Dialogue, Stage Directions, and Interpretation of a Play the Crucible

Introduction A written play can be staged in multiple ways by changing how the characters look, behave, and talk. On the other hand, the stage reflection can also attempt to communicate what the author originally intended with no alterations. This essay will compare and contrast the stage directions, dialogue, and...

Jay Gatsby and Nick Carraway: Character Analysis

“The Great Gatsby” is a novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, first published in 1925. When referring to the relationship between money, love, and happiness, it can be said that there is no better example illustrating such relation than Fitzgerald’s novel. The novel main idea can be described as the portrayal...

Revenge in Wuthering Heights

Since its release, Wuthering Heights has been a subject of criticism for many. The only novel by Emily Jane Bronte, written in 1847, has been put under the spotlight due to its doubtful theme, which is revenge and its causes in people’s lives. The author smartly narrates the story about...

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

What Does the Color Green Symbolize in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight: Introduction Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a medieval poem by an unknown author dated by the late 14th century. Some of the colors frequently mentioned in this poem have a symbolic meaning. A great semantic...

American Reality vs. American Dream: Death of a Salesman Theme Analysis

Introduction Arthur Miller dramatizes not only the longings and disappointments of a little man in America and the inhuman attitude of the business world towards a man not useful to the organization, but he focuses readers’ attention on the gap between the American dream and the American reality. One of...

Sentiments in “Windsor Forest” Poem by Alexander Pope

Introduction Alexander Pope is one of the most renowned British poets who glorified his native land and his people. He is specifically famous for the use of heroic themes and imagery that made his works successful during his lifetime and still popular in modern times (Fairer and Gerrard 114). One...

“The Lottery” by Jackson and “The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas” by Le Guin

Introduction: Dystopian Stories by Jackson and Le Guin The short stories, which represent a genre of utopian fiction, give the reader an opportunity to immerse himself/herself in the study of societies based on totalitarian principles and concealing controlled regimes behind the visible general happiness. Therefore, two stories, namely “The Lottery”...

“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...

Social Issues in the “Little Red Riding Hood” Tale

“Little Red Riding Hood” is one of the tales that seem simple yet addresses complex social issues such as sexual predators, stalking, date rape, and many others. It is the way in which a comparatively old fairy tale shapes relationships and interactions in modern society that seems to be especially...

Quotes from “Superman and Me” by Sherman Alexie

“Inside our house, each family member existed as a separate paragraph, but still had genetics and common experiences to link us.” When Sherman Alexie began to learn reading, he discovered the usage of paragraphs in writing. He understood that it was “a fence that held words…that worked together for a...

Fahrenheit 451 Book Review – Essay & Analysis + Topics

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...

Gender and Racial Prejudices in Shakespeare’s Othello Play

Introduction William Shakespeare’s play Othello (1604) provides readers with a unique, multifaceted lens that is effective in examining life during the English Renaissance, particularly for women and Black individuals. It is important to note that Shakespeare’s portrayal of these characters challenges and illuminates the gender and racial prejudices prevalent during...

Gender and Power in Shakespeare’s The Tempest: Queer Readings and Patriarchal Control

Queer Interpretations and Gender Fluidity in Shakespeare’s The Tempest Shakespeare’s plays have long been the focus of literary analysis and criticism. While many academics have concentrated on his language and the nuanced characters he creates, a growing body of study has begun to look at the themes of gender and...

Exploring Self-Improvement in Ottessa Moshfegh’s “Bettering Myself”

Introduction At a time when everyone is striving for self-improvement and personal growth, Ottessa Moshfegh shows the other side of this process. Her story, Bettering Myself, is not a failure’s path to success but the inner development of a character with varying degrees of success. Moshfegh challenges readers to question...

Roald Dahl’s “Lamb to the Slaughter”: The Character of Mary

Is Mary a Good Spouse? At the beginning of the story, Mary has that plume of the perfect wife waiting dutifully for her husband. She looks at her watch to “delight herself with the thought that with every passing minute, the time is approaching when he will come” (Dahl 1)....

Themes of the “Absence” Story by Daniel Alarcon

Introduction The short story, Absence, focuses on the life of Wari when he visited his friend Eric in New York. The beauty of the town, the diversity of its residents, and infrastructural developments have convinced Wari that the city is the capital of the world. A critical analysis of the...

“The Soldier” by Rupert Brooke: Poem Analysis

The poem The Soldier was written by Rupert Brooke in 1914 to communicate his thoughts and emotions at the beginning of the First World War. In this idealistic poem, the poet paints a picture of patriotism for England as the country that nurtured him. It is a sonnet that contemplates...

Analysis of “Room” by Emma Donoghue

Introduction Room by Emma Donoghue is a novel that reveals the essential aspects of child abuse, psychological trauma, and social adaptation through a child’s eyes. The events in this book are fictional, although the experiences that the author put in her work require a thorough examination and comprehension. Depicting such...

Miller’s Death of a Salesman vs. Ibsen’s A Doll’s House

Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House and Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman are successful dramas produced in 1879 and 1949, respectively. Due to their relevance to contemporary challenges, both writings have garnered high praise from critics and are debated by academics worldwide. Despite being created in various eras and nations,...

Tradition as Theme of “The Lottery” by Jackson

Introduction Tradition is a good thing until it becomes dangerous for people who follow it. This idea becomes the central theme of the short story “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson. To show this idea, the author describes the life of a small village and its inhabitants. At first glance, they...

Alcott’s Little Women as a Bildungsroman Novel

Introduction Among well-known coming-of-age novels in the world’s history, Little Women has just been recognized by academics as one of the most powerful Bildungsroman novels for its ability to depict the growth and maturity of the characters. The work by Louisa May Alcott, written in the 19th century, is a...

The Short Story “The Mortal Immortal” by Mary Shelley

Introduction In the short story “The Mortal Immortal” Mary Shelley talks about the burden of immortality on the example of a young man Winzy, who accidentally drank the elixir that gives eternal life. The protagonist, driven by the desire to marry his beloved, works for the scientist Cornelius Agrippa, who...

Responsibility in Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein”

The novel Frankenstein is Mary Shelley’s most famous novel. It is a story about a young scientist Victor Frankenstein who wants to learn how to animate lifeless matter and, as a result, an ugly monster. The novel touches on many fundamental themes and ideas of a philosophical nature, one of...

“Every Poem Is a Momentary Stay Against the Confusion of the World” by Frost

Poetry is one of the literary texts which gives the writer full control over what they wish to write. Unlike prose, a poem is well shaped and has a logical order which begins with delight and finishes with wisdom. Robert Frost’s essay, “The Figure A Poem Makes,” written in 1939,...

Hell-Heaven by Jhumpa Lahiri: A Short Story Analysis

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...

Essay on the Novel “Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” by Stevenson

The novel Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson explores the duality of the human soul. Dr. Jekyll is one of the clearest literary examples of multiple personality disorder. The author gives direct hints that duality is inherent in every person, and it depends only...

Naturalism in “To Build a Fire” Story by Jack London

In the short story To Build a Fire by Jack London, a man undergoes a lonely journey under the severe environment of the Yukon, attempting to avoid dangerous complications related to freezing temperatures. However, the traveler commits several crucial errors, which ultimately result in his demise. The first mistake made...

Magid and Millat in the “White Teeth” Novel by Zadie Smith

It is important to note that White Teeth explores a wide range of themes and topics through a number of perspectives offered by different characters. Twin brothers of Samad and Alsana, Magid and Millat, are among the outstanding examples of how individual fates and parental expectations can shift the course...

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...

Woody Holton’s “Unruly Americans and the Origins of the Constitution”

Woody Holton’s book Unruly Americans and the Origins of the Constitution discusses the historical events and economic factors that played the central role in the development of the Constitution. Particular attention is given to the economic issues, class conflicts, the role of popular protests, and the decisions of the Founding...

“A Retrieved Reformation” by O. Henry

An American author O. Henry wrote a short story “A Retrieved Reformation” in 1903 and published it in The Cosmopolitan Magazine. The plot tells Jimmy’s story, a theft, and a man who saved a girl’s life-risking to lose the personal relationships he established after prison. O. Henry’s narrative’s main character...

“Everyday Use” by Alice Walker: Précis and Critique

“Everyday Use” is a short story authored by Alice Walker and published in the year 1973. The story in the book is narrated by an African American woman known as Mama. Mama and her two daughters Maggie and Dee live in the Deep South. The story brings out the existing...

Sexuality in Tennessee Williams’s The Glass Menagerie

Introduction The Glass Menagerie was written and premiered by Tennessee Williams in 1944. The play drew the audience’s attention to the author and gained theatrical success (Adler 18-19). The characters of the play, Amanda Wingfield, her son Tom, and her daughter Laura, can be described from different perspectives, but it...

The Modes of Persuasion in “Letter From Birmingham Jail”

The persuasion of the speech is often assessed by standards set by the great philosopher Aristotle. He divided the structure of an effective pitch into logos, ethos, and pathos. Martin Luther King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail is recognized as one of American history’s most persuasive writings. It was so compelling...

Marxism and Socialism in “Mending Walls” Poem by Robert Frost

Introduction The poem “Mending Walls” by Robert Frost, written and published in 1914, narrates a story originating from rural New England and talks about a fence between two industrious farmers’ estates that separates their properties. It is worth noting that the wall is rebuilt every spring, and one of the...

Authority, Resistance, and Submission in Literature

Introduction Literature has always been as much a commentary on society as an examination of human nature. Political authority and resistance against it have become a central theme of many literary works that attempt to ascribe the relations of power between structures, societies, and its subjects. Such works can inspire...

Walt Whitman’s Poetry: Transcendentalism Beliefs

Walt Whitman was the American poet who represented the transcendentalist movement in the nineteenth century. Transcendentalism’s general belief is that human senses are not enough to provide the profound truth as they are limited to physical knowledge of life. Rueben concludes transcendentalism as “the intuitive faculty, instead of the rational...

Two Settings in the Merchant of Venice by Shakespeare

Shakespearean works are well known for their depth, symbolism and philosophical view upon different aspects of life. Mirroring is one of Shakespeare’s favorite tools. Mirroring is used to emphasize the contrast and show differences between the sides of the society and the ways of living of the characters. The Merchant...

Themes in “Mother to Son” Poem by Langston Hughes

The “Mother to Son” poem written by Langston Hughes depicts a mother who tells her about difficulties she encountered in her life and continues to overcome them. Based on the example with a stair, the woman emphasizes that her life was not a crystal stair, which means that she had...

“Life of Pi”: Physical, Emotional and Spiritual Survival

One cannot say that the book “Life of Pi” is devoted to animals, like, for instance, the books by Seton Thomson or Gerald Durrell, who express their love of wildlife in books. In contrast to them, Martel presents a philosophic and religiously oriented account of the life of a human...

An Act of Vengeance by Isabel Allendi

Isabel Allende is now viewed by many literary critics as one of the most distinguished feminist writers in the twentieth century. Among her most famous novels, we can mark out the following ones:”Daughter of Fortune”, “House of Sepia”, “Paula” and many others. She is also renowned for her short stories,...

Symbols and Metaphors in the “Green Eggs and Ham” by Dr. Suess

Dr. Suess’s full names are Theodor Seuss Geisel. The American writer as well as a cartoonist lived in the period between 1904 and the year 1991. Dr. Suess became famous for specializing in children’s books where he has published over sixty books. His writings are notably characterized by the use...

Symbolism in A Doll’s House

A Doll’s House is one of the many plays written by a Norwegian playwright and theatre director Henrik Johan Ibsen. Now Ibsen is often referred to as one of the most influential writers of his time and even as “a father of realism”. In this work, the plot revolves around...

Nora in A Doll’s House: Character Analysis

The literary heritage of Henrik Ibsen counts lots of dramatic works, which appear to be very popular and bringing up the problems of today. Actually, the matters, brought up within his works are eternal. So, the books are really worth reading and analyzing. In Ibsen’s dramatic writings the several storylines...

Comparing Achilles and Hector in the Iliad

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...

Beowulf: Comparing the Movie and the Book

The story of Beowulf has remained a significant work for centuries not only because it is one of our first lengthy works of English, but also because of the timelessness of the themes it contains and its applicability to a modern audience, regardless of the period in which ‘modern’ is...

“Pamphilia to Amphilanthus” by Lady Mary Wroth

Introduction Pamphilia to Amphilanthus is a sonnet sequence by Lady Mary Wroth, written in the seventeenth century. The 105 sonnets can be divided into four unequal parts, during which the author addresses various issues. While traditionally, the poems are considered to discuss the hardships of women’s lives during that time....

Stephen King’s ‘The Green Mile’: Prison Life & Ethical Reflections

Summary At the heart of the novel “The green mile” by King is the narration of the interaction between the key characters playing the role of either the jail guards or death row inmates, in a state penitentiary located at Cold Mountain. Although the story was recounted from a single...

“Liberty and Power” a Book by Harry Watson

Author’s Argument Harry Watson’s “Liberty and Power” is a masterpiece focusing on the political changes and events that characterized Antebellum America. According to the author, the Jacksonian ideology played a critical role towards reshaping the political future of the United States. The targeted historical period led to the establishment of...

Analyzing Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use”: Themes and Interpretations

Everyday use is an allegorical story that intertwines the African heritage and the modern world practices. Written by Alice Walker the story focuses on the lives of the African Americans who struggle to keep the African legacy amid a world engrossed with diverse cultures. Therefore, the narrator struggles to reveal...

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...

Literature Analysis of Hamlet’s Soliloquies

Check out our Hamlet’s soliloquies analysis sample! Get more ideas and insights about the famous “To Be or Not To Be” quote for your Hamlet soliloquy essay. Hamlet Soliloquy Essay Introduction In his many conversations, Hamlet reminds the people around him and especially his mother that she does not know...

Symbolism in Walt Whitman’s Poem Crossing Brooklyn Ferry

In the poem, Crossing Brooklyn Ferry by Walt Whitman, the poet describes his crisscrossing journey back and forth Brooklyn via a ferry. The poem’s central theme relates to the shared human experiences that transcend both time and space. The poet uses symbolism to explore this theme whereby he connects himself...

A Letter to Rosaline from Romeo in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet

A Letter to Rosaline from Romeo. Romeo is expressing his heart-ache, pledges his devotion, begs for a meeting. Dear Rosaline, This letter I write to request thee to give me a place in thy heart. Written hath I many a love poem to express my love to thee to reply...

Holocaust Trauma, Anthropomorphism, and Visual Storytelling in Art Spiegelman’s Maus

Introduction Art Spiegelman’s Maus: A Survivor’s Tale provides a graphic depiction of the Holocaust. Spiegelman’s work on Maus describes an interview with his father, Vladek Spiegelman, who survived the onslaught. At one point, Vladek states, “To die is easy […] But you have to struggle for life!” (Spiegelman 21). There...

Feminist Analysis of Power in “The Use of Force” by William Carlos Williams

Introduction In William Carlos Williams brief tale “The Use of Force,” the narrator, a physician, is summoned to examine a sick child, Mathilda Olson. The child resists the doctors attempts to identify her illness, refusing to open her mouth to be examined (Williams). What ensues is a tense and violent...

Themes of Sacrifice and Maternal Love in Toni Morrison’s Beloved

Introduction Toni Morrison’s Beloved is a famous and exciting novel addressing a few essential themes. For example, the literary piece addresses the topics of love, slavery, masculinity, and the supernatural. The author managed to focus on the life of the protagonist, Sethe, to demonstrate what challenges people experienced after the...

Emily Dickinson’s “The Wife” and “The Story of an Hour”

“The Wife,” a poem by Emily Dickson, reveals the poet’s concerns for the native feminineness in middle-class people by articulating the gender roles of women by applying the term “wife” frequently. Patently, the poem’s persona is a woman, and conservatisms of marriage are articulated from the female perspective. Further, the...

The Sir Patrick Spence Poem by a Scottish Writer

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...

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 Novel “A Thousand Splendid Suns” by Khaled Hosseini

Introduction The issue of women’s rights has always been an acute topic since while women in developed countries have the privilege of education and a career, having a sense of security and protection, many women in developing countries are restricted in their freedom. The novel A Thousand Splendid Suns was...

George Hadley in “The Veldt” Story by Ray Bradbury

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...

The Midnight Gang by David Walliams

Introduction David Walliams employs imagination and humor to highlight the relationship between adults and children at a hospital. The story has irresistible characters and highlights many relatable issues that cannot be forgotten. The author further uses different themes to perfectly present his message. Additionally, his work acts as a clarion...

“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...

The Enormous Radio by John Cheever: Analysis

Introduction The Enormous Radio, written by John Cheever, focuses on discussing the issue of revealing the true nature of human relationships. The author uses the radio as the catalyst helping the main characters to understand the tensions between them through eavesdropping on the problems of their neighbors. The author elaborates...

Of Man and The Stream of Time by R. Carson

Introduction In a 1962 speech at Scripps College, Rachel Carson helped kickstart mainstream environmental and conservationist movements. She focuses on how humanity has interacted with nature in historical and modern times. Carson uses her understanding of the man-nature relationship to establish the concept of the former against the latter. Carson...

Aristotle’s Perspective on the Greek Tragedy

Brief Summary Sophocles wrote the tragic drama, Oedipus Rex, around 429 B.C. when it was first presented. It depicts the story of Oedipus, king of Thebes, who is said to have slain his father and married his mother by accident due to a prophecy made to Laius, the previous ruler...

Analysis of Elie Wiesel’s “Night”

Elie Wiesel wrote the novel entitled Night as a memoir telling the story of the author’s life as a Jewish boy during the time of the Holocaust. In his book, the author vividly creates a detailed account of his memories of the events surrounding the Holocaust and especially the tragic...

Postcolonial Theory in Literary Works

Postcolonial literary theory is a broadly related theory of the struggles and consequences of colonial rule in European countries. The theory implements literature techniques to describe effects of colonialism and the struggle for independence. Nonetheless, the concept of this theory does not solely imply struggle for freedom and life in...

Traditions and the Danger of Blindly Following Them

Traditions arise due to the accumulation of experience of generations and people’s interpretation of any events in the world. Traditions are a part of the culture and allow the preservation of language, foundations, and nationalities. However, traditions can harm the life and formation of a society. In The Lottery, Shirley...

Mark Twain’s Satire in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

In his work, Mark Twain extensively used satire, which is defined as the intentional humorous exaggeration and irony, mostly aimed at exposing people’s stupidity and failings. In the books, stories, and essays, Twain sought to shed light on the stupidity and hypocrisy of people around him, specifically to ridicule the...

“Sonny’s Blues”: Relationships Between the Brothers

Introduction One of the main themes in the short story “Sonny’s Blues,” written by James Baldwin, is family support, which is essential for uniting the characters and allowing them to solve their problems. However, it is mostly described in a negative light throughout the narrative, which changes to a more...

“Paper Moon” as a Symbol of the American Dream

A Streetcar Named Desire is a play written by Tennessee Williams, which premiered on Broadway in 1947. The play touches upon a variety of themes and subjects, such as masculinity and femininity, sexual desire, reality, and illusion; however, it also provides a substantial commentary on the concept of the American...

Comparing Troy Maxson (“Fences”) and Walter Lee Younger (“A Raisin in the Sun”)

A raisin in the Sun and Fences are two plays that show African-American families dealing with their daily hardships and tensions. Both families face discrimination, and both have internal problems as well. The storylines of two main characters are in many ways parallel to each other: Troy Maxson and Walter...

Psychological Journey of Raskolnikov in Dostoevsky’s “Crime and Punishment”

Crime and Punishment appear to be one of the most widely spread novels of Russian writer Fyodor Dostoevsky. Despite being created at the end of the 19th century, it is extremely popular both in the author’s native country and outside its territory. All the plot is articulated on the random...

What Influenced Zora Neale Hurston to Write

Zora Neale Hurston became the most significant and most successful black writer of the first half of the 20th century. She made it by using her own talent, ability to produce an utterly unforgettable impression, bright intellect, powerful nature, infectious sense of humor, and the gift of “entering the heart”...

The Short Essay “Good People” by David Foster Wallace

David Foster Wallace utilizes his short essay, “Good People,” to depict how individuals receive and respond to unexpected problems, including the role played by emergencies in shaping their thoughts. Wallace starts the story by presenting the reader with a picture of Lane Dean, the protagonist, and Sheri, his girlfriend, seated...

Interplay of Literary Elements in Shakespeare’s Hamlet

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

“Digging” Poem by Seamus Heaney

Seamus Heaney was born in 1939 and became one of the most brilliant Irish poets, translators, and playwrights. His first significant volume, Death of a Naturalist, was published in 1966 and included Heaney’s probably most read poem, “Digging,” in which the poet is thinking about his grandfather’s and father’s occupation...

“Learning to Read and Write” by Frederick Douglass: Rhetorical Methods and Techniques

Introduction Literary works are a unique form that allows the reader to fully convey the palette of emotions, experiences, and properties that the writer sought to put in the texts. For this purpose, authors tend to use various artistic techniques to capture and transform the audience’s attention, but most importantly,...

Resilience in “Oedipus Rex” by Sophocles and “Hamlet” by Shakespeare

Both Sophocles’ tragedy Oedipus Rex and William Shakespeare’s Hamlet can be viewed as illustrations of the resilience of human beings. Resilience means one’s capability to adapt and recover quickly from stressful events. Both Oedipus and Hamlet have difficulties accepting horrible truths about themselves and their families; however, Hamlet seems to...

Love and Loss in Poem “Annabelle Lee” by Edgar Allan Poe

The poem “Annabelle Lee” is considered the last poem by Edgar Allan Poe. It is believed to be related to the love of Poe’s life, his wife Virginia, who died at an early age of tuberculosis (Syafitri & Marlinton, 2018). Since Virginia was much younger than Edgar, her image could...

“Sweetness and Power: The Place of Sugar in Modern History” by Sidney Wilfred Mintz

Introduction In his famous book, Sweetness and Power: The Place of Sugar in Modern History, Mintz studies where and how the goods that were produced on the islands since colonial times were consumed. Spices (ginger, allspice, and nutmeg), beverages (coffee, chocolate), rum, and sugar were exported from the Caribbean region...

“Thank You, M’am” by Langston Hughes

I have never read anything more touching than Thank You, M’am by Langston Hughes. There are just two main characters in this story: an old woman Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones, and a young boy, Roger, who appeared to be a pickpocket. The last tried to still Mrs. Luella’s purse...

Symbolism in “The Road Not Taken” by Frost

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...

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...

“Orientation” by Daniel Orozco

Gossips existed in all societies beginning from prehistoric, probably because of the curiosity inherent to each human being. If directed constructively, curiosity can bring positive results such as professional excellence and expertise, whereas the consequences of excessive interest in others’ personal life are hardly predictable, and the only stable tendency...

Historical Context of A Doll’s House

Henrik Ibsen lived during the 19th century, having been born in the early 1800s and dying in the first years of the new millennium. Women in this period lived very different lives from women today. However, it was during this period that women began to question their place in society....

Willy Loman and His American Dream: Essay on Death of a Salesman

Introduction In Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, we see a devastating portrait of a man, Willy Loman, consumed by the wrong dream. For him, the “American Dream” is the pursuit of material wealth as “the whole reason for being.” His obsession is to become a great salesman. This obsession...

Father-Son Relationships in Homer’s “The Odyssey”

One of the most compelling things to me about the story of the Odyssey is the importance that is placed throughout the story on the relationship that exists between fathers and sons. Almost everything that happens in the story is somehow connected to the idea of family and the importance...

Jane Austen’s “Emma”

Jane Austen’s Emma Overview Emma, published in 1816, like other novels of Jane Austen, deals with one major subject, that is, young lady’s attempts at finding proper husbands. Although superficially this seems to be the storyline of the novel, there is much more than only this at the deeper level....

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...

Susan Glaspell’s Trifles: A Feminist Drama Analysis

Introduction Susan Glaspell’s Trifles is widely accepted as the most shining example of feminist drama. Within only one act, the author manages to evolve a complicated plotline, to describe settings in detail, and, most of all, to represent the life of a woman in the early 20th-century society. Representing such...

Seamus Heaney’s Stylistic Features

Seamus Heaney (1939-2003) is one of the prominent figures in the modern Irish poetry. Awarded with the Nobel Prize in 1995, the poet was the author of multiple collections of verse, literary essays, and translations. Seamus Heaney is an outstanding creative individual; his uniqueness is reflected through his poetic language,...

Christian Values and Symbolism in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

Introduction In the present day, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight may be regarded as masterpieces of Middle English literature and one of the most prominent and well-known Arthurian stories. It is a classic example of a chivalric romance based on English, Irish, and Welsh stories as long as French...

Hester Prynne as a Feminist Symbol of Strength in The Scarlet Letter by Hawthorne

Description of the Character Hester Prynne is a prominent character in the classic novel The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. She is a woman living in colonial America convicted of adultery and punished for committing adultery by having to wear a scarlet letter “A” on her clothing as a symbol...

Sophocles’ Antigone Play and Don Taylor’s 1986 Adaptation: A Comparison

Introduction Antigone is a well-known work written by Sophocles. Among the adaptations is the 1986 translation by Don Taylor. The first striking resemblance between the two is the characterization. In the original play, from the beginning, one can see the heroine’s determination to bury her brother despite the new laws,...

Historical and Cultural Themes in Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House

Introduction Henrik Ibsen’s Doll’s House is one of Europe’s most-performed plays in the 19th century. This play carefully presents social, cultural, and economic issues that defined the European community during this historical period. These issues are written from Henrik’s point of view and firsthand experience of society’s frameworks. Henrik’s family...

Colorism in Toni Morrison’s “Sweetness” and Its Impact

Introduction The short tale “Sweetness” by Toni Morrison sheds light on colorism’s pervasive effects on people and their interpersonal interactions in the United States. Students can investigate the themes of colorism, self-esteem, and relationships in the novel using the academic essay “Colorism and the Afro-Latinx Experience: A Review of the...

Themes of Power, Love, and Justice in Shakespeare’s King Lear

Introduction William Shakespeare’s King Lear is a tragic play that audiences have loved for centuries. The plot follows Lear, an aging king of Britain, as he attempts to divide his kingdom among his three daughters. Lear quickly learns that his love for his daughters is not reciprocated, and he is...

The Poem “Greed” by Philip Schultz Review

The poem “Greed” by Philip Schultz discusses several social problems, including inequality in the United States and the inability to become happy. The message of this poem is relevant to most people because these issues are common for everyone who does not belong to the privileged group of Americans. The...

The Essay “A Modest Proposal” by Jonathan Swift

The satire of “A Modest Proposal” stems significantly from the vast disparity between the speaker’s calm and reasonable voice and the evident obnoxiousness of his proposal. The poor’s young infants are raised as livestock, butchered, and given to the wealthy, who devoured them as a delightful treat. Swift uses irony...

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...

Gothic Elements in “The Passion” by Jeanette Winterson

Introduction Jeanette Winterson is a postmodernist writer whose work blends history, fiction, fairy tales, and feminine romance. Postmodernism allows the combining of different writing techniques and genres. In this sense, in The Passion the author could employ parody, irony, historical rewriting, self-reflectivity, and gothic elements. Postmodernism is often characterized as...

“A Sorrowful Woman” Short Story by Gail Godwin

The protagonist in Gail Godwin’s short tale A Sorrowful Woman is a woman and parent who, after becoming overburdened with her spouse and kid, withdraws from them and progressively cuts them off from her existence. She tries on different roles after becoming dissatisfied with her duties as a responsible wife...

Alice Walker’s ‘Everyday Use’ – Cultural Conflict and Family Bonds

When Dee, an intelligent young African-American woman, visits her childhood home in the Deep South, the story’s first-person narrator, Mama, explains her relationship with Dee. As Maggie and Mama, Dee’s sister and Mama’s younger daughter, get ready for the visit, the story begins. Maggie dresses into a new outfit as...

“To Build a Fire” by Jack London: Analysis

Introduction Literary works provide different perspectives on various aspects of life. For instance, Jack London’s short story To Build a Fire illustrates an individual’s fateful relationship with nature by describing how the main personage perceives the surroundings of his journey. London’s story is unique due to the use of literary...

Ibsen’s “A Doll’s House” vs. Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper”

Introduction Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House follows the life of Norah and her attempts to guard the secret about a debt that she took to save the life of her husband, Torvald. On the other hand, Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” follows the story of a narrator suffering from...

Plot and Characters of “The Land of Heart’s Desire” by Yeats

“The Land of heart’s desire” is a play scripted by an Irish poet, playwright, and 1923 Nobel winner named William Butler Yeats. Setting The play is set in a room with a floor-to-ceiling fireplace in the center and a large alcove to the right. There are seats and a table...

The Short Story “The Cold Equations” by Tom Godwin

Introduction Tom Godwin’s “The Cold Equations,” initially published in August 1954, is a widely distributed, contentious, and oft-reprinted work of science fiction. Science fiction is often defined as the literature of ideas, but the ideas behind “The Cold Equations” depend on one’s assumptions about the genre. If one approaches the...

Conformity in “The Vanishing Half” by Bennett, Brit

Stella passing for white in The Vanishing Half is an act of conformity. The term refers to behaving in accordance with some standard or authority. In the narrative, Stella acknowledges the power that the white population had in the novel which reflects the discussed concept (“Conformity”). She decides to escape...

“A Madman’s Diary” and “Preface to Call to Arms” by Lu Xun

Without significant changes, any community will gradually fall into stagnation. While most European countries developed synchronously, traditional China staggered significantly by the beginning of the 20th century. This was especially clearly seen in Chinese literature that emerged in its present form only by the middle of the last century (Gu...

The Break Novel by Katherena Vermette

Many bad things happen around; some are noticed and fairly discussed, while others remain neglected. In 2016, Katherena Vermette wrote The Break to show how dangerous and traumatic the human experience could be in a seemingly ideal community. One of its most outstanding issues is that there are no properly...

Plot, Tone, and Themes in Lorraine Hansberry’s “A Raisin in the Sun”

In 1959, a play by the writer Lorraine Hansberry, A Raisin in the Sun, was successfully staged for the first time on Broadway. This play was chosen as a research subject due to its importance for the theater industry and the overall American culture. This work combines well all significant...

The Theme of Mental Illness in “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Poe

Edgar Allan Poe wrote The Tell-Tale Heart in 1843. It is a short horror story depicting the murder of an old man by an unnamed person, the story’s narrator. The narrator shows signs of paranoia, mania, and auditory hallucinations. The setting is a house where both characters live, while most...

“Poison Tree” by William Blake: The Poem Analysis

William Blake is one of the renowned English poets who enriched world literature with his rich imagery. He is one of the brightest representatives of English romanticism. The focus of the movement is on imagination, freedom, self-realization, rebellion, isolation, and “noble savage” (Canli 16). The poet paid specific attention to...

Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” Should Be Taught in Schools

To Kill a Mockingbird has faced many restrictions and criticisms since Harper Lee wrote it in 1960. Atticus Finch’s protagonist passes valuable lessons on discrimination to his two children, Jem and Scout. Every parent ought to strive to instill the teaching in their children’s lives to grow up to be...

“Macbeth” by Shakespeare: Lady Macbeth Thesis Statement

In Shakespeare’s play, Lady Macbeth is revealed as an ambitious woman, overwhelmed with her desire to become a queen. She proves her strong verbal influence on her husband, who does not dare to challenge fate. Shakespeare created a vivid female character, combining a craving for villainy and the inability to...

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...

Analysis of “A Fixed Income” and “Valediction” by Sherman Alexie

The two stories selected for the discussion are “A Fixed Income” and “Valediction”. A “Fixed Income” highlights the plight of minorities in the United States through Sherman’s experience at McDonald’s. He explains that most of the employees at the restaurant are blacks and Latinos. Moreover, these workers are college graduates...

Love in Shakespeare’s “116th Sonnet”

In his poem, “Sonnet 116” Shakespeare presents the nature of ideal love. According to Gale Cengage Learning, the write-up was done during the Renaissance era, when there was a significant influence by the Catholic church (14). Additionally, the artists wished to create new standards of what could be regarded as...

“Animal Farm” by George Orwell: A Literary Response

The writer created Animal Farm work during the Second World War from 1943 to 1944, but it was published only in 1945 in Great Britain. The book belongs to the genre of satire and is a parody of the Russian revolution of 1917. In the Soviet Union, however, it was...

Importance and Power of Storytelling

Introduction People have been telling stories for thousands of years and will continue to do so in thousands of years ahead. The reasons for such extraordinary longevity of stories are multiple. First of all, stories reflect the world around us and help us understand our place in it. Ancient people...

“Never Marry a Mexican” by Sandra Cisneros

“Never Marry a Mexican” by Sandra Cisneros is a short story describing the life of Clemencia, a Latina woman born in the United States. In her piece, Cisneros touches upon Clemencia’s life circumstances as well as her love life, both largely influenced by her status as a Mexican-American. The reader...

Vanity, Evil, Immortality in “The Picture of Dorian Gray” by Oscar Wilde

Introduction The Picture of Dorian Gray is arguably Oscar Wilde’s most well-known and most debated work. Set in Victorian England, the story revolves around Dorian Gray and his slow descent into a life of hedonism, decadence, and immorality. However, unlike any other self-indulgent character, Gray is freed from the effects...

Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown”: A Feminist Look

“Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a short story set in seventeenth-century Puritan New England. It follows the protagonist’s journey into self-criticism and self-doubt in the context of the Puritan belief that all human beings exist in a state of depravity and that God is the one who can...

Susanna Kaysen’s Girl, Interrupted Story Analysis

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...

Troy Maxson and Realism in “Fences” Play by Wilson

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....

“What We Talk About When We Talk About Love” by Raymond Carver

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,...

The Explication of “The Garden of Love” by William Blake

The poem “The Garden of Love” by William Blake dramatizes the conflict between official religion and human instincts and emotions, such as love and sexuality. The feeling of love is treated as a path to God, while the institutionalized Christian church as an obstacle for spirituality due to its hostility...

The Maintenance of Solidarity in Ousmanes’ “God’s Bits of Wood”

Introduction “God’s Bits of Wood” is a book that was released in 1960 just when Senegal had achieved independence. This probably has a historical significance i.e. a strong theme that stresses on unity is emphasized probably because of its importance by then, specifically so when it come towards building the...

Statuettes in “Thinking as a Hobby” by William Golding

Introduction ‘Thinking as a hobby’ is a story written by William Golding where he explained how he considered thinking as his hobby. From the study, it can be revealed that Golding was introduced into the field of thinking by his headmaster who used statuettes in his study. On this basis,...

Nick Hornsby’s “About a Boy”

Introduction Nick Hornby’s novel, About A Boy, explores the multifaceted relationship between two characters, Marcus and Will. The story is based on Marcus, a twelve-year-old who is eccentric, bullied, and extremely introverted. The entire story describes Marcus’s intricacy of finding a sense of balance between being a child and being...

Gary Soto: Biography and Soto’s Poems Analysis

Gary Soto is a Chicano writer born in Fresco, California in 1952. Even as a child, he used to work as a farm laborer, which had a significant effect on his works resulting in their reflecting the whole reality of life. His works have taken this direction owing to the...

Theme and Conflict in “A Doll’s House” by Henrik Ibsen

Introduction Henrik Ibsen was one of the major writers of drama in the 19th Century (Cummings, 2003). One of his works was ‘A Doll’s House’, in 1879 (“Key Facts”, 2009). It shows the “dirty little secrets about the middle-class values of Norwegians and other Europeans”. In this play, the reader...

Ibsen’s A Doll’s House: Critical Analysis

Introduction Henrik Ibsen’s play “A Doll House” is now being commonly referred to as one of the finest examples of feminist literature of 19th century. The theme of women’s liberation can be found throughout play’s entirety, even though this theme is being spared of aggressive undertones, with which we usually...

The “Little Man” in the Big City: Gogol’s The Overcoat

The title of the story is ‘The Overcoat’ published in 1842, authored by Nikolai Gogol, the father of modern Russian pragmatism. A Great Russian novelist, Gogol is acknowledged to have quite a name as a satirist. An artist of words he is known to exert enormous influence over Russian literature....

“The New Automaton Theater” by Steven Millhauser

Introduction It should be noted that Steven Millhauser is a writer and author of many popular works that raise important philosophical and moral questions. He uses the images familiar to every individual and creates a small world, a micro-universe, into which the reader is immersed from the first lines. The...

Confucian Views on Women in Chinese Society

Introduction The teachings of Confucius have influenced all types of relationships in Chinese society, and they have also affected the social position of women, their status, and their accepted roles. In spite of the fact that Confucius did not directly write specific teachings about women, his approach to treating female...

Symbolism in “Disgrace” by John Maxwell Coetzee

Introduction People can find symbolism everywhere in their daily life and, especially, in literature. Each person can interpret symbols in their own way, depending on how they look at them. In books, symbols are utilized to make the story deeper and allow a reader to understand the author’s purposes and...

“St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves” by Russell

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...

Elie Wiesel’s Night: Faith and Disillusionment in the Holocaust

Thesis statement Elie Wiesel’s novel Night is being often referred to, as such that represents a high philosophical value (Fienberg 169). One of the reasons for this is that Wiesel succeeded in exposing the illusionary essence of people’s belief in God, as an omnipotent entity that is supposed to be...

Symbolism in “A Farewell to Arms” by Ernest Hemingway

Introduction Most idealists view war as an ideal concept. Idealists support the concept of sacrificing oneself in order that the entire society may benefit. This implies that those who participate in war become glorified and receives dignity and respect. This situation prevailed even at the commencement of the First World...

“Top Girls” a Play by Caryl Churchill

Women have already made a long way towards the establishment of equality. Caryl Churchill in her play Top Girls highlights the issue regarding the success of the women’s movement of the 1970s and 80s, making us doubt that the female accomplishments in the sphere of career are enough for the...

Prejudice Power in Forster’s “A Passage to India”

Introduction E. M. Forster’s A Passage to India has been a focus of literary, historical, psychological, and anthropological arguments ever since it first was published in 1924. The novel explores the internal relationships between the English and the Indians during the colonial period. The author paints a picture of a...

Eliezer’s Struggle with Faith in God: Themes of Resilience in “Night”

Introduction: Eliezer’s Trial Of all the torturous experiences that Elie has to face in the course of his ordeal, the one regarding his faith must have had the greatest effect on him. While the change in his relationships with his father is crucial to understanding the character and the pain...