Study Like a Boss
In the throes of the Great Depression, Tom Joad hitchhikes through Oklahoma after having recently been paroled from the local penitentiary. During his travels he meets Jim Casy. Tom remembers the man from his childhood, he was a preacher. However, as Jim explains to Tom, that while he is still a God-fearing man, he no … Read more
Important Themes Statesmanship and War Machiavelli firmly believes that the soundness of the state is derived from a powerful military. He is not an advocate of democracy. The ruler derives his authority and power entirely from his ability to conquer and destroy all enemies—even potential enemies. He sums this up when he says that “the … Read more
Symbols Flames: Fire plays an important role in the play. It is symbolic not only of erotic love or desire, but also of destruction and ruin. Under the imagery of flames, Virgil is able to explain how one relates to the other, and how both are connected. The desire the Paris has for Helen is what … Read more
There are several themes present in the Aeneid. The most prevalent are The Dominance of Fate, The Suffering of the Lost, and the Power of the Romans. The Dominance of Fate Throughout the entire poem, Aeneas is guided by the principle to fulfill his fate. Despite encountering tremendous suffering on his journey, and experiencing many victories, his … Read more
The Living Aeneas: The primary protagonist of the poem, the Aeneid. Aeneas is one of the last surviving inhabitants of the city of Troy. Characteristically he is a pious man, with a strong fear of the gods. In addition to being a fearless warrior, he is a steadfast leader, capable of motivating his followers regardless of what dangers … Read more
Virgil’s poetic masterpiece, The Aeneid, tells of the plight of Aeneas and a group of Trojans as they sail across the Mediterranean Sea in search of Rome. Their homeland, the city of Troy, has been destroyed by the Greeks. As the group near closer to their destination, they are thrown off course by a ferocious storm … Read more
Characters and Analysis Okonkwo A clan leader, he has lived with the shame and embarrassment of his lazy and drunken father. Through his own hard work and valor in war he has earned a sound reputation among his people. However, because he is terrified of appearing weak, he overcompensates by being harsh and unyielding. This … Read more
Summary The novel begins with Mr. Lockwood, a man who goes to Wuthering Heights in search of solitude. During his stay, Lockwood is treated badly by Heathcliff, Hareton and Cathy who are the inhabitants of the house. One night he discovers Catherine Earnshaw’s diary and upon reading it he gets an idea of how Hindly … Read more
Symbolism Big Brother This is both the source of all power in the novel but also the symbol of the “benevolent dictatorship” of the party. It is a source of fear and the symbol of brotherly affection the Party holds toward the people. This is Orwell’s condemnation of central authority and the abuse they represent. … Read more
WAR IS PEACEFREEDOM IS SLAVERYIGNORANCE IS STRENGTH These are the slogans engraved on the Ministry of Truth. They evoke the double think of the totalitarian regime of Oceania. The meaning and logic of the slogans run counter to all conventional sense and they reveal the mind-numbing force of the Party. All reality is what the … Read more
Winston Smith The 39-year old protagonist. Winston is a minor functionary in the Records Department of the Ministry of Truth. His job is re-write news articles so that they conform to the Party’s current version of truth and history. He is intelligent, meek, and introspective. Winston can see that the ultimate goal of the Party … Read more
The primary theme in 1984 is obviously the despotic power of an over-powerful state. The belief that one single authority will always tend toward being corrupt and violent is woven throughout the novel. The other main theme is the idea that access to knowledge is access to power. Throughout the novel, the main conflict is over who … Read more
In the year 1984 London has become the principal city in Oceania. It is now known as Airstrip One. Oceania is one of three superpowers and totalitarian regions into which the world is divided; the others are Eurasia and Eastasia. The ruling power, known only as the Party, is headed by a mysterious agent called … Read more
Quotes and Analysis They carried the soldier’s greatest fear, which was the fear of blushing. Men killed, and died, because they were embarrassed not to. It was what had brought them to the war in the first place, nothing positive, no dreams of glory or honor, just to avoid the blush of dishonor. They died … Read more
Important Themes Imagination and Intellect Anne is an extremely imaginative young girl. In many ways she is completely driven by her imagination to the exclusion of all else. She makes up imaginary friends and idealizes notions of romance and love. Yet, just beneath this world of imagination and wonder is the budding intellect which will … Read more
Major Themes The Inevitable Loss of Childhood Innocence Everything from Alice’s physical changes to the discomfort she feels in the presence of the Duchess represent the inevitable movement from childhood to the lost innocence of adulthood. Alice begins as a cool and rational girl, but all of her sense of order is shaken as she … Read more
Quotes and Analysis The reward of sin is death? That’s hard.Si peccasse negamus, fallimur, et nulla est in nobis veritas.If we say that we have no sin,We deceive ourselves, and there’s no truth in us.Why then belike we must sin,And so consequently die.Ay, we must die in everlasting death.What doctrine call you this? Che sara … Read more
Quotes and Analysis Stay gold, Ponyboy. Stay gold. The most popular quote in the book, these are the words that Johnny utters as he lays dying. Stay Gold is a reference to the poem by Robert Frost that Ponyboy read to Johnny while the pair hid out in the abandoned church. As the poem says, … Read more
Le Morte d’Arthur is the tale of King Arthur. It begins with the formation of the Knights of the Round Table and follows the rise of King Arthur and his tragic fall. The story begins with Uther Pendragon, the King of England who lusts after Igraine, who happens to be the wife of the Duke of … Read more
The main characters of the book are: Atticus Finch – Atticus works as a local lawyer in Maycomb and is the single father of Scout and Jem. He strives to raise the children with pride, honor, and integrity to believe in their ability to see and make decision on things appropriately. He makes a good model … Read more
“The intense horror of nightmare came over me: I tried to draw back my arm, but the hand clung to it, and a most melancholy voice sobbed, ‘Let me in – let me in!’ ‘Who are you?’ I asked, struggling, meanwhile, to disengage myself. ‘Catherine Linton,’ it replied, shiveringly (why did I think of LINTON? … Read more
Characters and Analysis Anne Shirley Anne is the main character in the novel. An orphan and spirited young girl, she is intelligent and precocious. Unaware of the social norms of her adopted world, she behaves largely according to her instincts and as a result, she is both shocking and charming. She makes mistakes in social … Read more
The main character, Meursualt appears utterly detached from other people. He experiences life as a spectator. His emotional indifference makes the stranger in the story. He seems to have no reaction to the death of his mother. His relationships with friends and with a woman who loves him have no emotional depth. He does not accept … Read more
A Doll’s House starts out on Christmas Eve. Leading character, Nora Helmer, enters her impressively furnished sitting room – the setting of the entire play. She is carrying multiple packages. Nora’s husband, Torvald Helmer, hears her arrive and leaves his study to greet her. At first, he is warm and loving towards her, but, he soon reprimands her … Read more
Beowulf is without doubt the most ancient surviving epic poem of the so called Anglo-Saxon epic tradition. Set in the sixth century in the southwestern part of the contemporary Sweden, the poem begins with a genealogy of the royal dynasty of the Scyldings, or Danes. This royal line is named for a mythic hero ancestor who … Read more
Quotes and Analysis One day I might, yes. Many years from now, when I’ve lost my looks a little. Don’t laugh, I mean, of course, a time will come when Torvald is not as devoted to me, not quite so happy when I dance for him, and dress for him, and play with him. Taken from … Read more
The Totalitarian State Much like 1984, Brave New World takes place under the complete control of totalitarian state. Whereas 1984 operates via complete surveillance and control of information, Brave New World operated through technological changes and manipulation of the human biology. The World State maintains it complete control by maintaining a populace that is controlled through superficial pleasure and internal conditioning designed … Read more
Heart of Darkness follows Marlow, a knowledge-seeking sailor, as he embarks up the Congo River to join up with Kurtz, alleged to be an idealistic man with many talents. Marlow assumes a job as a riverboat captain for a Belgian organization with interests in the Congo known simply as the Company. During his journey to Africa, … Read more
Character Analysis Tess Durbeyfield: Tess is the main character of the novel. She is beautiful and loyal and lives with her impoverished family in the town of Marlott. She has a strong sense of responsibility and wants nothing more than to do the best for her family that she possibly can, despite her inexperience and naivety. … Read more
Main Characters and Analysis Kino The protagonist is a devoted father and husband who goes to great lengths to secure the funds to help cure his son’s illness. However upon his newfound riches he develops an ambition that consumes him. He refuses to sell the pearl at a humble price, he also refuses to dispose … Read more
Main Characters and Analysis Charlie Gordon He is the protagonist who has been mistreated by his family and ridiculed by his co-workers. His motive for being smart is to impress others and most importantly please his mother. His intelligence is not equally matched with his emotions which are as primitive as that of a child. … Read more
The novel begins as Offred remembers her time at the Red Center where Handmaids are trained and conditioned which is situated in an old school. Offred comes back to the present and informs the readers of her new job working for the Commander and his wife Serena Joy. Handmaids are allowed no freedom except for … Read more
Symbolism The witch hunt is perhaps the most significant symbol in the play. The because the play deals with historical problems that attend the House Committee on Un-American Activities and the hunt for communists in American society, the entirety of the witch hunt stands as symbol for this series of events. As the play enacts … Read more
“I look for John Proctor that took me from my sleep and put knowledge in my heart! I never knew what pretense Salem was, I never knew the lying lessons I was taught by all these Christian women and their covenanted men! And now you bid me tear the light out of my eyes? I … Read more
Intolerance The Crucible deals with the idea of living under a single over-riding system of belief which excludes everything else. Because the play is set in Puritan colonial America, we see how this oppressive system of belief can exclude any thought of meaningful justice, of mercy, or even of rational argument. The only thing that matters … Read more
John Proctor A farmer who lives just outside of Salem. He serves as the voice of reason in the play yet he is compromised by a scandalous secret. He is the one who exposes the girls and their lies about practicing witchcraft and for this reason he is the tragic hero in the play. But … Read more
The setting is in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. The opening scene is the home of Parris, a local priest. His daughter Betty appears seriously ill and is lying on her bed unconscious. Parris caught Betty just the previous night, about the midnight hour dancing in the woods with another young woman, Abigail, who is his … Read more
Might versus Right Throughout the novel the reader is confronted with images of brute strength in contest with what is right. Gulliver can defeat the Blefuscudian because of his immense size but there is little indication what the correct course of action might be. He defeats them simply because he is big. Later, in Brobdingnag, he … Read more
“My Father had a small Estate in Nottinghamshire; I was the Third of five Sons. . . . I was bound Apprentice to Mr. James Bates, an eminent Surgeon in London . . . my Father now and then sending me small Sums of Money. . . . When I left Mr. Bates, I went … Read more
Lemuel Gulliver An unremarkable and average man who lacks imagination. He is morally upright and has his heart in the right place, but he is gullible (his name is something of a play on the word “gullible”) and somewhat foolish. The Lilliputians Tiny people of no more than six inches. Full of self-importance and small … Read more
The story tells about the adventures of a straight-forward and practical doctor and ship’s captain. Lemuel Gulliver returns home after three and a half years at sea. He marries and sets up his practice. Since he cannot sustain himself from practicing medicine he returns to sea. He again comes home and sets up another medical … Read more
Themes Children versus Grownups The major theme in the novel is the contrast between grownups and children. Children are considered the most natural form of mankind that are still unaffected by society, they have a wide imagination and a love for thing that don’t always have to be practical. On the other end of the … Read more
Complete working title: Animal Farm – A Fairy StoryDate of writing: 1944 to 1945Location of writing: EnglandDate of original publication: 1945Genre: Novel, Allegory, Fairy TaleLocation: A small farm in early 20th century EnglandRising moment: When the pigs stand on their hind feet and the sheep can be heard echoing “Four legs good, two legs better!”Main Character: … Read more
Character Names George Orwell authored Animal Farm as a parable, or a figurative representation of real life events. A number of the characters and the events in the book are meant to be symbolic, or representative, of actual participants in the Soviet Union and the Russian Revolution. Some of the animals who represent specific people or groups … Read more
“Four legs good, two legs bad.” Read in Chapter III, this is how Snowball paraphrases the Seven Commandments of Animalism, which are designed to support Old Major’s speech on the importance of animal unity in the face of oppression by the humans. This is one example that the author uses to substantiate how elitist, or … Read more
Old Major An elder swine, Old Major is the founding father of Animalism. It is through his teachings that the other farm animals decide to revolt. A prize pig, Old Major has lead a life of privilege and has acquired noble status amongst the others. It is this status, and life of leisure, that has … Read more
Totalitarianism Orwell has been quoted as saying, “Every line of serious work that I have written since 1936 has been against totalitarianism.” A statement that is evident in Animal Farm. Totalitarianism refers to a state of government that seeks out ultimate control over every aspect of life – from thoughts, beliefs, ideas and even politics and … Read more
Manor Farm, a modest English farm, is operated by the impetuous drunkard, Mr. Jones. Late one evening, Old Major, a senior boar, summons all of the farms animals. Old Major knows that his life will soon end and feels it necessary to pass along a few words of wisdom. As the animals listen on intently, … Read more
First published in 1813, Pride and Prejudice is Jane Austen’s second novel. It was written in 1797-1798 when she was only 21. Originally titled First Impressions the novel quickly made its way into print. It is written in the epistolary format, which is in the form of letters, that was extremely popular at the time. … Read more
Dance: When Elizabeth and Darcy dance for the first time, their steps and movements are stilted and formal. They are following both each other and the conventions of the dance. This is the symbol of the way their relationships unfolds. They come together by negotiating the cues from each other and by working with the conventions … Read more