The Word “Mateship” in Australian History and Literature

Introduction The term mateship as a specific Australian idiom can include various meanings in its essence. Its meaning can differ from the standard definition of friendship in a way that this form of relation or reference can be used between people who are actually not in friendship. This paper will...

Autobiographical Aspects of Saint-Exupery’s Works

Introduction Antoine de Saint-Exupery, to certain extent, can be compared to Leonardo Da Vinci, who, as one knows from the history, succeeded in painting, architecture as well as in exact sciences. Similarly, Saint-Exupery’s giftedness manifested itself in a number of directions: he studied architecture, worked as a sales manager and...

“Pilgrimage to the End of the World” by Conrad Rudolpf

What do people seek when they go on a pilgrimage? I guess it might be either an edification or a strive for forgiveness. The author of the book “Pilgrimage to the End of the World” Conrad Rudolph, who origins in Poland, is going through a series of missionary journeys on...

Anton Chekhov: A Lifetime of Lovers

Anton Chekhov is one of the most talented dramatists, whose plays are included in the repertoire of theaters all over the world. The depth of the thoughts, expressed in these plays, makes readers and watchers seriously think over world history, relations among people. Chekhov himself once wrote: “We have inherited...

A Damned Piece of Rascality: The Business of Slave Trading in Southern Appalachia

Slave trading in southern Appalachia Aaron Purcell is the author of the article, “A Damned Piece of Rascality: The business of slave trading in Southern Appalachia” The article has laid focus on Meek, Hayne, and Company, a firm that dealt with slave trading in Southern Appalachia. The article, which was...

Everyday Objects in Walker’s, Allison’s, Baldwin’s Works

The three works Everyday Use by Alice Walker (Walker, 1994), This is our life by Dorothy Allison and Sonny’s Blues by Baldwin (Baldwin, 1993) bring to light certain ethereal and sublime interpretations of everyday objects. To put it simply, everyday use objects acquire a new meaning and connotations and we...

Hwang’s “Trying to Find Chinatown” and Packer’s “Brownies”

For many minority families, identity and self-determination have been the main problems since ancient times. The play Trying to find Chinatown by Hwang and the short story Brownies by Packer describe life struggle and hardships faced by minority people in America. Both stories describe strong religious values and ideals kept...

George Stroud in “The Big Clock” by Kenneth Fearing

The focal point of the paper is to present a critical response on George Stroud in the “Big Clock” by Kenneth Fearing, published in 1946. This book is a social depiction of the influence of mass media through the protagonist George Stroud, who is the editor of a popular magazine...

The Song of Roland as a Folk Epic

Introduction Epic is a significant combination of the style and the theme in the poem reproduction reflecting the flow of historical or legendary events. The world literature contains a lot of examples of famous epics covering the main features of this genre and highlighting the major moments of history. The...

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

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

Society in The Great Gatsby

Introduction The novel “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald can be called a bitter satire to the American dream, which according to the ideas of the majority implies the heap of the happiness, which is missing to many, and in reality gold outer shell is converted into the empty...

In the Time of the Butterflies and The Great Gatsby: Compare & Contrast Essay

Dystopia is the common setting in Julia Alvarez’s In the Time of the Butterflies and Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. The Great Gatsby paints a depressing picture of the corruption of the American Dream during the roaring 1920s. On the other hand, In the Time of the Butterflies is the...

Rita Dove: Analysis of Chosen Poems

Rita Dove was born in Ohio in 1952. Their family was neither rich nor poor and had four children. Rita’s father had a master’s degree and worked as a chemist for the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company in Akron. When she finished school she was put on the list of...

The Concept of Sublimity in the Books by A. Carson

Sublimity Anne Carson, one of the most famous writers and poets of the modern world, is famous for her gift of incorporating different literary styles in her masterpieces. Her works are full of creative inspiration combined with deep analysis of ideas and thoughts expressed by the prominent writers and theorists...

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

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

Great Fictional Icons in the Nineteenth Century: Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus”

English Literature has witnessed the formation of four great fictional icons in the nineteenth century. They are Shelley’s Frankenstein, Melville’s Moby Dick, Stoker’s Dracula and Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein: The Modern Prometheus is rendered in opulent Gothic prose. It delves into the intricacies of the human mind...

Lotus-Eaters of Today: Sins of the Lotophagi

Introduction Cardinal Sins, are those which lead to other greater sins. For example, Greed for gold may lead one to steal or even kill to acquire more gold. The Lotus-eaters or Lotophagi was a group of people that Odysseus encountered in his 10-year odyssey to return home. This paper will...

Civil War Literature Review

Literature always reflects every change in society and it stands to reason that American literature of the nineteenth century was strongly influenced by the tragic events of the Civil War of 1861-1865. Many authors were involved or to some extent interested in the war events, they used their war experience...

“Cider House Rules” by John Irving.

Introduction One of the most common themes in short stories is the theme of coming of age. While this is the chief concern of several writers, John Irving expands outside of this theme just far enough to explore other elements of this critical process of maturation. Children grow not only...

Matthew Arnold. Arguing From Experience

The great poet and critic Mathew Arnold belongs to the Victorian period of English literature. He was very much influenced by the age he lived in. He was a staunch believer of religion. The religious disillusionment of his time pained him too much. His fear and anxiety in people’s loss...

“The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time” the Novel by M. Haddon

Detectives and investigators, described in the writings of the corresponding genre of mystery novel, are usually experienced and competent specialists, but modern authors introduce novice detectives increasingly more often. These young explorers are normally children, teenagers or very young adults, who are enthusiastic and determined enough to find the core...

Shakespeare’s King Henry VI parts 1-3 and Richard III

Introduction The War of the Roses, speaks of the period between 1455 to 1485 when two powerful dynasties in Britain fought to gain the throne of England. The two houses were the House of Lancaster with King Henry VI as the head and The House of York with King Richard...

“East of Eden” by John Steinbeck

The main message of East of Eden seems to be that the individual has a moral and spiritual obligation to discover for themselves whether they have acted for the good or the evil. This is stated outright by the narrator in Chapter 34, “There is no other story. A man,...

The Narrative of the Life of Olaudiah Equiano

Introduction The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudiah Equiano depicts personal courage a man who escapes slavery and fights for personal freedom and human rights. The narrative addresses many themes including slavery, religion, oppression, kidnapping, business relations, ideas of liberty and freedom, economic status of African countries and their...

Troy Maxson’s Character in August Wilson’s Fences

Despite multiple attempts at addressing injustices observed at historical, systemic, and structural levels, the problem of race and the struggles that people of color face persists vehemently in the U.S. social context. The tragedy of the African American community is reflected impeccable in August Wilson’s 1985 novel Fences, which delves...

Flannery O’Connor Was an Epistle of Hope

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

Personal and Cultural Identities in “Ceremony” by Silko

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

Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins Analysis

First of all, it is necessary to mention, that the novel, written in 1984, and describing the epoch of the VIII century touch upon the matter, that had been fluctuated humanity for centuries. The striving for immortality and eternity occupied the minds of the greatest philosophers and alchemists. While viewing...

Anil’s Ghost: Implications of Fiction on Justice

Introduction The pursuit of truth and justice is usually an essential part of the mystery novel; ‘Anil’s Ghost’ and The Lovely Bones approach the themes of truth and justice in unusual ways. The two stories have deep seated relationship regarding truth and justice. These qualities have been promoted, hidden, denied...

Waiting for God, Not Godot: Milton’s “On His Blindness”

Coming across the line “They also serve who only stand and waited” in the well-known sonnet, a reader might wonder whether the modern tramps of Beckett’s Waiting for Godot would have been in Milton’s view the supreme servants of God. Intelligence, to prevent that murmur, would then remind the reader...

Drug Theme in “Sonny’s Blues” by James Baldwin

“Don’t worry. I’m all right now and I think I’ll be all right. But I can’t forget-where I’ve been. I don’t mean just the physical place I’ve been, I mean where I’ve been. And what I’ve been.” – Sonny. Kicking the habit of taking in drugs – in this case,...

Shakespeare’s “Othello” Play Exploration

The current essay deals with a difficult but quite important topic tied with the role of race in Shakespeare’s Othello. As Alvin Kernan remarked Othello is probably the most perfect plays by Shakespeare in terms of the formal and structural design of its composition. Structural elements are organized in a...

Women in Joyce’s “The Boarding House” & Glaspell’s “A Jury of Her Peers”

Introduction Literary devices constitute certain elements of the story, without which literature would make little to no sense. One of the centerpieces of any story are their characters, since they are the driving factors behind certain events as well as the eyes and ears, through which the readers are allowed...

Women in Traditional and Totalitarian Societies

Looking into the history of the cultures at large, it becomes evident that all human societies, from the most primitive to the most modern, have been divided into different groups, communities and strata. This stratification is on the basis of caste, class, clan, community, race, region, religion, ethnicity, gender, age...

The Symbolism of Blood in Barn Burning by William Faulkner

It is generally agreed that different symbols tend to be used as the way of the author’s ideas’ interpretation. In case of Faulkner’s “Barn Burning”, blood might be one of the metaphors which is reclaimed as a reference for either genetic relationships or committed crimes and their consequences. That is...

Women in Barn Burning by William Faulkner

At first glance, Faulkner’s artistic world appears to be emphatically masculine. It is filled with sullen, stern male characters doing rough and hard work, but at the same time, there is a certain place for female characters in his prose. “Barn Burning,” Faulkner’s short story of a mendicant American family...

The Theme of Deception in The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant

Despite Guy de Maupassant’s ‘The Necklace’ being written in the late XIXth century, this story successfully transports its moral lessons to modern life. The author engages symbolism around the main object of the story, the diamond necklace, and the deep character portrayal of two heroines to reveal the common deceptiveness...

Father-Son Relationships in William Faulkner’s Novels

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

Sir Gawain Character Analysis

As portrayed in the first two parts of Sir Gawain and The Green Knight, Sir Gawain, a legendary member of Arthur’s knight, is a paragon of virtue and modesty. He describes himself as the least of the knights both in mental and physical prowess, and at the first glance appears...

Antagonists in “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”: Analysis

Introduction Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the work of the unknown poet written approximately in the late 14th century, contains multiple topics for a discussion. The poem is referred to as an alliterative verse and medieval romance. Special interest of the work is the notion of the magical creature...

Charlotte Gilman’s Authorial Vision of Women

Most of the stories written by modern female writers reveal their intolerance against the oppressed life of women. Male domination, for several centuries, made them mere domestic animals, denying mobility and individual freedom. The urge to free themselves from this situation, from their domestic prison, is the main thrust of...

Pastan’s “Ethics” and Roethke’s “My Papa’s Waltz” Poems

Introduction In both poems, Ethics written by Linda Pastan and My Papa’s Waltz by Theodore Roethke, the author describe personal experience and perception of life events and ethics of life. In the poems, the narrator calls attention to problems of ethics and morality, and underlines child’s perception of the world...

The Tempest and the Contemporary Arts

Introduction No one would deny the fact that Shakespearean works are timeless. They have survived during the centuries and continue to ask readers various questions the answers to which help them to understand the mysteries of life. Drawing parallels between the works of the great poet and playwright helps the...

The Song of Roland. Is Roland a True Hero?

Introduction The Song of Roland could be considered no more of a guidebook to what is known as chivalry than Homer’s Iliad. It does not demonstrate any sense of fair play or sportsmanship, there is not chivalrous treatment of one’s enemies. Roland exults about his past victims, vaunts about what...

The Song of Roland as an Epic Poem

The Song of Roland is considered one of the great epic memorials of medieval French literature. An insignificant historical fact served as basis for this heroic poem, and later on having enriched itself by several later events it had integrated the story of Roland into many literatures throughout the world....

Sophocles’ Antigone: Critical Analysis Essay

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

Achilles and Hector in The Iliad by Homer: Comparison

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

Critical Review of Voltaire Candide and Related Texts

Introduction The book that has been taken into consideration is a marvelous as well as an imperative chronological work in literature. Voltaire was a Renaissance Christian humanist who took part in the growth of the Enlightenment. First of all, the composition of his narrative Candide is Homeric, it is of...

War Theme in O’Brien’s “The Things They Carried”

The short story The Things they Carried portrays war and its impact on young soldiers, their life dreams and expectations, hardship, and fears. This short story can be seen as a reflection of the events which took place during the Vietnam War. O’Brien gives an insightful analysis of the deep...

Children’s Resilience in Bible and Literature by Mukherjee and Faulkner

Introduction The renowned African American author Maya Angelou said it best as she spoke the words “Children’s talent to endure stems from their ignorance of alternatives.” I believe that this enduring resiliency of the youth comes from the fact that children are innocents who, for a major part of their...

Marriage According to Geoffrey Chaucer and Jane Austen

Introduction The most discussed subject in the works of Chaucer and Jane Austen is the topic of marriage. It is still a hotly debated subject. What kind of relationship a husband and wife should have, how the domestic duties are to be shared, and whether both are equal, or whether...

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

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

Human Issues in Chaucer’s ‘Canterbury Tales’

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

Atonement by Ian McEwan Review

Not once in my life, I was puzzled by the question: Where is the borderline between the reality we live in and the imagined world that this way or another we create every new minute of our life? The borderline is indeed rather fragile and the mystery of its existence...

Story Of A Personal Journey: “The Moviegoer” by Walker Percy

As a medium that allows one to communicate personal ideas and beliefs through different types of expression, art transforms people. “The Moviegoer” is a unique narrative in which two art forms collide, thus providing a masterfully written foil for the character development. The story of Blix Bolling, a New Orleans...

Importance of Self-Serve Kiosks

Modern technological developments are transforming human activities, processes, and behaviors. The proliferation of handheld devices and smartphones is discouraging more people from visiting libraries physically. The traditional reading culture in this community has also been affected negatively. Many people are currently busy focusing on their career goals and aims. Long...

The Role of Money in “The Forged Coupon” by Leo Tolstoy

Introduction When one hears the name of Leo Tolstoy, the first thing that comes to mind is his great novels War and Peace or Anna Karenina. However, this famous Russian writer created more than 150 works, including short stories, autobiographical novels, and novellas. The Forged Coupon is one of the...

Augustine’s Legacy: “City of Gods” as the Main Aspects of His Work

Introduction Augustine was one of the most influential philosophers in the fourth century due to his controversial prospect and his views on Christianity. Marino examines the main Augustine’s works and his thoughts on a person’s will, good and evil, faith, and God. The author demonstrates the main aspects of his...

The Influence of Religion on Ceremonial Practices in Literature and Culture

Introduction Literature is one of the ways to express thoughts related to a particular issue or discuss people’s perspectives on it. Throughout all history of humanity, individuals have been trying to express their emotions and feelings by using the power of the word. Written texts, as the first potent tool...

Class and Family in Victorian Literature

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

Heroes Portrayed in Ancient Works

Introduction The epos of ancient works is rich in vivid images and characters that embody the ideas of heroism and convey the moral character of past eras. Nevertheless, the approaches of some authors with respect to the portraits of the main characters were different, which makes their work even more...

Analyzing Female Voices in Chinese Literature: Themes and Impact

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

Passion, Persecution, and Epiphany in Early Jewish Literature

The Jew in the Modern World: A Documentary History (My Soul Desired Yiddish) The short story, “My Soul Desires Yiddish”, talks about how the Jewish society rejected its language, Yiddish. It is important to discuss the author’s relationship to his subject matter. The writer is a member of the community...

The Detective and the Criminal: “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” by Edgar Allan Poe

Introduction The genre of a detective novel always attracted a large audience with its suspenseful premise and a satisfactory and often revelatory ending. One can argue that this genre has a set of traits that were established once and had not changed significantly since then (Rosenheim 81). Many short stories...

In-Depth Analysis of Rudolfo Anaya’s Novel ‘Bless Me, Ultima’

Introduction The novel Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya is one of the most outstanding works revealing the problems and lifestyle of Mexicans in the United States in the 20th century. At the center of the story, such a family is represented, and the main characters are vivid and deep....

History in “Grapes of Wrath” by John Steinbeck

Introduction The book Grapes of Wrath is a national epic written by John Steinbeck. In this text, the author reveals the socio-political life of the country during the crisis years. Against the backdrop of this narrative, Steinbeck talks about the fate of the Joad family – one of many thousands...

Symbol of Liberation in Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour”

Introduction The Story of an Hour, which is a short literary work about a woman who thinks that she has become a widow, was written by Kate Chopin in the 1890s. In her short story, the author describes the metamorphoses and the inner dialogue of Louise, whose husband, as far...

Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” vs. Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” Comparison

Introduction This essay will compare and contrast two classic American short stories. The comparison will take the point-by-point approach where one idea will be discussed fully before moving on to the next idea. The two stories that will be analyzed are “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, which was...

Death of Loved Ones: Foer’s “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close”

The death of a loved one causes torment and anguish pushing the mind to try everything possible to get close to the lost loved one more time. This premise comes out clearly in Jonathan Safran Foer’s Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close publication. The book is a narration by a nine-year-old...

Are We Rome? Lessons for America from Ancient Rome’s Fall

Introduction The book Are We Rome? The Fall of an Empire and the Fate of America gives a detailed analysis and comparisons between the United States and the Roman Empire. The author’s main subject matter revolves around the practices and developments recorded in the United States that have the potential...

Socratic Philosophy in ‘Apology’: Exploring Key Themes and Ethical Insights

Apology of Socrates is a work of Plato that contains a version of Socrates’ speech delivered by him in 399 BC in his defense. This work was one of many apologies written in defense of Socrates against allegations of corruption. This speech is a reliable source of the trial of...

Analyzing Giac Duyen’s Morality in The Tale of Kieu

The Tale of Kieu is one of the most important works of Vietnamese literature, and it is an exciting object of study and analysis. Throughout the poem, Kieu faces many different circumstances, including prostitution, poverty, slavery, rape, mental health issues, and more. The focus of the story is mostly on...

“Greek Mythology” Article by Cartwright

Introduction The history of Greece is one of the richest ones in the context of cultural heritage, and its features and grandeur are studied all over the world. One of the common areas of the ancient Greek theme is mythology and all those literary works that have survived to the...

“The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” by Le Guin

The article that resonates with me the most is the short story by Ursula Le Guin under the title “The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas.” In an exciting combination of descriptive narrative and directly referring to readers, the author manages to convey a complicated twofold message. On the surface,...

“The Lottery” the Short Story by Shirley Jackson

Introduction Shirley Jackson was an American author who was born in 1919. Over the course of her career, she completed more than two hundred short stories, as well as several novels and memoirs. Her literary career began during her education at Syracuse University, where she wrote for the literary magazine....

Puritanism in Works of Bradstreet and Rowlandson

Puritanism was one of the main features of 17th society. It impacted the lives of many people and preconditioned their behaviors. In accordance with this paradigm, women had specific roles and duties. For this reason, many writers of that period devoted their works to this philosophy and its discussion. Anne...

“Moby Dick: Or, the White Whale” by Herman Melville

Introduction Moby Dick: Or, the White Whale by Herman Melville, or just Moby Dick, is an unusual book. It was written contrary to all the existing ideas about the laws of the genre and is not similar to any work of world literature. Melville combines the features of adventure, science...

Gender Roles in Butler’s ‘Mr. Green’: Canaries & Vietnamese Culture

Butler uses the setting of the bird market and cages with canaries to develop the theme of gender roles in traditional Vietnamese culture. The protagonist’s grandfather had rather patriarchic views regarding gender roles as he believed that females had a specific place in the society or rather their households. He...

Winning with Honour: Ethics and History in Singapore

Winning with Honour is a fascinating work as the authors transfer the rules of morality and ethics to the history of Singapore. This book can be interesting for many people because its chapters describe the rules and recommendations that apply to both the individual and organisations. However, Winning with Honour...

“A Grief Observed” the Work by C. S. Lewis

Clive Staple Lewis is a known writer, renowned scholar, and lay theologian. He is recognized for over 30 works written in a genre of fiction and non-fictional Christian apologetics that is still cited by many philosophers and apologetics. One of C. S. Lewis’s religious works, A Grief Observed, was dedicated...

Eudora Welty’s Influence and Monologue on Phoenix Jackson

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

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

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

Art Creation: Poetry as a Favorite Form of Literature

Poetry has always been my favorite form of literature due to its fascinating ability to reflect extensive ideas within several lines. One of my favorite poets is Robert Frost, whose works are considered some of the best ever written. My love for this poet was born in middle school when...

Girlhood Friendship in Toni Morrison’s “Sula”

The protagonists of the novel Sula by Toni Morrison have chosen the opposite life paths and held different views. Sula lived in a family that did not follow traditional values and, in many ways, challenged social attitudes, while the Nel family pursued conventional and conformal principles. However, the girls were...

The Arabian Nights: Literacy, Art, and Human Values

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

Interpretation of Symbols in “Young Goodman Brown” a Story by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Introduction “Young Goodman Brown” is a short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne depicting the eternal battle between good and evil. It is a tale of a young man walking through a gloomy forest with an elderly companion to perform a wicked deed. Throughout the journey, the main character, Goodman Brown, doubts...

Fools Crow: James Welch’s Insight on Aboriginal Struggles

The theme of aboriginal people and their relations with people from the Western world has always been topical. The existence of multiple disputable issues, extremely sophisticated relations, many cases of discrimination, violence, and the clash of cultures create the basis for vigorous debates about the behavior of one or another...

A&P Narrated by Sammie: A Teenager’s Perspective on Conformity

A&P is narrated from the point of view of Sammie, who is a 19-year-old boy working as a cashier at the A&P. Most of Updike’s story is told in the present tense, which creates a sense of immersion as if Sammie is talking. However, his point of view is rather...

Old Testament vs. Epic of Gilgamesh: Dreams, Mortality, and Divine Signs

A profound part of ancient literature, dreams have long served as signs, omens, or portents conveying important information about the future. When analyzing the texts of the Old Testament (Jewish Bible) and Epic of Gilgamesh, literary experts concluded that the two books contain interconnected topics, such as mortality, sin, and...

Metamorphosis in “A White Heron” by S. O. Jewett

The idea of personal change as an unavoidable aspect of growing up and coming of age is one of the core themes in Sarah Orne Jewett’s “A White Heron.” The story follows Sylvia, a young girl who moves to the country and meets an ornithologist who wants to capture a...

August Wilson’s “Pittsburgh Cycle”: Music and Family

The Pittsburgh Cycle The issue of race was especially problematic for the U.S. in the early 20th century due to the legacy of the rampant racism that plagued the previous era of U.S. sociocultural development. The challenges faced by African American people in fighting against oppression and promoting equality were...

Willa Cather’s Nebraska Novel: A Tale of Swedish Immigrants

One of America’s greatest writers, Willa Cather, showed her talent and gained a solid reputation by writing a novel, her first book in a series about the state of Nebraska. The story of the prairies, mastered by Swedish, Czech immigrants, along with the story of how these lands experienced them...

Claudius’ Ramblings: A Night of Comedy and Confessions

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

“The Lottery” the Story by Shirley Jackson

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

“Moving Mountains” the Work by Erik Reece

“Moving Mountains” is a work by Erik Reece devoted to the exploitation of natural resources in the United States and related human casualties. The article is a part of the collection of essays published by Orion Magazine. In the source, Erik Reece provides a thorough discussion of the unwanted consequences...

Maureen Sherry at Harvard Association for Law and Business

Introduction A meeting with Maureen Sherry took place at Harvard Association for Law and Business. Maureen Sherry is a famous writer, a former successful business lady, and a mother of four. During the conversation, she answered questions about her career, the role of women on Wall Street and in business,...

Analyzing Love and Appreciation in Shakespeare, Albom, and King’s Works

The given essay will summarize and analyze the commonalities of the message in A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare, Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom, and A Death by Stephen King. All three writings are historically separate and represent different genres, but they contain some similarities in the context....

Orgon and Candide from Moliere’s “Tartuffe” and Voltaire’s “Candide”

Introduction The wisdom of classical literary works is a valuable legacy that the authors of past eras left to posterity. The images of many characters, their experiences, thoughts, and actions make one think about the serious aspects of human life and the process of cognition. In order to better understand...

Hardships of Coming of Age in Updike’s “A&P”

Introduction The charm of Updike’s slice-of-life stories may seem to come from the hidden layers of meaning that they contain, yet, on closer inspection, one will find out that they are quite straightforward. However, this discovery does not reduce the attractiveness of Updike’s nuanced storytelling; instead, it amplifies the lingering...

War Poetry: Turner vs. Owen on Empathy & Critique

War has existed with humankind for as long as humankind has existed, and it has defined many societal functions. Most people look at war from the perspective of the war winner and the loser of the war. However, war bears with it more themes than the winners and losers. The...

A Train Near Magdeburg: American Soldiers Liberate Jewish Victims

A Train Near Magdeburg is a historical novel that documents the story of American soldiers liberating Jewish people trapped on a train that had recently departed from the concentration camp. The book was written by Matthew Rozell, who is a History teacher in the United States. The book was born...

Taboos in James Joyce’s “The Boarding House”

James Joyce’s “The Boarding House” is a short story published in 1914 that focuses on the life of Mrs. Mooney, a butcher’s daughter. After divorcing her husband because of his alcoholism, Mrs. Mooney sets up a boarding house, where her daughter engages in a premarital relationship with one of the...

Compromised Rulers in Literary Works

Introduction Modern societies long for democratic values including equality and the ability to make major decisions. People who lived centuries ago could only dream about democracy or any manifestation of this form of rule. People were to abide by the law and do whatever their ruler might ask them to...

Literary Devices in Suzan-Lori Parks’ Plays

Introduction Suzan-Lori Parks is an African American playwright of the 20th century who transformed American theatre with her mythic plays. She has won the acclaim of dramatists, critics, and the public around the globe as a provocative and influential author. At the same time, her innovative approach to language and...

Herman Melville and Ralph Ellison: Exploring Human Freedom

Introduction The story of Herman Melville in “Bartleby, The Scrivener: A Story of Wall-street” is a grotesque narration about a poor office worker whose unusual behavior breaks the usual rhythm of business life and makes others doubt the correctness of the world order. Whereas Ralph Ellison in his “Battle Royale”...

Flannery O’Connor’s Life Seen in Her Short Stories

Introduction Flannery O’Connor is one of the renowned American writers who had a unique style and addressed quite sensitive topics. She was born and lived most of her life in the South, which affected her writing since the majority of her stories were set in this region. She was a...

Mathilde in “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant

Introduction The Necklace is a short story written by French writer Guy de Maupassant at the end of the 19th century. In the story, the main character Mathilde Loisel lives a humble life of a middle-class housewife believing that she is meant to be rich. She borrows a diamond necklace...

Slavery, Education, and Religion in Douglass’s Narrative

There are topics related to any society’s existence, the actuality of which is never lost even if the issues have reached some improvement. Questions regarding slavery, education, family life, religion, and friendship have always existed in American society and shaped its development. In his Narrative, Douglass raises these themes, and...

Fiction Elements in Russell’s “The Bog Girl”

The story under discussion is “The Bog Girl” by Karen Russell. It revolves around the bog girl found by a boy. She becomes the major concern of the whole text as it represents a certain kind of non-personality that can be used for various purposes. These might include the desired...

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

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

Religion & Hypocrisy: “The Summoning of Everyman”

Introduction The Summoning of Everyman is a medieval morality play that is more often referred to as Everyman. When called by Death, Everyman cannot persuade anyone, Beauty, Kindred, or Worldly Goods, to go with him. Only Good Deeds agree to accompany Everyman to his grave. The present paper discusses the...

H. Longfellow’s and D. Thomas’s Poetry Analysis

Literature is an approach that individuals utilize for conveying their thoughts. Among the essential themes explored by them are life, death, and their meaning. Both poems Psalm of Life by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night by Dylan Thomas offer a view on the...

“Paul’s Case: A Study in Temperament” by Willa Sibert Cather

Some people are like square pegs in the world of round holes, and Willa Sibert Cather eloquently tells a story of one of such individuals in “Paul’s Case: A Study in Temperament.” Paul is a high school student from Pittsburgh who lives with his father and reluctantly tries to conform...

Gender Discrimination in “Disgrace” by J.M Coetzee

Introduction Coetzee is regarded as the first South African novelist who had the courage to cover the miseries that people went through, particularly during the post-apartheid period. This book appeared after the country enacted a new constitution that gave people equal rights regardless of their gender or race. His novel...

The Story of Wildflower

Introduction All that travelers knew, was that the Emerald Forest was about 350 kilometers north of Prague. Pilgrims from all across the world, who were lucky enough to hear of that magical place made sure to invest all their efforts and pay that forest a visit. Many folks would hear...

Poem: Writing of Self – Exploring Feminist Themes and Self-Confidence

Poem: Writing of Self The times when human souls were found unequal and countless Marys all found no one to look up to seemed to be gone. But now when life presents a self-made sequel to roles and expectations cloaked in mildew, your words I look upon. To author your...

Exploring Play and Game Structures by Sicart & Fullerton

Introduction This essay is a review of two chapters from books by Miguel Sicart and Tracy Fullerton. The first chapter talks about the definition of play, and the second describes the structure of a game. The goal of the review is to find two interesting points in each chapter and...

Werewolves: Meaning Behind Monsters

Introduction Werewolves are one of the most recognizable types of monsters in modern culture. They are almost constantly featured in both mainstream and niche fiction, and the number of interpretations of the same creature grows every year. While the details of the stories vary, the core idea of a werewolf...

Spiraling into Insanity: “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Perkins

Being a perfect example of a gothic novel, “The Yellow Wallpaper” sets its readers on a journey through the dark realms of human nature. Its unique manner of narration makes it extraordinarily difficult to draw a line between what happens in reality and what represents the fantasies created by the...

Crowd Impersonation in “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson

Crowd Impersonation in the Story Despite the fact that all the characters of the story in question are vivid, great attention is paid to the crowd as a single organism yielding to common ideas and influence. Decisions made by people demonstrate that the mass consciousness is largely manageable, and correctly...

Themes in Shakespeare’s “The Tragedy of Hamlet”

Hamlet is one of the most significant works by Shakespeare. More so, this is one of the most famous plays in the world literature. The author considers various important issues and this makes the play so influential. This play makes people think of some of the most meaningful issues. Some...

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

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

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

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

Gender Narratives in Hardy’s and Winterson’s Literary Works Examined

Narration According to Childs and Fowler (2006, p. 148), narration consists of two “overlapping aspects” that include the content and the form of its presentation. The content will be mostly covered in the following part of the essay; in this one, the forms of the three novels (The Mayor of...

Civil War Representations in American Literary Tradition Explored

The Favorite Readings The abstract Continuation of the Discoveries Along the Coast of the Almouchiquois, and What We Observed in Detail by Samuel de Champlain is a great example of a narrative, which presents remote places and culture. His writing is created in the form of a diary and gives...

Characters in the Play “Fences” by August Wilson

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

Katherine Howe’s Analysis of “The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane”

Introduction Katherine Howe’s novel called The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane is an adventure story of a young graduate student Connie Goodwin. The main protagonist of the novel is on a quest trying to solve a mysterious riddle of the past. Connie is struggling to locate and put together the...

“Disgrace” by John Maxwell Coetzee: Attitudes to Rape

Introduction Disgrace is a 1999 novel by J. M. Coetzee, written from the perspective of a middle-aged white South African professor living in Cape Town, who loses his job and, consequently, his usual life after his black student files sexual harassment charges upon him. David relocates to his daughter’s farm...

“Mightier Than the Sword” a Book by Jeffrey Archer

Summary Chapter 6 of the book, “Mightier than the Sword”, explores various cases of investigative journalism that occurred during the latter half of the 19th century which brought to light the various excesses of corruption and disreputable practices that various politicians, corporations, government agencies and captains of industry engaged in...

Characters Analysis of Joyce Oates’ “Four Summers”

Sissy In the story, Sissy is the protagonist and the narrator. In the first summer (or the first episode of the story), Sissy is a child, accompanying her parents and brothers at a tavern near an unnamed lake. She is dependent on her parents because she is quite young. For...

Band of Brothers: Stephen Ambrose’s WWII Insight

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

Chaucer and Feminism: Gender Themes in Canterbury Tales

At the outset, it seems as though Chaucer is a feminist. As argued by Sigmund Eisner (1957, p. 45), he suggests that the work of Chaucer portrayed males as ‘lustful’ and immoral with the following phrases: “Of which made anon, maugre hir heed, By very force, he rafte hires maidenhead”...

Satirical Insights: Saunders, Swift, Rothman & Wallace

Reading Between the Lines: The True Meaning of the Story George Saunders: Marriages. Winning Your Lottery In his extremely satiric essay Saunders asks a simple question – why not marrying someone with an even weaker will and becoming what can be called a “normal family” (Saunders)? The author claims that...

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

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

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge and “Blue Winds Dancing”

“An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” by Ambrose Bierce In what ways are the condemned man’s perceptions of time and motion distorted as he is waiting to be hanged? Ambrose Bierce depicts the protagonist who is condemned to be hanged, and he does not realize the fringe between illusion and...

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

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

Epic Heroes in Literature: Gilgamesh, Achilles, Beowulf

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

Historical Overview of Frederick Douglass’s Escape from Slavery

Introduction When Douglas managed to escape from slavery and safely landed in New York, he felt that he had come to a completely new world. He compares a day in New York to a year in slavery. He claims that he felt the same feelings felt by a person who...

Annotated Bibliography: Shakespeare Studies

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

The Alchemist & The Wiz: Uncovering Hidden Paths to Self-Discovery

It has been said so many times that in any given journey, the destination is not the most important aspect of the trip or the quest. The most important aspect of the quest or journey is in the act itself, the process of journeying from Point A to Point B...

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

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

“Crescent” and “Arabian Jazz” by Diana Abu-Jaber

Introduction The Arab American writers have always employed several literary components and literary devices that reflect the true history and traditional values of Arabs living in America. The literary works of Diana Abu-Jaber in her two novels, Crescent and Arabian Jazz are some of the most important Arab American novels,...

Competitive Landscape: Todd Babiak’s Strategies and Industry Position

Trevor Cole has been referred to by several critics and also fans of his works as the best young novelist in Canada. He comes from a humble background and has even worked on a factory floor to the newspaper boardroom. Despite this, he has managed to earn a living through...

Identity and Philosophy in “Sophie’s World” by Gaarder

The problem of identity has perplexed great philosophers for many centuries and has resulted in differing philosophical views. Many philosophers hold that identity is an inherent characteristic that lies deep in the nature of human existence and attempts to unravel it calls for the understanding of other entities that intricately...