Modern Meets Ancient in A. E. Stallings

Death took me by the hand and took me to the underground. Did it not know that I still had life to live and more to explore? It was the second chaotic, unpleasing home it placed me on. Never did death feel a little sorry for me. Dealing with the...

Letter from Birmingham Jail – Summary & Analysis

The “Letter from Birmingham Jail” was authored by Martin Luther King (1963) while in custody. King references the church leaders as the audience in the first paragraph of the letter. In the article, the clergy term King as a sheer outsider who instigated the demonstrations. In the letter, King uses...

Analysis of “Ozymandias” and “My Last Duchess”

Literary devices are intended to give the text various expressive qualities and originality, reveal the author’s attitude to what is written, and convey some hidden meanings. A detailed description of the sculpture of Ozymandias and word choice, including such imageries as “Two vast and trunkless legs,” “shattered visage,” and “wrinkled...

What Should Businesspeople Learn from “Atlas Shrugged”

Overview of the Novel Atlas Shrugged is a novel by Ayn Rand, founder of the liberal philosophy of objectivism. It was her fourth book, the last, and the longest. It was published on 10th October 1957 by Random House Publishers and lies within the science fiction, mystery, and romance genres....

Monologue of Hamlet by William Shakespeare

‘Tis sweet and commendable in your nature, Hamlet, To give these mourning duties to your father: But, you must know, your father lost a father; That father lost, lost his, and the survivor bound In filial obligation for some term To do obsequious sorrow: but to persever In obstinate condolement...

Don Quixote in Literature of the Western World

Introduction The term Quixotism is used to describe a form of impulsive behavior. The concept is closely related to over-idealism. Persons who exhibit this trait often lose contact with reality. In most cases, they approach romance and life in general from an ‘impractical’ and illogical perspective. As such, they make...

Wars’ Impact on Society in Female Writers’ Opinion

Liberation wars are common for such countries as Bangladesh and Iran, especially the conflicts that happen between the 1970s and the 1980s. Citizens were challenged by the necessity to survive, find food, and gain respect when no support was offered to them. Today, it is possible to read about those...

Insignificance of the Doloneia in Homer’s “The Iliad”

The Iliad is a classic work of literature, which has withstood the test of time and become one of the essential art pieces in human history. In ancient times, scholars have already started to question whether including Book 10, often referred to as the Doloneia, was the right choice. Modern...

“Oryx and Crake” Book by Margaret Atwood

Jimmy, in Atwood’s book, can hardly be called a hero, but he is an ordinary person with his virtues and weaknesses. The writer creates the narrator who is rather close to the general public. Snowman, similar to millions of modern people, has some routines and can try to relax playing...

Iliad and Odyssey: Hector and Menelaus Comparison

Introduction Two epic poems, the Iliad and the Odyssey have great significance due to the poetic content they encompass. It is essential to consider two characters in these readings – Hector from the Iliad and Menelaus from the Odyssey. The former is the oldest descendant of the Trojan king Priam...

Role and Place of Women in Bradstreet’s and Rowlandson’s Texts

Today, the role of women becomes more extended and widely interpreted compared to the views of the previous centuries. In recent decades, females acquired the rights to vote, be employed, take leading positions in organizations, and many others. Therefore, it is useful to better understand the place of women from...

A Rose for Emily Literary Analysis

A Rose for Emily integrates several different genres, particularly Southern Gothic and Realism. The literary element of Faulkner’s composed style is that he utilizes a great deal of different scholarly strategies, specifically, arrogance, defamiliarization, and revelation. He often uses bathos and allegory to translate the theme and meaning of the...

Characters of Walker’s “Everyday Use” and Their Heritage

A short story “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker was first published in her storybook In Love and Trouble in 1973. In the story, Mama, the narrator, anticipates the arrival of her eldest daughter Dee. Dee comes to get in touch with her roots, but her ideas about reality are so...

“Philip Seymour Hoffman” by Nick Flynn: Poem Analysis

In “Philip Seymour Hoffman” by Nick Flynn, the narrative sets the former addict in front of a box with Vicodin, which he had put away for an emergency when he decided to stop using drugs. The author describes the thoughts and feelings of a person who struggles with addiction, demonstrating...

“House of Sand and Fog” Novel by Andre Dubus

The ending of Dubus’ novel House of Sand and Fog is a climax of the plot, which the author achieves through masterful narrative shifting. The tragic death of Behrani’s son becomes a reason for the father to act decisively and express his pain, despair, and anger. The shift from first-person...

“The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao”: The Book Review

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao is a novel that was published in 2007 and won the Pulitzer Prize. The author of this work is Juno Diaz – an American writer of Dominican origin, so the work in English contains a large number of inserts in Spanish. The book...

Edgar Allan Poe’s Works and Their Characteristics

Edgar Allan Poe is one of the greatest American writers. Numerous poems and short stories are still being studied, and new facets and hidden meanings are being discovered. The life of the writer was not happy: early orphanhood, life failures, as well as the death of his beloved were significantly...

Review of “Young Goodman Brown” Book

An American writer Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote “Young Goodman Brown.” The story’s setting is 17th century New England, which was predominantly Puritan. Hawthorne bases his work on the criticism of puritanism and its central premise that all people are responsible for the original sin. “Young Goodman Brown” is a literary criticism...

“The Last Leaf” by O. Henry and “The Good Samaritan” by Luke

Introduction Christian stories and parables carry deep meaning and contain valuable discourses about virtues, goodness, and the righteous path that people should follow to live in a healthy and peaceful society. At the same time, in addition to theological texts, works from popular literature also may contain profound truths that...

“A Narrative of Life” of Frederick Douglass Review

The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass is a detailed analysis of the oppression Frederick Douglass went through before his freedom. In the autobiography, he provides his readers with first-hand information about his encounters that were characterized by pain, brutality, and humiliation. Douglass emphasizes the cruelty of perpetrators and...

Love and Tragedy in the Play Oklahoma!

Introduction Literature is one of the forms of arts that human beings have invented in order to reflect the objective reality. Therefore, all the complexity of human relations is also described by literary geniuses. The art of playwriting takes a special place in literature as it is subject to visualizing...

“Matteo Ricci and the Catholic Mission to China” by Hsia

The book Matteo Ricci and the Catholic Mission to China written by Ronnie Po-Chia Hsia at first seems to be a story about a missionary’s life and achievements. However, as one becomes more acquainted with it, a deeper meaning behind the narrative is revealed. This relates to the uniqueness of...

Dahl’s “Lamb to Slaughter” and de Maupassant’s “The Necklace”

Since the very genesis of humankind, people have been trying in vain to ease their existence with the beliefs they build around their lives. Some people, in desperate need of support, find salvation in religion and blind trust for the superpowers above. The other ones, having chosen a sophisticated and...

Friendship in “The Epic of Gilgamesh”

In “The Epic of Gilgamesh,” the theme of friendship may be regarded as one of the central themes of the poem. The main heroes, Gilgamesh and Enkidu, were completely different persons before they meet each other. Gilgamesh is primarily described as a tyrannical king that does not respect his people....

Rhetoric in Moore’s “Idiot Nation” and Gatto’s “Against School”

Introduction Education is a point of concern for people of all ages and backgrounds since childhood is strongly tied to the idea of discipline and learning. In the United States and many other countries, “forced” schooling is a societal standard accepted as a positive force in every human life. However,...

“Neuromancer” and “Snow Crash” Comparison

Introduction It is hard to disagree that most people like specific genres of books and usually read only them. One of the reasons for that is that texts share certain elements, which make them rather similar but still different. Precisely repetitive narrative elements, including plot, theme, characters, and setting, allow...

“My Papa’s Waltz” and “Porphyria’s Lover”: Sounds Show

In prose and verse, sound extensively contributes to indirect characterization: authors use sound devices to shape readers’ perception of characters and nuance characters’ descriptions. In this respect, such unlike texts as “My Papa’s Waltz” and “Porphyria’s Lover” is exemplary for investigating the connection between form (in this case, sound) and...

“The Scarlet Letter” and Nathaniel Hawthorne Biography

“The Scarlet Letter”, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is a novel about a woman named Hester who commits adultery. The setting of the story takes place in a Puritan settlement, in Boston. The year is 1642 and the community is very strict and religious. When Hester’s secret becomes known to the public...

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

Autonomy Samples of Henrietta Lacks’ cancer cells were collected and used during diagnosis and treatment at Johns Hopkins Hospital and then transferred for research without her or her family’s informed consent, which was common practice. Scientists also began investigating Henrietta’s children, who thought they were being tested for cancer that...

War in Ernest Hemingway and Tim O’Brien’s Stories

Soldier’s Home and How to Tell a True War Story are short stories written about the wars. In the Soldier’s House, Hemingway narrates the time after the First World War, and O’Brien connects the events with the Vietnam War. In a comparison of O’Brien’s description of war with Hemingway, it...

“A Doll’s House” by Henrik Ibsen and the Role of Ladies in Society

The struggles which women have in their daily life are real and universal. Females have been perceived as the subordinate of males who control societies. The role of ladies has always been to follow what the men say, and this has trapped communities in a patriarchal system. In their education,...

Loss Is a Disaster: Bishop’s “One Art” and Kay’s “B” Poems

Emotional pain is one of the unique aspects peculiar to human beings. As social creatures with a strong devotion to people who surround them, people cannot avoid feeling sad or frustrated because of various losses. These might include the death of close people, failures, or the inability to attain success....

“A Moveable Feast” by Hemingway Ernest: Review

The theme of art is one of the central topics that Hemingway uncovers in “A Moveable Feast,” which is closely connected to the author’s experience of poverty and his development as a writer. The way Hemingway portrays art in his works is praiseworthy because his direct writing style allows seeing...

“A Good Man Is Hard to Find” by O’Connor: The Role of Foreshadowing

Foreshadowing is one of the most important techniques used by O’Connor in her story A Good Man Is Hard to Find. There are two aims of using this technique namely the suspense and preparing the reader for the events which happen further on. The author gives her readers the hint...

Alexander’s “The New Jim Crow” and Its Relation to Psychiatry

The New Jim Crow is a horrifying record by Michelle Alexander based on the race caste system’s return to the United States. According to the story, a large number of African Americans are imprisoned and afterward consigned to a perpetual inferior status (Alexander, 2020). The circumstance denied the rights such...

Marquez’s “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” Story

Gabriel Garcia Marquez is one of the most prominent writers of contemporary time, whose works masterfully combine elements of reality and fantasy, modern philosophical achievements and folk motives, and mythology. Moreover, the author presents all this to the reader in the form of a parable and succinct, precise writing manner....

The Novel “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley

In his Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine article, reviewing Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus (1818), Walter Scott introduces the idea, that the novel, dealing with the supernatural, as a possibility for personal reflection. Scott advocates questioning the morals and conventional train of thought by submitting a character of an ordinary man to...

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

The short story written by Kate Chopin in 1894 raises essential feminist issues. Despite the short form of the literary work, it successfully and powerfully conveys the deprivations American women of the end of the nineteenth century experienced due to the dominantly patriarchal society in which they lived. Meticulously using...

Trappings of Marriage in Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour”

Introduction and Thesis This literary analysis delves into “The Story of an Hour” by the American writer Kate Chopin. The story follows Louise Mallard, a married woman with severe heart health problems. At some point, the news surfaced that her husband had died in a railroad accident. Louise’s sister and...

J.D. Vance Book “Hillbilly Elegy” Review

Family values have always been a central them in American culture and the value system of American society. However, with the changes in the economic and political background, shifts in the perception of family values, as well as the notion of family itself, have become more noticeable. In his book...

A Love that Kills: Imagery in Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour”

Kate Chopin’s short stories have always fascinated the readers by the unique combination of concise content and a profound context. “The Story of an Hour” is not an exception: in only about a thousand words, the writer manages to tell a dramatic story with quite an unexpected ending. The critics...

The Importance of Free Will in Three Theban Plays

One of the key concepts touched upon in all three Theban plays completed by Sophocles is the existence of free will and its influence on human lives. This argument should be mostly based on the idea that each person has a predisposition to autonomy. The only responsibility for people is...

Dante’s Inferno: Descending Into the Pits of Hell to Gain Redemption

Introduction: Text Details and Context Being one of the best-known poems of the 14th century and the best-known poem by Dante Alighieri, the Divine Comedy fascinates with its humorous and nuanced way of describing the complicated relationships between an individual and Christian God. The poem serves as a humorous guide...

“The Red Convertible” Story by Louise Erdrich

The story The Red Convertible was written by Louise Erdrich, who makes Native Americans the main characters in her books and frequently touches upon the topic of family relationships. In this particular tale, the author describes the tragic story of brothers Lyman and Henry, who never get to reconcile after...

Travel Motive in Homer’s “The Odyssey”

Introduction The Odyssey is considered one of the first adventure novels in the history of humankind and a kind of encyclopedia of geographical representations of the ancient Greeks. Odysseus, in folk memory, is represented as a famous and even archetypal traveler. However, often readers forget that the legendary king of...

‘Raisin in the Sun’ by Lorraine Hansberry: Dreams in the Play

Introduction This play was written by playwright Lorraine Hansberry in 1959. It talks about a young family with a mama Lena Younger, her son Walter Lee, Ruth the wife of Walter, Travis their son and Benetha the young sister to Walter. One of the themes of this play is dreams...

“Oresteia” Trilogy by Aeschylus

The current essay is an analysis of Oresteia based on the book “Aeschylus Oresteia” by Peter Meineck. In this paper, first of all, a brief overview of the trilogy will be presented. Then, the following topics will be addressed and analyzed: the issue of justice and Oresteia’s argument about it;...

“Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night” by Dylan Thomas Review

The theme of death and mortality is discussed from varied angles in “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night” by Dylan Thomas. Overall, the poet encourages his audience to fight against death with screaming and kicking just like the new born babies fight for their life when they come...

“The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership”: Book Review

The book review on “The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow them and people will follow you” is a subject to criticism based on many view points. First, the title of the book stands to be questioned itself; it shows some sense of rigidity and also some form of forced...

Eliezer’s Lost Childhood and the Image in the Mirror

Holocaust is a sad tragedy that left its terrible traces in the hearts and souls of millions of innocent people. Among them is also Elie Wiesel who shared his sad experience in his book “Night”. At the end of the book, the readers find a very special scene when Eliezer,...

The Meaning of “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson

Shirley Jackson wrote “The Lottery” as a short story, and it was published on June 26, 1948, in The New Yorker. The first readers of the story were surprised by it because, in the past, works of the magazine were not identified as fiction or as events happening in real...

“Who Moved My Cheese?” by Johnson

In his book, “Who moved my cheese?” Johnson (1998) explores change by narrating the story of four characters searching for cheese. He also depicts how each of the four characters goes about finding cheese. All four characters live in a maze where they are searching for cheese. According to Johnson...

The Hymn to Demeter. Eleusinian Mysteries

The Eleusinian Mysteries played a vital role in ancient Greece. Moreover, during the Hellenic era, these initiations became a major festival that was later exported as a cultural phenomenon to various parts of the Mediterranean and even encouraged a similar celebration in Ancient Rome. The initial idea behind the initiations...

King Leopold’s Ghost by Hochschild: A Reader Response

Looking at most of the recent history from the perspective of cultural change and the key trends in it will help to discover that the legacy of colonialism is imprinted into every facet of cross-cultural interactions. Although colonialism is typically associated with the history of American and the exploitation of...

“The Heart of a Dog”: Person and Society Conflict

With the help of sarcastic irony, Bulgakov in his book The Heart of a Dog creates a world full of large and small conflicts that arise whenever a person is not in his place. The most profound conflict in the story arises between Professor Preobrazhensky and a new Soviet society....

The Novel “The Natural” by Bernard Malamud

Modern Jewish literature is very diverse, representing one of the richest layers of world literature. A large part of Jewish literature is English-language Jewish one. The Jewish diaspora of America did not suffer in World War II and could accept a number of refugees from Eastern Europe. Thus, after the...

Main Character in Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice”

The perception of who plays the protagonist’s role in Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice may differ from one reader to the other. In essence, a protagonist is a character who draws attention or acts as the center of focus. The hero can also be known as the main character or the...

“Sharing Our Stories of Survival” by Native Women

Since the first discovery of the American continent, native people have suffered various instances of violence. Indigenous women, however, is the group that is more likely to experience abuse even nowadays since there the current system is not capable of protecting them. The book Sharing Our Stories of Survival is...

Ursula Le Guin: Science Fiction Genre Writer Career

Introduction As one of the most prolific and innovative science fiction writers, Ursula K. Le Guin has definitely left her mark on the landscape of science fiction as a genre. Adding humanity to it and placing the emphasis on societal issues, she revolutionized the sci-fi realm and introduced a range...

The Book “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker

Most people would likely agree that preserving one’s cultural heritage is a meaningful and worthy pursuit. However, people also tend to disagree on what is the best way to proceed with it. Maintaining African American cultural legacy features prominently as a theme in Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use.” The author uses...

“Grandmother” by O’Connor

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

The Uses and Modifications of Ancient Mythologies

Mythology refers to a branch of knowledge that deals with myths, especially the sacred tales and fables told by different religions, cultures, and traditions. Mythos tell various stories regarding the crucial elements of human life: the origin of humans, the meaning of life, good and evil, death, and life after...

“The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” by M. Twain

Despite the controversy, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has literary value to share with high school students. It is because the work uses strong messages to criticize the system of slavery during the times of racism (Chadwick, 2000). For instance, Twain (n.d.) constantly highlights that Huck Finn and Jim are...

The Play “Othello” by William Shakespeare

Introduction It is worth noting that the play “Othello,” written by William Shakespeare, is a rather complicated story that can be explored at different levels. In particular, it talks about the loss of trust, love, and the meaning of life. At the same time, the play shows a conflict between...

Unconscious Irony in “Oedipus the King,” by Sophocles

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

Homer’s Iliad and Sophocles’ Three Theban Plays

The Greeks are some of the renowned writers who have ever been known. Although most of their works were done in the past, scholars still use their poems up to date. The Greeks seemed to have mastered the art of poetry and tales since the pieces were done in a...

“The House of Mirth” by Edith Wharton

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

Praise, Blame and Interpretation in Literature

Description and analysis are the initial stages of learning the content of a literary work. Notional selection for analysis of one side of the whole text and identification of its place and meaning in the system allows an understanding of its general meaning in a new way. However, singling out...

The Elements That Achieve Realism in Moore’s Poem

Most literary writers try to achieve realism in their work to reach the hearts of their readers. They use different tools, such as similes, metaphors, characterization, and imagery that may help them sound more realistic. On the contrary, these techniques can create an unrealistic tale depending on the author’s intention....

Daffodils and Falling Leaves in Wordsworth’s and Cummings’ Poems

The poems “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” by William Wordsworth and “l(a” by E. E. Cummings could not be more different. Nevertheless, the theme of both of these poems is the same: loneliness and solitude. William Wordsworth weaves a vivid floral tapestry that invites the reader into the recesses...

Alice in “Adventure” Story by Sherwood Anderson

Introduction Winesburg, Ohio is a series of short novels written by Sherwood Anderson and published in 1919, which depicts the daily lives of ordinary citizens in small-town rural America. Throughout the book, the author offers us glimpses and snapshots into the characters’ frames of mind within specific moments in time,...

Directing “Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex”

Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex is a classic tragedy that can be received by the public in any setting because its concerns are timeless. The central themes can revolve around dichotomy, including the image of light as the idea of knowledge and darkness as ignorance. In the original play, all characters’ worship...

The Aria “Ev’Ry Valley” by Handel

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

“Order of Things: An Archaeology of Human Sciences” by Foucault

Argument The central argument that Michel Foucault puts forward in the Order of Things: An Archaeology of Human Sciences is that relevant points of history, knowledge, and humankind come in a specific order. By discussing the order, the author points to a series of assumptions that make up the relevant...

White Slave Owners in Phillis Wheatley’s Poetry

Introduction Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral is the first published volume of poetry written by an African-American author Phillis Wheatley (Mulder et al.). Published in 1773, Wheatley had an opportunity to speak out on the tyranny she and her race faced from day to day. However, there are...

Jack Updike: Biography and Writings

Brief Biography John Updike was born on March 18, 1932, in Reading, Pennsylvania. He spent his early childhood in Shillington, Pennsylvania, where his father taught math to high school students. Updike’s mother was a novelist, from whom he inherited such passion for writing. During their high school years, John Updike...

Coming of Age: Choice of Transition and Everlasting Infantilism

Coming of age stories have been prominent in many literary works. Aging and crossing a line between being a child and moving into adulthood is a topic that every single person can relate to. However, growing up is different for everyone and depends on their gender, socioeconomic, and cultural background....

“Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne Analysis

Young Goodman Brown is among the best-known stories by Nathaniel Hawthorne, in large part because of its in-depth exploration of religion. It tells the story of a young man who leaves his wife, Faith, for a night and meets with the devil, is then convinced by him to attend a...

Social Views of Death in “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall”

Introduction Attitudes to life and death vary depending on time, culture, and society. History knows many transformations in how people saw old age, illness, and dying. These perspectives find their reflections in a culture’s products. Therefore, analyzing the literature of a certain historical period of a particular country allows a...

Characters in “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” by Joyce Carol Oates

“Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” is a famous short story by Joyce Carol Oates wrote in the 1960s. The story centers around Connie, an attractive girl aged fifteen that has a relentless focus on her appearance and gets in trouble after meeting a predatory man named Arnold....

Spiritual Paths in Medieval Works of Boethius and Saint Augustine

Saint Augustine and Boethius, the medieval authors, are famous for the great works City of God and Consolation of Philosophy, where they reflected on philosophy, religion, and fundamental issues of being. This paper aims to analyze the two literary works, their spiritual nature, the writers’ worldview, the direction proposed, and...

The Death From Patriarchal Dependence

Marriage is a complex institutional system in which relationships between partners can be destructive. “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin is a feminist short story in which a woman reveals the subconscious desire to be free from her spouse’s pressure. A husband’s tragic death initially upsets Louise Mallard,...

“Theatre 6” by Sarah Hall

Introduction It might be difficult for people to openly discuss the moral dilemmas that can cause one to choose between abiding by the law and helping others. The story that is described in this essay discusses this issue by placing the reader out of his or her comfort zone and...

Oedipus, the King and Hamlet: Analysis

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

The Wife of Bath’s Prologue

Relationships The affair between the Wife of Bath and different spouses greatly influenced the development of her character. Of her five husbands, she admits that the first three were good mainly because they were rich, old, and submissive. Being the dominant partner in these relationships, she happily recounts how torments...

Thomas More’s “Utopia” Legacy Review

Thomas More’s Utopia, written in 1516, gave the name to the corresponding genre in literature. The influence of this book in the following centuries cannot be overestimated. A whole series of works dedicated to the image of a perfect society followed Utopia (Wilde 27). Its legacy can be traced in...

A Rose for Emily Summary

Introduction William Cuthbert Faulkner was an accomplished novelist, poet, screenwriter from Oxford, Mississippi. Faulkner’s development as an artist was largely influenced by his family, in particular, by his mother, grandmother, and the African American nanny who cared for him from infancy. The women were voracious readers as well as painters...

Montresor’s Trial Case

The Prosecuting Attorney’s Closing Argument Your Honor, the case presented to the court today is one of paramount malice and sadism. It is obvious that the defendant has planned the cold-blooded murder of the plaintiff conscientiously and thoughtfully. Firstly, Mr. Montresor exploited the victim’s proneness to enjoy high-quality alcoholic beverages....

Changes in the Relationship Between Eliezer and His Father in the Novel “Night”

Introduction of the novel The novel “Night” written by Eliezer Wiesel, based on his true experience of surviving the Holocaust, keeps making strong impressions on people of all generations. When Wiesel has just finished his work on the book, and tried to find a publisher for it, no one would...

“When Cortés Met Malinche, and Montezuma Met Cortés” by Restall

The lecture of Matthew Restall called “When Cortés Met Malinche, and Montezuma Met Cortés: Alternative Facts and Disturbing Truths” is another example of history being written by the victors. The main idea is centered around unveiling the truth regarding the “surrender” of Aztec through its leader Montezuma. Restall focuses on...

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

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

“Magniloquence” by Ramona Ausubel Review

Magniloquence tells a story of Faustus Macelovich, an elderly English professor who recently lost his wife and now suffers from her absence. In a short episode of his life, Faustus presented by the author, along with other professors from different departments, had to attend a lecture delivered by a Nobel...

The Norton Anthology of American Literature

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

Reflection of Livy’s Ideas in Aeschylus’s Book

Individual ancient literary texts reveal specific stories in detail and serve as useful guidelines to interpret other works. As an example, one can discuss the role of Livy’s The History of Rome as an epic that contains important historical notes. Comparing his individual ideas with those of Aeschylus in Prometheus...

Ashami and Gogol in The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri Comparative Analysis

The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri features a story of a Bengali family who settled in the US. The novel focuses on the problems of preserving and pursuing one’s national identity and self-awareness, as exemplified by different generations of immigrants. In particular, the characters of Ashami and her son Gogol are...

A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery O’Connor: Plot Analysis

A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery O’Connor is a tragic story of a family consisting of a grandmother, her son Bailey, his wife, two young children, and a baby going on vacation. They get into an accident during their trip, meet a violent criminal, The Misfit, and...

Perseus Personage, Provided Mythological Character

Perseus has been highly popular in the later mythological tradition, where one can pinpoint various movies and cartoons with the given central character. The main reason is the fact that he is a demigod, which means that Perseus is a half-human (“Perseus,” 2020). In other words, it makes him a...

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

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

A Story by Flannery O’Connor and Elizabeth Bishop’s Poem

The author of this writing found both texts suggested for discussion interesting and thought-provoking. A story by Flannery O’Connor, in which the grandmother struggles to soften the heart of the escaped convict but fails, is saturated with religious symbols and may be regarded as a parable. Curiously, the story starts...

Tonto as a Plot Driving Character

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

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

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

Romeo, Juliet, Ishmael Beah, and Victor Frankenstein

Scene 1: The Beach (ROMEO and JULIET find themselves trapped on a tropical island. The sun is shining brightly, and the weather is scorching and humid compared to summers in Verona). ROMEO: (Worried). Where are we? And what happened to the boat? JULIET: (Calmly). I’m not sure about the boat,...

Interplay of Literary Elements in Shakespeare’s Hamlet

Introduction In literary works, many elements strengthen the position chosen by an author, improve storytelling, and provoke critical thinking among readers. According to Mays, “the language of poetry is often visual and pictorial,” which makes poems dependent on specific words and their creative meanings (834). Metaphors, allusions, flashbacks, similes, and...

“The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” by Stevenson

The Hazy London and Its Dwellers The small excerpt depicts the scenery of London in the 19th century. The central streets are small, quiet, and clean from dust. Nonetheless, it is just an illusion of a prosperous city. The text suggests that people are unhappy and unsatisfied with the situation...

“The Thousand and One Nights”: Technique Embedded Narration

Embedded narration, or story within a story, is a technique widely used in The Thousand and One Nights. This approach implies the inclusion of extra-plot elements in the text that are not directly related to the plot but discuss the main topic. In most cases, the embedded narration is a...

Montley Fool Money Guide: A Book’s Review

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

Descartes’ Meditations and First Philosophy

In Meditations on First Philosophy, Rene Descartes presents a metaphysical system in which he expands his philosophical view of doubt. Descartes notes that he has been mistaken all along, even on matters he presumed to be certain. The author resolves to abandon his pre-conceptions acquired through the senses in a...

“Flying Toward Morning” by Ciera Horton Mcelroy

Contrary to expectations, life does not always give positive emotions — there are moments when it seems that everything around is destroyed, and nothing can be fixed. The streak of tragedies has a substantial impact on adults, but for children with a more developed fantasy and a naive view of...

Lincoln’s Death in “O Captain!” Poem by Walt Whitman

“O, Captain! My Captain!” was written by American poet Walt Whitman and was first published in 1865. The poem is created as an elegy in honor of Abraham Lincoln, whom the poet admired. Therefore, the work has a particular value from the historical context perspective as it refers to the...

Phoenix and Cycle of Struggle

Student Name___________________________ Professor Name__________________________ Course________________________________ Date__________________________________ Mythical and majestic phoenix dies under its own power and emerges from its own collapse, which makes its immortality cyclical. Phoenix’s main quest is to ease the pain and suffering of her beloved one. It is important to note the fact that her name...

The Role of Christianity in Slavery: Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass

Human rights are a multifaceted concept that requires subjective respect and documentation of relationships. In other words, the individual has that set of possibilities and freedoms that are generally accepted. Nonetheless, the times of slavery are a notorious period in social existence in which injustice and cruelty were models for...

Spoken by the Sentry at Achilles’s Tent by Doug Anderson

For centuries, poets have been addressing The Iliad as a source for inspiration. Through poems inspired by the events and characters of the ancient Greek work, they present the acute problems of their time. In the piece “Spoken by the Sentry at Achilles’s Tent”, Doug Anderson, by using situations and...

Life and Dead in Poetry

Introduction The two main manifestations of human existence or two of its forms are life and death. These issues bother people during centuries because they are too complicated to understand them entirely. That is why the most intent contemplators of the world, poets, cannot ignore these categories. Reflecting life in...

Gender Roles Depiction in “Antigone” by Sophocles

The notion of gender has always been a subject for a continuous discussion, formerly claiming a distinct line between the roles of each gender. With this concept considerably expanding its semantic paradigm, people’s perception of gender started to fade. However, while gender roles in the context of society had their...

The Great Gatsby: A Book Review and Summary

Scott Fitzgerald is a famous American writer, and most of his works are devoted to the jazz era. He elaborated this term, which means a happy decade between the end of World War I and the beginning of the Depression. This era involves the rebellion of the young generation against...

What Does It Mean to Be Invisible According to Ralph Ellison?

Introduction In the middle of the 1900s, Ralph Ellison created one of his remarkable novels Invisible Man. Each its passage or phrase has a specific meaning and impact on the reader. Still, the first paragraph of any literature work plays a significant role because it sets the tone for further...

“Is a Tree Worth a Life” by Sally Christensen

Introduction In her essay “Is a Tree Worth a life”, Sally Christensen illuminates the debate that has arisen regarding the value of environment in comparison to that of human life. Christensen makes a persuasive argument that the yew tree found in the tropical forests of Alaska, Idaho, Washington, Oregon and...

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

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

Animal Themes in Mythology: The Fox

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

Analysis of “Barn Burning” by William Faulkner

The plot of “Barn Burning” by William Faulkner involves Colonel Sartoris Snopes or Sarty, a little boy from a poor family, whose father decides to burn barns of the people he works for. The setting of the story is early spring in rural America in the end of the 19th...

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

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

“The Best Laid Plans” by Terry Fallis

The novel The Best Laid Plans is a satirical book about the Canadian political system written by Terry Fallis in 2008. It has won the Stephen Leacock Award for humor and is well-known all around the world. What is precisely lovely about this novel is its language and perfect choice...

“A Raisin in the Sun” Drama by Lorraine Hansberry

The play opened on Broadway in 1959 was a success. Despite the mixed reviews it had received before the opening, the primarily white audiences enjoyed it. “A Raisin in the Sun” was the first play by a black female author performed on Broadway and also the first one there directed...

The Play “Fences” by August Wilson

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

The Phenomenon of Allegory

The phenomenon of allegory can be defined as that one of a hidden meaning within a certain concept. In the movie under analysis, the idea of an allegory is hidden beneath a series of oats since the main character appears to be quite transparent in their general intention, as well...

The Book “1984” by George Orwell and the US Today

Introduction A special place in world literature is occupied by works belonging to the genre of utopia and dystopia. The authors of utopian novels tried to predict a beautiful future, promising immense universal happiness and social harmony. Anti-utopians have debunked the myth of the possibility of global equality, brotherhood, criticizing...

Article Review: “The Philosopher Stoned” by Adam Kirsch

Introduction In his article The Philosopher Stoned, Adam Kirsch describes Walter Benjamin, his way of life, views, ambitions, and the influence of drugs on his mentality. The author explores certain life periods of Benjamin, observes the progression of his character, and also tries to emphasize his book On Hashish. Kirsch...

Poem Analysis: Go Down, Moses

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

Winterson’s “Written on the Body”: Feminist Text

Introduction A distinctive feature of Written on the Body would be an attempt to go beyond the main idea and significantly expand the range of problems and relationships. The work, thanks to the skillful pen of the author, is filled with subtle and vivid psychological portraits. It seems reasonable to...

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

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

Leitmotif of Women Empowerment in Kate Chopin’s Works

Introduction Kate Chopin was a well-known American novelist and short story writer who was born in the late 1800s. She is considered one of the founders of feminist ideas. Even though at the end of the nineteenth century, this movement was only in a state of formation and was widely...

The Great Gatsby as a Reflection of American Culture

The Great Gatsby by Francis Scott Fitzgerald is considered one of the cult books of the 20th century. The protagonist, Jay Gatsby, was the forerunner of an entire literary dynasty of rich personalities with a mysterious past. The novel, which draws the reader into the atmosphere of a continuous holiday,...

“Liveware”: The Quote by David Eagleman: Review

“The brain is fundamentally unlike the hardware in our digital computers. Instead, it’s “liveware”. It reconfigures its circuitry. Although the adult brain isn’t quite as flexible as a child’s, it still retains an astonishing ability to adapt and change” (Eagleman, 2015, ch. 6). The quote by the book’s author David...

Nickel and Dimed and The Queen of Versailles

Known as a Land of Opportunities, the US allows some people to become successful, leaving the rest to survive by themselves and support the few fortunate ones. As a model of capitalism, the country may ignore the needs of those who do not contribute much to money and resource circulation....

Inspiration by Rudyard Kipling’s Poetry

Art Creation It is impossible to overestimate the necessity of inspirational poems for people of all ages. Thanks to the works of the greatest writers of all times, persons can find meaning in their lives, strength to hold on, and motivation to continue whatever they are doing. After reading such...

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

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

Oh Blanche Characteristic Analysis

The character of Blanche is not as one-sided as one might think. While the real-life stereotype on which she is based could be, the play’s representation of the Belle is nuanced. Thus, it is difficult to state whether I sympathize with her or agree that she deserves her tragic fate,...

Post-WWI America in “Soldier’s Home” by Ernest Hemingway

The history of literature has seen renowned masters of short stories, and Ernest Hemingway is one of them. “Soldier’s Home” is a classic example of such a story, as it depicts the United States of America in the fallout of the First World War (WWI) through the prism of a...

Reconnecting With the Past: “The Namesake” by Jhumpa Lahiri

Introduction The Namesake is a debut novel by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jhumpa Lahiri. Originally, a part of the novel was published in a magazine and only later extended to a full-length novel. It investigates the themes of multiculturalism, self-discovery, and isolation common in the lives of immigrants and their...

Salvation Moment in the Story by Flannery O’Connor

Flannery O’Connor created a significant piece of writing that might be considered as one of her most famous works. A Good Man is Hard to Find is a short story that aims to address the never-ending issue of redemption – what it takes to become a good person. O’Connor might...

Review of “Dear Current Occupant” by Chelene Knight

Dear Current Occupant is a memoir by Chelene Knight, a Canadian writer, and it is a mixture of different forms. There are essays, poems, and letters, all telling the autobiographic story of her childhood. Her unique style invites the reader to get absorbed into her writing, empathizing with her experiences....

“The Plague” by Albert Camus Critique

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

“The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien

The Things They Carried is a book that consists of fictional stories about soldiers’ experience during the war in Vietnam. The writer reflects on his participation in the military conflict by using a fictional hero – Tim O’Brien. Through storytelling, the author manages to explore his own feelings to convey...

Aging and Acquiring Wisdom in Bishop’s Poem “The Fish”

Modern American poetry is characterized by a variety of themes and issues that capture poets’ minds and become continuously addressed in their works. Elizabeth Bishop’s poetry is particularly marked by the heterogeneity and complexity of intersecting themes. The poem entitled “The Fish” is one such works, where the themes of...