5974 samples of this type
In a story as concise and rightly packed as Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado,” every little detail serves to highlight and stress the piece’s main conflict. This certainly applies to the story’s secondary character – the protagonist’s perceived arch-nemesis Fortunato. There are two symbols clearly related to Fortunato...
Literature emerged as a way for people to describe what they held dear and what constituted a significant part of their lives. Many nations developed their art to convey their values and reflect their worldview, and Native Americans were no exception. Indigenous people had established their oral traditions before Europeans...
The power of words negatively or positively impacts people. Languages have a significant impact as people are typically affected by reading the words. The power contained in words can be used to build, create or destroy in equal measure. Encouraging words can be used constructively as well as destructive words...
“The Rocking-Horse Winner” provokes various emotions, including fascination and concerns about the boy, pity and disappointment about the mother, and misunderstanding of adult behaviors. Such attitude may be explained by the theme, morals, and symbols Lawrence uses. There are two evident topics in the story: a conflict between material and...
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...
One of the fears described in dystopian fiction is the loss of individuality. People become uniformed cogs in an oppressive society, so the government could completely control them. Therefore, individualism can contribute greatly to maintaining freedom and independent thinking. In Harrison Bergeron, the author shares his vision of the future...
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...
The current essay is an analysis of Oresteia based on the book “Aeschylus Oresteia” by Peter Meineck. In this paper, first of all, a brief overview of the trilogy will be presented. Then, the following topics will be addressed and analyzed: the issue of justice and Oresteia’s argument about it;...
Most people would likely agree that preserving one’s cultural heritage is a meaningful and worthy pursuit. However, people also tend to disagree on what is the best way to proceed with it. Maintaining African American cultural legacy features prominently as a theme in Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use.” The author uses...
“The Lottery” is a famous short story by Shirley Jackson that embodies a great number of themes and encourages readers all over the world to take a critical look at traditions and related problems and think about the sanctity of life in different societies. Having read the ending, one suddenly...
The audience of all art forms perceives and forms different ideas from the works of art. In this context, some readers may find the treatment of women in William Shakespeare’s play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, unreasonable and, therefore, troubling. The readers may have several reasons for forming the opinion. Some...
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...
Scott Fitzgerald is a famous American writer, and most of his works are devoted to the jazz era. He elaborated this term, which means a happy decade between the end of World War I and the beginning of the Depression. This era involves the rebellion of the young generation against...
Introduction The theme of friendship is central to Toni Morrison’s novel Sula. The writer exposes two sides of such a relationship – uplifting and supportive on the one hand and complicated and painful on the other. As girls, Sula and Nel structure their own rules and outline the size of...
August Wilson’s “Fences” delves into the lives of African Americans. More specifically, Wilson uses the life of the protagonist Troy Maxson to explore common social conflicts and themes such as love, gender roles, and responsibility. Troy’s conflict with the Whites, as well as Tory’s relationship with Rose, are two dominant...
Each poem carries a unique style of its author and a message that reflects the trends of society. An author conveys these meanings through elements and details such as images, rhythm, and tone to create a coherent story. This paper will interpret the meaning of “The Unknown Citizen” by Auden,...
Trifles is a 1916 one-act play by the American playwright and journalist Susan Glaspell. Penned around the first wave of the feminist movement, Trifles is a bold representation of the insidious conflict that had long existed between men and women in American society. The play revolves around the mysterious murder...
Throughout world history, wartime has always been considered as the darkest and most dooming time for the world community. However, modern textbooks are not capable of expressing the actual feeling of terror and trembling fear people lived through during those years. To bring modern generations closer to their ancestors’ history,...
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...
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a long poem that tells the story of the adventures of the brave knight Sir Gawain. This story is a fairy tale that shows the bravery and courage of the knights, which were popular at the time of its writing; however, it also...
Katherine’s final speech in Act 5, scene 2 of Taming of the Shrew, is quite surprising and contradictory to her character. A woman who was known for rebellious behavior towards men, including her husband, suddenly speaks as an exemplary wife. Katherina’s husband asked her to talk about a woman’s duties....
A Worn Path is a short story laden with meaning and symbolism wrote by Eudora Welty. The narrative is about an old African American woman, Phoenix Johnson, walking a familiar path in the rural areas of Natchez, Mississippi, seeking to get medicine for her ailing grandson. The story is written...
In contrast to other characters in The Great Gatsby, Nick goes through a number of changes from the beginning to the end of the novel. The entire novel depicts flashbacks made by Nick in revealing a detailed account of the mysteries surrounding Gatsby. Nick is the character who puts together...
In human life the idea if home occupies one of the leading positions in the hierarchy of traditional values. The famous proverb “There is no place like home” reflects the uniqueness and importance of the place to human heart. The emotional value of home becomes especially apparent in situations when...
George Orwell, the birth name Eric Arthur Blair, was a famous British author whose literary works showed his love for simplicity in language. Most importantly they reflect Orwell’s “profound consciousness of social injustice and belief n democratic socialism (Orwell Archives).” As Orwell states in his 1946 essay “Why I Write,”...
Introduction The ancient Greeks had a worldview that established a close relationship between the world of the gods and the world of mortals, typically expressed as a close relationship between the natural world and human activity. This was because it was felt the will of the gods was expressed through...
The literary style of Earnest Hemingway, Nobel laureate in 1954, is direct, terse, and often monotonous, yet suited to elemental subject matters. His fiction and short stories usually focus on people living essential, dangerous lives, controlling the pain and difficulty of their existence, with stoic courage. Hemingway’s characters plainly embody...
Individual versus society is probably the oldest theme employed by writers, playwrights, and film producers to demonstrate a difference one might make by their positive or negative deeds. In “Suddenly, Last Summer,” Tennessee Williams shows homosexuality as the central point of the conflict between the characters and makes broader implications,...
Introduction One of the foundational principles of the courtly tradition was a particular conception of women. According to this view, women, particularly high-born women, were considered extremely delicate and require a great deal of protection and solicitation. Women were expected to be quiet, demure, easily surprised by the grosser aspects...
Symbols have a special significance in Death of a Salesman. Recurring images of the rubber hose, diamonds, and stockings help to convey the play’s main message. This essay studies the symbolism in Death of a Salesman and uncovers the meaning behind the imagery used by Arthur Miller. Symbolism in Death...
Introduction Shirley Jackson possesses a well-known reputation for dark fiction writing. She specializes in imparting fear by mixing the rational with the irrational and the unfamiliar with the familiar. Some of her famous works include “Just an Ordinary Day” and “The Haunting of Hill House.” Her masterpiece, however, remains the...
For many years, time travel did not fit into the framework of serious science. Nevertheless, this topic has become a kind of side occupation for theoretical physicists. Reflections on such travels lead to rather amusing, but also very thoughtful conclusions. For example, if free movement in time, at least in...
Classic literature is an exciting and essential phenomenon in world history. Numerous authors manage to make the works that remain relevant irrespective of how many years have passed from the date of their creation. For example, it refers to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet that was written in the late 16th...
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...
Introduction “Death of a Salesman” is one of the brightest works of Arthur Miller, and the problems enlightened in it remain actual long after the work was first published (Scheibe 26). The play describes the beauty of a dream and the impossibility of following the standards of our society regarding...
Introduction/Thesis When it comes to writing a novel, authors must first make sure that the would-be produced literary work will have what it takes to prove discursively relevant. This, in turn, can only be accomplished if the novel’s themes and motifs are consistent with the prevailing socio-cultural climate, on 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...
The theme of transformation is one of the most prominent ones in The Metamorphosis. Franz Kafka implemented various literary devices to illustrate how the central characters changed throughout the novella. Yet, the key aspect the author tried to convey is that Gregor’s physical metamorphosis led to everyone’s psychological transformation, including...
Materialism is the belief that comfort, pleasure, and wealth are the most desirable things in life. Do you agree? I do not agree that comfort, pleasure, and wealth are the most desirable things in life. All of these things are fickle and have temporary value. Focusing only on them blinds...
Edward Taylor’s poem ‘Upon wedlock and death of children’ shows the poet’s grief after losing his children. Apparently, the piece was written for personal use only, considering the emotional attachment he develops in the poem. In the beginning, the poem appears to be happy and uplifting. For instance, the poet...
Introduction Classical children’s literature is full of examples of outstanding works that have become a cultural treasure and are still being discussed with interest today. One of these well-known works that are known to almost everyone in the book “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” written by the famous American writer...
Who moved my cheese? by Spencer Johnson is a little story that encompasses an ever-present drawback of a human mindset – resistance to change. There are four main characters in this story: two mice Sniff and Scurry and two little people – Hem and Haw, who are put into a...
Introduction In the story “A Good Man Is Hard to Find”, Flannery O’Connor focuses on the lack of the ‘good’ aspects that are supposed to lead to ‘grace’ among human beings. The author shows the frailty of human beings and how they lack in spirituality. The story is presented through...
Children normally are the centerpiece of society. They are treated with love and lots of affection as they are the originators of joy in the families. At this tender age, a child is meant to learn the ways of society which in most cases constitute the norms and virtues of...
Kindred Essay: Introduction “Kindred” is a novel written by Octavia Butler, American writer who created an extraordinary combination of science fiction events and the issue of slavery. The book was published in 1979 and became popular in no time because it discusses the problems that are on the front burner...
The story, Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been, was written by Joyce Carol Oates in the mid-60s and was dedicated to the famous musician Bob Dylan. She once explained that the idea of writing this story came to her mind when she read a story about a man...
Sharon Olds is one of the most prominent contemporary voices in American Literature. Her poem, “The Possessive,” revolves around the theme of severing relation between a mother and her adolescent daughter. In this poem, she explores the generation gap between the mother and her teenage daughter. It shows the contemporary...
It is easy to understand the kind of sadness emanating from a failure to achieve a specific goal. It is easy to figure out the reason why a person is sad after a lover’s rebuff. However, melancholy is oftentimes seen as negative feeling with long-term effects. Nonetheless, it seems to...
Introduction Haruki Murakami is a renowned Japanese novelist, short-story writer, and essayist known for his unique blend of magical realism, surrealism, and existentialism. He was born in Kyoto, Japan, and grew up in Kobe, where his parents owned a library (Ali 442). This environment exposed him to various literature, including...
Introduction Kate Chopin’s short story, The Story of an Hour, delves into the dangers of repression experienced by the protagonist, Louise Mallard. Through the narrative, Chopin highlights the consequences of suppressing one’s true desires and emotions, shedding light on the potential harm that can arise from a society that stigmatizes...
Introduction In Kate Chopin’s Désirée’s Baby,” Désirée and Armand Aubigny undergo significant transformations as they struggle with issues of identity, love, and race. The story initially showedDésirée as a quiet lady who loved a happy marriage to Armand. However, the revelation of her child’s mixed racial heritage drastically changes her...
Introduction “If Beale Street Could Talk” by James Baldwin is a moving examination of love, family, and racial injustice in 1970s Harlem. Baldwin uses various signs and symbols throughout the narrative to encapsulate the multifaceted nature of human experience, particularly within the African-American community. This analysis delves into how Baldwin...
Introduction Ancient Greece is known for its many traditions and norms that have been preserved for millennia, emphasizing the values of family, dignity, and integrity. However, Ancient Greece is additionally known for its literature and well-known plays that carry powerful messages and illuminate themes that are often debated even in...
The concept of gender is a significant theme in Virginia Woolf’s 1928 novel Orlando. In her classic work, Woolf examines the idea of gender identity and the fluidity of gender roles. The novel’s protagonist, Orlando, is a young English nobleman born in the Elizabethan era and lives through several centuries...
Lucille Clifton wrote the poem forgiving my father in which she talks about the negative experience of interacting with her father. Despite the fact that the family should consist of love and mutual respect of its members, there are situations in which strife occurs. Children can be witnesses or even...
Introduction Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar is a novel about a young writer herself. It reflects multiple life events: her sufferings, mental breakdown, and the attempt to fix her with glue. The story narrates Esther Greenwood, the book’s protagonist, getting an opportunity to study at a prestigious university. Writers various...
Introduction Filial piety is a Confucian principle that refers to the act of respecting one’s parents, elders, ancestors, and seniors. The principle is a very important aspect of Chinese society, especially and was embraced after the emergence of Confucianism. Today, it is one of the most important responsibilities of any...
The poem I, Too was written in the year 1925, leading to a discussion of the historical background. Primarily, one of the most impactful and devastating events that took place around the time of these works was racial segregation, which started approximately around the 19th century and ended in 1964...
“The Man From Mars” by Margaret Atwood is a short story about a young man who finds himself on another planet and the psychological implications of his experience (Atwood). In this work, it is possible to see how repression can structure and inform the work, as the protagonist is attempting...
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...
Introduction The history of crime in Los Angeles (L.A.) is not a matter of class or race alone; instead, it connects both issues. Rodriguez holds this true in his account of La Vida Loca. In America, Los Angeles is considered one of the most culturally diverse states, with a large...
Introduction The role of analyzing literary works includes revealing their literal and symbolic meanings. In literature, poets develop poems to communicate specific messages to the readers literally or symbolically. In relation to “Moving Camp Too Far” by Nila northSun, one can decipher the different techniques the poet used to deliver...
A sonnet is a special kind of poetry expression dedicated to the inner workings of the heart and mind. They explore what it implies to give love using a wide range of emotions and various tools. To define true love, William Shakespeare’s Sonnet 116 first explains what it is not...
Introduction Sonny’s Blue by James Baldwin, written in 1957, explores the different approaches two brothers take on the path to finding meaning in life. The narrator, a teacher, is not impressed by Sonny’s decision to venture into music and his abuse of heroin which lands him in jail. The story...
Introduction In this book, Erich Auerbach has adopted distinct rhetoric and philosophy of communication that significantly advanced my theoretical knowledge of concepts. For instance, the author assumes a persuasive form of writing whereby he coins around words to present an idea or a thought. Firstly, the book has boosted my...
Introduction Miller’s Death of a Salesman is iconic and representative since it takes place during a time of national catastrophe, the Great Depression. The author’s imagination was drawn to the seemingly insignificant lives exemplifying central themes, such as family relationships, financial wellbeing, and the shortcomings of the American dream (Churchwell...
Oedipus by Sophocles satisfies the requirements for a character to be classified as a tragic hero and serves as an example of the Aristotelian theory of tragedy. According to Aristotle, tragic heroes must be distinguished individuals who exhibit noble traits and possess a hamartia or a fatal flaw. An illustration...
Introduction Destiny is something that is to happen or has happened to a particular person or thing. In addition, destiny can be potentially characterized as the unknown and inevitable future or a predefined condition and life path. Someone can think that destiny is unavoidable that has to happen, but, to...
Introduction The story tells about a young woman, who has been diagnosed with clinical depression. Instead of medication, she chooses to go winter camping. During the trip, the woman takes her two dogs with her. She follows the advice given to her by a friend about winter camping and how...
The collection of short stories Drinking Coffee Elsewhere is, in itself, an exploration of the role of race and ethnicity in modern American society and literature. By employing the lens of a specific narrator for each story, Packer makes them more personal, filled with the experiences of a living, breathing...
A&P is a comic short story written by John Updike in 1961. The story tells about a cashier guy in a store who was shocked by the appearance of three young female customers who came to the store in swimsuits. After the manager, as the main hero thought, disgraced girls...
Carlos Fuentes Biography The Death of Artemio Cruz is a book written by Carlos Fuentes in 1962 about the Mexican Revolution and its aftermath. Fuentes was a Mexican novelist and writer born in 1928 and died in 2012. Fuentes was considered one of the finest writers in Latin America, and...
William Shakespeare and his works occupy an honorary place in world literature. At the same time, the play The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, briefly referred to as Hamlet, is one of the most famous. The plot reveals complex themes of revenge, mortality, deception, madness, and other issues. The...
Oedipus Rex is a tragedy since it satisfies Aristotle’s criteria for a tragic hero in Poetics. The protagonist of a classic tragedy of a heroic and noble person whose downfall is triggered by a defect in his character. His frailty causes him to become caught in events that overwhelm him,...
Despite its shortness, the story “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne contains a number of educative lessons. One of them is the possibility to understand the nature of evil better. On the one hand, all people are free and happy due to many options and choices. On the other hand,...
Introduction Although Odyssey is an Ancient Greek poem, it is interesting to read even nowadays, when people got used to twisted plots. There are several basic topics in the poem, several of which are still actual for a modern person. The first topic is free will, which is reflected through...
The poem “When Lilacs in the Dooryard Bloom’d” is one of the masterpieces of Walt Whitman containing deep symbolism. It is used to convey feelings and emotions and help readers to understand the central message of the author. The star, the lilac, and the bird are the three words that...
Edgar Allen Poe is one of the renowned poets whose works have been used by several generations. Poe was born in Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America, when most Americans were beginning to embrace literature. He mainly focused on poems and short stories, especially tales. He is among the earliest...
Introduction Many people have heard the powerful words ‘do not go gentle into that good night,’ but few realize where they came from and the powerful emotion behind them. The poem “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night” by Dylan Thomas is one of the recognizable pieces of English...
The Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen created the play A Doll’s House in 1879. The play’s central theme is the position of women in society; contemporaries perceived the drama as a feminism manifesto. However, the problems of A Doll’s House are not limited to the women’s issue: it is about the...
To His Coy Mistress, written by the 17th century English poet Andrew Marvell, is an extremely interesting blend of two poetic genres. On the one hand, this poem is written as an appeal to a mistress in an attempt to gain favor from her, as evidenced by the title of...
Introduction Published in 1884, Guy de Maupassant’s short story with the ambiguous title “The Necklace” is an excellent example of a work with an unexpected ending that forces the reader to rethink the artistic narrative. Along with the psychological issues of the conflict of desires and opportunities, the instability of...
Introduction Beloved by Toni Morrison is an allegory of emotional and physical trauma caused by slavery. It is illustrated through the story of a black woman haunted by her daughter’s ghost that she murdered to save her from servantry’s fate. The genre used in this novel is called magical realism,...
Introduction Racism and other forms of discrimination are among the major social issues affecting millions of people in modern society. Toni Morrison addresses these issues by narrating a story about African Americans who move to the town of Ruby. Here, residents lack trust in outsiders, especially people of other races....
In the short story “The Other Two,” Wharton describes a husband, Mr. Waythorn, whose wife Alice has two divorces. At first sight, it seems that Alice is miserable because she marries and divorces in strive for social prestige. Nonetheless, it is essential to notice that Wharton depicts the upper class’s...
Introduction It is hard to disagree that most people like specific genres of books and usually read only them. One of the reasons for that is that texts share certain elements, which make them rather similar but still different. Precisely repetitive narrative elements, including plot, theme, characters, and setting, allow...
The adventure novel “Moby Dick,” written by Herman Melville, is an excellent example of a literary work full of symbols transmitting the secret message behind the narrative. Most of these symbols are somehow related to religion, and this fact conditions the central place of the religious theme in the book....
Synopsis of the book The synopsis of Esperanza Rising is the girl’s life-changing year. Esperanza had a wealthy family in Mexico, but bandits killed her father; his brothers attempted to take advantage of Esperanza’s family situation. However, her mother was not willing to obey, and they managed to escape to...
There is a number of brilliant writers whose genius helps them create truly amazing writings that rarely leave the readers indifferent. One of such masterpieces is the story titled “The far and the near” by Thomas Wolfe. While reading this short text, one can feel various emotions and start thinking...
Introduction The authors of short stories have to work hard and use their best writing skills to present interesting ideas within a limited amount of words. It is not enough to choose several characters and raise a topic that appeals to the reader. In the majority of cases, the success...
Women have always played central roles in literature as they impacted the development of the plot, motivated main characters, and affected their actions. However, because of the patriarchal system of values and the adherence to the stereotypic perspective on females’ duties and rights, their position in stories was mainly passive....
It goes without saying that there are multiple symbols in the short story “The black cat,” written by an outstanding American writer Edgar Allan Poe. As a matter of fact, the symbol of the black cat may be regarded as the most significant, and its changes throughout the story support...
Shakespeare’s Hamlet is one of the most important plays in the history of literature, and its main character’s behavior deserves thorough studying. Throughout the book, his state of mind changes and evolves, and it is key to understanding his actions and interactions with other characters. It is essential to analyze...
Edwidge Danticat utilizes her short story, “A Wall of Fire Rising,” to paint a picture of life in Haiti for the proletariat and the bourgeoisie. In particular, the elemental story, as well as a haunting tale, revolves around a father’s shame and feeling of guilt and a child’s innocence, in...
In the graphic novel They Called Us Enemy, George Takei provides his memoir after the presidential proclamation ordering all people of Japanese origin to be relocated to isolated camps. The title of the book and its cover page sums the struggles illustrated inside. The image of a policeman holding a...
Introduction Ian McEwan is one of the novelists who touches upon the nature of art and creativity as the act of forming a new world and influencing people who live there. In this Atonement, McEwan parallels the author with a God because of the similarity of their roles and their...
The exposition begins when the characters and the setting are introduced to the reader. The dialogues between the characters filled with their constant disagreement serve as the rising action. The story reaches its climax when Moris Melnik decides to let the spoon of salt define the state of things in...
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...
Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” is a brilliantly written short story that leaves the reader with questions about society, acceptance, and sacrifice. The way the author has delivered the content normalizes its fictional side and makes it uncertain whether presented events have occurred. This essay...
Introduction The Friar, one of Chaucer’s portraits of what he perceived as a corrupt clergy, can simply be described as a fraud. At a glance The Friar is a religious and pious figure. But a close scrutiny reveals a character different from what he presents to the naked eye. Infact,...
Introduction The work and organization of the medieval society proposed in the Canterbury Tales by Charles Chaucer can be easily connected with the organization of modern society. This is a point that can be established if the two settings were to be compared. Chaucer depicts a society wherein work is...
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a Middle-English alliterative romance that outlines the adventures of Sir Gawain. He and other characters are being guided by the code of chivalry which shapes the values described in the poem. All of the most important human virtues are depicted in the poem,...
Introduction Every woman wants to be graceful and refined, beautiful and elegant, admirable and fascinating. Though the appearances can be deceptive, it is natural for people to pretend to be what they really want to be. Women are considered to be more deceptive than men because they use their natural...
Introduction The book, American Exodus: the Dust Bowl Migration and Okie Culture in California, is written by James N. Gregory and it depicts the great dust bowl times which caused major agricultural and subsequent economical damage in American agricultural lands from the years 1930 to 1936. Canadian prairie lands were...
The Invisible Heart: By Robert Russel The book combines fiction and economic realities found within society. It combines Romance and ideas of economics. The author uses the book to radiate economic polemic in the form of an imaginary tale. The whole book is about a romance story that is intertwined...
Introduction Jane Austen is generally accredited to be one of the most widely read and accepted writers in the world of English literature. Effective use of realism, indirect speech, and crucial social criticism is very common in Austen’s writings. Austen has a deep insight into the family dynamics and she...
The Beggar’s Opera is the first of a new form of opera that was developed by John Gay in the early 1700s as a reaction against the superficiality of the popular Italian opera and its effects upon his culture. This form of entertainment came to be known as the ballad...
Sylvia Plath’s biography provides several important clues as to the meaning of this poem. As a teenager she seemed perfect in every way, blonde, beautiful, intelligent and talented. After attending Smith College she studied at Cambridge, married the poet Ted Hughes and returned to the United States to teach at...
Introduction William Faulkner is regarded as one of the leading authors of 20th century American literature (Lombardi). Listed among his many works are the book “As I Lay Dying” and the short story “A Rose for Emily,” both of which depict several similar features that are typical of the author’s...
Hesiod’s writings are known for discussing universal truths, such as law and justice. One of such works is Works and Days which expresses the idea that labor is an essential part of human beings’ lives, and if they are diligent enough, they will be able to handle even the hardest...
The poem “The Wild Swans at Coole” is a poem written about the scenery at a place called Coole. The poem is a dramatic lyric poem because of its musicality in the rhyme scheme and its direct expression of feelings. All five of the six-line stanzas are built upon the...
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 Wife of Bath’s Tale is considered to be a disclosure of the female role in the society in the period of Late Middle Ages. The Wife of Bath starts in King Arthur’s days; this period was characterized by the great majority of elves and fairies. The story is...
There are some Knight’s Period stories that everybody knows, or maybe, heard about, but if one strives for a deeper understanding and acknowledgment of their main themes and ideas, it is necessary for him or her to analyze them, compare some of their characters with one another. Therefore, the following...
Change is an inseparable part of existence, yet, when representing a deliberate intention, it becomes a strangely difficult step to take. In his 2018 poem, “American Sonnet for My Past and Future Assassin,” Terrance Hayes addresses the necessity to make a difficult choice, conveying the sense of lingering between inconsequential...
Janice Mirikitani’s “Suicide Note” and Robert Burns’ “My Love is Like a Red, Red Rose” are both poems that are extremely simple to read and understand. Yet, on comparison, the wide contrast between them is more glaring than the similarities. The context behind Janice Mirikitani’s “Suicide Note” is included within...
Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales exemplify a precious immersion opportunity into not only the Middle Age’s world but into the nature of human redundancy as well. The customs, surrounding realia, and occasional mishaps of various strata of society living in the 14th century are presented in a facetious manner: in the form...
Introduction Widely considered to be one of the most significant American writers of the 20th century, Faulkner concentrates on themes that are universal. His novels, The Sound and the Fury, Absalom! Absalom! are experiments with shifts in time and narrative. A Rose for Emily is the strange story of love,...
In “Night,” which is a semi-memoir dedicated to Elie Wiesel’s harrowing experiences in concentration camps, the topic of a father-son relationship and its development is very important. Elie, along with other Jewish people of his town, falls victim to the German occupation of Hungary. In 1944, Elie and his family...
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...
The piece of literature I selected for the analysis is Doggerel by a Senior Citizen by W. H. Auden. I believe that it is the poem reflecting the attitude (to people and the world as a whole) that is still relevant today and is shared by many. It was typical...
It is not uncommon for creators to be inspired by different pieces of art or other literature. Moreover, various fields of study, for instance, psychology, use these literary works to apply their concepts and gain a better understanding of human development and ancient traditions. Thus, it can be argued that...
Introduction Housekeeping is a novel written by Marilynne Robinson and first published in 1980. It is a story of two orphan girls who decide to break away from the static and sleepy existence within a remote town in Idaho, and are met with a dangerous lack of understanding from fellow...
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...
Introduction Many scholars agree that Gulliver’s Travels was written as a bitter satire designed to parody the human race, with particular emphasis to England and Europe. However, despite this, the satirical significance of this book has over time diminished with its secondary meaning, as a children’s book emerging as the...
Thesis The most prominent theme in J. M. Coetzee’s chef-d’oeuvre novel, Disgrace, change. The author sets the scene for events in the book in post-apartheid South Africa at a time when a variety of changes are occurring, thus affecting the characters in the story and the overall outcome in numerous...
Introduction After reading the short story ‘A & P’, one will be forgiven for believing that Sammy quit his job as a result of his immature, childlike behavior (Uphaus 23). However, a critical analysis of the character will reveal that Sammy did not quit his job on principle grounds. On...
Living in the ‘white’ American society, African Americans experience the consequences of prejudice and discriminating actions not only because of their race but also because of a range of associated factors. Thus, the issues of race discrimination towards African Americans are closely connected with gender and sexual orientation issues. In...
Introduction When it comes to analyzing themes contained in Samuel Beckett’s play Waiting for Godot, it is important to understand that these themes cannot be discussed outside of historical discourse, which defines their actual quintessence. Play’s absurdist overtones leave every doubt as to the fact that in Waiting for Godot,...
Introduction Shirley Jackson is a prominent writer, a classic of twentieth-century American literature, and a master of psychological horror. Her literary weapon against injustice and the ugly sides of the modern world is a grim social allegory. The short story The Lottery was written in 1948, and while this fascinating...
Theme Summary “The Storm” by Kate Chopin joins the ranks of the most questionable works regarding adulterous behaviors. The theme of morality permeates the plot, with an affair between two married people, Alcee and Calixta, acting as the central event. Being temporarily separated from their spouses, the characters engage in...
Introduction Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s story “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” is an ideal example of magic realism. Magic realism is a literary device in which mystical and magical elements are woven into a realistic narrative. An example of mystical realism in Marquez’s story is the central figure of...
Introduction Being a vivid example of a gothic short story, Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” portrays death from the perspective of the main character’s fascination with immolation for revenge. The short story shows two characters, a narrator named Montresor and a man named Fortunato, whom the main character...
Working Thesis Although Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit may appear like an improbable hero, his development from a softened hobbit to a brave person challenges the conventional idea of heroism. Annotated Bibliography da Rocha, Fabian Quevedo. “From the Fairy Tale to the Epic: The Change in the Narrative Tone in...
Introduction D.H. Lawrence’s short story “Odour of Chrysanthemums” explores the depth and complexity of human experience through the plight of its central character, Elizabeth Bates. At its heart, the story is about the search for meaning and connection in a world that can be harsh and unforgiving. Lawrence’s use of...
Memory in Wordsworth In Wordsworth’s “Tintern Abbey,” the poet reflects on the power of memory and its ability to shape one’s perception of the world. The poem begins with the speaker revisiting a natural landscape after a five-year absence, and he is struck by how the memory of the place...
Introduction In “The Fly,” Mansfield explores human experience, delving into internal limitations, notably grief. The narrative reflects on the enduring impact of personal loss, illustrating literature’s ability to dissect the complexities of emotional constraints in the human condition. This essay will explore specific textual details illustrating how grief becomes an...
Introduction Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art is an insightful source for comprehending the essence and complexity of comic books alongside art. The author is an expert in the unique field of comics, and his particular work was published in the United States in 1994. While all sections of...
Description of Poems Sonnet 130 is a poem in which Shakespeare sarcastically praises his lover. This poem conveys affection in that the author appreciates his lover despite mocking her physical imperfections. Aside from the subject’s shortcomings, it is a celebration of her loveliness and a statement of respect and admiration...
Natasha Trethewey is an American poet and a two-time United States Poet Laureate. She is the author of six poetry collections, one of which, Thrall, was published in 2012 and earned critical praise and the public’s love. With her ekphrastic poetry, Trethewey charts the intersections of social and personal history...
Les Miserables is a historical novel that was written by French novelist Victor Hugo in 1862. The novel talks about a life of a person named Jean Valjean, who had been arrested for stealing a loaf of bread from his sister. When Valjean was taken to court, he was sentenced...
“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...
In the short story “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place,” written by Ernest Hemingway, the varying values of people are discussed. They are attributed to different generations, whose struggles are unique partially due to the perceptions of old and young people concerning what problems are. Therefore, Hemingway sheds light on the theme...
One of the main characters of the Journey to the West is the Monkey King, Sun Wukong. The book has become a famous novel in many countries and one of the most popular in China. The story plot tells about the Journey of Xuanzang, the monk, to India in order...
Introduction Literature is a unique instrument that provides the readers with the power to see others’ thoughts and feelings. “I Love Yous Are for the White People” is an excellent example of such a literary function. This novel deals with a highly important issue of racial disparities and the hardships...
The use of symbols by Nathaniel Hawthorne in “Young Goodman Brown” highlights his disapproval of the Puritan religion and the hypocrisy of its adherents. This paper examines how Hawthorne uses symbolism in the narrative and how much he criticizes the Puritan church for its hypocrisy and perversion of faith. Hawthorne...
One of F.S. Fitzgerald’s most influential works, Babylon Revisited, has the pursuit of pleasure and the “American Dream” as its central theme. The primary character, Charlie, has a tragic backstory, which the author detailed together with his historical period. The story is considered autobiographical since the author established parallels between...
Introduction One of the primary elements of The Story of an Hour, written by Kate Chopin, that has not only made the short story popular but also has highlighted an important metaphor is the ending. Namely, after the joy Mrs. Mallard feels when finding out about her husband’s death, she...
Introduction As psychologists understand it, resilience is the ability to bounce back from adversity. The concept is especially pertinent in war and other catastrophes that cause significant harm to individuals and groups. The concept of resilience has always been wide-ranging in its scope, from its core philosophy from social psychology...
