary work of the 20th century. The author sets the novel in a 1949 totalitarian world, where an elitist group in Airstrip One (formerly Great Britain) used politically manipulative techniques to keep their power by silencing “independent minds.” They controlled...

Ethical Dilemmas in Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”

Introduction Hamlet is William Shakespeare’s tragedy play that was written in the late 14th century. It is believed to be the most popular of his literary works owing to the catchy phrases that have found their way in today’s conversations such as “to be or not to be” (Shakespeare 110)....

Richard Wright’ and Langston Hughes Literature Comparison

Richard Wright and Langston Hughes are the writers that were very concerned about the racial issues in the society of the United States of America. Both of the authors use their talents to address the problem of racial differences and the outcomes they cause. Hughes and Wright emphasize the equality...