Vision and Blindness in Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex

Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex, or Oedipus the King, is rightfully known as one of the most significant tragedies of the classical literature of ancient Greece. Dealing with the topics of responsibility for one’s actions and the mortals’ ability to discern the often mysterious will of the gods, the tragedy follows the...

The Horrors of War in Wilfred Owen’s ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’

Introduction The poem “Dulce et Decorum Est” by Wilfred Owen details the experiences he went through while fighting in the First World War. His main goal was to dispel the commonly held assumption that soldiers who survive in combat are heroes. He does not agree with the concept of dying...

Plato’s Sixth Book of Republic: Divided Line

Introduction Plato’s sixth book of Republic describes the philosophy of the Divided Line. His allegory divides the world into two unequal parts: visible and intelligible. These categories are divided further into two, thus creating a line of the world containing four sections. While the first realm consists of images and...

Transformation of Kurtz’s Character in “Heart of Darkness”

Introduction Characters represent the essence of the plot as their experiences and perspectives shape the attitudes of readers toward the story being told. Without characters and their development during the narrative, the story cannot progress. Thus, the characters of Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness had to be memorable with their...

Analysis of “She Lives in a Pat of Butter”

The poem “She lives in a pat of Butter” by Ramsey Jade revolves around the role of women in conducting domestic chores and setting good examples for their children in the modern world. Even though the efforts provided by mothers and wives are similar, the societal expectation is for women...

Emotional and Physical Difficulties in The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien

The book, “The Things They Carried,” by Tim O’Brien represents war’s emotional and physical burdens. The author captures his story and his colleagues, other soldiers who endure moral, emotional, and physical difficulties. The physical commitment includes military gear and other objects from those they left behind. They had guns and...

Conflict in “The Stranger” Novel by Albert Camus

Conflicts between children and their parents are a rather common issue that may influence one’s life significantly. In some cases, those disagreements may affect them even after the parent figure dies. This specific case is shown in the novel The Stranger by Albert Camus, as readers follow the story of...

Theme of Marriage in “A Doll’s House” by Henrik Ibsen

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...

A Web of Lies in ‘The Crucible’ by Arthur Miller

Introduction Arthur Miller was motivated to compose The Crucible because of what transpired in America in the 1950s. Suspicion of witchery and an association with the Devil rose in the 1600s in Salem, Massachusetts. The accusations and apprehension are similar to the time of McCarthyism in the United States of...

“The Yellow Wallpaper” by Gilman as a Symbol of Oppression

The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is a story about a woman feeling trapped and suffering because of her isolation. The story is told from the perspective of a wife who has recently given birth to a child she has not been able to see. The narrator is sick...

Shelley’s Frankenstein as “The Modern Prometheus”

“Frankenstein,” Mary Shelley’s famous novel, which she wrote when she was just eighteen years old, continues to captivate people all over the world. This narrative still speaks of the present world two centuries after Shelley’s “Frankenstein” first came to life, and its importance cannot be overstated. In Shelley’s work, scientific...

The “Old Boys, Old Girls” Story by Edward Jones

According to Rolston (2018), Edward Jones’s stories, mainly Old Boys, Old Girls, reflect how institutions and social circumstances shape the life and struggles of the African American male ex-convicts. Indeed, by portraying the life of Caesar Matthews, Edward Jones’ stories give insight into the African-American individuals’ criminal record complicate their...

“The Butcher’s Tale” by Helmut Walser Smith

The Butcher’s Tale: Murder and Anti-Semitism in a German Town by Helmut Walser Smith is a 2002 book set in a Prussian town in the early 1900s. The novel begins with Smith outlining the details and history of a grisly murder that occurred in Konitz. While the town is now...

Anne Bradstreet vs. Mary Rowlandson Comparison

Anne Bradstreet and Mary Rowlandson are American Puritan writers of the 17th century who focused their works on the individual, real-life aspects which were influenced by their spiritual development of personality and religious involvement. This period in literature was primarily associated with the religious influence on writers’ lives by focusing...

“Happy Endings” Short Story by Margaret Atwood

Introduction In the short story “Happy Endings,” the Canadian novelist and poet Margaret Atwood discusses the nature of relationships, the importance of love, and its impact on human life. The author delivers six different scenarios making the main characters’ lives full of challenges and joy. In the ideal scenario (“A”),...

Analysis of “The Ark of Bones” Story

“The Ark of Bones” is a short story written by African American author Henry Dumas. The setting of the story is in the 1900s at the shores of the Mississippi River, a place with myths and misconceptions among the African Americans and the whites as well. The story involves two...

“The Broken Spears”: The Spanish Conquest of the Aztecs

“The Broken Spears” is a fascinating and captivating book that provides an engaging and graphical account of the annihilation of Mexico by the Spanish. The book provides a more expressive and human perspective of the events of the military confrontation between the Spanish and Aztecs (Leon-Portilla 1992). This literary text...

Shift from Naturalism to Modernism in Literature

Literature of the early 20th century was characterized by the shift from Realism to Modernism. A number of factors shaped people’s perception of the changing world marked by the development of industrial societies and rapid urbanization. Furthermore, people were affected by the horrors of the Civil War and World War...

God Created War so that Americans Would Learn Geography

Mark Twain’s quote “God created war so that Americans would learn Geography” humorously depict the levels of American involvement with other countries at that time. Twain lived during the late 19th century when America was repeatedly involved in different wars, for instance, Red Cloud’s War, Mexican-American War, Great Sioux War,...

Close Reading of Alice Spencer’s “White Things”

The works of Anne Spencer, one of the well-known representatives of women’s poetry of the 20th century, are distinguished by their vivid and expressive literary techniques. In her poems, she touches upon serious aspects of interpersonal relationships and universal values. As an object of analysis, her poem “White Things” will...

Shakespeare vs Marlowe

During many years, nearly two centuries, many literary critics and lovers of the literature are pointing out the great similarity between the works of William Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe. Some people approve that this is the one and the same person. Others claim that Marlowe is one of the predecessors...

“Me Talk Pretty One Day”: Reading Analysis

In his article, David Sedaris (2000) conveys his vivid experience with learning the French language being an adult. The author claims that learning something new is difficult and challenging regardless of one’s age, origin, or general knowledge. The writer wants to teach his audience to appreciate the experience as it...

“Paralytic” by Sylvia Plath: The Lesson of Compassion

Humanities is an interesting batch of disciplines, as it studies what seems obvious – people themselves and what they create. However, it appears that both subjects are complex, and there is no definite way to interpret them. The sheer variety of art expressions shows not only how talented the creators...

Traditions in “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson

“The Lottery” was written by Shirley Jackson in 1948 and contains many notable themes that are significant and relevant to discuss even today. The author tells a story of a fictional village which practices a long-established custom of conducting an annual lottery. The symbolism chosen by Jackson constitutes an important...

Family Conflict in A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry

A Raisin in the Sun is a story about an African American family trying to overcome poverty and find a place in the middle class written by Lorraine Hansberry. The main plot which the reader can identify in the first half of the work is the conflict between the sixty-year-old...

Allegory in “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Faith is Goodman Brown’s young wife; they have been married for three months. She is believed to symbolize his spiritual faith, and her pink ribbons are mentioned by the author as a symbol of her innocence. At the end of the story, when Goodman comes back to the village, he...

The Concept of Sight in “Oedipus the King” by Sophocles

The concept of sight is one of the most complex metaphors used in the Greek tragic play “Oedipus the King” by Sophocles. As a metaphor, sight refers both to the literal meaning of seeing, as well as to the figurative sense of knowing and understanding. The relevance of this concept...

“The Book of Questions” by Pablo Neruda

The Book of Questions by Pablo Neruda is a complicated and stimulating poem that encourages readers to delve deeper into the fundamental questions of life and reality. From the very beginning, the speaker asks a set of four questions that are seemingly unrelated to one another at first glance. The...

Literary Analysis “The Leavers” by Lisa Ko

Introduction The given literary analysis will primarily focus on The Leavers by Lisa Ko, which narrates the story of an abandoned child and his search for belonging. The main character is Daniel or Deming, whose mother is Polly Guo. The narrative focuses on the continuous abandonment of the protagonist, which...

“The Globalization of Eating Disorders” by Susan Bordo

Introduction The success of any article and scientific work also depends on the written skills of the author. If the text is captivating from the first paragraph, the audience continues to read. The most challenging thing is to encourage the readers to finish the article to the end. The persuasiveness...

“Recitatif” by Tony Morrisson

Introduction This essay focuses on the analysis of Tony Morrisson’s short story “Recitatif.” The issue of race is explored throughout the story, with Morrison introducing the setting and one character as a “strange place with a girl from a whole other race” (1). Through the interactions between Twyla and Roberta,...

“Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” Short Story by Joyce Carol Oates

The plot of the short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates centers around the encounter of a girl and a mysterious man who tries to seduce her. It has both realistic and allegorical levels of meaning and is generally viewed as an illustration...

“I, Too” by Langston Hughes

Introduction By “I, too sing America” the author means that he also sings the anthem of America as he is a full-fledged citizen of the country, has the right to be a patriot, and can be proud of his homeland. Hughes “sings” and tries to convey the main idea of...

Oedipus Versus Hamlet: Resilience in Characters

Introduction Resilience as the ability to hold onto one’s beliefs despite the odds that the world may throw at a person is one of the traits that appeal particularly strongly to readers in characters. Of all characters that possess the specified quality, Hamlet and Oedipus seem to represent the quality...

“Loathe at First Sight” by Ellen Conford

“You ARE dripping on my toes.” The girl seemed to be really angry with the boy, as her deep blue eyes shone almost black. “I’m sorry. I was admiring you from afar, and I wanted to admire you from a-near. From afar you looked terrific.” The boy flushed, pecking at...

“How America Was Discovered” Analysis

The work of Handsome Lake How America was discovered is a fiction that bears more ideological and precaution character for a reader. The story of a white preacher who once met the Creator telling him about a country where people would be cruel and corrupt because of money greed and...

Analysis of Madame Loisel Character Traits

Madame Loisel Character Traits: Personality Analysis Essay Introduction Guy de Maupassant’s short story “The Necklace” describes the life of a lady dwelling in nineteenth-century France and experiencing the difficulties associated with her desires to be an aristocrat and her real average life. Desiring to look wealthier than she is, Mathilde...

Narrative & Meaning in Jackson’s “The Lottery”

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

The Arabian Nights: Emotional Folklore and Moral Lessons

The Prologue The Arabian Nights is, perhaps, the best-known element of the Arabian folklore. However, reading the stories and especially the introduction to the book remains a thrilling adventure because of the emotional nature of the stories and the unique way of teaching moral lessons that each story offers. Still,...

“Trifles” Play by Susan Glaspell

Introduction ‘Trifles’ is a one-act play by Susan Glaspell. It was written in 1916. Glaspell tells a true story about a murder that happened in a small town in Lowa. The narrative revolves around a farmer named John Wright. The man was murdered by a person who strung a rope...

The Histories by Herodotus: Meaning and Purposes

Introduction Herodotus’ Histories, a multi-volume literary composition, is not a historical work in the modern sense of the genre. Describing the events that took place over the course of the Greco-Persian Wars serves as the major theme in the book, yet along the way, the author also creates a thorough...

“Nothing Gold Can Stay” by Robert Frost

Nothing Gold Can Stay is a well-known poem by Robert Frost. One of the primary outstanding features of this work is that it took the author only eight lines to express a set of thoughtful philosophical ideas and deep emotions. Apart from the captivating wisdom of the author’s lines expressed...

Essay on Soldier’s Home: Analysis of the Characters

If you need to write a Soldier’s Home analysis or theme essay, this sample is for you. Here, you will find Soldier’s Home summary and see the story explained. Introduction For those who have done through the nightmare of the war, life can never be the same again. Sadly, it...

The Courtesy in “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” Poem

How does Sir Gawain show courtesy? Find the answer in this essay! Read it to learn all about courtesy in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Courtesy in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight: Introduction The concept of courtesy in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight features on almost every...

Antigone as a Tragic Hero: Exploring Sophocles’ Masterwork

Introduction One of the reasons why there is indeed the spirit of tragism to the tragedy Antigone by Sophocles, is that the masterwork’s main character (Antigone) fits rather well the pattern of a ‘tragic hero’. In this paper, I will explore the validity of the above-stated at length, while emphasizing...

Modern Society’ Mirror in the Drama “Ghost” by Henrik Ibsen

Each family has its skeleton in the cupboard. Thus, Alving’s cupboard would have been better never to open. We meet this family on the pages of the Ghost, a famous play written by a prominent Norwegian playwriter, Henrik Ibsen. This author is known for his desire to make the world...

Analyzing Literary Elements in Frances Harper’s “The Slave Mother” Poem

Introduction Frances Ellen Watkins was an influential African American writer and abolitionist. Harper, an African American poet and abolitionist, composed the poem The Slave Mother during the antebellum era. This 1857 publication portrays the inevitable hardships working mothers who are separated from their cherished children face. Harper employs poetic elements...

Langston Hughes’ “Mother to Son” Poem

Mother to Son is a narrative poem written by Langston Hughes, an American poet, novelist, and playwright. The poem is constructed in the form of a monologue of a mother addressing her son. She states that life has been hard for her and compares overcoming the struggles to climbing stairs....

“Thinking as a Hobby” Book by William Golding

The three statuettes in the headmaster’s office that Golding writes about are a miniature of Rodin’s Thinker, a miniature of Venus de Milo, and a statuette of a crouching leopard. In Golding’s view, the statuette of Venus represented the third grade of thinking. While it is a symbol of beauty...

The Poem “When Death Comes” by Mary Oliver

“When Death Comes” is Oliver’s deep thought of what happens when one dies. Oliver narrates how death can determine life when the crossing time reaches and decides to cross over, and new adventures await. Despite reaching the other side, the speaker is determined to look back at life and be...

Aeneas’ Characteristic in Aeneid by Virgil

The epic Aeneid is the most outstanding work of the Roman poet Virgil. The poem is based on mythical accounts of the legendary ancestors of the Romans, the Trojans, and their king Aeneas. The latter, according to legends, founded a kingdom on Latin soil, which became the foundation of the...

Digital Age in “The Veldt” by Ray Bradbury

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...

Shakespeare’s “Othello” Play Interpretation

The play’s primary setting is in the street of Venice, a city famous for its trade, banking, and military strength. At the beginning of the play, there is an unfolding argument about romance and relationship that triggers a conflict between different people in the play. The main character in the...

Environmental Ethics in Oryx and Crake by Atwood

The central narrative line in Margaret Atwood’s dystopian tragedy Oryx and Crake is built around the story of a man named Snowman, who lives in a post-apocalyptic world alongside humanoid-like creatures called Crackers. At first glance, this story may seem to be about a fantastical, unreal world and Snowman’s adventures...

“A Tale of Two Cities” by Dickens

Introduction Tales are fictional stories that normally tend to offer details concerning the way a given community is behaving or performing its duties. Various authors have developed specific ways of presenting their views. One of the good examples of such authors is Dickens, who is currently recognized as one of...

Analysis of Symbols in “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson

Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” is an impressive short novel that narrates the story of an intriguing but cruel tradition in a small village in the United States. The villagers annually conduct a lottery on 27 June, and shockingly, the “winner” gets brutally killed with stones by other residents. “The Lottery”...

Why Markus Brutus Is a Tragic Hero

Introduction William Shakespeare doubtlessly is on the list of the world’s greatest tragedy authors; for many his name is the first to associate with this genre. However, due to the depth and multidimensionality of Shakespeare’s creations, it is not necessarily possible to identify a certain character in his play as...

God’s Anthropomorphism and Divinity in Homer’s Poem “Iliad”

Introduction Homer’s epic poem Iliad is one of the most influential literary works in western literature, and it is a detailed description of the values, norms, and beliefs of Ancient Greece. The author depicts the Greek pantheon of gods and their multiple interactions with people. One of the major peculiarities...

“Joy” by Smith and “Peculiar Benefits” by Gay: Comparative Analysis

Certainly, for a better understanding of any information, one should not only describe or analyze but also compare. Thus, two essays were selected for the current analysis, which would be analyzed and compared in the context of its genre, choice of authors, and conventions. Primarily, one should note that the...

“I Think It Rains” Poem by Wole Soyinka

The poem “I Think It Rains” by Soyinka possesses a distinctive structure, which in itself is built in metaphor. A hard-to-follow narrative results from the poet’s ability to express his ideas in rain-like drops, using the images of rain and smoke to explore the author’s state of mind. The rain...

Still, I Rise by M. Angelou: An Analytical Essay

The theme of the suppression of black people and the restoration of their rights is especially popular among African-American authors. In particular, this topic often refers to how Black people have experienced injustice in the past and are currently forced to fight for their freedom. The poem Still I Rise...

Analysis of “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson

Introduction Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery is a short story that tells about a fictional village where people are gathered for an annual lottery, in which all the villagers take part. The lottery has been held for many years as a tradition, and the tickets are drawn to select one person...

The “Nineteen Thirty-Seven” Novel by Edwidge Danticat

Nineteen Thirty-Seven is a short novel written by Edwidge Danticat. The life of Josephine is a significant element in the book, as she uses flashbacks to dwell on her predicaments, which show her pain and suffering. The plot of the novel sheds light on tragic events, namely, the murder of...

“Out, Out” by Robert Frost

“Out, Out” is a poem by the US poet Robert Frost published in Frost’s Mountain Interval collection in 1916, and based on the actual incident which occurred to the son of Frost’s friend. The poem starts in remote Vermont, where his sister calls a young boy chopping firewood with a...

Marxism in “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant

Introduction Published in 1884, Guy de Maupassant’s short story with the ambiguous title “The Necklace” is an excellent example of a work with an unexpected ending that forces the reader to rethink the artistic narrative. Along with the psychological issues of the conflict of desires and opportunities, the instability of...

Literature: Relationships With Society

Introduction Literature has been used in various communities to address different issues that impact how people live. Moreover, aspects such as the setting, themes, and the moral lesson of a story are involved in literary texts. Individuals have also argued that literature can shape society by educating the public on...

Beowulf as a Tragic Hero of the Old English Warrior Culture

Beowulf is an old English story drawn from their native oral literature. Though the author is anonymous, its influence is still felt up to today in many of the works of contemporary writers. The protagonist exhibits all the character traits of a tragic hero as defined by Aristotle. According to...

The Collection of Short Stories “Interpreter of Maladies” by Jhumpa Lahiri

Interpreter of Maladies is a collection of nine short stories written by an American author Jhumpa Lahiri. This writing presents its readers with stories about the experiences of Indian Americans who learn to live in the conflict between two distinct cultures. Therefore, in order to understand the life of these...

Literary Analysis of “The Red Convertible” by Louise Erdrich

Louise Erdrich received the wide critical acclaim of her literary works alongside with the popularity among ordinary readers. Her first novel Love Medicine, published in 1989, depicted the lives of the Native Americans of Chippewa tribe on the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation. The significance of the book is defined by...

The Poems “We Are Really Cool” and “Malcolm X” by Gwendolyn Brooks

Introduction Gwendolyn Brooks is an important and well-known figure in American poetry of the 20th century. “We are really cool” and “Malcolm X” is one of the greatest poems written by Brooks. She is the kind of author who widely employs syntactic means to express her texts’ significant meanings. In...

The Conflict of Faith and Honesty in “Good People” by Wallace

The morality of Christian tradition and its application to real-life problems has always been the platform for debate. People look for the solution in God but often get entangled with the common practical reasons for it. The characters of David Foster Wallace’s short story Good People also deal with such...

Discrimination in White’s “Charlotte’s Web” and Levine’s “Hana’s Suitcase”

Introduction Human life is surrounded and defined by social issues that happen to people as they attend to their day-to-day activities. As such, authors seek to explore these issues through novels, movies, and other artworks with the intention of understanding or highlighting the underlying principles. Whether in fiction or non-fiction,...

The Short Story “A&P” by John Updike

In “A&P,” one of John Updike’s widely read and critiqued short stories, the author presents three barefoot girls, who walk into a local A&P grocery store while wearing bathing suits. While the rest of the people, including the Store manager, Lengel, and customers, two young men emerge as exceptions when...

Comparison and Contrast of the Poems Written by British Romantic Poets

Introduction Romanticism is an artistic movement that united various creators from different epochs and determined the characteristic peculiarities of creative thought of the time. Originated at the end of the eighteenth century in Europe, Romanticism influenced the development of art in its many forms throughout the nineteenth century and beyond....

Setting in Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale”

Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, which was first published in 1985, is one of the most controversial dystopian novels. The key themes that are discussed by the author in her work include social inequality between men and women, power, oppression, gender roles, freedoms, and rights among others. The complex discussion...

Hamlet, Laertes, and Fortinbras: The Theme of Vendetta

Hamlet is an outstanding tragedy by William Shakespeare, which is considered an example of skillful language and complicated plot. The play has always drawn the attention of researchers, and even today, litterateurs still analyze its peculiarities. Through his vivid characters, Shakespeare speaks about eternal issues: the problems of doubts, love,...

The Role of Women in “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”

Introduction In Arthurian literature, women certainly played important roles. They repeatedly and constantly prejudiced the protagonists of such stories in countless ways and also held a strong sway over the occurrences in the story and, accordingly, over the story line as well. In her work, To the Glory of Her...

Time Machine in The Olive Tree by Aldous Huxley

Introduction Aldous Leonard Huxley was born in the year 1824 and died in the year 1963 at the age of 69 years. He was born in England but spent several years in United States in his latter life from 1937 till his death. He was a humanist and in later...

“As You Like It” by Shakespeare

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...

“A Doll’s House” by Henrik Ibsen: Nora as a Victim

It is undeniable that life for women during the Victorian period was very different from life for women living today. With the growth of the Industrial Revolution, women were able to find more opportunities to support themselves without remaining dependent on men, particularly within the cities. However, success was not...

“The Metamorphosis” by Franz Kafka

Introduction The Metamorphosis is considered to be a well-known novella written by Franz Kafka in 1915; this book is aimed at the disclosure of dramatic actions and transformations making the story expressive and emotional at the same time. It is important to stress that refection play and reality are the...

Shakespeare’s ‘Shall I Compare Thee To A Summer’s Day?’

The eighteenth sonnet of Shakespeare is the most famous of his one hundred and fifty-four sonnets. This is because it treats the subject of literary immortality. The beginning lines are so oft-quoted by many young people to a fair lady even in our times. We could daringly say that it...

Portrayal of Racism in Forster’s ‘a Passage to India’

Outline The following paper discusses portrayal of racism in ‘passage to India’ by bringing the relationship between the concept of racism and the contents of the novel. The analysis focuses to establish whether the content of the novel establishes at any point either resistance to racism, or it submits to...

Symbolism in O’Neill’s Long Day’s Journey into Night

In Eugene O’Neill’s play “Long Day’s Journey into Night”, the playwright presents the inner workings of a dysfunctional family long before the term dysfunctional became a buzzword of American psychology. The play, written in 1941 but not performed until 1957, is set in 1912 in the predominantly Irish Connecticut home...

Perrault’s vs. Grimm’s Little Red Riding Hood

Introduction The timeless old tale of a little girl who goes to her grandmother and meets a wolf has undergone several changes. They were in accordance with the authors’ social stance and what was politically acceptable in their place of living. Perhaps one of the oldest variations of the fairytale,...

“All Shook Up” a Book by Glenn Altschuler

Music can help people in times of trouble; as a soundtrack to their lives, it has the power to change them. In his book All Shook Up: How Rock ‘n’ Roll Changed America, Glenn Altschuler tells a story of how the ‘1950s rock ’n’ roll craze changed the American society...

“Rose for Emily” and “Barn Burning” Comparison

Introduction William Faulkner is one of the great authors of American History. “Barn Burning” and “A Rose for Emily” are counted as his best pieces in American literature. Both stories reflect the values pertaining to a typical Old Southern American society. Faulkner, through these two stories, has very intellectually illustrated...

Cowardice in “To Kill a Mockingbird”: Mayella & Bob Ewell

The novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is full of examples of courage, but it has the examples of the exemplar cowardice as well. Cowardice has different forms in the novel. The first example of cowardice is the behavior of Mayella Ewell. She has no friends, and her...

Touchstone and Jaques in Shakespeare’s “As You Like It”

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...

The Poem “Enlightenment” by Natasha Trethewey

Natasha Trethewey is an American poet and a two-time United States Poet Laureate. She is the author of six poetry collections, one of which, Thrall, was published in 2012 and earned critical praise and the public’s love. With her ekphrastic poetry, Trethewey charts the intersections of social and personal history...

Afterworld in Inferno and the Epic of Gilgamesh by Dante Alighieri

Afterworld is a common theme in many poems of ancient civilizations and the Middle Ages. As a result, various works illuminate various depictions of the afterworld and its creatures. For example, the poem Inferno, written by Dante Alighieri, portrays the underworld in the way it is commonly seen today. It...

The Poem “We Wear the Mask” by Paul Laurence Dunbar

“We Wear the Mask” was composed in 1895 by Paul Laurence Dunbar – one of the first African-American writers who attained national prominence. The poem itself is devoted to the lifestyle of African-Americans of that time. Despite the abolishment of slavery in 1865, racism remained an issue in interracial communication...

Character Analysis in ‘Doubt’ by John Patrick Shanley: A Question of Innocence

Introduction Doubt: A Parable is a drama written by John Patrick Shanley in 2004. One of the main characters, Sister Aloysius, has a very rigid and sharp character, and her behavior is often connected with the question of innocence. The drama portrays the fictional St. Nicholas Bronx School and the...

Hysteria in “The Feather Pillow” by Quiroga

Hysteria is an anomaly reaction on the exterior sources of irritation that is gradually developing and demonstrates openly only at the final stage of the disease. In this response, there will be considered a specific case was described in Horacio Quiroga’s story “The Feather Pillow,” where the main hero, Alicia,...

The Short Story “The Folded Leaf” by Segun Afolabi

Nigerian culture and literature have long been underexplored by the world academic community and society as a whole. The short story “The Folded Leaf” written by Caine Prize winner Segun Afolabi is a short story that shows the new wave in Nigerian literature heritage. It touches on the critical themes...

Irony at the End of The Story of an Hour

Introduction One of the primary elements of The Story of an Hour, written by Kate Chopin, that has not only made the short story popular but also has highlighted an important metaphor is the ending. Namely, after the joy Mrs. Mallard feels when finding out about her husband’s death, she...

Oedipus and Hamlet: To Be Resilient, or Not to Be?

Introduction A famous quote attributed to Confucius says, “Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall,” and teaches people the main principle of resilience against all obstacles and struggles. Being resilient means keeping a positive outlook on life, never giving up, and carrying...

The “I Fought the Law, and I Won!” Book by J. Cordero

Jonny Cordero’s 2017 book “I Fought the Law, and I Won!” is a semi-autobiographical work that contains fiction elements. The plot of the author’s work was mainly based on his life events. The main topics are relationships within a fractured family, the effects of divorce, being apart from loved ones,...

The Metaphor of Heart Trouble in Kate Chopin’s “Story of an Hour”

Introduction The use of literary elements in the short story helps the narrator depict the characters’ state in detail. Metaphors are among the widespread literary features, allowing Kate Chopin to vividly represent the psychological state of the protagonist of “Story of an Hour.” The story’s main character, Mrs. Mallard, learns...

The Restlessness of Humankind in George Herbert’s “The Pulley”

The twenty-line poem “The Pulley” by George Herbert serves as a spiritual parable that describes how man was created by combining the Book of Genesis with the story of “Pandora’s Box” with the composition of the pulley. The underlying theme might be summed up by saying that humankind’s restlessness draws...

What Does It Mean to Be a Hero in Literature?

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...

Who Is to Blame for the Tragedy of Othello by Shakespeare

The Tragedy of Othello, The Moor of Venice is a sexual jealousy tragedy that pioneers the investigation of racial discrimination. Shakespeare’s play, which the great playwright wrote in 1603, presents the image of Othello, a general of African descent. The main idea of the conflict lies in the fact that,...

The Novel “Passing” by Nella Larsen

Introduction Passing is the ability of an individual to exist in a different social class, such as race, ethnicity, social group, and gender, to gain social acceptance. The term appeared in the United States in the 1920s and described mixed-race people who referred to themselves as white when legal and...

Shakespeare’s Macbeth: Ambition Corrupts Good Morals

Every individual is driven by an ambition which often manifests itself in the desire to achieve a goal. In this context, individuals will go to any length to achieve their ambition. However, in William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, too much ambition is depicted as a corruptor of good morals. Through the character...

Gender Roles in “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Atwood

Introduction Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale is a novel illustrating a dystopian system in which fertile women become the maids of couples who cannot conceive. The United States (Gilead) has become a military, patriarchal, autocratic country where all males and females serve a purpose. Males, depending on their status, can...

Material Success and Failure in Miller’s Play “Death of a Salesman”

Introduction In the play “Death of a Salesman,” written by Arthur Miller, the main themes are portrayed with the help of a variety of symbols. They are intertwined with the memories of the main character, Willy Loman, who reflects on his failure as an employee, a husband, and a father....

Tobias Wolff’s Memoir “This Boy’s Life”

This Boy’s Life is a story of a young guy growing up struggling with his problems and fears, misunderstanding, and condemnation of others. Notably, Tobias Wolff stays focused on his desire to reinvent himself, to have a different kind of life compared to the one he is living, and to...

Symbolism in “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner

Introduction A heart seeking love and burdened by traditions can open a doorway into madness. The given analysis focuses on a short story, “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner, written in 1930. The plot revolves around a town in the state of Mississippi with central characters Emily Grierson and...

Shakespeare’s “Othello”: A Venetian Tragedy of Love

Introduction William Shakespeare is the master of tragic plays, among which Othello, Macbeth, and King Lear are central. In this case, a tragedy narrates a plot about a good person losing their true sense of self due to mistakes in judgment or a character defect in unusual circumstances. In contrast...

Freedom in Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried

Generally acknowledged as one of the most preeminent pieces of Vietnam War Literature, Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried portrays the raw and sincere image of war through short linked stories completely refrained from political aspects. Although there is no defined storyline in the book, it is compensated by the...

Conflict in The Metamorphosis Essay Example

The Metamorphosis is a book based on Gregor Samsa, a traveling salesman who does a strenuous job to provide for his family. On waking up one day, he realizes he has transformed into a colossal insect (Kafka 8). His father, mother, and sister recognize something is wrong when they knock...

Love in “Romeo and Juliet” Play by William Shakespeare

“Romeo and Juliet” was written by William Shakespeare about two young people deeply in love. It is set in Italy during the 16th century, and it has been one of the most debated narratives. Love is an archetype that is evident across the piece. The story relates to my chosen...

“Like a Winding Sheet” by Petry Ann

Petry Ann’s 1945 short story “Like a Winding Sheet” presents the psychological aspect and manifestations of different ordeals which one goes through in life. The challenges that a person faces in society can cause damage to themselves or even to other innocent individuals as evident in Petry’s work. Johnson, the...

Grendel as a Personification of Evil in “Beowulf” Poem

Beowulf is a famous epic poem that was created between the end of the 7th and the first part of the 8th century. At that time, the Anglo-Saxons were already experiencing the emergence of feudal ties (Heaney 1). The poem, however, is characterized by an epic archaization and depicts reality...

Literary Analysis of “The Man He Killed” by T. Hardy

Introduction Thomas Hardy’s poem “The Man He Killed” is a juxtaposition of a real versus imagined situation aimed at depicting the nature of war. Specifically, the persona appears to be troubled about killing. However, the persona is sure that if he had met the man in an inn they would...

Dagoberto Gilb’s Story “Love in L.A”

Theme and Character Analysis Dagoberto Gilb’s story Love in L.A is an indication of how love in the modern society is considered. The story presents an ironic scenario of love in the modern society. Traditionally, two strangers would meet and after a short time of interaction, the strangers would fall...

The Fancies of the Novels by Charles Dickens and Oscar Wilde

Introduction Dickens and Wilde were both writers gifted in portraying human conditions in an individualistic and unique way focused on correcting residents in the Victorian period. By 19th century, these literature artists had become famous in articulating Britain’s societal aspects. The 19th century remains a memorable time for Britain, in...

Puritanism and Enlightenment Writers

During the Colonial age, American Literature was mainly influenced by religious, gender, and ethnic diversity. Puritanism was a belief-oriented religious movement that was led by a group of English Protestants between the 16th and 19th centuries (Scanlan 281). Puritan writers were guided by values and ideas such as courage, business,...

“What You Pawn I Will Redeem” Story by Sherman Alexie

“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...

“Uncle Tom’s Cabin” by Stowe

Introduction What if someone told you, that the Civil War was started by a simple book? Uncle Tom’s Cabin or Life Among the Lowly was written by the American author Harriet Beecher Stowe, who was a teacher and prominent abolitionist. Published in 1852, the novel gained widespread popularity and became...

Fanny Price in Jane Austen’s “Mansfield Park”

Fanny Price, the heroine of the novel Mansfield Park by Jane Austen, is one of those characters who are always correct and perceives, think, do, and speaks, as she ought to. She is a perfect picture of virtue and morality. That is why she is referred to as “prim, proper,...

“Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”: Part Three Analysis

The Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a poem written in the 16th century and has an English origin. It is about a knight serving during King Arthur’s regime; he accepts to fight a mysterious green warrior known as the Green Knight. The fight is scheduled for New Year’s...

Founding Brothers by Joseph Ellis

Author The author, Joseph John Ellis was born in 1943 and is currently professor at the Mount Holyoke College of History on the Ford Foundation. He wrote the Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation in 2000 and received the Pulitzer Prize in History in 2001 for it. He received his PhD...

Appearance and Reality in “Diamond Necklace”

“The Diamond Necklace”, by Guy de Maupassant, is one of the best short stories ever written. Taking an inanimate object, the necklace, Maupassant weaves around it human dreams and desires and then contrasts them too hard realities. He takes a beautiful woman as the central character of his story to...

Romeo and Juliet vs. Antigone: Compare & Contrast

Romeo and Juliet is perhaps one of Shakespeare’s most well known and renowned of plays. It is story of love’s attempts to unite and bring together two lovers who can fathom nothing else but their love (Shakespeare). In Romeo and Juliet, we see two lovers bent on becoming one and...

Hesiod’s Idea of Justice Based on His Works

Hesiod’s writings are known for discussing universal truths, such as law and justice. One of such works is Works and Days which expresses the idea that labor is an essential part of human beings’ lives, and if they are diligent enough, they will be able to handle even the hardest...

“Crime and Punishment” by Dostoevsky: Analysis of the Work

The novel Crime and Punishment written by Fyodor Dostoevsky concentrates on the moral issues and highlights the urgent problems of society in the nineteenth century. The protagonists of the novel embody different features of characters who find comfort through redemption. In addition, the novel presents the reader with a great...

Theme of Hatred in Wuthering Heights

The novel Wuthering Heights was published by Emily Bronte in 1847, and it is considered to be one of the best-written novels of the Victorian Age. Emily Bronte published the novel under the pseudonym of Ellis Bell. “In the century since its publication, Wuthering Heights, like the play of Shakespeare...

Canterbury Tales: The Wife of Bath Analysis Essay

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...

“A Clean, Well-Lighted Place” by Ernest Hemingway

Introduction “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place” is a short story by Ernest Hemingway, portraying three people, different in age and possessed values — an elderly drunk and two waiters. Through the protagonists’ behavior in the café where the story is set, the author expresses the idea that all humans will inevitably...

“The Compound” by Bodeen: Close Reading

Choose a favorite chapter/section in your YA novel In this section (the beginning of chapter seventeen), Eli and his mother are trying to figure out how to leave the compound. Since Eli’s father is unconscious, they have the chance to leave the compound, but only if they can understand what...

Love and Sexuality in “Tom Jones” by H. Fielding

Introduction Sexuality and the construct of ideal love in the novel Tom Jones by Henry Fielding is an explication of the new form of love and sexuality prevalent in the eighteenth century. Love in its discoursed ideal, sentimental form is little presented in the novel. Instead, Fielding presents male love...

Who Moved My Cheese? Reaction Paper

Who moved my cheese? by Spencer Johnson is a little story that encompasses an ever-present drawback of a human mindset – resistance to change. There are four main characters in this story: two mice Sniff and Scurry and two little people – Hem and Haw, who are put into a...

Amanda Wingfield in Tennessee William’s “Glass Menagerie”

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...

“Jane Eyre” and “Tess of the D’Urbervilles” Novels Comparison

The comparison and contrast opinion of the two novels (Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte and Tess of the D’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy) is made possible by the fact that both authors wrote these books during the same time period. The aspects of the two books can therefore be attributed as...

Homeric Worldview’ Main Features – Greek Mythology

The Homeric worldview resembles the orthodox Greek perspective (Cunningham & Reich 39). The Homeric conception of the world characterized a flat and rounded disk of land enclosed by an endless ocean stream. Based on the above representation, it was believed that the earth’s plateau was amid Oceanus. The sun, the...

Totto-Chan’s The Young Girl at the Window: Japanese Culture and Learning Through Curiosity

Author Background Tetsuko Kuroyanagi’s outstanding autobiography, The Young Girl at the Window, vividly describes the author’s journey from early life to adulthood. The author of this captivating story, Tetsuko Kuroyanagi, is followed as she reflects on her school years and navigates transitions while coping with the pressure to succeed academically....

Richard Wright’s Black Boy Narrative: Racism, Oppression, and Identity

Introduction Black Boy is one of the most prominent works of Richard Wright. The book is considered a fictional biography because the author, Wright, is both the narrator and the protagonist. The book covers his experiences throughout life, from childhood to adulthood, hence its classification as a biography. The fictional...

Symbolism in Tolstoy’s “The Death of Ivan Ilych”

Introduction In The Death of Ivan Ilych, the author Leo Tolstoy uses a variety of symbols to amplify Ivan Ilych’s life. The writer perfectly captures death, materialism, corruption, greed, and illness through this symbolization. Ivan desires to attain a happy life through materialism; he moves to a new home and...

Epic Elements in “The Iliad” Poem by Homer

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...

Harriet Jacobs’ ‘Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl’ Literary Analysis

In Harriet Jacobs’ autobiography titled Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, she talks about her life as a slave woman and elaborates on the inhumane treatments she faced in the 19th century. Using the pseudonym Linda Brent throughout her narrative, she discusses how slaves were nothing more than...

The Role of Othello in Shakespeare’s Othello

In Othello, Shakespeare aims to bring out the complexity of human relationships through the interactions of the main characters in the play. The experiences and action of the characters resemble human behaviors in social interactions. For instance, Othello evokes different feelings in various characters; some of those feelings positive, while...

Argument in “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin

Kate Chopin’s The Story of an Hour is feminist and tragic. At the same time, the story is very unpredictable for both the reader and the characters. The author recounts one hour in the life of Louise Mallard after she learns of the death of her husband, Brently Mallard. Thus,...

The Great Escape by Paul Brickhill: Book Analysis

The Great Escape, a non-fiction book by Paul Brickhill that was released by WW Norton & Company in 1950, describes what it was like to live in a German POW camp during World War II. The author was an Australian fighter pilot and became a prisoner of war, which means...