Daniel

The story Flowers for Algernon depicts the meaning of intelligence in a very deep sense. The narrow definition intelligence is the capacity to learn, to understand, or to deal with new or trying situations. It is a concrete definition in such a way that it also means the ability to apply knowledge to manipulate one’s … Read more

England’s most talented and well know poet and dramatist was born on April 23, 1564, at Stratford-upon-Avon, located in the cetre of England. His father, John, was a glove-maker and wool dealer involved with money lending. His mother Mary Arden was the daughter of a Farmer. William was the third out of eight children whom … Read more

The Great Gatsby, a novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is about the American Dream, and the downfall of those who attempt to reach its illusionary goals. The attempt to capture the American Dream is central to many novels. This dream is different for different people, but in The Great Gatsby, for Jay, the dream is … Read more

American poet, a master of the horror tale, credited with practically inventing the detective story. Edgar Allan Poe was born on January 19, 1809 in Boston, Massachusetts, to parents who were itinerant actors. His father David Poe Jr. died probably in 1810 and his mother Elizabeth Hopkins Poe in 1811. Edgar was taken into the … Read more

The play opens with the citizens of Thebes gathering around the Theban palace. Oedipus the king exits the Theban palace. He inquires to a priest as to why his followers are praying and lamenting. The priest explains that they are praying to the gods to end the plague; which has struck their city. This plague … Read more

Evil and charm are considered by many people to be very different things. It is not often that it is thought that evil and charm coexist together. Evil is defined to be; morally bad, or wicked, while charms definition is; a trait that fascinates, allures or delights. According to British author Brian Masters evil is … Read more

A tragic hero is the character whose actions deeply affect the other characters and who creates a series of events that eventually lead to the characters downfall and the downfall of his loved ones. Such a hero possesses a flaw in character that influences his actions and thinking and especially his judgments. In logically determining … Read more

Although there are lots of things to suggest this is a racist play I don’t think that racism actually dominates the play, even though it has a racist theme. There is a romantic union between black and white which gets destroyed because most people think the relationship is wrong. At the time the play was … Read more

The circumstances surrounding the composition of Robert Frost’s poem “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” explain his use of “The darkest evening of the year” (L.8) which is closely related it to the greater theme of perseverance in the face of hardship. Frost wrote this poem, in November(Frost Chronology) 1923; on the same late … Read more

Lord Of The Flies, by William Golding, focused on the development and deterioration of a miniature society of boys isolated on a small tropical island. The story centred around individuals representing different aspects of children and their personalities. Beginning with a child-like innocence, the novel brought forth many of the sinister characteristics of human nature … Read more

While writing and revising Mrs. Dalloway, Virginia Woolf was corresponding with E. M. Forster, who was working on A Passage to India. In September of 1921, she records in her diary: ”A letter from Morgan [Forster] this morning. He seems as critical of the East as of Bloomsbury, & sits dressed in a turban watching … Read more

Every day, every person on earth has to make decisions. Whether they are good or bad depends on the consequences. In the Greek play Antigone by Sophocles, the character Antigone makes the best decision in the play when she decides to burry her brother. Antigone is unselfish, respectful, and virtuous, therefore, she makes the finest … Read more

In Alexander Solzhenitsyns 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 suggested … Read more

The title of this play is “Julius Caesar. ” This play was written by William Shakespeare in the past. The play involves many different characters, events, and emotional feelings. Mark Antony is a skillful orator because he has experience, knows how to sway the mob, and knows how to keep them on his side and … Read more

Julius Caesar is a play written by William Shakespeare during the year 1597. Julius Caesars story involves a conspiracy against Julius Caesar, a powerful senator. The play involves a highly respected senator, Brutus, who decides to join the conspiracy to kill Julius Caesar, in the effort to keep democracy intact. Brutus believes that if Julius … Read more

Numerous stories about numerous heroes have been told and then retold. All of these heroes do different things and all of them have a different set of qualities which make them heroes. Due to the fact that there are only so many heroic adventures and qualities, most are shared in part with at least one … Read more

Some books are written to prove a point or some sort of idea. The novel, To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, is an excellent example of proving a point or a theme. Themes in the book include courage, lady, standing in another man’s shoes, it’s not time to worry, education, and trash. All the … Read more

Webster’s dictionary defines the word “jilt” as the act of rejecting a lover. So to be deserted by another, left at the altar, or unwanted by another, is to be jilted. In William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” and in “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall” by Katherine Anne Porter, Emily and Granny Weatherall throughout the … 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

African textiles and quilting developed in Africa will over 1,000 years ago. When the Africans came over to the United States for the slave trade, many African traditions combined with American traditions. Their combined ideas were passed down from generation to generation, thus preserving many African textiles traditions(Torrey, 517). Afro-American quilts are mad by piecing … Read more

The U. S. legal system has undergone several gradual changes in development to date. This is mainly due to direct and presumptive influences that restructure certain perspectives on right and wrong, in the effort to attain the fine line of balance termed as justice for all. Sporadic and gradual shifts in societal values on various … Read more

Nothing is certain but death. It is the only inevitability in life, the great equalizer, the future to which humanity grows, leans, reaches. Yet the fear of death is a constant one, universal and unavoidable. Hamlet deeply experiences this fear of death and it is in his most famous soliloquy that he voices his dread … Read more

Imagine your fate and future resting in the hands of one mans judgment. This was actually reality for Shoeless Joe Jackson. Many argue that he was one of the best ever to play the game of baseball and was the greatest natural hitter of all-time. Yet, surprisingly, you will not find him among the familiar … Read more

I chose to read the book Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess Worshippers, and Other Pagans in America Today, by Margot Adler, because I myself am a practicing Wiccan. I began following this religion the summer before I entered high school. I have read many books on my religion, and I thought that this … Read more

Macbeth’s choice of actions are substantially influenced by the various characters he encounters from the very beginning of the play. In the opening of the play Macbeth is portrayed as a good man. Macbeth is described as brave, valiant a good and hardy soldier also honorable, worthy and wise (I. ii. 24). Only after Macbeth … Read more

What do the Yahoos and the Houynhnmns stand for? What moral was Swift drawing from them? The answer to the second question depends on the solution of the first. One solution could be that the Yahoos represent man has he actually is, self-seeking, sensual and depraved, while the Houyhnhnms symbolize what man ought to be, … Read more

Many popular novels are often converted into television movies. The brilliant fiction novel, Flowers for Algernon written by Daniel Keyes, was developed into a dramatic television film. Flowers for Algernon is about a mentally retarded man who is given the opportunity to become intelligent through the advancements of medical science. This emotionally touching novel was … Read more

Sylvia Plath was a gifted writer, poet and verbal artist whose personal anguish and torment visibly manifested itself in her work. Much of her angst stems from her warped relationship with her father. Other factors that influenced her works were her strained views of human sexuality, her sado-masochistic tendencies, self-hatred and her traditional upbringing. She … Read more

“If an author does not have at least one great popular success, he or she may well be ignored by the media, but if he or she is constantly popular, then the critics become suspicious of the writer’s serious intentions” (Benson Introduction). What do critics from the literary world have to say about Steinbeck’s writings? … Read more

Harold C. Gardiner, S. J. wrote a very interesting article entitled, “Critical Commentary. ” He wrote his essay in the year 1948. Throughout his work, his main idea is to praise the book, “Cry, the Beloved Country”, written by Alan Paton. Gardiner is very satisfied with the book’s subject matter of tension between Negroes and … Read more

Jane Austen lived from 1775 until 1817, a span of four decades that saw significant changes in English social, political, and economic life. At the time her birth, England was embroiled in a bitter struggle with its American colonies, the loss of which, several years later, proved to be a tremendous blow to English political … Read more

Born in Dublin in the year 1865, William Butler Yeats would go on to become universally recognized by his peers as the greatest poet of this century writing in the English language. This recognition would come as early as 1828, a decade before his death with the publication of arguably his finest volume, The Tower … Read more

In the book Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer, gives us a stunning tale about a rooster named Chaunticleer. Chaunticleer, who is the King of his domain in his farmland kingdom. Like a King, he quotes passages from intellectuals, dreams vivid dreams, has a libido that runs like a bat out of hell, and is described as … Read more

In Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex, the theme of irony plays an important part through the play. What Oedipus does, what he says, and even who he is can sometimes be ironic. This irony can help us to see the character of Oedipus as truly a ‘blind’ man, or a wholly ‘public’ man. A great irony is … Read more

In a world full of fears, perhaps the worst fear a human being should have is that to be afraid of his fellow man. The human that should be most feared is the one that has Anti-Social Personality Disorder or in laymen’s terms the psychopath. The psychopath is probably the most deviant mind that exists … Read more

The conflict between society and the individual is a theme portrayed throughout Twain’s Huckleberry Finn. Huck was not raised in accord with the accepted ways of civilization. Huck faces many aspects of society, which makes him choose his own individuality over civilization. He practically raises himself, relying on instinct to guide him through life. As … Read more

Elizabeth’s veiw of Mr. Drcy was first formed at the first ball, he was decided to be ”the proudest,most disagreeable man in the world, and everyone hoped he would never come there again”. There at the ball Mr. Bingley advised Mr. Darcy, as he was standing all alone,to dance with Miss Elizabeth and wished to … Read more

In Candide by Voltaire, there is an instance in the life of the old woman that outrages her. When she meets up with the Mores and they act abusive and intrusive toward her, she is initially outraged. When she stops to think about it, she exclaims that if she had been a person more knowledgeable … 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

“If the exaltation of tragic action were truly a property of the high-bred character alone, it is inconceivable that the mass of mankind should cherish tragedy above all other forms” (Dwyer). It makes little sense that tragedy should only pertain to those in high ranks. As explained in his essay “Tragedy and the Common Man,” … Read more

During his lifetime, Charles Dickens is known to have written several books. Although each book is different, they also share many similarities. Two of his books, Great Expectations and Oliver Twist, are representatives of the many kinds of differences and similarities found within his work. Perhaps the reason why these two novels share some of … Read more

Slavery occurs on a widespread basis in The Tempest. Occurrence of slavery to many of the characters, all in different ways, helps to provide the atmosphere for the play. The obvious slaves are not the only slaves, as Prospero has basically got everybody entranced when he wants, to do whatever he wants with them. He … Read more

Hamlet is a human being, and he is an emotional human being. He feels guilt, remorse and has responsibilities, yet at the same time he feels pride and a sense of duty. He is quick, in Act one, scene five to take on his role of avenger Haste me to knowt, that I, with wings … Read more

It is often said that life is full of choices and the choices you make is what makes you yourself. Society, however, has since the dawn of time tried to control the thoughts of individuals by forcing ideas upon them that destroys the person on a mental and emotional level while crushing their physical well-being. … Read more

A ‘clockwork orange’; can be described as something that has a convincing outer appearance yet in the inside is merely controlled by outer influences, such as a clock set in motion by its owner. In A Clockwork Orange, Anthony Burgess takes us into the future where violent criminals are forced to be ‘good,’; and introduces … Read more

In the novel Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, good weather is Brontes tool to foreshadow positive events or moods and poor weather is her tool for setting the tone for negative events or moods. This technique is exercised throughout the entire novel, alerting the readers of the upcoming atmosphere. In the novel, Janes mood is, … Read more

The Impossible Job: Catcher in the Rye Recent studies show that depression is common among teenagers. Although the research may be new, it is not a new disease that has occupied teenagers. In the novel Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger, the main character Holden Caufield is a depressed young man searching for … Read more

Susan Glaspell’s short story, A Jury of Her Peers, was written long before the modern women’s movement began, yet her story reveals, through Glaspell’s use of symbolism, the role that women are expected to play in society. Glaspell illustrates how this highly stereotypical role can create oppression for women and also bring harm to men … Read more

Early Life Born in Monroeville, Alabama, on April 28, 1926, Nelle Harper Lee is the youngest of three children of Amassa Coleman Lee and Francis Lee. Before his death, Miss Lee’s father and her older sister, Alice, practiced law together in Monroeville. When one considers the theme of honor that runs throughout Miss Lee’s novel, … Read more

Sophocle’s tragic play Antigone, written in 441 BC, is a theatrical piece of drama in which an audience is compelled to empathize with its character’s. When empathizing with characters in Antigone the audience can, in imaginative and cognitive ways, participate in the understanding of a character’s feelings, ideas as well as their situations. Antigone, Creon … Read more