Study Like a Boss
discussing the themes of this paper and in order to provide the proper context for our analysis of George Orwells chilling novel 1984, it is necessary first of all to provide a brief overview of the plot. The story is set in a despairing city and a frightening nation where the food is bad, the … Read more
In “The Cask of Amontillado” Edgar Allan Poe takes us on a trip 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. This concept sets the mood for true evil. The … Read more
The Study of transformation and its meaning can be difficult to understand. It can however be made easier through he use of sources such as novels, plays and movies. Two plays that help this study, include Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Stoppard’s R + G. Both plays are written in different times making the two a very … Read more
One of the “characters” in the 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey (directed by Stanley Kubrick) is a computer called HAL 9000. In addition to having a highly developed artificial intelligence, this computer is shown to have certain human emotions. The computer has a great deal of pride in its own abilities, and this leads … Read more
Trifles by: Tammy Wallick Mention the word feminist and most people think of the modern women’s movement. Long before the bra burning of the 60s, however, writers were writing about the lives and concerns of women living in a male dominated society. Susan Glaspell’s play, Trifles, was written in 1916, long before the modern women’s … Read more
People grow and develop at different rates. The factors that heavily influence a person’s development seem like heredity and environment. Genetics can play a key role in what kind of person one becomes. Environment seems like the factor that most often and influentially affects a person’s development. The people one meets and the experiences one … Read more
Gregor had alienated himself long before his metamorphosis into a beetle. His obsession with his job had dehumanized him, made him less personal and more mechanical. While on business trips, he began to lock his doors at night in the hotels. He carried this action back to his homelife. His family did not know him … Read more
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, as many know, is the prestigious author and creator of the sharp witted, fictional character of Sherlock Holmes. However, he had written on subjects other than that of his brilliant mystery stories. For example, he wrote historical novels such as The White Company, Sir Nigel, and Micah Clarke. There were many … Read more
The female characters of Shakespearean literature inspire much controversy over their roles. Many critics assert the female characters are depicted as unreal portrayals of passive women. Other critics argue that the roles portrayed were considered normal for the period in which they took place. During the period of the Enlightenment, many social norms changed and … Read more
In William Shakespeares Hamlet there are four major soliloquies that reflect the character of Hamlet. In this paper I will be analyzing and discussing how these four soliloquies reflect changes in Hamlets mental state; his changing attitudes toward life and the other characters in the play, particularly the women; and his reflection on the task … Read more
Picture this. Inside the hall, mighty shields and glistening swords await the visitors arrival. Skillfully crafted armor decorations proclaim great battles and fierce hunts. The prevailing warrior ethos and his manly power are evident throughout. It is these strong patriarchal images which gave birth to two epics from two totally different cultures: The tale of … Read more
Nick Carraway Nick Carraway is the narrator of the entire novel, he is also the protagonist of his own plot. He is a practical and conservative man who turns thirty during the course of the story. Raised in a small town in the Midwest, in New York he is in the bond business. He rents … Read more
Holden Caulfield, the main character in J. D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, is what I believe to be one of the most well-developed characters which I have read about. He has many characteristics that are all his own, such as the way he views the world, his friends and his family. One of … Read more
Fate, a term which seems to appear every so often in the everyday world, can be a powerful force when dealing with the predetermination of events. Whether in the past, present or future, fate can change how things were, or are supposed to be. As William Jennings Byran, a famous military colonel, once said, “Destiny … Read more
The Picture Of Dorian Gray is yet another novel portraying evil. The theme is very much reflected by the book’s setting, plot structure and characterisation. It shows how individuals can slowly deteriorate because of the evil lying within themselves. The evil of this book is the evil created by one’s self and thrusted upon one’s … Read more
Amy Tans The Joy Luck Club brings forth many characteristics of new world and old world traditions into the readers sight. Old world traditions are the customs and beliefs practiced in ones native country. The novel introduces the reader to the hardships that one encounters when the environment and the neighbors change. The American customs, … Read more
Holden Caufield is a hostile, negatively charged character that suffers from depression which stems from a desire not to grow up and a lack of closure in his brothers death. “If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you’ll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy … Read more
The play Othello by William Shakespeare is based on an Italian story in Giraldi Cinthio’s Hecatommithi (Grolier). In Othello we encounter Iago, one of Shakespeare’s most evil characters. Iago is an officer in Othello’s army and is jealous of Cassio’s promotion to Lieutenant. Through deception and appearance, we see unfolded many lies and clever schemes. … Read more
The book begins with Biblo Baggins enjoying a pipe after breakfast. This is one of his favorite pleasures and he feels quite content in doing so. He is middle-aged, and resides in a burrow in the ground. One morning Gandalf, a wizard stops by to talk with Biblo. He tells Biblo that he is looking … Read more
The conflict between society and the individual is a very important theme portrayed throughout Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Many people see Huckleberry Finn as a mischievious boy who is a bad influence to others. Huck is not raised in agreement with the accepted ways of civilization. He practically raises himself, relying on … Read more
In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Jim and Huck use and believe in many superstitions. There are many examples from the book that show this in the characters. Most of the superstitions are very ridiculous, but some actually make a little sense. In the first example, Huck seen a spider was crawling on his shoulder … Read more
The Grapes of Wrath, chronicles the Joad’s family exodus from Oklahoma to California in search for a brighter, economic future. The name Joad and the exodus to California is parallel to the Biblical story of Exodus and the character Job, but at the time was depicting the Okie Exodus. The Okies were farmers whose topsoil … Read more
Jane Eyre challenges the widespread Victorian concept of woman as the domestic goddess. However, upon closer inspection the novel upholds this belief, which is demonstrated by the heroine who conforms to this role by the end of the novel. Jane presents a problem in the beginning of the novel because she cannot fit into this … Read more
Neale Hurston’s work provides the African-American community with a one of the first literary symbols of racial health – a sense of black people as complete, complex, undiminished human beings. Appropriately, Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God, published in 1937, provides an enlightening look at the journey of one of these undiminished human beings, Janie … Read more
Many people associate the ‘Ides of March’ with the play “Julius Caesar. ” That particular day, March 15th in 44 BC, Rome lost not only a future king, but also a strong political and military leader. Julius Caesar’s life, his accomplishments, and his unfortunate assassination have etched out a place in textbooks worldwide. Caesar’s childhood … Read more
Toni Morrison the first black woman to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature, was born Chloe Anthony Wofford on February 18, 1931 in Lorain, Ohio. She was the second of four children to George and Ramah Wofford. Her parents moved to Ohio from the South to escape racism and to find better opportunities in the … Read more
Oedipus Rex, otherwise known as Oedipus Tyrranos or Oedipus the King, was a Greek Tragedy written by Sophocles himself. It was an epic story of a boy, soon to be a man, named Oedipus. He was abandoned at birth and forced by the Gods to live out a horrible prophecy. Oedipus name means swollen foot … Read more
Shakespeare wrote many plays during his lifetime. Some of his plays have similar comedic characteristics and then other plays are the exact opposite of comedy. Shakespeare wrote tragedies, romance, history, comedy and problem plays all with great success. During the performance of these plays there was no scenery so great time was taken when developing … Read more
In “Araby” and “Eveline” Joyce uses religious symbols to show the importance of the Catholic religion in both of the main characters lives. Both of these stories take place in Dublin, Ireland, a place that is very strong in its belief in the Catholic religion. In “Araby,” the imagery of the infamous “Fall” is presented … Read more
The tragic downfall of Macbeth was not determined by one single cause. It was rather caused by a combination of three dark forces: supernatural, external, and internal. Supernatural forces are represented by the three witches and dark powers behind them. Lady Macbeth is an outer force that pushes Macbeth towards the bloody deeds. Macbeth’s own … Read more
It has been said many times that all men have a common bond, or a thread that joins them together. Robert Frosts poem The Tuft of Flowers explores the existence of such a bond, as experienced by the speaker. In the everyday circumstance of performing a common chore, the speaker discovers a sense of brotherhood … Read more
The story A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner in my opinion was a very interesting story. The story was about a old and troubled woman named Emily Grierson who because of her father’s death had become one of the towns obligation’s and also one of it’s problems. Emily a very stubborn old lady who … Read more
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is considered a novel that embodies America in the 1920s. In it, the narrator, Nick Carroway, helps his neighbor Jay Gatsby reunite with Daisy Buchanan, with whom he has been in love with since 5 years before, during World War I. The affair between the two fails, however, and … Read more
Nathanial Hawthorne. Considered to be one of the greatest American writers of the 19th century. But did you know that he hated portraits, and it is now thought that he was a mild manic-depressive? Born in Salem, Massachusetts on July 4, 1804. A decendant of a long puritan line of Hathorne’s. His ancestry included his … Read more
Over the years many critics have wrote articles on Shirley Jackson’s numerous works. Many critics had much to say about Jackson’s most famous short story, “The Lottery”. Her insights and observations about man and society are disturbing; and in the case of “The Lottery,” they are shocking. “The themes themselves are not new, evil cloaked … Read more
The theme of wrestling is one that relates to literature directly. Many famous authors have written about wrestling or fighting. Wrestling relates to life in the storylines it produces. This theme can relate to any PSAT words that are negative or positive. Those are just a few of the numerous reasons why wrestling is an … Read more
Wuthering Heights is a novel of revenge and romantic love. It tells the stories of two families: the Earnshaws who live at the Heights, at the edge of the moors, and the genteel and refined Lintons who live at Thrushcross Grange. When Mr. Earnshaw brings home a foundling to live in the family, complex feelings … Read more
In the story, “A & P”, John Updike differentiates the views of Sammy and the store with many eye-catching techniques. By presenting the store as the antagonist, the reader gains Sammy sense of view about things through his close detail and humor of situations. Well before the dramatic opportunity presents itself for Sammy to quit … Read more
Many of William Shakespeare’s plays have sparked controversy. Probably the one that has sparked the most controversy is The Merchant of Venice, which many intellectuals have dubbed an anti-Semitic play. The character that this discussion centers around is Shylock, the rich moneylender Jew. The problem with most of these anti-Semitic arguments is that they lack … Read more
Hamlet a hardy man, courageous, and worthy of eternal commendation, who arming himself with a crafty, dissembling, and strange show of being distract out of his mind, under that pretense deceived the wise, and crafty, thereby not only preserving his life from the reasons and wicked practices of the tyrant, but by an new and … Read more
Throughout the course of Charlotte Bronte’s novel, Jane Eyre, Jane is used as a representation of a modern woman. Jane does many things which women of her time didn’t do. She started reading as a little girl. This was a talent that most women at the time didn’t acquire throughout their entire lives. She learned … Read more
I think that in A&P the author describes how life was decades ago and how it seems to me how life should be today, with out the arguments over petty situations. I think that the story line of A&P is a typical situation in a small town in which the story is situated. I think … Read more
Lust is defined as an intense longing or a sexual desire. It is a common theme in literature; particularly in classic Greek literature. The reason it is so prevalent in literature is that is prevalent in our daily lives. Everyone lusts after something or someone. It is an interesting topic to examine closely, and classic … Read more
In “Player Piano”, John Updike uses personification to give life to a unhuman’ piano. By using diction to communicate his ideas, he effectively allows the reader to explore the psyche of a “Player Piano”. In the first couple lines of the poem, assonance and consonance are present. In line one, these musical devices dominate the … Read more
In D. H. Lawrence’s Son’s and Lovers, Paul’s intimacy with the women in his life is complemented and analogous to his experiences in nature. Throughout the development of the novel, as intimacy is shared, it is only through nature and natural elements that we see this [intimacy] occur. This comparable relationship with nature metaphorically symbolizes … Read more
There are many forms of imagery in the world today. They usually take on two main forms, those being visual and mental. Word means different thing to different people. The Websters Dictionary defines it as, in rhetoric, representations in writing or speaking; lively descriptions which impress the images of things on the mind; figures in … Read more
Style Critics usually describe Hemingway’s style as simple, spare, and journalistic. These are all good words; they all apply. Perhaps because of his training as a newspaperman, Hemingway is a master of the declarative, subject-verb-object sentence. His writing has been likened to a boxer’s punches–combinations of lefts and rights coming at us without pause. Take … Read more
Beowulf and The Seafarer In a comparison between Beowulf and The Seafarer one finds two contrasting beliefs in fate and the sea from the storys main characters. Beowulf is resigned to fate and is humble before the force of the sea, while The Seafarer is fearful of the powers of fate and the sea and … Read more
Love? Is love controlled by human beings who love one another or is love controlled by a higher power? There are many people who believe that a higher power has control over love. An example of a higher power would be a cupid, a flying angel-type creature who is supposed to shoot arrows at people … Read more
Few books can truly be said to have altered the course of history, and even fewer can be said to have started an entire war. Uncle Tom’s Cabin, written by Harriet Beecher Stowe, was one novel to do both. Abraham Lincoln said to Harriet Beecher Stowe upon meeting her, “So this is the little lady … Read more