5996 samples of this type
Introduction Marjaneh Satrapi, a renowned writer and illustrator, can be recognized as one of the most prominent figures in Iranian literature. One of her activities is to reflect on the subtleties of women’s experience while conveying her vision of the Iranian Revolution period. The means to reveal this turbulent period...
Introduction “Mexican” Is Not a Noun by Francisco Alarcon depicts the difficulties experienced by Mexicans in the United States. The writer relies on figurative language and sound effects to catch the readers’ attention and create a sense of urgency to understand the immigrants’ despair. Hence, the author aims to prove...
The “Flight” is a novel written by Sherman Alexie about an American teenager who calls himself zits. Sherman wrote this novel from the first-person perspective of Native American youth. Zits is depicted as a foster child who has spent most of his life moving from house to house and contending...
“Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut is a short dystopian story that explores the notion of equality. However, the author takes the dystopian genre to an extreme length by portraying all the characters as handicapped, which makes no one superior in this piece. Overall, as “Harrison Bergeron” is based on a...
Introduction The chosen poem for the current work is Sonnet 18 written by William Shakespeare, and it was first published after the death of the author in 1609. The cultural context around the composition is enigmatic since there is no particular person to whom the poem is devoted. Some scholars...
The novel’s main character, Mr. Potter, is a Texas marshal returning to Yellow Sky with his eastern wife. Sheriff Wilson and his thugs are about to be confronted by gunman Scratchy Wilson, but the sheriff’s wife and an older man talk him out of it. It was written as a...
The Damned Human Race is an essay written by an American writer, Mark Twain. In this satirical paper, the author reveals a very original and peculiar theory, according to which humankind is not the highest point of evolution, but the lowest. Mark Twain provides very convincing arguments to defend his...
Introduction The topic of PTSD or any other mental disorder is common among modern authors. However, some opt for not clearly stating the issue in their texts but rather inviting the reader to be a witness of the characters’ symptoms. Art Spiegelman employed such a method to present how trauma...
Myths and legends are an important part of human culture that has historically shaped the way people perceive the world around them. Legends describe events that are believed to have occurred in the past, but the focus is placed on the narrative and characters rather than historical accuracy. While it...
Introduction Raising a child in the turbulent modern world is not an easy matter, especially if it is a girl. Being more sensitive and vulnerable, girls often find it more difficult to accommodate to the realities of the environment and circumstances in which they find themselves. In her poem “B...
Introduction Thomas Hardy’s poem “The Man He Killed” is a juxtaposition of a real versus imagined situation aimed at depicting the nature of war. Specifically, the persona appears to be troubled about killing. However, the persona is sure that if he had met the man in an inn they would...
Blindness in King Lear: Introduction In King Lear, the recurring images of sight and blindness associated with the characters of Lear and Gloucester illustrate the theme of self-knowledge and consciousness that exist in the play. The leading images are pertaining to those characters in the play that cannot use their...
Introduction Mary Shelley’s book Frankenstein raises a number of social issues such as the disapproval of the female gender in society. The social class, as depicted in the novel, is split along gender lines that marginalize women as a result of the existence of a predominant patriarchal structure. Also, a...
Introduction The short story “Shame” by Dick Gregory tells the story of a young African American man’s experience of being treated differently because of his skin color. It can be seen from Gregory’s story that Black Americans endured numerous hardships during the period, as well as displaying the strength and...
Introduction It is important to note that in ‘Oedipus the King,’ Sophocles presents a world where divine intervention affects human actions. Characters confront prophecies and their eventual fulfillment, showcasing the gods’ overarching power. One such prophecy comes from the Oracle of Delphi, who forecasts Oedipus’s grim fate of patricide and...
Introduction “Whoso List to Hunt” is a Petrarchan sonnet written by Sir Thomas Wyatt in the 16th century. In his work, Sir Thomas Wyatt intertwines some of the most fundamental human emotions and traits, such as love, lust, and power, creating a single piece that addresses all those who find...
Introduction It is important to note that Ray Bradbury’s ‘The Veldt’ is an insightful exploration of the intricate dynamics of the Hadley family in a technologically advanced environment. The story takes place in their futuristic home, where the story analyzes boundaries between reality and imagination in the nursery. Bradbury uses...
Introduction “Canterbury Tales” were written by Geoffrey Chaucer in 1392. The basis of the story is the pilgrimage of Thomas Becket to Canterbury. Throughout their travels, no the pilgrims tell stories about their lives or stories they have heard before. Notably, the author never completed his book as not all...
Introduction Beowulf is a poetic text in English literature depicting the events of a heroic man in the 6th century. Beowulf primarily focuses on the heroic deeds of male characters. The poet characterizes male heroism with courage, strength, loyalty, and generosity. However, in-between the lines, the plot has female characters...
I keep on dying again. Veins collapse, opening like the Small fists of sleeping Children. Memory of old tombs, Rotting flesh and worms do Not convince me against The challenge. The years And cold defeat live deep in Lines along my face. They dull my eyes, yet I keep on...
Introduction Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus is a novel written by Mary Shelly that was first published in 1818. The author tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who artificially animated a body assembled from parts of corpses. Although Victor intended to create a beautiful creature, the result...
Introduction People have always created various stories to describe the world surrounding them. They were known as myths several millennia ago, which attracted individuals regardless of their backgrounds. Slaves, peasants, artisans, poets, and rulers appreciated them, as tales made their lives more meaningful and less stressful. Even though many people...
Introduction In Arthurian literature, women certainly played important roles. They repeatedly and constantly prejudiced the protagonists of such stories in countless ways and also held a strong sway over the occurrences in the story and, accordingly, over the story line as well. In her work, To the Glory of Her...
Gossips existed in all societies beginning from prehistoric, probably because of the curiosity inherent to each human being. If directed constructively, curiosity can bring positive results such as professional excellence and expertise, whereas the consequences of excessive interest in others’ personal life are hardly predictable, and the only stable tendency...
Introduction Anton Chekhov’s “Sleepy”, was published in 1888. The author in his story describes in-depth how one feels when one is deprived of a need- a necessity. In this case, the need is nothing but the most basic necessity- sleep. Right from “half-open eyes”, and “her half slumbering brain”, to...
The story of Beowulf has remained a significant work for centuries not only because it is one of our first lengthy works of English, but also because of the timelessness of the themes it contains and its applicability to a modern audience, regardless of the period in which ‘modern’ is...
“Death of a Salesman” is one of the most significant works by Arthur Miller. In this play, Miller concentrates on the life of the middle class people-presented through the Loman family. The play is basically drawn by the conflicts between its protagonists. Biff and Happy are the two siblings in...
Gender Roles in The Tempest: Essay Introduction The works of William Shakespeare have received a lot of attention throughout history. His works have been analyzed by themes, line by line, or the characters he invented. His works can be interpreted one way or another, and as such, Shakespeare seems to...
Want to know more about the similarities and differences between Samuel Taylor Coleridge and William Wordsworth and their works? This essay example is here to help you out! Keep reading to get some ideas for your Wordsworth and Coleridge comparison paper. Wordsworth In this review, we are going to discuss...
Is The Namesake a true story? Who is The Namesake author? Find the answers in this sample! Learn about Jhumpa Lahiri The Namesake themes, setting, and more. The Namesake: Summary of the Book Jhumpa Lahiri’s The Namesake tells us about the life of two generations of immigrants from India. Gogol...
Introduction This essay aims to compare two novels that are significant to American culture: Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby and Nella Larsen’s Passing. In many ways, these novels share a similar story and a common range of social issues. First, these novels describe the events during the so-called “Roaring Twenties”. It...
In the novel “Kiss of the Fur Queen,” Tomson Highway heavily relies on mythology in order to depict the adverse transformation of characters throughout the narrative. One of the forces, which is deemed responsible for these occasions, is the Weetigo, and its inclusion in the story is not accidental. This...
The Iliad, which was allegedly written by Homer, is one of the oldest and simultaneously greatest works of the past. It presents a story that tells readers the story of Achilles, who fights on the side of Achaeans in the Trojan War. An epic often contains elements that show the...
“The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin (1894) uses key literary elements and symbols to provide insights into life and death, marriage, and other topics. This is the story of a woman who, when she believes her husband is dead, seems more vibrant than ever and passes away upon...
Introduction The Merchant of Venice is a play written by William Shakespeare during the 16th century. The characters in the play demonstrate virtues of friendship, love, and hate. Shakespeare highlights typical examples of true friendship and romantic love in the play. The theme of love mainly revolves between Bassanio and...
Introduction The famous “O Captain! My Captain!” written by Walt Whitman is a short literary work encompassing several complex topics important to each American. It is personal and national mourning for Abraham Lincoln as well as a retrospective of the events of the Civil War and previous major historical events...
The story of The Bath by Raymond Carver is short. It begins with a woman, Ann Weiss, ordering a cake from a baker on a Saturday afternoon for her son’s eighth birthday. On Monday morning, when the boy was walking to school, a car hit him. The husband arrives at...
Introduction During the recent years, the opposition between paper books and e-books has become quite topical. Numerous people nowadays argue about whether it is more comfortable to use a printed book or a digital device for reading. Although an increasing number of people choose e-books over paper ones, printed editions...
Arguably, the main drive of “The Lottery” involves man vs. society conflict. It occurs when the protagonist has a distinct belief against many community members. The majority of them see the individual as the antagonist, whose aim is to violate the stipulated norms and ways of life. In the short...
Introduction In his famous book, Sweetness and Power: The Place of Sugar in Modern History, Mintz studies where and how the goods that were produced on the islands since colonial times were consumed. Spices (ginger, allspice, and nutmeg), beverages (coffee, chocolate), rum, and sugar were exported from the Caribbean region...
The poem “The Road Not Taken” depicts personal philosophy and perception of life by the author. This poem is full of symbolism which helps Robert Frost to create unique messages and appeal to the emotions and imagination of readers. This paper finds and describes unique symbols running through Robert Frost’s...
‘Death of a salesman, written by Arthur Miller portrays the real life of a typical American middle-class man who dedicates most part of his life to a private company. The central character in the play, Willy Loman, and his wife fail to understand the real pulse of society. He is...
Introduction Alexander Pope is one of the most renowned British poets who glorified his native land and his people. He is specifically famous for the use of heroic themes and imagery that made his works successful during his lifetime and still popular in modern times (Fairer and Gerrard 114). One...
Warning of the Impending Doom The people of Sighet found it hard to believe Moishe the Beadle due to certain reasons. The first is because of the status of Moishe the Beadle in the society that they lived in. He was poor, and thus was not particularly liked by the...
Introduction Poverty is identity in John Steinbeck’s The Pearl, and the main character Kino, a poor fisherman, manifests a transformation in his identity upon discovering a magnificent pearl, one which he believes, initially, can transform him from a poor and powerless man to a rich and self-sufficient one, beholden to...
Introduction The various literary genres that authors use in their works allow them to reveal the text’s central idea uniquely. The genre of satire, which the Anglo-Irish writer Jonathan Swift uses in A Modest Proposal, is an essential tool for conveying the author’s thoughts. The masterful application of satirical literary...
Introduction The poem “Dulce et Decorum Est” by Wilfred Owen details the experiences he went through while fighting in the First World War. His main goal was to dispel the commonly held assumption that soldiers who survive in combat are heroes. He does not agree with the concept of dying...
Epic heroes are essential characters in literature and frequently serve as examples of morality and perfection. They have tremendous physical and mental abilities and are larger-than-life characters. They display traits like bravery, intelligence, bravery, and loyalty that set them apart from regular people. It is essential to note that Gilgamesh...
The protagonist in Gail Godwin’s short tale A Sorrowful Woman is a woman and parent who, after becoming overburdened with her spouse and kid, withdraws from them and progressively cuts them off from her existence. She tries on different roles after becoming dissatisfied with her duties as a responsible wife...
Among the core insights of the Marxist theory is that the class struggle has characterized the history of societies’ development. Because art, both literature and theater, does not exist separately from society, it has become a crucial aspect of the historical process and people’s comprehension of the world. Thus, it...
Introduction Sophocles was a prominent tragedian who contributed to the development of Athenian drama. His Antigone shows the conflict between divine and human laws and puts unwritten rules of life above all. On the one hand, religious beliefs rooted in the traditions of a tribal community ordered people to sacredly...
Fences is a play by an American scriptwriter, August Wilson, written in 1985, which addresses the challenges barring Blacks from success and having a united family. Wilson uses symbolism to advance the themes and build his characters in the play. The play talks about Troy, the main character, who rose...
Introduction The concepts of fate and free will have ensued debates among many people and communities for centuries. Some individuals believe in fate, some believe in free will, while others believe that both concepts play a significant role in one’s destiny. Religious groups believe that a supreme god controls one’s...
The poem is about a man who went on a murder spree alongside his girlfriend. As he went into the badlands of Wyoming, he killed everything that appeared on his way, including humans. The person is not sorry for the murder he has committed. Instead, he insists that he had...
Introduction In the short story “Happy Endings,” the Canadian novelist and poet Margaret Atwood discusses the nature of relationships, the importance of love, and its impact on human life. The author delivers six different scenarios making the main characters’ lives full of challenges and joy. In the ideal scenario (“A”),...
Introduction Edgar Allan Poe was a poet, publicist, writer, and cultural critic in the United States of America. Poe’s poems and short story collections, notably his narratives of mystery and the grotesque, are his most notable works. He is generally considered a significant character in both American Romanticism and American...
Introduction In his documentary and diary writing, Franz Kafka professed his knowledge and fascination, rather than belief, in Sigmund Freud’s theories of psychoanalysis. According to Freud, people’s mental health through making their unconscious thoughts conscious, thus gaining an insight into what is going ‘under the surface.’ Such insight can help...
It is impossible to imagine the life of human beings without emotions. Every moment, event, object, and piece of information, people interact with provokes feelings that vary in sentiment quality and thereby differently affect our experiences and further life. Emotion is a principally unconscious mental reaction sent by the nervous...
Introduction In Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, we see a devastating portrait of a man, Willy Loman, consumed by the wrong dream. For him, the “American Dream” is the pursuit of material wealth as “the whole reason for being.” His obsession is to become a great salesman. This obsession...
Introduction Oedipus has been one of the most well-known characters who has been mentioned by many art critics, artists, writers, and even psychologists. Oedipus Rex is a remarkable masterpiece created by Sophocles as it contains all the elements of a classical tragedy. Aristotle described the components of this type of...
Despite its ancient origin, the archetypal journey of the hero remains one of the most enduring and captivating stories known to civilization. The Epic of Gilgamesh, The Iliad, and The Odyssey depicts two very different types of heroes – Gilgamesh and Odysseus – however, both heroes encounter the theme of...
Introduction John Milton’s “Paradise Lost” gives a vivid description of the Garden of Eden – it is presented as a dynamic place with a prelapsarian setting. The first seven books of the epic poem give an overview of paradise’s purity, emphasizing the relationship between humanity, nature, and divinity (Milton, 2000)....
Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex, or Oedipus the King, is rightfully known as one of the most significant tragedies of the classical literature of ancient Greece. Dealing with the topics of responsibility for one’s actions and the mortals’ ability to discern the often mysterious will of the gods, the tragedy follows the...
Summary Poetry is a unique form of art that helps to reflect deep feelings using words. By combining sounds, an author can create a text that sounds unique and memorable. The emotional effect of poetry is linked to aesthetic pleasure, meaning that poems appeal to the ideas of beauty (Wassiliwizky...
Every person’s journey through life is marked by the presence of at least one individual who has made a profound impression on them. The influence may be favorable, but it might also be detrimental. Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine is a short narrative in which the reader can relate to...
Geoffrey Chaucer is widely known as the father of English literature, the first English poet and humanist. The life of Chaucer is a fantastic example of a person’s existence in numerous social fields. The Great English poet communicated with people from practically every social class at various times in his...
“The Tale of the Three Brothers” by J. K. Rowling explores the topic of humans’ desires that always have negative consequences. It tells a story of three brothers that encounter Death, who offers them prizes for safely crossing the river. Two gullible brothers do not spot the trap imposed on...
Ambition is the elementary factor in the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare. The author has used Macbeth and Lady Macbeth to explore the concept of purpose in Macbeth. The two characters’ ambitions and downfall are the key storylines which the author illustrates. Besides, the desire of control by Lady Macbeth...
Introduction The Metamorphosis is one of the best-known works of German-language writer Franz Kafka. Originally titled as Die Verwandlung, the short story was first published in 1915. Since its publication, The Metamorphosis received a lot of attention from critics and readers, fascinated by the surreal and tragic story of an...
Robert Frost is one of the most respected poets. He appears in his poems in different guises, but whatever character he assumes, he is very honest and provides the readers with delight and wisdom. The poem, “The Telephone” under discussion here, is a love poem, though it is open to...
Charles Dickens is believed to be one of the most prominent writers of the so-called Victorian Era. He is renowned for his style, creation of unique and unforgettable characters, but the overwhelming majority of literary critics focus attention on his social sensitivity because undoubtedly, the authors works often concentrate on...
This scene is at the last of the play, beginning about line 780 in Act II and continuing to the end of the play. Willy and the boys have already had a fight, and the boys left with a couple of local tarts without telling their father they were going....
Introduction In “Night,” which is a semi-memoir dedicated to Elie Wiesel’s harrowing experiences in concentration camps, the topic of a father-son relationship and its development is very important. Elie, along with other Jewish people of his town, falls victim to the German occupation of Hungary. In 1944, Elie and his...
Human relationships may be of a different kind, and for some people, some of the relationships may seem strange; others may believe them to be ideal. Therefore, it is possible to say that people choose the way they are going to communicate with others on the basis of their character...
The poem I, Too by Langston Hughes has left me very inspired. The line which I found to be the strongest is “I, too, am America” (Hughes 275), because it received my emotional feedback. It sends a message, to which I can relate myself since I consider myself to be...
Description of the Character Hester Prynne is a prominent character in the classic novel The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. She is a woman living in colonial America convicted of adultery and punished for committing adultery by having to wear a scarlet letter “A” on her clothing as a symbol...
Introduction In Mary Shelley’s book “Frankenstein,” the main idea is that trying to learn too much can lead to big problems. The story follows Victor Frankenstein, a guy who wants to learn everything and makes a monster. This theme of wanting too much knowledge and the problems that come with...
Introduction The American Dream is an old expression used to describe an ideal future that people dream of achieving. This concept has a long history and has spanned decades to gain more meaning and to change its definition. It has become a popular and essential aspect of American culture and...
Toni Cade Bambara’s “The Lesson” is a short story, written in 1972 and published as a part of a collection called “Gorilla, My Love”. The story is told from the point of view of a black girl in a poor neighborhood. The story touches on the themes of childhood, social...
Introduction Characters represent the essence of the plot as their experiences and perspectives shape the attitudes of readers toward the story being told. Without characters and their development during the narrative, the story cannot progress. Thus, the characters of Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness had to be memorable with their...
Introduction Today, feminism is widely discussed in both academic and popular spheres. However, it is often forgotten that the origins of feminism can be traced back to early works of literature. One such work is Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, in which she challenges traditional gender roles and offers a more nuanced...
Introduction The poet of interest is Janice Mirikitani, an Asian American poet who strongly appeals to me even though her culture is different from my own. The main reason is that her works show that there are many similarities between cultures, but the difference is how common human struggles and...
“Frankenstein,” Mary Shelley’s famous novel, which she wrote when she was just eighteen years old, continues to captivate people all over the world. This narrative still speaks of the present world two centuries after Shelley’s “Frankenstein” first came to life, and its importance cannot be overstated. In Shelley’s work, scientific...
Ernest Hemingway’s famous story “Hills Like White Elephants” is a short work but full of contextual details. The setting in which the events of the story unfold is notable for how much it influences the course of the narrative. Various non-obvious aspects presented by the author allow the reader to...
Ken Liu’s paper titled Paper Menagerie has employed different themes in its story. It has deployed the theme of connection, resentment, culture, prejudice, love, and struggles. Resentment is clearly shown when Jack, who is happy in his childhood, tries to reject his tradition and embrace the American lifestyle immediately; he...
Introduction Traditional Gothic literature is a genre with stresses on elements such as death, fear, confinement, and romance. It developed on the basis of cultural, social, historical, and political background. Events akin to the Great Depression and World War II stimulated further changes and the eventual transition to the modern...
This paper will study the important characters in the play A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry in the context of the substance of the dreams that they have. The paper will analyze the character roles from two perspectives; the first is about the American dream regarding material prosperity...
Introduction Sexuality and the construct of ideal love in the novel Tom Jones by Henry Fielding is an explication of the new form of love and sexuality prevalent in the eighteenth century. Love in its discoursed ideal, sentimental form is little presented in the novel. Instead, Fielding presents male love...
Introduction While Othello is the main character of Shakespeare’s play, another hero captures the audience’s attention to a great extent. The only fact that prevents Iago, the main character, from undergoing any change is that he hardly changes throughout the plot. However, due to his intricate manipulations of others with...
The Central Ideas of Shelley’s Essay In Percy Bysshe Shelley’s seminal essay “A Defence of Poetry,” he posits that poetry is a profound human endeavor capable of elevating any subject matter and preserving moments of beauty in a way that transcends the boundaries of time. Shelley views poets as the...
The story Ghost by Jason Reynolds tells the story of a boy named Castle who grows up in difficult times for him. His family almost fell apart due to the fact that his father is a prisoner and his mother is practically on the verge of poverty. Thus, the author...
Introduction A famous quote attributed to Confucius says, “Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall,” and teaches people the main principle of resilience against all obstacles and struggles. Being resilient means keeping a positive outlook on life, never giving up, and carrying...
Introduction Sonny’s Blue by James Baldwin, written in 1957, explores the different approaches two brothers take on the path to finding meaning in life. The narrator, a teacher, is not impressed by Sonny’s decision to venture into music and his abuse of heroin which lands him in jail. The story...
Native American cultures have a strong sense of connection to and unity with nature, an aspect of characterization. Like other folklore, the Cherokee story explains how the creation of the world and environment. However, what sets this origin tale of the Native Americans is that its lessons about respecting nature...
Jamaica Kincaid’s “On Seeing England for the First Time” is a piece that reflects on her pessimistic view of the country. The narrative of the writing constructs a growing dislike, or even hatred, for England through comparisons to what can be seen as negative metaphors, such as a leg of...
Drama is one of the most vital forms of art and may be considered as the heart of literature. It developed simultaneously in Ancient Greece, China, Japan, and other countries, and since then a significant number of theatres, tragedies, comedies, and dramas were created (“A brief history of tragedy,” n.d.)....
Hua Mulan is a Chinese hero of legends who lived during the Northern and Southern administrations. Her story was portrayed through “The Ballad of Mulan,” composed around the fifth or sixth century (Mark). At that point, China was divided into north and south. The northern lines’ leaders were from non-Han...
Introduction Wilfred Owen is often considered as one of the eminent war poets in English literature who exhibits real pathos in his poems. His war poetry shows an astonishing advance in expressions as well as contents. Owen had previous experimented with a variety of new technical devices, such as half–rhymes,...
Fanny Price, the heroine of the novel Mansfield Park by Jane Austen, is one of those characters who are always correct and perceives, think, do, and speaks, as she ought to. She is a perfect picture of virtue and morality. That is why she is referred to as “prim, proper,...
Introduction William Butler Yeats was a master poet in that he was able to convey tremendous depth of meaning within his poetry while keeping the subject relatively tightly confined. Yeats truly understood the modern concept of permitting a poem to stand on its own as a piece of art open...
Sonnet number 130 is one of Shakespeare’s most famous sonnets. The convention of writing love sonnets during the days of Shakespeare was to compare the beloved to everything beautiful in nature and raise the beloved to the level of a Goddess. The greatest poet of this tradition is Petrarch. In...
“Idler #31” Samuel Johnson revealed his ideas on idle people and the nature of idleness in his essay “Idler #31”. The author contemplates the essence of idleness. First, Johnson depicts an idler who buries him/herself in the complete darkness. One could understand Johnson’s words literally, but the author does not...
Read this A Clean, Well Lighted Place character analysis to learn all about the old waiter, the visitor, and other characters. This A Clean, Well-Lighted Place theme essay also provides the story’s summary, looks into its topics, elaborates on “A Clean Well Lighted Place” meaning, and explores the significance of...
Introduction “Slaughterhouse-Five” by Kurt Vonnegut is a potent anti-war book that still has readers today. The semi-autobiographical book, first published in 1969, details Vonnegut’s time as a prisoner of war in World War II. Vonnegut tackles the catastrophic repercussions of war on society and individuals through the figure of Billy...
Introduction Goethe explores the darkest recesses of human nature in “Faust,” introducing a protagonist who personifies the fundamental duality of the human soul. The contradiction of human aspirations that struggle between the earthly and the sublime is reflected in Faust’s contract with the devious yet enlightened Mephistopheles, which stems from...
Introduction Frances Ellen Watkins was an influential African American writer and abolitionist. Harper, an African American poet and abolitionist, composed the poem The Slave Mother during the antebellum era. This 1857 publication portrays the inevitable hardships working mothers who are separated from their cherished children face. Harper employs poetic elements...
Introduction The short story “How to Tell a True War Story” was written by Tim O’Brien, an American writer best known for his works about the Vietnam War. This story delves into the unreliability of memory and the difficulty of accurately describing wartime experiences. O’Brien was born in Austin, Minnesota,...
The play “The Doll’s House” illustrates Henrik Ibsen’s interest in gender inequality and women’s rights. This paper examines the literary work from a Feminist criticism perspective, which is relevant to its central theme. Despite the portrayal of the main character as stupid and dependent on men, the author at the...
Abstract Pride and prejudice evolve around a middles class family in the typical English society of the 19th century. Marriage was the key subject for most women at that time since it was the only way to achieve status and respect within society. Traditionally wealth was passed along the male...
Worker rights are a contemporary issue whose depth and importance were similarly relevant in previous centuries. Pablo Neruda utilizes his poem, ‘The United Fruit Company; to satirize the actions of Latin American leaders in the twentieth century, specifically as they associate with foreign international corporations. Their suppressive actions favoring imperialistic...
The purpose of this paper is to analyze symbolic meanings behind the main characters of John Steinbeck’s novella “Of Mice and Men”. Symbolism is a common trope used in the narrative, which is done via representation of a larger idea through smaller means. Symbols are diverse and can take the...
“The Double Image” is a rather significant and famous confessional poem written by Anne Sexton. This is an increasingly severe and profound literary work that can have various meanings and interpretations. The poet tells about her most intimate parts of life and her way through post-traumatic stress disorder. It is...
Mark Twain’s quote “God created war so that Americans would learn Geography” humorously depict the levels of American involvement with other countries at that time. Twain lived during the late 19th century when America was repeatedly involved in different wars, for instance, Red Cloud’s War, Mexican-American War, Great Sioux War,...
Introduction The Glass Menagerie was written and premiered by Tennessee Williams in 1944. The play drew the audience’s attention to the author and gained theatrical success (Adler 18-19). The characters of the play, Amanda Wingfield, her son Tom, and her daughter Laura, can be described from different perspectives, but it...
“What You Pawn, I Will Redeem” is a chef-d’oeuvre short story by Sherman Alexie written and published in 2003 for the first time. The story is about a broke and homeless Spokane Indian named Jackson Jackson, who has to look for $1,000 to redeem his grandmother’s regalia, which from a...
Shakespearean works are well known for their depth, symbolism and philosophical view upon different aspects of life. Mirroring is one of Shakespeare’s favorite tools. Mirroring is used to emphasize the contrast and show differences between the sides of the society and the ways of living of the characters. The Merchant...
Introduction The poems by William Blake are vital for their contrasting value. The features in such small poems which are described in the Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience correspond directly to live. Two poems from these compilations are Infant Joy and Infant Sorrow respectively. These poems are under...
John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men seems to be a simple story about the Great Depression. The story is essentially about two guys trying to make it in California as they struggle to stay employed as migrant field workers. Their dream is to earn enough money to buy a...
“Inside our house, each family member existed as a separate paragraph, but still had genetics and common experiences to link us.” When Sherman Alexie began to learn reading, he discovered the usage of paragraphs in writing. He understood that it was “a fence that held words…that worked together for a...
Introduction “Shooting an Elephant” is an early essay by George Orwell. It is unclear whether this essay is autobiographical, or portrays a fictionalized version of a real experience. However, the strong imagery and symbolism of the story make its nature almost irrelevant to the message it tries to convey. The...
Introduction Times of war have always been a topic for many works, illustrating the lives of civilians and soldiers on both sides. Tim O’Brien’s compilation of short stories titled The Things They Carried delves into the perspectives of American soldiers serving in the Vietnam War. The author delves into the...
Introduction Symbolism is often used by authors who want to add specific meanings to their texts and make the audience think about particular ideas. Using hidden meanings and messages, the writers establish a particular atmosphere and engage readers. For this reason, there are many examples in literature when symbols help...
Introduction In the translated poem “We Are Many” by Pablo Neruda, the speaker delves into identity and the challenge of self-discovery amid life’s intricacies. Through vivid imagery and a sense of self-deprecation, Neruda conveys the idea that societal expectations and personal insecurities often overshadow one’s true self. The poem reflects...
Introduction The novel’s characters are appealing to readers due to their personal development. Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice is an example of a character’s transformation. She changes her outlook throughout the novel, getting rid of her prejudice about Mr. Darcy. This also develops her best personal qualities and makes...
Slavery influenced millions of people around the world, particularly Black people. The poem “Caged Bird” by Maya Angelou concerns the most acute social issue for African Americans. The poet talks about slavery and the differences in the quality of life that free and enslaved people can enjoy. The poem aims...
In his short story “King of the Bingo Game,” Ralph Ellison describes a very specific moment in the life of an African American who lives in the USA in the late 1930s. The man trying to take control over his life hopes to win in a bingo game. He is...
Abstract This essay focuses on Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women as a feminist novel and explores the representations of feminisms in the text. First, I argue Little Women is a novel that presents writing as feminist practice from a Künstlerroman perspective, which highlights Jo March’s subversive feminism in the time....
Introduction Passing is the ability of an individual to exist in a different social class, such as race, ethnicity, social group, and gender, to gain social acceptance. The term appeared in the United States in the 1920s and described mixed-race people who referred to themselves as white when legal and...
The Necklace is one of the best-known short stories by Guy de Maupassant, the French novelettist of the second half of the 19th century. Similarly to a range of his other works, this one describes the life of the middle class along with a fate of a woman. A peculiarity...
Introduction Figurative language and metaphors are used in short stories and poems to establish mood, develop characterization, enhance daily language, and make the works more expressive and brighter. In the poem “Marks,” Linda Pastan uses an extended metaphor to demonstrate the narrator’s attitude toward her family members and their appraisal...
Introduction Poetry can take many forms and use a variety of rhyme types and literary devices. Despite the diversity of forms, poems have one thing in common: they elicit deep feelings from people’s souls and make readers reflect on important philosophical questions. This essay will discuss two pieces of poetry:...
In “A&P,” one of John Updike’s widely read and critiqued short stories, the author presents three barefoot girls, who walk into a local A&P grocery store while wearing bathing suits. While the rest of the people, including the Store manager, Lengel, and customers, two young men emerge as exceptions when...
George Eliot, as a moralist emphasizes what makes a woman, an object of sympathy while keeping in a traditional line of interpretation, and this is what has made Eliot to be considered among the greatest creators of woman characters. The Mill on the Floss (1860) tells the story of a...
Introduction Nick Hornby’s novel, About A Boy, explores the multifaceted relationship between two characters, Marcus and Will. The story is based on Marcus, a twelve-year-old who is eccentric, bullied, and extremely introverted. The entire story describes Marcus’s intricacy of finding a sense of balance between being a child and being...
Introduction The tragicomedy The Tempest by the great playwright William Shakespeare is an outstanding and world-famous work that is full of quotes and sayings, which, in turn, have become catchphrases. Some characters of this story are endowed with magical powers, which allows the author to convey his subtexts and ideas...
Jaques, a character from the play As You Like It by William Shakespeare, creates an unexpected contrast to the entire premise of the Arden Forest. In broad terms, he aligns poorly with the setting of optimism and change for the better conveyed by the rest of the characters. However, upon...
A Letter to Rosaline from Romeo. Romeo is expressing his heart-ache, pledges his devotion, begs for a meeting. Dear Rosaline, This letter I write to request thee to give me a place in thy heart. Written hath I many a love poem to express my love to thee to reply...
Introduction William Shakespeare is primarily recognized as one of the most renowned personalities in English literature, with his plays and sonnets widely regarded as among the finest works of literature ever written in the English language. However, scholars and fans have long debated who wrote Shakespeare’s plays. The authorship controversy...
Introduction Since Antigone was written by Sophocles more than a thousand years ago, starting today, this play is still relevant. Writing is based on personal conflicts and choices that border between what is morally right and what is legal. The world has not changed much since the time that Antigone...
Introduction Literary devices allow readers to interpret a piece of writing on multiple levels leading to an immersive and engaging experience. These devices can be seen in a wide range of literary works, including novels, poems, plays, and short stories, and their use helps to make these works enduring and...
Introduction Historically, minor races such as Blacks have faced a lot of inhumane experiences in the US. At one time in North Carolina, a 20-year-old black woman was about to be sterilized. This woman was a single mother to one child, and they lived together at O’Berry Center. During this...
In the poem, “They Shut Me Up In Prose,” Emily Dickinson speaks to the idea that the forces and powers that push to confine and hold can bring out freedom for ourselves instead. The main theme is overcoming originality or the concept that creativity will prevail despite limitations imposed by...
Introduction The Old English poem “Beowulf” is a monument of late origin. Radical reinterpretations of the story include Robert Zemeckis’ feature film, Beowulf. This film does not claim complete plot similarity to the original narrative but is a new work based on the famous epic poem. The film and the...
In “Antigone,” Choragos symbolizes Creon’s counselors. They were supposedly meant to advise the monarch and represent the community complaints. In truth, his rage made them completely ineffective. The counselors should be held in the same regard by the monarch as Tiresias, the blind man. They are comprised of city leaders...
Introduction The story written by Salman Rushdie focuses on the theft of Prophet Muhammad’s Hair, a powerful relic that could offer its possessor a blessing or a curse. Most of the story illustrates the horrible consequences that Huma’s family faced when the head of the family and Huma’s father, Hashim,...
“Spare Change” by Teresa Zsuffa is a story that tells about a short episode from the lives of two women, but it reveals several important themes and motives. The main thesis of the story is the idea that people should not give in to their bias but be kind to...
Regardless of the period the literary text is written, the message it tries to express through black ink is often relative for many decades. An example of this kind of works is the excerpts written by Keats, Yeats, and Orwell. The writers invoke philosophical ideas and provoke readers’ thoughts by...
Introduction Romanticism is an artistic movement that united various creators from different epochs and determined the characteristic peculiarities of creative thought of the time. Originated at the end of the eighteenth century in Europe, Romanticism influenced the development of art in its many forms throughout the nineteenth century and beyond....
The close reading of Kate Chopin’s “Story of an Hour” reveals the fact that the story’s motifs may be well discussed within the context of the Freudian theory of psychoanalysis; as they provide us with insight into the oppression-related essence of the main character’s existential anxieties. In this paper, we...
Introduction Although slavery is considered to be the issue of the past, in the novel Parable of the Sower, Octavia Butler imagines that this social phenomenon may acquire a new form soon. The extension of powers of big conglomerates may lead to the aggravation of poverty and enslavement of employees....
