5922 samples of this type
American literature was bound to change after the Civil War and the Industrial Revolution as the extremes of romantic principles were rejected in favor of realistic ideas. As a result, realism, a new form of literature, was created. There are several features that made this particular style of writing distinctive...
The close reading of Kate Chopin’s “Story of an Hour” reveals the fact that the story’s motifs may be well discussed within the context of the Freudian theory of psychoanalysis; as they provide us with insight into the oppression-related essence of the main character’s existential anxieties. In this paper, we...
The Shakespearean play ‘As You like it’ is an exploration of love and marriage presented in a comic setting. The main characters of the play are active participants in what some might classify as the typical love/hate relationship. The relationship among these characters reflects vastly on the bard’s own feelings...
Introduction This paper would discuss and evaluate literary traits found in the poem The Fish by Elizabeth Bishop. The focus would be on her tone and particular moral concerns expressed by her in the poem. Elizabeth Bishop’s “The Fish” Elizabeth Bishop is a poetess that is often admired for her...
The introduction deals with Greco-Roman literature and the importance of Iliad as an epic. The main points that are discussed below the introduction are: The plot of the story, character and leadership characteristics of Achilles, and the character and leadership characteristics of Hector. The conclusion includes the comparison and analysis...
Introduction Classical children’s literature is full of examples of outstanding works that have become a cultural treasure and are still being discussed with interest today. One of these well-known works that are known to almost everyone in the book “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” written by the famous American writer...
Writing about poems is always interesting and challenging. The analysis of Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s poem is not an exception. On the one hand, it is a real challenge to understand the meaning of each word in the poem and the intentions of the writer. On the other hand, it is...
Introduction The story ‘The Secret Life of Walter Mitty’ by James Thurber is a narration about the life of a man who is forced to lead a life of fantasies because he is not ready to deal with the realities of life. When reading the story for the first time,...
Introduction The book Man’ Search for Meaning is one of the most influential works on the psychoanalysis of the modern time. It was written by Viktor Frankl, a former Auschwitz prisoner, and the outstanding psychoanalyst. The existential vacuum is one of the most important concepts explained by Frankl in his...
Check out this essay sample to get more ideas for your The Lottery analysis essay. Here, you’ll find the story’s summary, main theme analysis, and the aftermath explanation. Learn more about the story with our The Lottery essay example’s help! Shirley Jackson wrote several short stories, but she is broadly...
Fahrenheit 451 is considered Ray Bradbury’s masterpiece. The society that he depicted in the novel is so far removed from the one we live in today. At the same time, they are so similar. This is just one of the Fahrenheit 451 essay examples. You can use it as an...
Introduction The intoxicating allure of power and the complexities of its nature are central themes in William Shakespeare’s iconic tragedy “Macbeth.” The play, a profound exploration of ambition, guilt, and fate, examines power dynamics through the rise and fall of its titular character, Macbeth. As we delve into the intricate...
Introduction to the Author and Reflection on Personal Connection to the Works For this contextualized interpretation paper, I have chosen to explore the works of Tracy K. Smith, who served as the US Poet Laureate from 2017 to 2019. After reading several of her poems, three stood out to me...
Introduction The fundamental work of Sophocles, Antigone, boasts a wide variety of literary techniques. Allusions, symbolism, and various themes are used by Sophocles to reinforce the message he wanted to convey through his work. Metaphors play one of the biggest roles in this regard, being used to provide a better...
The Crucible by Arthur Miller examines the widespread fear and persecution experienced during the Salem Witch Trials in the late 17th century. Throughout the play, various propaganda techniques are employed to sway public opinion and defend the witch hunts. It is most realistic to remark that black, grey and white...
Lucille Clifton wrote the poem forgiving my father in which she talks about the negative experience of interacting with her father. Despite the fact that the family should consist of love and mutual respect of its members, there are situations in which strife occurs. Children can be witnesses or even...
“Dulce et Decorum Est” is a poem by English poet Wilfred Owen. Besides being a poet, he participated in World War I, and this writing was devoted to experiences in battles during the war. “Dulce et Decorum Est” was published posthumously in the collection of Owen’s poems (Spacey). The author...
Introduction The middle Ages was a period in European history where religious beliefs, jobs, and money separated individuals. During this time, a class system began to emerge. The middle class emerged, a social group between the working and upper class, including professionals, business employees, and their households. Chaucer’s The Canterbury...
Summary Poetry is a unique form of art that helps to reflect deep feelings using words. By combining sounds, an author can create a text that sounds unique and memorable. The emotional effect of poetry is linked to aesthetic pleasure, meaning that poems appeal to the ideas of beauty (Wassiliwizky...
Introduction Samuel Beckett was an Irish playwright, theatre director, poet, and translator, working with both English and French. He was one of many absurd drama writers of the 20th century. His works are considered a part of the Theater of Absurd genre, relating to it through the themes of isolation...
Introduction Literary techniques are the distinctive way of language used by authors to illustrate their intentions or meaning in their work. Usually, authors can apply a group of words, a phrase, or simple words. The literary forms are identified after a critical analysis of the piece of writing by a...
Introduction Prince Hamlet from Shakespeare’s Hamlet is considered one of literature’s most complex and intriguing characters. The depths of his emotion, the impact of psychological trauma, and the everbearing moral conflict within him contribute to a seemingly erratic but also highly philosophical character. In finishing Act one of the drama,...
Homer’s Odyssey is an excellent piece of literature that inspires many people to this day. Its story is well-known, but it does not cease to be retold in various forms. Movies, cartoons, books, and comic books appear from time to time, honoring the original Odyssey. The Odyssey: A Graphic Novel,...
“Sticks” is a short story by George Saunders that famously contains only 392 words but packs an emotional punch. The narrator’s father builds a “kind of crucifix out of a metal pole” in the family backyard and puts it in costume for various holidays (Saunders 63). After the children move...
Introduction Mary Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication of the Rights of Woman may be examined as one of the most important feminist texts of the century. The author discusses a wide variety of topics, including education, marriage institution, and gendered abuse. This paper, in particular, focuses on her thoughts on marriage, the...
Introduction The topic of PTSD or any other mental disorder is common among modern authors. However, some opt for not clearly stating the issue in their texts but rather inviting the reader to be a witness of the characters’ symptoms. Art Spiegelman employed such a method to present how trauma...
Introduction The first scene in Hamlet is one of the most profound first scenes in the history of drama. It starts when one of the guards asks, “who is there?” (Shakespeare, 1602, p. 5). This depicts a revealing of one’s identity. The answer the other guard gives is quite strange....
Introduction Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus is a novel written by Mary Shelly that was first published in 1818. The author tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who artificially animated a body assembled from parts of corpses. Although Victor intended to create a beautiful creature, the result...
Introduction Traditional Gothic literature is a genre with stresses on elements such as death, fear, confinement, and romance. It developed on the basis of cultural, social, historical, and political background. Events akin to the Great Depression and World War II stimulated further changes and the eventual transition to the modern...
It goes without saying that there are multiple symbols in the short story “The black cat,” written by an outstanding American writer Edgar Allan Poe. As a matter of fact, the symbol of the black cat may be regarded as the most significant, and its changes throughout the story support...
Introduction Love, especially tragic love, appears to be a common theme in Romanticist literature. As a poet of this literary movement, Edgar Allan Poe contributed to the tendency with “Annabel Lee.” Its central themes are the youthful love and death of a beloved woman. The text seemingly became one of...
Introduction Wilfred Owen is often considered as one of the eminent war poets in English literature who exhibits real pathos in his poems. His war poetry shows an astonishing advance in expressions as well as contents. Owen had previous experimented with a variety of new technical devices, such as half–rhymes,...
Introduction The Friar, one of Chaucer’s portraits of what he perceived as a corrupt clergy, can simply be described as a fraud. At a glance The Friar is a religious and pious figure. But a close scrutiny reveals a character different from what he presents to the naked eye. Infact,...
Outline This paper is an attempt to analyze the character of Emilia in William Shakespeare’s tragic play Othello. It begins with a thesis statement and the body discusses various questions like what is the role of Emilia. Is Emilia responsible for Desdemona’s death? What is her role in the handkerchief...
Herman Melville’s “Bartleby the Scrivener” is the story about a person, who made himself imprisoned in his office. The main theme of the essay is to show the life of most people in New York from the point of view of capitalism which took its development during the time when...
It is difficult to identify as to who was the first feminist in the world and as to when the feminist movements had started, but majority of such movements can be traced during the last two centuries. However, there have been women feminists who have proved their abilities in this...
Introduction The main action of Arthur Miller’s play “Death of a Salesman” is focused on the final two days in the life of an ordinary man named Willy Loman. At the opening of the play, it becomes apparent that Willy has been losing his sanity, yet he is still somewhat...
Introduction The book by Scot Fitzgerald is hailed as a criticism on the period of materialism during the post-war America when people seemed to pursue relaxation and individual satisfaction. It was a time when alcohol was controlled, and through this, a plot was begun: a bootlegger becoming rich in the...
Introduction In “Night,” which is a semi-memoir dedicated to Elie Wiesel’s harrowing experiences in concentration camps, the topic of a father-son relationship and its development is very important. Elie, along with other Jewish people of his town, falls victim to the German occupation of Hungary. In 1944, Elie and his...
“Idler #31” Samuel Johnson revealed his ideas on idle people and the nature of idleness in his essay “Idler #31”. The author contemplates the essence of idleness. First, Johnson depicts an idler who buries him/herself in the complete darkness. One could understand Johnson’s words literally, but the author does not...
Themes of Little Red Riding Hood: Thesis Statement Despite the fact that Little Red Riding Hood is typically viewed as a children’s story telling about the perils of the phenomenon known as stranger danger, the tale can also be viewed through the prism of transitioning from childhood to adulthood and,...
Introduction T.S. Eliot is one of the most significant modernist poets, particularly due to his use of vivid imagery in the exploration of social issues pertaining to the British community of the time. The Waste Land, written in 1922, is a long poem that has captured the attention of many...
Introduction Modern authors often choose to explore different parts of their ancestors’ history that were unavailable to them before (Maus 37). Many of the writers do not only retell the stories of the past but also use some fictional elements to create a narrative that will show the struggles of...
Jaques, a character from the play As You Like It by William Shakespeare, creates an unexpected contrast to the entire premise of the Arden Forest. In broad terms, he aligns poorly with the setting of optimism and change for the better conveyed by the rest of the characters. However, upon...
Girl by Jamaica Kincaid Analysis: Introduction The short story “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid is a narrative about a girl between the ages of ‘innocence’ and ‘transformative entrance’ into adulthood. Her mother trains her how to be an ideal and respectable lady. She believes that she is the only person who...
Introduction The dystopian novel 1984 by George Orwell paints a somber picture of an authoritarian future ruled by the mind-controlling Thought Police of the governing Party and the ubiquitous Big Brother. This frightening vision is centered on Winston Smith, the story’s protagonist, a common citizen who launches a clandestine uprising...
Short Story Summary “Sweat,” a famous short story written by Zora Neale Hurston, has often been linked with the biblical perspectives of Adam and Eve. In his book, Zora comes up with a story of a wife, husband, and snake to make up the short story. Unlike Eve, who led...
Introduction The various literary genres that authors use in their works allow them to reveal the text’s central idea uniquely. The genre of satire, which the Anglo-Irish writer Jonathan Swift uses in A Modest Proposal, is an essential tool for conveying the author’s thoughts. The masterful application of satirical literary...
Robert Frost’s character in “Mending Wall” is similar to a modern real-life well-known person, Elon Musk, in terms of their shared penchant for pushing boundaries. However, they differ in their approaches to collaboration, with Frost’s character advocating for the traditional practice of mending a wall while Musk actively encourages the...
“Girl,” a short story by Jamaica Kincaid, tells the narrative of a traditional Antiguan mother trying to teach her daughter the correct etiquette as she grows up. In the novel, she tells her daughter what to do and what to avoid as a young woman. The mother presents her daughter...
The novel chosen for analysis is The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead, published in 2019. The Nickel Boys is the story of Elwood Curtis, an African American teenager in the 1960s who gets convicted at the Nickel Academy juvenile reformatory. In Nickel Academy, Elwood witnesses and experiences violence, racism, and...
Introduction Sonny’s Blue by James Baldwin, written in 1957, explores the different approaches two brothers take on the path to finding meaning in life. The narrator, a teacher, is not impressed by Sonny’s decision to venture into music and his abuse of heroin which lands him in jail. The story...
In A Doll’s House, Henrik Ibsen explores the theme of love and marriage. In particular, he is searching for the answers to whether there is love in marriage and how a successful marriage should be. In addition, he reflects upon the role of social standards and expectations in relation to...
John Winthrop lived from 1588 to 1649; as he was born into a wealthy family of land-owning merchants he received a good education. His father took a position at Cambridge University when John was young. As a result, John Winthrop was exposed to complex ideas from a very young age....
Jane Kenyon’s poem “Happiness” briefly describes how she views happiness and how it occurs most unexpectedly. She provides different scenarios in which happiness can occur to an individual. The poetic uses several poetic devices to structure her poem to give meaning to her ideas. The most notable poetic devices identified...
The “Flight” is a novel written by Sherman Alexie about an American teenager who calls himself zits. Sherman wrote this novel from the first-person perspective of Native American youth. Zits is depicted as a foster child who has spent most of his life moving from house to house and contending...
The relationship Aparna has with Pranab Kaku is very different in many regards from what she has with her husband. The two shared the same love for poetry, film, music, and leftist politics, and back in Bengal, Aparna and Pranab Kaku came from the same North Calcutta neighborhood. After being...
“The Necklace” is a story of a young woman who expresses discontent with the life she leads. Her unhappiness is the result of false expectations, and she is driven to despair by her humble surroundings. She is intent on escaping her reality by engaging in endless daydreaming. In addition, she...
Short stories are a valuable form of literature, as they reveal their authors’ ability to transmit powerful messages and topical themes through a concise medium. This paper addresses the works by Anton Chekhov and Joyce Carol Oates. These authors are divided by a half-century of artistic evolution with a profound...
Human relationships are never simple and are usually predetermined by a variety of factors. In Lawrence’s “The Rocking-Horse Winner,” the theme of family relationships is described through the vision of a little boy, Paul, and his mother, Hester, and the impact of such issues as money and personal needs. Despite...
Jean Baptiste Moliere’s comedies have been called the “mirror of the mores” of the time. One of Moliere’s favorite techniques was hyperbolization as a technique for creating images-types. Characters were typified in the minds of viewers and readers and became common nouns. The situation prevailing in the country at that...
Introduction Death is notably one of the universal fears that translates to almost every culture, time, and age. All people eventually face death in their lifetime: either their own or their loved ones. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that dying is a widely researched topic in many literary works....
The Preliminary Chart Evidence from the Poem Inference from this Evidence “From blossoms comes / this brown paper bag of peaches” (Lee, lines 1-2). The poet appreciates nature and its gift – the peaches. He is glad and excited about eating them; this is pure childish happiness. From laden boughs,...
Introduction Readers cannot always pinpoint elements of fiction that makes it different from reality, which is reflective of the mastery some writers have in terms of constructing a compelling work of literature. Apart from the storyline, characterization has the ability to engage readers and make the story realistic and relatable....
A Worn Path is a short story laden with meaning and symbolism wrote by Eudora Welty. The narrative is about an old African American woman, Phoenix Johnson, walking a familiar path in the rural areas of Natchez, Mississippi, seeking to get medicine for her ailing grandson. The story is written...
Introduction Indian mythology is rich in legends and stories about the lives of various tribes. One such example is The Story of Asdiwal, which was told by Tsimshian Indians, natives of the Northwest Pacific coast of Canada. The story provides the reader with a detailed overview of the lives of...
To begin with, I would like to say that the story “Some are born to sweet delight” written by Nadine Gordimer and the poem “When the towers fell” by Galway Kinnell penetrate the readers with their gravity, compassion and feeling of death. In these two works the authors raise such...
Prospero’s Character Analysis: Introduction While reading William Shakespeare’s “The Tempest”, one questions himself or herself if the main character’s Prospero’s rule is just or not. To prove his or her viewpoint, one should analyze Prospero’s choices to explain his values; one should also examine and discuss the treatment and the...
Thesis statement What causes the historical legacy of the Holocaust particularly disturbing is that, while exterminating Jews, the Nazis were also trying to humiliate/dehumanize the ‘chosen people’ in just about every way possible. The book Night by Elie Wiesel illustrates the validity of this suggestion. Body of the paper One...
Amanda Wingfield is the protagonist of Tennessee William’s Glass Menagerie. She is the mother of the two other characters – Tom and Laura. She is a character with admirable qualities and her personality is beyond any sympathy. Her character is that of a dreamer who in the end turns a...
What is the conflict between Antigone and Creon? This paper has the answer. Read it to learn all about the conflict between Antigone and Creon. Antigone Summary This story begins after banishment of Oedipus, the king of Thebes. His son Eteocles takes over the throne. Eteocles brother Polyneices refutes this...
The Two Protagonists Can Help to Trace Changes Beowulf is one of the most influential works in the English literature. The book has inspired numerous authors. Tolkien was also inspired by the great epic. His famous book The Lord of the Rings can be regarded as a kind of the...
Introduction Paulo Coelho’s “The Alchemist” is a fascinating story of the journey to self-discovery, which resonates with every individual’s life in pursuit of success and destiny. Santiago is the novel’s protagonist whose journey to self-discovery unravels numerous challenges as they search for their hidden treasure. Throughout Santiago’s navigation to find...
Introduction “The Importance of Being Earnest” by Oscar Wilde is a classic comedy exploring love, deception, and societal expectations. One of the most prominent aspects of this play is its use of humor. Through this technique, Wilde effectively conveys the importance of being true to oneself in a world entirely...
The Seagull is a famous play by Russian author Anton Chekhov who significantly influenced worldwide theater arts. The comedy was primarily performed in 1896, and the central theme it addressed was the distinction in world perception and values between generations. The play contains four acts and thirteen characters of diverse...
The Iliad, which was allegedly written by Homer, is one of the oldest and simultaneously greatest works of the past. It presents a story that tells readers the story of Achilles, who fights on the side of Achaeans in the Trojan War. An epic often contains elements that show the...
Introduction The Open Boat by Stephen Crane is an endurance tale about four people who have survived a disaster and are now working as a team to locate any piece of land they can discover while only traveling in a tiny boat on the ocean. Nature is on their tail,...
The participation of children in labor activities in order to help their families survive was a common situation for American society in the 1910s. In his poem “Out, Out–” that was published in 1916, Robert Frost draws the readers’ attention to this aspect while telling a story about a young...
Introduction The Veldt is a short story by American writer Ray Bradbury, which takes a reader to the distant future, where people model reality at their discretion. The African Veldt in this work is an innovative room bought by the Hadley couple for their children. At some point, the adults...
Introduction The poet of interest is Janice Mirikitani, an Asian American poet who strongly appeals to me even though her culture is different from my own. The main reason is that her works show that there are many similarities between cultures, but the difference is how common human struggles and...
Kazuo Ishiguro’s story A Family Supper is a prime example of how the bulk of the words can hide deep meanings and subtexts. In this work, the author uses the essential components of the artwork, including setting, tone, and means of expression. All of these elements, mutually influencing each other,...
The theme of relations with nature has always been important for society. The attitude and understanding of this concept have been changing along with the development of society and technologies. The idea of the individual as a part of the world was replaced by the belief that human beings are...
Background James Baldwin is one of the renowned writers in the US whose piece of work covers issues of racial discrimination faced by black people in the country. The author is African American who lived in Harlem, New York City, in the 1930s. Majorly, the themes of Baldwin’s writing are...
Introduction Everyman is a morality play written by an anonymous author and printed in the 15th century. The play depicts an Everyman – an ordinary man representing humankind – who is searching for companions to accompany him on his journey to face God’s judgment. This paper aims to discuss the...
Carlos Fuentes Biography The Death of Artemio Cruz is a book written by Carlos Fuentes in 1962 about the Mexican Revolution and its aftermath. Fuentes was a Mexican novelist and writer born in 1928 and died in 2012. Fuentes was considered one of the finest writers in Latin America, and...
Background It is hard to disagree that the topic of the family may be difficult and heartbreaking for many people. To make it easier to relive happy or sad memories of the family, some poets devote their poems to this topic. For example, in “My Wicked Wicked Ways,” written in...
Summary The short story “Desiree’s Baby,” written by Kate Chopin, touches upon various cultural, psychological, and philosophical topics. Within this story, Chopin discusses the issues of unconditional love, acceptance, self-identification, and race (Hassan and Tayib 139). The last problem has always been the severe obstacle to establishing understanding within different...
On the surface, there could not be anything less exciting than the lives of suburbanites. Often scorned for their mundane and often overly practical perspective, average middle-class U.S. citizens represent a rather uninspiring picture at first glance (Sañudo, 2020). However, John Cheever’s 1978 “The Wrysons” shows that there is much...
Many have desired a magic stick at least once in their lives, but few understand the luck of it remaining a fiction. The short story The Monkey’s Paw by William Wymark Jacobs tells the reader about an ordinary family granted the possibility to change their life but bitterly regretting it...
Culture is a vital aspect of every society, depicted through gender roles, power distribution, and the place of men and women in society. Literature serves to highlight the cultural practices engraved in society. The play A Doll’s House is a three-part play by the renowned playwright Henrik Ibsen. A Doll’s...
Introduction “Alice in Wonderland” by Lewis Carroll is one of the most significant provocative works in world literature. It is an unusual fairy tale that does not leave either adults or children indifferent. On the beautiful summer day on July 4, 1862, the English writer traveled on the River Thames...
Geoffrey Chaucer is widely known as the father of English literature, the first English poet and humanist. The life of Chaucer is a fantastic example of a person’s existence in numerous social fields. The Great English poet communicated with people from practically every social class at various times in his...
Introduction The phenomenon of the American Dream appears vague and indeterminate in the American literature. In a broad sense, this term indicates both material and spiritual values of the American citizens. It is a complex of various ideals, inherent for the Americans since their childhood. The American Dream is a...
Chapter 19: Global Crisis, 1910 – 1939 World War I was the first modern war, and its consequences were fundamental on a grand scale. Adelman et al. (2017) state that WWI’s aftermath expedited the trend toward mass society and hastened the debates on how to measure progress and organize people...
“Oedipus the King” is an enigmatic tragedy account where fate makes the main character to kill his father and marry his mother unknowingly. Sophocles borrows heavily from Aristotles’ tragedy ideas to make a tragic hero with a noble personality who is made to fall by mere errors in life caused...
George Orwell, the birth name Eric Arthur Blair, was a famous British author whose literary works showed his love for simplicity in language. Most importantly they reflect Orwell’s “profound consciousness of social injustice and belief n democratic socialism (Orwell Archives).” As Orwell states in his 1946 essay “Why I Write,”...
Introduction The tragicomedy The Tempest by the great playwright William Shakespeare is an outstanding and world-famous work that is full of quotes and sayings, which, in turn, have become catchphrases. Some characters of this story are endowed with magical powers, which allows the author to convey his subtexts and ideas...
Introduction Shakespeare’s use of two plots in a single play is an important literal structure that appears in several of his works. However, his play ‘King Lear’ is the most important work that provides evidence of this literal structure. Arguably, despite criticisms that Shakespeare confused his audience with more than...
The poem I, Too by Langston Hughes has left me very inspired. The line which I found to be the strongest is “I, too, am America” (Hughes 275), because it received my emotional feedback. It sends a message, to which I can relate myself since I consider myself to be...
Where are the borders between the truth and lies, between justice and injustice? Should the world be considered being civil and civilized, if it is based on the principles of law? What is the connection between law and justice, between civilization and the barbarian world? J. M. Coetzee has discussed...
This essay sample explores the major theme in Beloved: slavery and its dehumanizing effects. Read it if you are curious about the theme of slavery in Beloved its connection to the theme of motherhood. Slavery in Beloved: Introduction Slavery is one of the major distressing issues in society bearing in...
Introduction Among the many plays created by Shakespeare, one of the most outstanding was the tragedy of Othello. The play’s conflict is based on feelings of trust, love, and jealousy. The work is based on the tragedy that lies in Othello’s downfall, which consists of the murder of his beloved...
Working Thesis Although Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit may appear like an improbable hero, his development from a softened hobbit to a brave person challenges the conventional idea of heroism. Annotated Bibliography da Rocha, Fabian Quevedo. “From the Fairy Tale to the Epic: The Change in the Narrative Tone in...
Introduction This introduction begins with an in-depth examination of the various stages of the human experience through the entertaining “Tuesdays with Morrie” story. By immersing readers in the emotionally charged bond between Albom and Schwartz, the author’s work sheds light on the intricate nature of human existence. Through a concise...
One prominent symbol in “The Story of An Hour” by Chopin is the open window by which the protagonist stands as the events unfold. As Mrs. Mallard’ processes’ the news of her husband’s death, “she was drinking in a very elixir of life through that open window” (Chopin). The open...
Introduction The Veldt is a short story composed by Ray Bradbury that depicts a family’s life in a technologically advanced house. The parents are getting continually more frustrated as they lose communication with their children due to the automated operations. The home provides food, bathes children, plays with them, and...
Introduction Filial piety is a Confucian principle that refers to the act of respecting one’s parents, elders, ancestors, and seniors. The principle is a very important aspect of Chinese society, especially and was embraced after the emergence of Confucianism. Today, it is one of the most important responsibilities of any...
Introduction Aristotelian tragedy and Shakespearean tragedy are the two most important forms of tragedy in the study of the evolution of this genre. Although Shakespearean conceptions of tragedy influenced Aristotelian views, some differences can be seen between them. The main peculiar feature between Aristotle and Shakespearean tragedy is the unity...
“Rape of the Lock” is Alexander Pope’s mock-heroic narrative poem written in 1717. In it, the author describes the life of aristocrats in London of the 18th century. At the same time, the poem may be regarded as a powerful social satire that aims to represent all weaknesses and negative...
Introduction Since the dawn of time, there has been intense discussion about the definition of a hero. The original heroes were sons of humankind and deity who first appeared in classical Greek literature. There are significant differences between the Ancient Greek and contemporary ideas of heroism. A hero in the...
Robert Frost’s After Apple Picking encompasses what I value in a literary work in regard to its symbolism hidden behind realism. At first glance, the poem portrays the narrator picking apples and becoming tired in “I am done with apple-picking now” (Frost, line 6). However, as the poem progresses, a...
Introduction Gender roles have long been a predominant issue in society. The male sex is expected to be virile, aggressive, risk-taking, and the breadwinner of the family. The female sex is presented as caring, responsible, gentle, polite, and amiable. Anne Sexton, in her poem Cinderella focuses on the position of...
As befits an epic hero, Beowulf possesses almost superhuman qualities when it comes to performing on a battlefield. His physical strength has no equals, his combat prowess is unmatched, and his bravery can put almost any man to shame. However, Beowulf is not only a formidable warrior but also a...
In Washington Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” the characters of Ichabod Crane and Brom Van Brunt seem almost diametrically opposite. The contrast between them is shaped by their appearance, social status, and behavior. Still, there are a lot of commonalities in their motivations, which expand the characterizations of the...
Introduction Gabriel Garcia Marquez is a Colombian Nobel prize winner commonly regarded as one of the best authors of the 20th century (Echevarría). His works famously blend elements of fantasy and realism to explore solitude, violence, and the human condition (Echevarría). A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings is a...
Layli Long Soldier’s “38” is an interesting case of writing in many respects. First and foremost, while it mostly follows the grammatical and syntactical conventions of formal English, it emphasizes these choices specifically and explains their meaning instead of leaving them “as is.” Apart from that, even though the text...
Jamaica Kincaid’s “On Seeing England for the First Time” is a piece that reflects on her pessimistic view of the country. The narrative of the writing constructs a growing dislike, or even hatred, for England through comparisons to what can be seen as negative metaphors, such as a leg of...
The character of Iago from Shakespeare’s Othello is one of the most unique and multi-faceted villainous characters from all of Shakespeare’s works. The mysterious and deceitful aura of the character makes the play more thrilling to the viewer or reader, who is aware of Iago’s untruthful motives, and makes the...
Introduction Figurative language and metaphors are used in short stories and poems to establish mood, develop characterization, enhance daily language, and make the works more expressive and brighter. In the poem “Marks,” Linda Pastan uses an extended metaphor to demonstrate the narrator’s attitude toward her family members and their appraisal...
About fifty lines in the chivalric romance Sir Gawain and the Green Knight take over the significant symbol, the Pentangle, displayed on the Gawain’s shield. Each knight had a different design or symbol placed on his shield, which made it possible to identify people in battle when helmets obscured their...
Both written pieces represent memoirs, which implies that those stories happened in real life, and it raises more exceptional emotions within the readers. Us and Them is a powerful piece discussing mindless beliefs and adaptation to something uncomplicated, like television. Sedaris’s purpose is to show how people are unable to...
Terry Tempest Williams structures her essay so well that it has the flow and exhibits a considerable amount of creativity. She envelops the readers in a heart-wrenching narrative about her family, inducing emotions and developing a sympathetic heart (“The Clan of The One-Breasted Women – Rhetorical analysis,” 2020). Additionally, she...
Since time immemorial, humans have wondered about the origins of everything, including the Earth, natural forces, animals, and even themselves. Such curiosity about the unknown encouraged early humans to search for answers; however, since at that time, science was not yet as developed as today, people started to create myths....
Annabel Lee is the latest poem by Edgar Allan Poe, which elaborates on the death of a young woman. There is no consensus in research and art literature on who is the protagonist of Annabelle Lee’s poem. The subject of the death of a beautiful woman is often touched upon...
“First Day of Winter” is a work by an American writer Breece D’J Pancake. This short story reveals the inner conflict of the main character, Hollis, and shows an uneasy relationship with his parents. Hollis is a farm boy who takes care of his elderly and feeble mother and father....
August Wilson’s “Fences” delves into the lives of African Americans. More specifically, Wilson uses the life of the protagonist Troy Maxson to explore common social conflicts and themes such as love, gender roles, and responsibility. Troy’s conflict with the Whites, as well as Tory’s relationship with Rose, are two dominant...
Introduction The piece written by Alice Walker is a short story about a 10-year-old girl named Myop, who turned from a carefree child into a person understanding the cruel realities of life in one day. The child was walking through the area she was living in to explore the beautiful...
Argument The key argument that Michel-Rolph Trouillot sets forward in Silencing the Past: Power and the Production of History is that history in itself is created by historians, while reality is what is produced by events and processes. History represents the human narration of reality that is viewed subjectively from...
Introduction The book “Rich Dad Poor Dad” was written by Robert Kiyosaki. The novel aims at enlightening people on how to achieve monetary success through rewarding business activities. It draws insights from the lives of two fathers who have disparate personalities and perspectives of money. The author compares the principles,...
Introduction Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen was first published in 1993 and is an autobiographical account of the author during her period in the psychiatric ward. The storyline follows Kaysen’s voluntary admission into the McLean Hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts, when she was eighteen years old. Kaysen reflects on her life...
Introduction What We Talk About When We Talk About Love is a concluding story in a self-titled collection of short stories written by Raymond Carver. It sets to explores various notions humans have about love. The title itself suggests that there are different perceptions people can have about this concept,...
“What You Pawn, I Will Redeem” is a chef-d’oeuvre short story by Sherman Alexie written and published in 2003 for the first time. The story is about a broke and homeless Spokane Indian named Jackson Jackson, who has to look for $1,000 to redeem his grandmother’s regalia, which from a...
Dear Cornelius, I hope this letter finds you in good health and high spirit. Alas, I cannot say so about myself at the moment. I cannot possibly explain what heartbreaking and unfortunate news awaited thy loyal friend Hamlet upon his returning home. You are my kindred spirit and the only...
The poem “The Road Not Taken” depicts personal philosophy and perception of life by the author. This poem is full of symbolism which helps Robert Frost to create unique messages and appeal to the emotions and imagination of readers. This paper finds and describes unique symbols running through Robert Frost’s...
Human society has gone through multiple numbers of epochs and stages in its development, and on each of those stages, human beings have coined certain rules and laws to regulate their lives. In the modern world, the rational mind seems to rule the creation of laws, but in the ancient...
Introduction The play ‘Death of a Salesman’ by Arthur Miller depicts contradiction arisen in the industrial society and personal values shared by a new man. Through the characters of Willy Loman and his sons, Miller criticizes society and its false values, consumerism and mass culture. Stylistic devices and unique vision...
Introduction The Wife of Bath’s Tale is considered to be a disclosure of the female role in the society in the period of Late Middle Ages. The Wife of Bath starts in King Arthur’s days; this period was characterized by the great majority of elves and fairies. The story is...
“Luis J. Rodriguez is a singular act in contemporary American literature. Poet, publisher, essayist, fiction and film writer, music producer, children’s author and youth advocate” in the autobiographical narrative Always Running La Vida Loca: Gang Days in L. A. gives a complete picture about his early life. (Jeff Biggers, Compassion...
“You will remember, my dear Postumius Terentianus, that when we examined together the treatise of Caecilius on the Sublime, we found that it fell below the dignity of the whole subject, while it failed signally to grasp the essential points, and conveyed to its readers but little of that practical...
Introduction The play, Death of a Salesman, portrays the theme of American dream and its impact on ordinary citizens like Willy Loman and his sons. Miller portrays that for Willy, the pride, the disappointment, the suffering are never so deeply felt, or so variously, as in relation to Biff, the...
Introduction The collection of short stories, St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves, by Karen Russell presents tales narrated by adolescents that presents realistic detail of the miraculous phantasmagoric existence. Each story is infused with fantasy – dating of ghosts and humans in “Ava Wrestles the Alligator”, a song...
Symbolism in the story The introduction of symbols throughout the story is a literary technique frequently used by various authors. By incorporating particular signs and objects into the surrounding environment, it becomes possible to allude to specific details that specify the characters’ traits or their behavior, leading to a better...
The play “Trifles” by Susan Glaspell appears to center on the murder mystery but the reality of the world that people live in goes much deeper. Even though the horror of the scene and the house is worsened by the preceding events, the true despair and disturbance are observed in...
Poetry has always been one of the most popular forms of art used by individuals to reflect their feelings and emotions. Using various stylistic devices, rhymes, and rhythm, the author creates a unique image and sounding, attracting readers’ attention, triggering their feelings and emotions, and making them empathize with the...
Perseverance is one of the key traits associated with the American identity. The short story “The soft-hearted Sioux” by Zitkala-Sa is a perfect example of this trait. The main character of this story is a Native American who wishes to follow a path different from his ancestors. Despite the pressure...
Notably, the gothic genre has some common features regardless of authorial differences and the nature of the artwork. For instance, The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter and Dracula by Bram Stoker were both set in the 20th and 19th centuries, respectively. As a result, The Bloody Chamber and Dracula are...
Introduction An Old English poem Beowulf was written by an unknown author approximately at the end of the VII century. It is an epic with alliterative verses in the Germanic glorious story genre. Macbeth is a drama play written and composed by William Shakespeare, who was a prominent English author....
Introduction One of the essential and eternal questions that have been worrying people since ancient times is the history of the creation of this world, nature, and humanity as a whole. Some persons are content with the existence of several different assumptions and simply prefer to concentrate on their daily...
Summary Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery is one of the most well-known and culturally significant short stories in the history of American literature. It provides an insightful and horrifying look at the comfort people take in passively accepting horrifying events as long as they are part of the accepted stability. Set...
The poem “When Lilacs in the Dooryard Bloom’d” is one of the masterpieces of Walt Whitman containing deep symbolism. It is used to convey feelings and emotions and help readers to understand the central message of the author. The star, the lilac, and the bird are the three words that...
