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Life is a long road, where there is a lot of obstacles to go through and decisions to make, even if it is really hard sometimes because it plays with our future. Every choice we make, guides us to a different destiny and often leaves us in doubt, asking ourselves constantly questions starting with “what … Read more

The American college dictionary defines success as 1. The favorable or prosperous termination of attempts or endeavors, 2. The gaining of wealth, possessions, or the like. This has been the general seances for the past hundred years or more. But in more modern days the prospective of success has changed slightly. It has shifted to … Read more

In Shakespeare’s comedy, “The Taming of the Shrew,” one of the main ways that the theme is shown is by mistaken identity. The main theme of this play is that what a person is really like is more important than how they appear to be. This is shown by Petruchio’s relationship with Katherine; the changing … Read more

Morality has been questioned by people, honored by people and revered since the dawn of time. Yet till this day not one of us can say what is morally right? It is all up to the persons opinions. In the book Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, Doctor Frankenstein is faced with a question of morality whether … Read more

In the book Siddhartha, by Herman Hesse, the main character Siddhartha had many teachers along his quest for happiness. Throughout his life he denounced teachers and their teachings. In his last meeting with his lifelong friend, Govinda, he mentions five in which he was indebted : a beautiful courtesan, a rich merchant, a dice player, … Read more

A good writer has many tools at hand that help them develop good story lines. There are literary techniques such as voice, point of view, character, theme, and symbolism. One very interesting technique is that of symbolism. With symbolism the author is able to write a story in which many of the actions around the … Read more

Act I, in the tradition of the well made play in which the first act serves as an exposition, the second an event, and the third an unraveling (though Ibsen diverges from the traditional third act by presenting not an unraveling, but a discussion), establishes the tensions that explode later in the play. Ibsen sets … Read more

Laura is a hypersensitive young girl. She spends all of her time in a world of glass ornaments and stayed in her apartment. Even though she tries several times to participate in the outside world, she is too fragile. The Blue Roses represent the uniqueness of Laura. Blue Roses do not exist in this world … Read more

Do you have a great understanding of “Oedipus the King”? The understanding provoked by reading this story is not accidental but intentional. Sophocles wants the reader to walk away with condemnation and regret. The reader can not help but to walk away from the book with a better understanding of fate. The knowledge gained is … Read more

The Romantic sonnet holds in its topics the ideals of the time period, concentrating on emotion, nature, and the expression of “nothing. ” The Romantic era was one that focused on the commonality of humankind and, while using emotion and nature, the poets and their works shed light on people’s universal natures. In Charlotte Smith’s … Read more

Throughout the book Beloved by Toni Morrison and the slave narrative of Aunt Betty’s story, the significance of the roles of the main characters as women, their strive for their freedom from the era of slavery, the memorys and “rememorys” that serve as a reminder to Aunt Betty and a haunting past to Sethe help … Read more

The Catcher in the Rye, by J. D Salinger, depicts how a lonely teenager, Holden Caulfield, deals with alcohol, sex, and violence. Teenagers must also deal with these problems daily. Alcohol is very predominate throughout the novel The Catcher in the Rye. Alcoholic beverages are a readily available, and relatively inexpensive for minors to get. … Read more

Sophocles’ “Oedipus the King” is a tragic play which discusses the tragic discovery of Oedipus that he has killed his father and married his mother. The story of Oedipus was well known to the athenian’s. Oedipus is the embodiement of the perfect Athenian. He is self-confident, intelligent, and strong willed. Ironically these are the very … Read more

How does Lear see more clearly by Act V Scene 3, and what has led him to this? King Lear of Britain, the ageing protagonist in Shakespeares tragic play undergoes radical change as a man, father and king as the plot progresses when forced to bear the repercussions of his actions. Lear is initially portrayed … Read more

The speaker of this ironic monologue is a modern, urban man who, like many of his kind, feels isolated and incapable of decisive action. Irony is apparent from the title, for this is not a conventional love song. Prufrock would like to speak of love to a woman, but he does not dare. The poem … Read more

George Bush, president of the United States of America, is a very great and powerful figure in our country. Although he is not physically strong like the hero in the folk epic Beowulf, he has the same authority and state of mind. Beowulf and George Bush are both recognized as heroes, along with this recognition, … Read more

The chorus was not only a major part of Antigone, but also the most insightful portion of this play’s cast. The members of the chorus tell Creon and the audience very important truths about themselves. Throughout the play the chorus comments on Creon’s actions, and gives us all unbiased views on our hypocritical species. Without … Read more

The function of the poet is to imitate, through the media appropriate to the given art (drama), not particular historical events, characters, emotions, but the universal aspects of life impressed on his mind by observations of real life. It is closer to reality than the concrete situation, since the universal is truer than the particular. … Read more

I chose the novel Snow Falling on Cedars, by David Guterson because I have heard from many people that it is a compelling story which truly depicts the inhumanities of racism. Human emotions are intensely conveyed in such riveting detail that one can not read this book without it leaving a permanent mark on their … Read more

I began my Hawthorne reading task with The Birth-Mark. I picked this story because I am familiar with the Maypole of Merrymount and Young Goodman Brown, and I wanted to try something different. I was pleasantly surprised with The Birth-Mark, in my mind it far surpasses the latter two stories. I think one of the … Read more

Through her portrayal of Ethan and Mattie’s relationship, Wharton deplores a society where societal expectations deny people their chance of happiness. ‘ ” Her hat slipped back and he was stroking her hair. He wanted to get the feeling of it into his hand, so it would sleep there like a seed in winter. Once … Read more

In both “The Seafarer” and Beowulf christian attitudes are expressed. In “The Seafarer” the writer expressed reliance on God because the pagan beliefs were dark and misleading. This contrasts what the author wrote in Beowulf because the pagan ideas are mixed in with the Christian views. In “The Seafarer” written by an unknown poet, the … Read more

It is suggested that in modern literature, the true element of tragedy is not captured because the protagonist is often of the same social status as the audience, and therefor, his downfall is not tragic. This opinion, I find, takes little consideration of the times in which we live. Indeed, most modern plays and literature … Read more

Many symbols are incorporated into the play “Death of a Sales man” and they in turn relate to both character and theme. The hose, tape recorder and the seeds are some of these symbols. The hose in Miller’s drama directly relates to the theme of d eath. The hose is a line attached to the … Read more

The story takes place on an island somewhere in the ocean. The island is described by the author as tropical and boat shaped. Along the coast there are sandy beaches followed by a variety of vegetation and “creepers”. There are also the orchards, which rise up to the treeless and rocky and rugged mountain ridge … Read more

William Shakespeare and Henrik Ibsen are two great authors of their time and are still read by many today. William Shakespeare wrote many plays; one that is more well known is Hamlet. Henrik Ibsen is a not so well known author but wrote a great rival play named A Doll’s House. These two plays were … Read more

John Updike, unlike many of todays authors, wrote about what he knew and life experiences. Some people may say that this would make his writings boring or uninteresting. The way he writes, however, makes it applicable to almost everyones life. When John Updike was little he grew up in a small town in Pennsylvania and … Read more

In the varied group of pilgrims assembled by Chaucer, the Wife of Bath most simply represents a woman of the time. Unlike the Prioress and her nun companion, who are the only other women on the pilgrimage and who represent other things, her sole purpose is to just be a woman. Chaucer says of her, … Read more

Perhaps the most interesting and exotic character in the tragic play “Othello,” by William Shakespeare, is “Honest” Iago. Through some carefully thought-out words and actions, Iago is able to manipulate others to do things in a way that benefits him and moves him closer toward his goals. He is the main driving force in this … Read more

A people’s candidate in the Deep South, who was fighting for the rights of people; that’s Willie Stark the main character of, All the Kings Men. He starts out as a good-deeded hick, and then evolves into a power-hungry, corrupt politician. Willie ruins his family and himself in this story. At the beginning we start … Read more

The issue of slavery has been touched upon often in the course of history. The institution of slavery was addressed by French intellectuals during the Enlightenment. Later, during the French Revolution, the National Assembly issued the Declaration of the Rights of Man, which declared the equality of all men. Issues were raised concerning the application … Read more

The Odyssey is an epic story that has been a significant piece of literature since it wasfirst composed and will remain so for ages to come. One of the reasons it has been so isbecause of the hero, Odysseus. Odysseus is one of the first Greek mythic heroes renowned for his brain as well as … Read more

Scyld Scefing often deprived his enemies, many tribes of men, of their mead-benches. He terrified his foes; yet he, as a boy, had been found a waif; fate made amends for that. He prospered under heaven, won praise and honor, until the men of every neighboring tribe, across the whale’s way, were obliged to obey … Read more

William Shakespeare used a unique device to explain how foolishness is an unavoidable part of everyday life. He employed many specific examples of foolishness in his comedy play titled Twelfth Night. Each of the characters he created were all foolish in one way or another. Not only do the characters entertain the audience, but also … Read more

Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin Shelley, born August 30, 1797, was a prominent, though often overlooked, literary figure during the Victorian Era of English Literature. She was the only child of, Mary Wollstonecraft, the famous feminist, and William Godwin, a philosopher and novelist. Young Mary grew up in a strange household. Her mother died only 10 days … Read more

A Doll House is no more about womens rights than Shakespeares Richard II is about the divine right of kings, or Ghosts about syphilis. . . . Its theme is the need of every individual to find out the kind of person he or she is and to strive to become that person. (Bloom 28) … Read more

The use of satire is a form of humor incorporated for serious problem of the modern society. The author Kurt Vonnegut is prominent for his use of outlandish scenarios for societys ideal living conditions in his short narratives. In the yarn Harrison Bergeron he portrays society with all egalitarianism. Also the story Tomorrow and Tomorrow … Read more

Imagine it, while away at college you receive word that your beloved father who had seemed in good health only a short while ago has died leaving your mother and yourself. This situation would be enough to bring great depression to even the strongest of souls but for Hamlet, the fictional prince of Denmark in … Read more

Three of Jack London’s most famous stories were The Call of the Wild , White Fang and To Build a Fire. Though they are completely unrelated stories they have many similarities unfolded were also similar. Both animals started their lives out in a very normal fashion but then they were brought into a different environment … Read more

Kurt Vonnegut as an author has defied the normal norms of storytelling and has been very successful at it. The use of fragmentation in slaughterhouse five has been a weapon he has used to good effect. It starts of as being confusing and chaotic but as it goes on you come to terms with it … Read more

Native Son, by Richard Wright, was hailed by reviewers as an instant classic upon its release in 1940. The novel was an instant bestseller, having been included in the book-of-the-month-club. Due to its proto revolutionary themes it was the subject of many reviews. Two such reviewers are Clifton Fadiman and Malcolm Cowley. Clifton Fadiman, writer … Read more

Like the world of Transylvania, the Gothic setting in Wuthering Heights suggests a wild and primitive landscape unconstrained by Orthodox norms. The reader is first introduced to Wuthering Heights, the house and its surroundings, as it appears to the middle class, Mr. Lockwood, on a stormy night. Thus, Lockwood serves the same role and Jonathan … Read more

William Shakespeare is undoubtedly the most celebrated playwright in history, but he is also the most severely criticized. Perhaps the play that has received the most criticism is his final, The Tempest. The Tempest has been disparaged for its lack of plot and tension, unparalleled amount of magic, myth and folklore contained within, and the … Read more

The original sin that led to humanity’s fall in the Garden of Eden is by far the worst sin committed by humankind. It is this sin that led to future sins. This original sin must be emphasized by writers to depict the evil involved in it. In writing Paradise Lost, John Milton recognizes this fact … Read more

In the Great Gatsby, a lot of things can be looked at as symbols. The weather, Daisy’s dresses, the eyes of Dr. T. J. Eckleburg, and even the lights. By using symbols, Fitzgerald makes the story more deep, and enjoyable for some readers. Fitzgerald also uses various themes throughout his story of the Great Gatsby, … Read more

Hamlet’s tragedy is a tragedy of failure-the failure of a man placed in critical circumstances to deal successfully with those circumstances. In some ways, Hamlet reminds us of Brutus in Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar. ” Hamlet and Brutus are both good men who live in trying times; both are intellectual, even philosophical; both men want to … Read more

There was a strong role of a supernatural force in Macbeth. The witches supposedly had a power to see the future. Or perhaps they had the power to change the future. Then there was the three ghosts that predicted the future. And of course the bloody dagger that appears to Macbeth before is going to … Read more

The Norton Anthology of English Literature defines the “conceits” of poetics as metaphors that are intricately woven into the verse, often used to express satire, puns, or deeper meanings within the poem, and to display the poet’s own cunning with words. The conceits of John Donne are said to “leap continually in a restless orbit … Read more

Chaucer, in his female pilgrimage thought of women as having an evil-like quality that they always tempt and take from men. They were depicted as untrustworthy, selfish and vain and often like caricatures not like real people at all. Through the faults of both men and women, Chaucer showed what is right and wrong and … Read more

In Diamant’s powerful novel The Red Tent the ever-silent Dinah from the 34th chapter of Gensis is finally given her own voice, and the story she tells is a much different one then expected. With the guiding hands of her four “mothers”, Leah, Rachel, Zilpah, and Bilhah, all the wives of Jacob, we grow with … Read more