Study Like a Boss
Love Conquers All In “A Worn Path” Eudora Weltys plot is not all that clear in the beginning of her short story, but progresses as her character carries on against all of the overwhelming forces against her. In this short story a black elderly woman, Phoenix Jackson, must overcome the odds against her as she … Read more
Sophocles is able to accomplish to achieve several objectives in his play, Oedipus the King. Sophocles magnificently retells a classic Greek tale while also describing the characters and their motives in great detail. Of the characters Sophocles naturally spends the most time characterizing the protagonist of the play, Oedipus. Sophocles conveys Oedipus’ ideals, moral, and … Read more
Many poems are written about death. The two poets William Cullen Bryant and Emily Dickinson were very influential trancendental writers. Bryant writing Thanatopsis And Emily Dickinson’s “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” are basically more alike then than they are similar for the fact that there views on Death are the same, but what … Read more
The novel “Jane Eyre” by Charlotte Bronte consists of the continuous journey through Jane’s life towards her final happiness and freedom. This is effectively supported by five significant physical’ journeys she makes, which mirror the four emotional journeys she makes. 10-year-old Jane lives under the custody of her Aunt Reed, who hates her. Jane resents … Read more
In Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” the mortal teenage characters fall in love foolishly, and the character Bottom states, “O what fools these mortals be”. They are foolish because they act like children. Although Lysander, Hermia, Demetrius, and Helena appear grown-up, when they are in love they act foolishly. The four teenage lovers are fools. … Read more
According to anthropologist, William A. Haviland, ” ritual is the means by which the social bonds of a group are reinforced and tensions relieved. ” Shirley Jacksons short story, “The Lottery,” vividly illustrates the ease with which the individual in society tolerates and even participates in acts that if undertaken singly would be considered reprehensible. … Read more
The action of William Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying is simple: Addie Bundren dies; and in answer to her wishes, the body is taken for burial to Jefferson, some forty miles away. But the weather intervenes, and floodwaters require that the cortege take detours. Some nine days pass before the coffin, which before long clearly … Read more
Some of things that people think are built on a righteous foundation are often the result of actions or events that are completely dishonorable. Aspects like wealth and influence can be gained by means that are immoral and inhumane. This is the case with Sarty Snopes fascination with the wealth of Major de Spain. He … Read more
Nathaniel Hawthorne comes from an interesting background. He was born in Salem and later returned to live there. He was a descendant of William Hathorne, a puritan judge who persecuted Quakers, and John Hathorne, a puritan magistrate who participated in the Salem witch trials. Hawthorne’s kinship to these two notables of puritan history makes the … Read more
In Sophocles play Oedipus Rex Oedipus Even though “fate” seems to determine Oedipus’ life, . he does infact have a free will. His choices brought the prophecy to life. Only his decisions (not influenced by anybody) he made. Of course those decisions were in side of the limits set by fate. When Oedipus heard a … Read more
Looks can be deceiving, and in the case of Sir Andrew and Feste the fool, the statement certainly applies. Looking at the personalities of these two characters throughout Twelfth Night, no one will see that each character is the exact opposite of each other. Their comparison is their contrast. The first, Sir Andrew, is of … Read more
The migrant situation of the 1930s as depicted in Steinbecks Grapes of Wrath was caused by many diverse factors. It started with an extremely dreadful drought, known as the Dust Bowl, which swept through the mid-west. The gluttonous landowners and the multitudes of fliers that they passed out made the situation even worse. To top … Read more
In JD Salingers’ Catcher in the Rye, a troubled teenager named Holden Caufield struggles with the fact that everyone has to grow up. The book gets its title from Holden’s constant concern with the loss of innocence. He did not want children to grow up because he felt that adults are corrupt. This is seen … Read more
Harry is Pan, the piper who leads Dorian on his path to destruction, decadence, and moral decay. As with Pan, the merry and much-loved god, the victim of the god’s attention does not fare well. As Pan had Syrinx and Echo, Harry has Dorian. Pan caused madness and panic with his passions; Harry seems to … Read more
It is known that in Shakespeares tragedies main characters die in the end, and in his comedies people marry. Since Romeo and Juliet are a tragedy, Romeo and Juliet are going to die in the end. Some events have to lead to their deaths, and someone makes these events happen. The person(s) who started it … Read more
There are many important paths that we must follow on our journey through life. We follow the path without questioning its intent. The path informs us when we should learn to talk, to walk, to marry, and to have children. We are told that we should never stray from it, because if we do, society … Read more
In Barn Burning, Faulkner incorporates several instances of irony. He utilizes this literary tool in order to help the development of his characters and to express his ultimate message to the readers. Some examples of his use of irony are the unintentional yet inevitable ending of the Snopes family time after time, the similarities and … Read more
The title of this story suggests a metaphorical connection between the storm outside and the storm of emotions going on in the individuals Calixta and Alcee. The intensity of their sexual act inside the house follows the pattern of the storm outside. Their passion climaxes and diminishes with the storm. They are left replenished and … Read more
Romeo and Juliet, Antony and Cleopatra, Napolean and Josephine. Throughout society’s entire existence, we have known almost innately that these couples belong together, and yet fate intervened to deal their relationship a tragic blow. Yet readers persist on viewing these couples as the most passionate of all times. What makes them so unique? What makes … Read more
Edgar Allen Poe is one of the greatest poets. Hes scary, weird, and wrote some insane tales. Virtually all of Edgar Allen Poes stories concerned themes of human perversity and involve the technique of ratiocination. Most critics believe that The Fall of the House of Usher reflects both characteristics. I agree, in this short story … Read more
It is not the tragic subject matter of the text that is of primary interest – but rather the manner in which the plot is developed. The story line progresses as if the reader is “unpeeling an onion.” The tale of King Oedipus is well known. An enraged Oedipus unknowingly slays his father (Laiusq, King … Read more
The Scarlet Letter defines the relationship between the individual and society through Hester’s alienation from Puritan Boston caused by the sin she committed, and subsequently the scarlet A she wore on her bosom. Hawthorne’s Hester Prynne is a common character among Romantic writers; a rebel who refuses to conform to society’s codes. However, in the … Read more
There are stories told all over the world handed down from generation to generation. Some remember these stories by memory, but are lost in time, and some write them down to be remembered forever as a part of history. Beowulf is one such story that has been mysteriously remembered for many centuries. I’ve very much … Read more
The raising of the children in Wuthering Heights seemed to be mostly done by the nannies. In fact, the story is mainly told from the perspective of Nelly Dean, the housekeeper of Thrushcross Grange and Wuthering Heights. Upper-class parents delegated the entire care of their children to a nurse or a “nanny”. The nanny and … Read more
In the novel A Gathering of Old Men, Ernest J. Gaines, portrays the Novel through the eyes of individual narrators involved on the events of the day. The novel focuses on a group of cowardly black men who finally stop running and stand up for themselves for their years of suffering. In the bayou country … Read more
Although Araby is a fairly short story, author James Joyce does a remarkable job of discussing some very deep issues within it. On the surface it appears to be a story of a boy’s trip to the market to get a gift for the girl he has a crush on. Yet deeper down it is … Read more
Throughout Candide the author, Voltaire, demonstrates the characters experiences in a cruel world and his fight to gain happiness. In the beginning Candide expects to achieve happiness without working for his goal and only taking the easy way out of all situations. However, by the end of the book the character realized that to achieve … Read more
In the novel Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, the antagonist and protagonist changes throughout the course of the plot. In the earlier part of the novel nature is the protagonist and man is the antagonist, but as the plot progresses nature is forced to protect herself by becoming the antagonist and making man the protagonist. By … Read more
Siddhartha had one single goal – to become empty, to become empty of thirst, desire, dreams, pleasure and sorrow – to let the Self die. No longer to be Self, to experience the peace of an emptied heart, to experience pure thought – that was his goal. When all the Self was conquered and dead, … Read more
In reading Ibsen’s A Doll’s House today, one may find it hard to imagine how daring it seemed at the time it was written one hundred years ago. Its theme, the emancipation of a woman, makes it seem almost contemporary. In Act I, there are many clues that hint at the kind of marriage Nora … Read more
“My Mistress’ Eyes Are Nothing Like the Sun” is a poem written by William Shakespeare about the love towards an imperfect woman. He explains that although his mistress is imperfect, he finds his love special and “rare. ” If the modern day reader is not careful, he/she might be quick to assume the role of … Read more
In his play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare, clearly establishes the feelings of Theseus with respect to love. Theseus expresses his doubt in the verisimilitude of the lover’s recount of their night in the forest. He says that he has no faith in the ravings of lovers- or poets-, as they are as likely as … Read more
The theme that the world has an outward appearance that seems fair and perfect but really they’re as Holden put it “phonies. ” This is shown countless amount of times in his journey through New York and even before he left. The setting is in the 1950’s; so I’m pretty sure that he didn’t encounter … Read more
Throughout William Shakespeare’s play, The Merchant of Venice, there is a strong theme of prejudice. Portia has to deal with prejudice against her sex, the Prince of Morocco has to deal with prejudice against his race but the character that is most discriminated against is Shylock. He is hated for being a Jew and a … Read more
Mark Twain wrote The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in the 1800s. During this time slavery was socially acceptable. Even in the church it was taught that there was nothing wrong with slavery. Black people were often referred to as niggers. Huck, even though he was a friend of Jim, didnt even think twice about calling … Read more
The poets of the nineteenth century wrote on a variety of topics. One often used topic is that of death. The theme of death has been approached in many different ways. Emily Dickinson is one of the numerous poets who uses death as the subject of several of her poems. In her poem “Because I … Read more
Authors traditionally use symbolism as a way to represent the sometimes intangible qualities of the characters, places, and events in their works. In his short story “A Rose for Emily,” William Faulkner uses symbolism to compare the Grierson house with Emily Grierson’s physical deterioration, her shift in social standing, and her reluctancy to accept change. … Read more
Blindness plays a two-fold part in Sophocles tragedy “Oedipus the King. ” First, Sophocles presents blindness as a physical disability affecting the auger Teiresias, and later Oedipus; but later, blindness comes to mean an inability to see the evil in ones actions and the consequences that ensue. The irony in this lies in the fact … Read more
Flowers for Algernon is the diary of a retarded boy called Charlie Gordon. Charlie wants to read and write like all the other people he knows, so he agrees to participate in an experiment. Charlie has to take creative tests to determine if he is intelligent or really retarded. Charlie does not do well on … Read more
The term gothic refers to a genre that came about in the late 18th century. It can be a type of story, clothing, music or literature. A very good example of this type of literature is Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. There is a sense of foreboding throughout the whole novel, which is one of the basic … Read more
In Willa Cather’s short story Paul’s Case we learn of a young man who is fighting what he fears most: to be as common and plain as his world around him. How others perceive Paul only encourages him to fulfill his dream of escaping his monotonous lifestyle. Paul feels he is drowning in his everyday … Read more
It was a time of immense scientific discoveries and controversies in Europe during the early nineteenth century. Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein is a reflection of the questions that society was bringing to the forefront concerning science and religion. In this horror tale, one can clearly see the controversies arising at the time that science may be … Read more
In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden views the world as an evil and corrupt place where there is no peace. This perception of the world does not change significantly through the novel. However as the novel progresses, Holden gradually comes to the realization that he is powerless to change this. During the short period … Read more
Gabriel Garcia Marquez, a master of magical realism, twist our minds eye in the story A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings. Our perspectives are disoriented as we are enchanted with beautiful prose and appaled by people’s actions. Through the use of percpective and magical realism Marquez conveys mob mentality and people’s reactions to something … Read more
In Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, Decius Brutus and Mark Antony, both Roman Senators, eulogize Julius Caesar, each using a different technique and approach. Brutus, in a somewhat arrogant, to the point, eulogy, attempts to sway the people. He justifies conspiring against Caesar by stating that Caesar’s ambition would have hurt Rome. However, in Antony’s eulogy, he … Read more
The Elizabethan play The Tragedy of Hamlet Prince of Denmark is one of William Shakespeare’s most popular works. One of the possible reasons for this play’s popularity is the way Shakespeare uses the character Hamlet to exemplify the complex workings of the human mind. The approach taken by Shakespeare in Hamlet has generated countless different … Read more
In the play Antigone there are many references that link to the oppression of women. Creon made many convictions insulting womenkind. His convictions seemed true to a large population of men. I believe the majority of men, in the ancient Greek times believed in the undeniable domination of women. The start of the Greeks began … Read more
Throughout the centuries many authors have attempted to capture the individuals quest for self-authenticity. In the novel Song of Solomon, Toni Morrison depicts the many aspects of self-actualization, as well as the tormenting road that leads to the shaping of an individual. Through beautiful language, with immense reality, she is able to describe young black … Read more
In the play Othello, jealousy is shown to be very evident through the actions of the characters. Jealousy is an emotion that everyone shares, and it is ultimately responsible for the tragic ending of the play. Everyone feels jealous at certain times of their lives, and this feeling can cause people to do irrational things. … Read more
“For every man, Time is an emptying reservoir; to fret over how much you have left only wastes it. ” – Lee Connolly. In every person’s mind, a clock is running. A pendulum is constantly swinging and ticking into the future, into the unknown. Every person must, at sometime, recognize Time as a measurement of … Read more
