Study Like a Boss
Nineteen Eighty-Four was written between the years of 1945 and 1948. Orwell got the title from switching the last two numbers of the publication date. In Orwells criticism of a perfect society, his book became known as one of the greatest anti-utopian novels of all time. The books message is so powerful that some say … Read more
In the fictitious novel Tale of Two Cities, the author, Charles Dickens, lays out a brilliant plot. Charles Dickens was born in England on February 7, 1812 near the south coast. His family moved to London when he was ten years old and quickly went into debt. To help support himself, Charles went to work … Read more
Today there are not many people that have a good strong set of morals, and yet there are some people that have to strong a set. Those with not enough morals commit crimes and do not have good reason or do not care about the consequences. While those with too strong of morals do not … Read more
Throughout the book Pearl either says or does things that are not typical of a girl of her age. After Hester talks to Chillingworth, Pearl is asked if she knows why Hester wears the scarlet letter. Pearl replies, It is for the same reason that the minister keeps his hand over his heart. I do … Read more
In ‘The Cask of Amontillado’; Edgar Allan Poe takes us on a journey into the mind of a mad man. The story relates a horrible revenge made even more horrible by the fact that the vengeance is being taken when no real offense had been given. In a short space and with ultimate technical skill, … Read more
Since the dawn of human thought, man has sought to define the relationships between all things surrounding him. He categorizes every living creature, labels every natural element and names every phenomenon. He then connects each object to another with a line and draws the line back to himself. This way, he feels omnipotent, confidently grasping … Read more
Totalitarianism has become a fact that can hardly be ignored. During World War II when Hitler had total control to the Russia of Stalin and later Soviet leaders. For many years people have dreamed or believed in the perfect society of mandkind and of an ultimate utopia, a world where we can live together in … Read more
I have both negative and positive things to say about William Faulkners novel As I Lay Dying. In the book Faulkner uses a very unique approach for narration. He has very strong sentences and vocabulary, but the story itself was too strange and warped for my enjoyment. Nevertheless there is a vibe given off in … Read more
The central theme is a comparison of the corrupting influence of wealth to the purity of a dream. Tom and Daisy Buchanan both lead purposeless lives that are filled with corruption through wealth, while Gatsby lives his life striving towards his dreams. They all either have no purpose in life to begin with or lose … Read more
The Lottery, a short story by the nonconformist author Shirley Jackson, represents communities, America, the world, and conformist society as a whole by using setting and most importantly symbolism with her inventive, cryptic writing style. It was written in 1948, roughly three years after the liberation of a World War II concentration camp Auschwitz. Even … Read more
The magic in The Tempest was able to create many abnormal happenings as well as different feelings that are shown through the characters of Milan. There were two different types of magic that were shown one was represented by witches and wizards, this type of magic was not the beneficial type of magic. The beneficial … Read more
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck is considered a classic novel by many in the literary field. The trials and tribulations of the Joad family and other migrants is told throughout this novel. In order to gain a perspective into the lives of “Oakies”, Steinbeck uses themes and language of the troubling times of … Read more
In Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, two characters speak at Caesars funeral. Caesar was just murdered by his best friend Brutus and the Conspirators. Brutus and Antony both speak at the funeral, but each had their own purpose and reason for doing so. Both speeches had their own unique way of addressing the crowd as … Read more
Justice is a word we hear today all the time. Left and right we hear of judges and citizens demanding justice. Is justice always the right way? It seems that justice is not always the correct solution to a problem, but a solution that is the easiest to make. The classic play Antigone is a … Read more
Call of the Wild Jack London’s thrilling epic tale of adventure and bravery, through the eyes of a part St. Bernard, part German Shepherd named Buck. Our story opens with the author describing the lifestyle of this pampered dog on the premises of his master’s home, Judge Miller, in the Santa Clara valley. John London … Read more
Shakespeare’s Iago is one of Shakespeare’s most complex villains. At first glance Iago’s character seems to be pure evil. However, such a villain would distract from the impact of the play and would be trite. Shakespeare to add depth to his villain makes him amoral, as opposed to the typical immoral villain. Iago’s entire scheme … Read more
When Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote his novel, The Scarlet Letter, he was praised as being the father of the psychological novel. Since the completion of his landmark story, many other authors have taken their work in similar directions, and have tried to reveal human psychology through their writing. Authors have been trying to convey truths about … Read more
Throughout the development of our culture there have been a large number of literary movements. From existentialism to naturalism, humanism to surrealism, they all play an important role in the development of the literature we read today. One important movement during the nineteenth century is known as the transcendentalist movement. Transcendentalism is a form of … Read more
Society is inevitable. It will always be there as a pleasure and a burden. Society puts labels on everything as good or bad, rich or poor, normal or aberrant. Although some of these stamps are accurate, most of them are misconceptions. In the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley this act of erring by society is … Read more
It’s 2:00am and I cannot sleep. I toss and turn while the question, “Why didn’t you stand up for yourself? ” keeps playing over and over in my mind. The picture in my mind of a subjugated woman who feebly attempts to fight against feminine oppression and her impending insanity is vivid and disturbing and … Read more
This novel was written by Aldous Huxley in 1932. It is a fable about a world state in the 7th century A. F. (after Ford), where social stability is based on a scientific caste system. Human beings, graded from highest intellectuals to lowest manual workers, hatched from incubators and brought up in communal nurseries, learn … Read more
The poetry of Langston Hughes, the poet laureate of Harlem, is an effective commentary on the condition of blacks in America during the 20th Century. Hughes places particular emphasis on Harlem, a black area in New York that became a destination of many hopeful blacks in the first half of the 1900is. In much of … Read more
Tom and his family undergo significant change due to uncontrollable forces that occur throughout the book. Through these events he and his family go through conversion, death and rebirth, migration, and are on constant pursuit for a better life. Many inner and outer changes occur throughout the entire novel. The Joad family begins the novel … Read more
Pearl could, or could not be a believable character in The Scarlet Letter depending on how the reader interprets Pearls actions and speech. I plan to prove that Pearl could be believable, and that she could net be believable. Throughout the book Pearl either says or does things that are not typical of a girl … Read more
J. D. Salingers only published full-length novel, The Catcher in the Rye, has become one of the most enduring classics of American literature. The novels story is told in retrospect by the main character, Holden Caulfield, while staying in a psychiatric hospital in California. This is a coming of age tale that is wrought with … Read more
I think Robert Frost is a understandable, but yet an unconventional poet. Frost wrote in his own style, and as a result, he took quite a bit of heat from the critics of his period. Frost has an elegant style of writing descriptive and understandable poems. I am going to tell you about the five … Read more
The theme of human corruption, its sources and consenquences, is a coomon concern among writers from Shakespeare through J. D Salinger. Some suggest that it attacks from outside, while others depict corruption occuring from within the individual. In the case if The Great Gatsby and it’s protagonist’s fate, Fizgerald shows both factors at work. The … Read more
Paradise Lost, epic poem in blank verse by English poet John Milton. Paradise Lost was first published in August 1667. A revised edition published in 1674 rearranged the original 10 books of the poem into 12. Milton first considered writing a great epic poem in 1639, but did not begin writing Paradise Lost until 1658. … Read more
Ever since “A Doll House” first came to the stage in the 1880’s, critics have argued vehemently about the Ibsen’s intentions while writing the play, and the ambivalence over the play confused not only the plays but also the audience: while some patrons praised the play, others stormed the stages in protest of Nora’s abandonment … Read more
Gene Forrester’s difficult journey towards maturity and the adult world is a main focus of the novel, A Separate Peace, by John Knowles. Gene’s journey begins the moment he pushes Phineas from the tree and the process continues until he visits the tree fifteen years later. Throughout this time, Gene must become self-aware, face reality … Read more
The Yellow Wallpaper is a story, by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Although the work is short, it is one of the most interesting works in existence. Gilman uses literary techniques very well. The symbolism of The Yellow Wall-Paper, can be seen and employed after some thought and make sense immediately. The views and ideals of society … Read more
In Alexander Solzhenitsyn’s novel One Day in The Life Of Ivan Denisovich Ivan Denisovich is portrayed as the hero in the novel. The American Heritage Dictionary Of the English Language High School Edition states that a hero is “The principle male character in a novel, poem, or dramatic presentation. ” The word hero is also … Read more
This book is a fiction novel set in the 19th century. I found the main theme of he book to be about the social problems at that time in England. The main character in the book is Oliver Twist. He is a young orphan boy. The book tells his life story and his struggle to … Read more
Robert Frost takes our imaginations to a journey through wintertime with his two poems “Desert Places” and “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”. Frost comes from a New England background and these two poems reflect the beautiful scenery that is present in that part of the country. Even though these poems both have winter … Read more
“Epiphany” refers to a showing-forth, a manifestation. For Joyce, however, it means a sudden revelation of the whatness of a thing. Joyce’s tales about Dublin portray impotence, frustration and death. Their meaning is provided not so much by plot but by the epiphanies. Aiming either to illustrate an instant of self-realization in the characters themselves, … Read more
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby is about a man named Gatsby, in love with a woman, Daisy, who is married to Tom Buchannan. He dreams that one day he and Daisy will get together. Gatsby has worked hard to become the man that he believes will impress Daisy. Even though he has an … Read more
In Sophocles tragedy “Oedipus the King”, Oedipus proclaims ” it was I who have pronounced these curses on myself” (Madden 37). With this announcement, Oedipus is aware that his pursuit for order has led to a life of chaos. The central thesis is that the presumption of order establishes physical, intellectual, and spiritual chaos. The … Read more
In selecting James Joyce’s Ulysses as the best novel of the twentieth century, Time magazine affirmed Joyce’s lasting legacy in the realm of English literature. James Joyce (1882-1941), the twentieth century Irish novelist, short story writer and poet is a major literary figure of the twentieth-century. Regarded as “the most international of writers in EnglishK[with] … Read more
In the story “A Rose for Emily”, William Faulkner, the author talks about a life of a woman and the town she lived in. The story begins just when miss Emily died. The author doesn’t tell us much about that time except that many people were interested to see what was in her house. As … Read more
There are many different reasons why Hamlet must avenge the death of his father the late King Hamlet. The aspect of justice versus revenge is a prominent theme throughout the play. Prominent characteristics in each of the characters seeking revenge shows the different aspects of what each character feels is justice. Hamlet is notoriously known … Read more
In the Iliad, Homer finds a great tool in the simile. Just by opening the book in a random place the reader is undoubtedly faced with one, or within a few pages. Homer seems to use everyday activities, at least for the audience, his fellow Greeks, in these similes nearly exclusively. When one is confronted … Read more
F. Scott Fitzgerald used the imagery of colors in his masterpiece The Great Gatsby. The colors are used very frequently as symbols, and the hues create atmosphere in different scenes of the book. White is a clean and fresh color, but the author shows how it can be tainted as well. Next, yellow illustrates the … Read more
Throughout his Ode on a Grecian Urn, Keats uses innocent, unfulfilled images painted on the urn, to demonstrate the theme of innocence and eternal beauty. In the first stanza the speaker standing before an ancient Grecian urn, addresses the urn, preoccupied with its depiction of pictures frozen in time. This is where Keats first introduces … Read more
As you know many novels are structured around routine themes, symbols, and occasional motifs. The novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe is no exception to the mean. The culturally crafted novel showcases an African man named Okonkwo and the Igbo people, a tribe in Nigeria, and they’re being susceptible to change. Mostly focusing on … Read more
Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen is a novel that goes into great detail discussing the reasons for marriage. Marriage in the 1800’s, when this novel took place, was very different from conventional marriages today. In that period in time, reasons for marriages were wealth, convenience, and most uncommonly, love. T he first of these … Read more
William Shakespeare has written many plays that touched millions of people throughout the centuries. His works are still the most controversial ones favored by many Literature critics because his plays generate spontaneous debates on issues such as friendship, revenge, human ambitions and moralities that lead to dynamic discussion among people. In the play The Tragedy … Read more
Color symbolism is really popular in novels written during the 1920’s. One such example is Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby. There is much color symbolism in this novel, but there are two main colors that stand out more than the others. The colors green and white influence the story greatly. Green shows many thoughts, … Read more
The Catcher in the Rye has truly earned it’s place among great classic works. J. D. Salinger created a literary piece that was completely unique. The entire novel was written in the first person view of the 17-year-old, Holden Caulfield. The majority of the story is compiled of Holden’s rudimentary monologue of ‘complexly simple’ thoughts, … Read more
In today society, many people like to follow the current. They want to catch the wave. Which mean, it does not matter if things were good or bad, right or wrong, they just follow and do them without any thinking. Therefore, there are not too many people would like to be a normal, thoughtful nor … Read more
Kate is an excellent example of a well-rounded dynamic character. In the beginning a the play, she portrays the role of a selfish, jealous women. Though Kate didn’t want to marry Petrucio, you could tell that she was hurt and embarrassed. After they were married there were times that Kate was very meek and humble … Read more