5810 samples of this type
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...
Despite the fact that Claudius is introduced as the main antagonist in William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, he actually posses a number of strong qualities. In the beginning, the character shares his emotions about the death of the king and demonstrates his intention to support the family and “to bear our...
Polygraph Polygraphovich Sharikov is a demonstrably villainous antagonist in Mikhail Bulgakov’s novella The Heart of a Dog. After “a small experiment” on a stray dog, Sharik, conducted by a talented surgeon, Professor Preobrazhensky, and his assistant, Dr. Bormental, the dog is turned into a human (Bulgakov). From the former Sharik,...
Introduction William Shakespeare’s play, Othello, the Moor of Venice, describes tragedy using Othello as the protagonist. Othello is a Moorish soldier in the Venetian army who is highly qualified and respected. In the play, he finds himself in several tragedies resulting from racial discrimination, envy, love, and infidelity. Other characters...
Introduction Paul is a 16-year old boy who was brought up by his father and whose mother died soon after he was born. The narrative does not contain any flashbacks which might express the lack of the protagonist’s ties with the past. Paul’s appearance plays an essential role in the...
Women are often required to be good wives, mothers, nurses, teachers, breadwinners, and housekeepers at the same time. All of them deserve gratitude and praise, but women’s work is often invisible. In her poem “Woman’s Work,” Julia Alvarez discusses the domestic role of women and their input in the family....
The fascination with death, darkness, and moral corruption seems intrinsic to the human experience. Macabre areas of life attract substantial attention, especially in works of fiction – Joyce Carol Oates’s “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” belong to this category. The explanations for the phenomenon could be found...
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,...
Arguably, the main drive of “The Lottery” involves man vs. society conflict. It occurs when the protagonist has a distinct belief against many community members. The majority of them see the individual as the antagonist, whose aim is to violate the stipulated norms and ways of life. In the short...
Introduction A comparative study of mythology is essential for understanding the specifics of cultural and historical areas in the ancient world. Mythology was not only an arsenal for literature but also a direct predecessor of religious and philosophical thought. Moreover, the evolution of myth-making reflected the main stages of ancient...
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...
Character Growth in Three Parts The first part of the novel introduces the protagonist, Keita Ali, who has to flee his homeland to earn money for his family’s ransom. In this part, the readers learn that he feels alienated from his motherland and tries to fit in. The next section...
Introduction The Delphic Oracle’s motto of “Know Thyself” applies to many stories from Ancient Greece. The characters of Oedipus, Socrates, and Achilles can all be examined from the point of view of the extent to which they knew themselves and the extent to which knowing or not knowing themselves led...
“Oedipus the King” is an enigmatic tragedy account where fate makes the main character to kill his father and marry his mother unknowingly. Sophocles borrows heavily from Aristotles’ tragedy ideas to make a tragic hero with a noble personality who is made to fall by mere errors in life caused...
Introduction The modern world is more unchained than it was even 50 years ago. People allow themselves an unpredictable behavior, which sometimes frightens them, and does not shame of it. It became to be a norm that we have homosexuals and lesbians in modern society. And more attention is given...
“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...
In the vast literary heritage left by one of the world’s unique poets, Emily Dickinson, the topics of death and immortality appear to occupy a prominent position. Among multiple poems dealing with that issue, “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” is notable for the author’s fearless attitude to death...
The events of Arthur Miller’s play Death of a Salesman take place in 1949, four years after the Second World War has come to an end. America is enjoying a postwar economic boom, but the World War has caused a shake-up in American society, changing the way people view business,...
Introduction The play “Death of a Salesman” by Arthur Miller depicts life and destiny of an American family which dreams about prosperity and high social position in society. in this play, Miller tries to escape social contradictions and economic situation in society but portrays psychological difficulties experienced by the family....
Robert Lee Frost was a Pulitzer award-winning poet who was highly regarded for his realistic depictions of rural life and his use of American colloquial speech (Encyclopedia Britanica). His works typically involve settings of rural New England life from the start of the twentieth century. His works contain complex social...
Introduction The book under consideration is called “Bad Leadership” and is written by Barbara Kellerman (US: Harvard Business Press 2004). The book is a kind of warning for those who blindly follow the false leaders and are unable to differentiate the qualities of a full-fledged leader. In addition, the book...
Introduction Tragedy and comedy are the classic genres which became most popular for the elegant audience. The thing is that people are intended to see art examples of vital things terrifying or gratifying a spectator which can be implied in the play that is why the flow of people’s thought...
Ursula K. Le Guin is considered to be an American writer being well known for her outstanding trilogy A Wizard of Earthsea. This book is the depiction of the fantasy world in which the readers are involved through the adventures of Ged, a young wizard. The traveling across the countries...
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...
Introduction The Brothers K is a compelling story by David James Duncan about a family living in Camas, Washington in an America rapidly approaching the revolutionary 1960s. Though Camas is a small town still settled in the conservativism of the 1950s, the family soon faces the common division of the...
Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby depicts life in America in the 1920s focusing on the relationship between different classes and their representatives. The main character, Jay Gatsby, starts his life as a poor farm boy and earns his position in society and wealth through perseverance, commitment to his dreams, and hard work....
Prospero’s Character Analysis: Introduction While reading William Shakespeare’s “The Tempest”, one questions himself or herself if the main character’s Prospero’s rule is just or not. To prove his or her viewpoint, one should analyze Prospero’s choices to explain his values; one should also examine and discuss the treatment and the...
Introduction The Arabian Nights have always been viewed as the staple of the Arabian folklore and a source of wisdom on which the Arabian philosophy is based. However, apart from addressing the general notions of justice and the battle between the good and evil, the collection of tales also examines...
Despite Guy de Maupassant’s ‘The Necklace’ being written in the late XIXth century, this story successfully transports its moral lessons to modern life. The author engages symbolism around the main object of the story, the diamond necklace, and the deep character portrayal of two heroines to reveal the common deceptiveness...
Introduction There are many different meanings to the concept of feminism in modern literary criticism. The most common definition of feminism is the advocacy of women’s rights on the basis of the equality of the sexes (Hannam 7). Operating this definition, the paper will examine Nora’s character from feminist perspective....
Social Darwinism is a sociological theory, according to which the laws of natural selection and the struggle for survival, identified by Charles Darwin in nature, apply to relationships in human society. Social Darwinism was especially popular from the end of the 19th century until the end of the Second World...
Introduction The story innocently titled “The Lottery,” written by Shirley Jackson would be generally expected to have a positive theme. However, the plot narrates the events of the annual lottery, which takes place in the most ordinary setting of a small village (more specifically in its main square). The purpose...
In literary scholarship, Anne Bradstreet’s poetry is usually discussed from two perspectives: the Puritan views in her poems and the feminist views, as it is represented in the author’s works. Thus, the uniqueness of scholars’ discussions is in their suggestions that Bradstreet can be viewed as both a Puritan and...
Introduction When we think of the human animal, we envision a complex of behavioral qualities that all primeval humans could have. Before the establishment of the social order in its familiar form and the development of the cultural aspects of life, people were closer to nature and did not suppress...
The poem by William Wordsworth titled “I wandered lonely as a cloud” or “Daffodils” is a beautiful and inspirational work in which the author attempted to portray the wonderfulness of nature and communicate his admiration for it. In addition to its light and cheerful mood and diversity of descriptions, the...
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...
Are you about to write A Good Man Is Hard to Find theme essay? Then, make sure to check this sample out! Here, you’ll find the story’s summary, moral lesson, themes, and other aspects of the analysis. Keep reading to get some inspiration for your A Good Man Is Hard to Find thesis! ...
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...
What is the conflict between Antigone and Creon? This paper has the answer. Read it to learn all about the conflict between Antigone and Creon. Antigone Summary This story begins after banishment of Oedipus, the king of Thebes. His son Eteocles takes over the throne. Eteocles brother Polyneices refutes this...
Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” is a memorable short story that has been called a piece of gothic horror (Contemporary Literary Criticism – Select). It is also clearly a piece of social commentary. It has even been analyzed as a feminist critique of patriarchy and male oppression (Oehlschlaeger). It gets part...
Introduction “The Necklace,” a short story by celebrated French author Guy de Maupassant, poignantly comments on the societal norms and expectations that dictated the lives of 19th-century French women. Set against the backdrop of a deeply class-divided society, the tale weaves the narrative of Mathilde Loisel, whose obsession with material...
Introduction Harper Lee, a reclusive American novelist born on April 28, 1926, in Monroeville, Alabama, is renowned for her seminal work, To Kill a Mockingbird. Lee’s life experiences notably influenced the themes and characters of her masterpiece, which stands as a poignant reflection of the societal injustices prevalent during her...
Reading the Black Boy book was a moving and very emotional experience for me; it hit me with a realization that racism has been a problem among individuals in society since time immemorial as it still carries on today. The topic of discrimination and racism faced by black people is...
Introduction King Lear is a play written by William Shakespeare and originally published in 1606. It is the story of the old king of Britain who needed to give up his power to his daughters. Having no experience identifying people’s true beliefs, he is deceived by the hypocritical praise of...
The novel Atonement by Ian McEwan is a romantic war tragedy metafiction that follows Cecilia and Robbie’s lives as the protagonist. They experience conflicts trying to fulfill their dream of eternal love and separate, shutting down all their achievements. McEwan intertwines irony and symbolism to explore the theme of love...
In the narration of the book Bartleby, the theme of walls represents the boundaries that set barricades between characters throughout the story. For example, at the lawyer’s office, a ground-glass folding door is the wall that sets apart the two rooms where the lawyer and Scriveners work. With Bartleby’s recruitment,...
Introduction The short story “Runaway” by Alice Munro focuses on the two main protagonists Clark and Carla, which are a husband and wife and owners of a small horse ranch in rural Canada. The couple have a stringent relationship but remain together, despite Carla’s resentment of her husband and attempt...
Introduction Clarissa is an epistolary novel that was written by Samuel Richardson and published in 1748. The work revolves around two main characters that are Clarissa Harlowe and Robert Lovelace. Clarissa is a virtuous character who reveals the human principles in her from the family pressure concerning marriage to Mr....
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...
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...
The novel chosen for analysis is The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead, published in 2019. The Nickel Boys is the story of Elwood Curtis, an African American teenager in the 1960s who gets convicted at the Nickel Academy juvenile reformatory. In Nickel Academy, Elwood witnesses and experiences violence, racism, and...
Homer’s Iliad is a full-scale artistic discovery made in the cradle of world culture — Ancient Greece. This is one of the first epic poems in the history of mankind. In the analyzed chapter, the topic of funerals and the Olympic Games in honor of the burial of an ancient...
Over time, gender parity and women’s roles have changed from conservative views to family set-ups a modern woman would consider patriarchal. Various literary pieces describe how women with a modern worldview challenged traditional gender attitudes and belies including Medea speech by Euripides and the play A Doll’s House by Isben....
Introduction The spirit of Christmas is the story’s central theme, which gives us an insight into Victorian England. Ebenezer Scrooge, a narrow-minded, selfish man who loathes Christmas was hard on the people who worked for him. Christmas ghosts visit him, allowing him to glance at himself as a man who...
Notably, the gothic genre has some common features regardless of authorial differences and the nature of the artwork. For instance, The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter and Dracula by Bram Stoker were both set in the 20th and 19th centuries, respectively. As a result, The Bloody Chamber and Dracula are...
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...
Angelou’s poem, Still, I rise, incorporates figurative language in stanza five. The speaker uses metaphor in the first and second lines of stanza five to express her view and emotions toward racists. “… shoot me with your words” Angelou (line 21) and “you may cut me with your eyes…” Angelou...
Introduction The poet of interest is Janice Mirikitani, an Asian American poet who strongly appeals to me even though her culture is different from my own. The main reason is that her works show that there are many similarities between cultures, but the difference is how common human struggles and...
“Rape of the Lock” is Alexander Pope’s mock-heroic narrative poem written in 1717. In it, the author describes the life of aristocrats in London of the 18th century. At the same time, the poem may be regarded as a powerful social satire that aims to represent all weaknesses and negative...
The poem Daystar by Rita Dove depicts women’s lives in the role of a mother and a wife. The author illustrates the state of loneliness of the protagonist, as well as the peacefulness of her quiet moment of the day. It is also reflected in the title of the poem....
The Beekeeper of Aleppo is the moving story of the journey of two spouses who experienced the war and were forced to flee Syria. This book illuminates the lives of civilians who had a formed life and a safe environment, coming face to face with war, death, and grief. The...
John Winthrop lived from 1588 to 1649; as he was born into a wealthy family of land-owning merchants he received a good education. His father took a position at Cambridge University when John was young. As a result, John Winthrop was exposed to complex ideas from a very young age....
Jane Kenyon’s poem “Happiness” briefly describes how she views happiness and how it occurs most unexpectedly. She provides different scenarios in which happiness can occur to an individual. The poetic uses several poetic devices to structure her poem to give meaning to her ideas. The most notable poetic devices identified...
Introduction Greek poets set the groundwork for dramatic literature. Scholars and critics alike believe Sophocles’ tragedy Oedipus the King to be the pinnacle of his achievements as a writer in ancient Greece. A crucial and divisive issue in Sophocles’ day is explored in the play: The Gods’ will versus man’s...
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...
“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...
Like many other sonnets by William Shakespeare, sonnet number 116 has no title of its own and is named after the first line: “Let me not to the marriage of true minds.” This sonnet rejects the theme of love, which is regularly encountered in the works of the author. In...
Eveline is a short story written by James Joyce about a 19-year-old woman making a hard choice regarding the direction of her entire life. Eveline lives in Dublin with her old abusive father; she works hard and looks after the house. Her mother and one of her brothers – Ernest...
Introduction Kate Chopin’s short story “The Storm” depicts an unsuccessful union between the protagonist Calixta and her partner Bobinot. The story describes an adulterous sexual affair between Calixta and a former friend, Alcee, during a storm. Although Chopin explores these issues from a conventional perspective, she adopts a rather unbiased...
Summary The short story “Desiree’s Baby,” written by Kate Chopin, touches upon various cultural, psychological, and philosophical topics. Within this story, Chopin discusses the issues of unconditional love, acceptance, self-identification, and race (Hassan and Tayib 139). The last problem has always been the severe obstacle to establishing understanding within different...
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...
In Marxist criticism, the rich exploit the poor to become more powerful and wealthy. In The Lottery story by Jackson, Mr. Summer is seen to entice the poor to play the lottery to gain more wealth. In a capitalist world, the rich protect their family from exploitation by the capitalist....
The idea of beauty has always been important to human society. People use specific standards to consider someone more attractive than others and provide them with privileged status. At the same time, failure to meet dominant standards might result in exclusion, isolation, and loneliness. Thus, beauty is one of the...
A great tragedian, Sophocles, gave Greek tragedies their conventional form. Specifically, he started the tradition of including a tragic hero with four distinctive characteristics: the presence of a rank, a tragic flaw, a downfall, and a recognition of mistakes. In Sophocle’s “Antigone,” the eponymous character initially seems like the story’s...
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...
From the Marrow Thieves, the narrator of the novel is a sixteen-year-old Métis lad. Francis is his given name; however, he is rarely addressed as such. By the age of eleven, Frenchie had lost his father, mother, and older brother, Mitch. Frenchie is profoundly affected by his parents’ absences. Even...
Introduction William Blake’s poem Tyger is one of the most remarkable literary examples of animal imaginary-heavy works that touch on the topics of imagination, religion, and life’s purpose. It remains one of the most famous works in the entire bibliography of the poet, and consecutively has been a subject to...
Introduction Religion is an essential element of many cultures and countries that often determines the attitudes of the general population toward specific questions, behaviors, or social structures. Authors sometimes exploit religion as a tool for elucidating a particular problem. For example, James Baldwin views anger and racial discrimination through the...
“The Princess on the Pea” is one of the shortest and most well-known classic fairy-tales, and its plot may seem quite simple to some. I believe that there are two ways to answer the question why it was so important for the royal family to find a “real princess”. First,...
“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...
Introduction William Gibson’s story Burning Chrome depicts an advanced but soulless society where most technological advances are portrayed as distorted by commercialization and human mechanization rather than improving the quality of life. However, the main characters are depicted as completely dependent on technology. Technology is not only a global achievement...
The character of Iago from Shakespeare’s Othello is one of the most unique and multi-faceted villainous characters from all of Shakespeare’s works. The mysterious and deceitful aura of the character makes the play more thrilling to the viewer or reader, who is aware of Iago’s untruthful motives, and makes the...
My favorite Decameron stories are the ones presented in the First day. They appeal to me because they deconstruct the church’s authority. At the time of Decameron’s writing, the Church was probably the most important aspect of life for Europeans, rivalling kings in authority. The Pope, monks, priests were regarded...
Introduction The novel, The Marrow Thieves, was authored by Cherie Dimaline and published by Cormorant Books Incorporated on April 15th, 2017. The story focuses on a bleak future in Canada in which most people are no longer able to dream, and indigenous romantics have to escape their routine. The antagonist,...
Humanity has been striving for knowledge for centuries which became possible with the appearance of writing and books. Although even primary education was limited in many parts of the world in the past, people still sought education. Dai Sijie’s novel Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress tells the story of...
Regardless of the period the literary text is written, the message it tries to express through black ink is often relative for many decades. An example of this kind of works is the excerpts written by Keats, Yeats, and Orwell. The writers invoke philosophical ideas and provoke readers’ thoughts by...
I am Malala, or also known by its full title as “I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and was Shot by the Taliban”, is an autobiographical book by Malala Yousafzai. It has won at both Specsavers National Book Awards, and the 2013 Goodreads...
Introduction Racial and cultural identity are among the most prominent themes of Langston Hughes’s literary works. It is important to point out that many of his poems explore different aspects of African American identity in regards to the overall culture and race as well as the intricate topics on social...
Introduction To be truly happy, an individual should have or, at least, seek a genuine value that makes his or her life full-fledged and gives it a significant meaning. Undoubtedly, one of such worth is unconditional, real, and sincere love that can be manifested in different forms, including friendship, intimate...
Introduction The short story The Lottery is one of Shirley Jackson’s most famous works. Its concept revolves around an annual draw in a small village. Although the lottery is usually associated with a winner getting a grand prize, in the story, it is a process of selecting a victim for...
Introduction Trifles is a one-act play by an American playwright and journalist Susan Glaspell, first performed in 1916. The plot is centered around a scene in a local farmhouse where neighbors and the police investigate a murder of John Wright, of which his wife Minnie is suspected. The play explores...
Kate Chopin’s short stories have always fascinated the readers by the unique combination of concise content and a profound context. “The Story of an Hour” is not an exception: in only about a thousand words, the writer manages to tell a dramatic story with quite an unexpected ending. The critics...
Introduction Dystopian fiction is gaining popularity due to its deeply reflective nature and futuristic perspectives on the social order. “Brave New World” by Aldous Huxley is a dystopian fiction novel written and published in the early 1930s. It presents a society living in the so-called World State, where a strict...
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...
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...
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...
The emergence of books once revolutionized the teaching process, allowing people to transfer knowledge indirectly, making it more accessible. People can develop new skills independently of others or learn more about the world by merely reading the material on a topic. Written history invites a reader to imagine life before...
Homer’s Odyssey has made an indisputable contribution to all Western civilization’s development and remains relevant in the modern world. In addition, the protagonist’s personal qualities, such as courage and strength, make him famous and reflect the spirit of the society of Ancient Greece. These stories are an excellent illustration of...
As one might expect from a book written by an eyewitness of the Holocaust who barely escaped death at concentration camps, Night by Elie Wiesel deals with the subject of evil in much detail. The teenage author’s encounters with SS soldiers and the personnel of the death camps provide more...
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...
“Blindness” is an essay written by Jorge Luis Borges in 1977. In this work, much attention was paid to self-referentiality because the author’s experience is extremely important to support his writing (Block de Behar, A Rhetoric of Silence 279-281). To understand the purpose of this essay, it is critical to...
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 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...
Introduction Kafka’s The Metamorphosis is oftentimes seen as an allegorical, psychological, and quintessential exploration of the author’s inner state. However, despite the core of the story centering on the physical transformation of Gregor Samsa, the real metamorphosis occurs in his family which demonstrate a dramatic shift in attitudes at his...
Introduction The term “supernatural” has several meanings and is used in both everyday speech and scholarly works on philosophy, psychology, and literature. In its most general meaning, the adjective “supernatural” means something not explained naturally, which is not subject to the laws of nature. In the field of fiction, the...
Introduction Literature is an important tool in people’s lives because it plays a central role in connecting individuals with larger truths and societal ideologies. It allows people to document their experiences and thoughts, which are then shared with other individuals, and passed from one generation to another; hence, it is...
Introduction Chinua Achebe is a renowned author not just in Africa but also in international literature. With the help of his writings, Chinua Achebe thrills readers across the globe with the creative application of language, structure, form, and precise insider accounts of modern African history and way of life. With...
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...
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...
Dear Cornelius, I hope this letter finds you in good health and high spirit. Alas, I cannot say so about myself at the moment. I cannot possibly explain what heartbreaking and unfortunate news awaited thy loyal friend Hamlet upon his returning home. You are my kindred spirit and the only...
A complex plot with a sophisticated system of characters. Shakespeare’s work Henry ΙV part Ι is considered to be the greatest historical play. A complex plot with a sophisticated system of characters has become the subject of the research of many scholars. Two worlds come into collision in the play...
Introduction The House on Mango Street is the novel by Sandra Cisneros, the famous American author with Mexican roots. The plot of the novel is based on such well-known concept in the philosophy as the American dream, which means a strong commitment to achievement of better life and the pursuit...
Becoming one of the most well-known Greek tragedies, Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex is a sophisticated playwright masterpiece. Written in 430 BC, exploring so many aspects of the human condition, the play’s themes are applied through the centuries. In the tragedy, Oedipus is ultimately responsible for his demise, even though fate uncontrollably...
Introduction We live in a materialistic society where people are so accustomed to judge others by their appearance. We care so much about how much money we make, what kind of car we drive, what brand of clothing we wear, and many more things that are visible to people around...
Edgar Allan Poe was born on January 19 1809 in Boston Massachusetts. He was an American poet, writer, literary critic and editor. He was orphaned at an early age before he was even three years. He was raised as a foster child by John and Frances Allan in Richmond Virginia....
Introduction Christian is the main character of the story The Pilgrim’s Progress written by John Bunyan. This young man is searching for a way to Heaven; this journey of a soul is presented as a physical journey from his native city of Destruction to the Celestial City under which the...
Chinua Achebe is one of the most popular African writers of the twentieth century, who presents the culture and traditions of early African tribes and communities in his works. Born in Ogidi, Nigeria, he depicts the life of people in Nigeria, colonialism, and its effects on their lives. His works...
This essay will analyze the character of Captain Macheath from John Gay’s The Beggar’s Opera. The character analysis will pay particular attention to the multi-faceted nature of Macheath. Rather than adopting one position or another in plot and circumstance, Macheath drives the action of The Beggar’s Opera specifically by showing...
Outline This paper discusses Henrik Ibsen portrayal of women. Ibsen was one of the finest novelists of Norwegian history. His novels were very controversial about the role of women during that time. Though, he highlights different shades of women characters. This paper discusses his works and highlight how he portrays...
Introduction and Thesis statement Siegfried Sassoon is regarded as the preeminent war poet of the 20th Century. His works offer graphic narratives of the violence and brutality of war. What is ironic is that his background of wealth and privilege was about as far from the destitution of war that...
Hamlet written by William Shakespeare is a play-tragedy disclosing a lot of aspects of the social and personal lives of its characters. The author managed to raise the most important problems of humanity combining negative and positive emotions in his heroes. One of the most brightest and significant aspects described...
Pride, ego, high self-esteem are all harbingers of dissatisfaction and clashes. In the classic Iliad by Homer, Agamemnon is shown to be a person with a high of all of these. He has to give up his prized possession, a girl whom he won when the city of Priam was...
In the history of classical literary pieces, Don Quixote by Miguel De Cervantes enjoys one of the prominent positions among the masterpiece works and it is rightly considered as the foremost piece of fiction ever to be written by any important authors. The piece also holds the credit to be...
Introduction The genre of a detective novel always attracted a large audience with its suspenseful premise and a satisfactory and often revelatory ending. One can argue that this genre has a set of traits that were established once and had not changed significantly since then (Rosenheim 81). Many short stories...
Introduction “Young Goodman Brown” is a short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne depicting the eternal battle between good and evil. It is a tale of a young man walking through a gloomy forest with an elderly companion to perform a wicked deed. Throughout the journey, the main character, Goodman Brown, doubts...
The power of classic literature and dramaturgy is in their ability to withstand the influence of time and remain relevant for society even after years since creation. This assumption might be applied to Henrik Ibsen’s play titled “The Doll’s House.” It was written at the end of the 19th century...
Introduction William Bradford’s “Traveling through the Dark” seems to present its setting in the very title, but further analysis of the poem allows discerning that the “dark” has two shades of meaning. The direct connotation of the dark is the time of the day when the events are happening. The...
Introduction A View from the Bridge, a tale of Eddie Carbone’s life, was initially heard by Arthur Miller when he was doing research in Red Hook, Brooklyn. It is interesting that Miller was collecting information for a different project that was supposed to expose the corruption that occurred in the...
Introduction It does not make sense when someone calls Anton Chekhov’s poem The Cherry Orchard a comedy, but as one progresses to analyze the book, this idea becomes a reality. The play is centered on Lyubov Andreyevna whose irresponsible mannerism leads their family into a tragedy of financial collapse and...
Introduction In his well-known play called Midsummer Night’s Dream William Shakespeare describes a case of interaction between the world of humans and the world of supernatural creatures. The drama that revolves around several couples ends up in a massive confusion caused by the meddling of elves and fairies. Initially, the...
The Fortunes & Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe is a novel that already includes the main plot in the title since it tells about the whirlwind life of a criminal – Moll Flanders. Written as a collection of Moll’s memories, the novel follows the main character...
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...
Introduction Robin Hood faces a number of problems. The first of these problems is that he intended to dispose the High Sheriff of Nottingham from power. This led him to launch a rebellion against him. What began as a personal crusade developed into an idea that many people came to...
Introduction Anna Lee Walters wrote “Buffalo Wallow Woman” to show that it is easier to label a woman representing traditional cultures as insane rather than try to understand her. This woman is trapped in a mental ward because she is different from the doctors and nurses, but the only thing...
Edgar Poe’s short story The Cask of Amontillado illustrates some of the main techniques developed by this author in order to create a sense of suspense that engages the readers. In this case, much attention should be paid to the use of foreshadowing and irony. They are particularly relevant when...
The Way to Rainy Mountain by N. Scott Momaday is a literary work that stands out based on a variety of elements and features. The purpose of this work was for the author to connect with the readers by means of communicating a unique autobiographical story that was far more...
Farce is an inevitable element of theater and plays. Having a personal point of view about which elements of farce the theatric performances are to follow, Eric Bentley has created several aspects which are believed to be the part of farce. The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for...
This essay sample explores the major theme in Beloved: slavery and its dehumanizing effects. Read it if you are curious about the theme of slavery in Beloved its connection to the theme of motherhood. Slavery in Beloved: Introduction Slavery is one of the major distressing issues in society bearing in...
The introduction The fundamentals of the play When speaking about Samuel Beckett’s play Krapp’s Last Tape, it is necessary to highlight some fundamentals of his unusual production. So, first of all, there is a need to state that the peculiar feature of the play is considered to be a lack...
Conflict in the attitude of the narrator Tom Whitecloud presents his work by using conflict in the attitude of the narrator. Conflict is the primary element that drives the plot of this short story. It shows how the narrator struggles with both the inner self and outside forces of societies,...
Myths are interesting for many people because they are based on primitive and common opinions and ideas about the situations and phenomena of the life. That is why, the mythological and archetypal approach with references to the Jungian analysis can be used in order to discuss the piece of literature...
The book We Need New Names tells the story of Darling, a young African girl and her mischievous gang of friends. Darling is the protagonist. Bulawayo tells of the girl’s life in violent and unstable Zimbabwe as well as her experiences as an immigrant in America. However, the ending of...
Introduction Time plays a significant role in the literary works of William Shakespeare. On the one hand, it is a notion that impacts the characters within the plays, while on the other hand, it affects the world through much deeper processes. The Shakespearean sonnets are particularly important when examining the...
Introduction The short story “How to Tell a True War Story” was written by Tim O’Brien, an American writer best known for his works about the Vietnam War. This story delves into the unreliability of memory and the difficulty of accurately describing wartime experiences. O’Brien was born in Austin, Minnesota,...
Summary In “An Old Woman Remembers,” by Eulalia Perez, the author describes life in the California missions around the turn of the 19th century. Eulalia Perez’s narrative gives a distinctive viewpoint on the missionary system and sheds light on how women—especially widows like herself—are seen in these communities. This story...
The Crucible by Arthur Miller examines the widespread fear and persecution experienced during the Salem Witch Trials in the late 17th century. Throughout the play, various propaganda techniques are employed to sway public opinion and defend the witch hunts. It is most realistic to remark that black, grey and white...
Mona Lisa Smile tells the story of feminist teacher Kathryn Ann Watson, who leaves her boyfriend in Los Angeles to teach at a conservative private women’s college. Instead of the bright minds of her generation, Kathryn meets girls with the primary life purpose to get married. Watson tries to convince...
“Girl,” a short story by Jamaica Kincaid, tells the narrative of a traditional Antiguan mother trying to teach her daughter the correct etiquette as she grows up. In the novel, she tells her daughter what to do and what to avoid as a young woman. The mother presents her daughter...
“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...
Albert Camus is a classic of French literature, his works are recognized as the finest examples of the genre. Camus considered himself an existentialist, like Franz Kafka, Rainer Maria Rilke, and Thomas Stearns Eliot. Still, Camus’s prose differs due to his great optimism, and the lack of a tendency to...
