Study Like a Boss
In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the ghost of Hamlet’s father appears very briefly. However, he provides the basis for the development and eventual downfall of Hamlet’s character. The play begins with a dismal Hamlet mourning his father’s death Recognizing this gloom, Queen Gertrude urges Hamlet to “cast thy nighted color off, and let thine eye look … Read more
The fundamental concept Andrew Dobson brings out in his novel Green Political Thought, is the revolutionary im-plications of ecologism. Dobson describes ecology as “deep green thinking. ” He asserts that ecologism is a distinctive political ideology, which is separate from environmentalism, just as liberal-ism, conservatism, and socialism are kept separate from one another. He further … Read more
In the poem “It Sifts from Leaden Sieves”, by Emily Dickinson, many different things can be analyzed. The difference in the two translations; one being a literal translation, telling the true meaning of the poem, and the other being thematic translation, which tells the author’s theme and symbolism used in his/her work. Another thing that … Read more
In the novel, Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, the major character, Victor Frankenstein, evolves synonymously with the character of his monster. The evolution of Victor from a man of good to a man of evil leads to his isolation and eventual destruction. Correspondingly, the monster changes from a harmless being to a vindictive psychopath. What began … Read more
William Shakespeare, arguably the most important writer in all of English literature, is certainly the most influential playwright of the English Renaissance. Born in 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon in rural northern England, he was the son of a middle-class glovemaker. Competing against such illustrious company as Christopher Marlowe and Ben Johnson, Shakespeare quickly became one of … Read more
Oedipus the King is one of the most famous and influential of Sophocles’ plays. On the surface of this drama there is, without a doubt, a tone of disillusionment. Dramatic irony is a much-used literary device in this play and its unusual structure serves as an explanation for its enduring popularity. Oedipus is portrayed as … Read more
Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley is a complex novel that was written during the age of Romanticism. It contains many typical themes of a common Romantic novel such as dark laboratories, the moon, and a monster; however, Frankenstein is anything but a common novel. Many lessons are embedded into this novel, including how society acts towards … Read more
Constraint is present in Charlotte Perkins Gilmans The Yellow Wallpaper and James Joyces The Boarding House. In both short stories, society has placed the main characters and their lives under its evil grip. All the characters live under a blanket of limitations that society has placed upon them and the short stories show their battle … Read more
I enjoyed the novel Rebecca thoroughly because of its many plot twists, suspense, universal themes and realistic characters. This novel ties closely with the novel Jane Eyre , in theme, plot and characters. My second novel A Room With A View has similar women characters and themes but has a very dissimilar plot line. All … Read more
1984 a story of dictators who are in complete control of a large part of the world after the allies lost in World War II. The government in this novel gives no freedoms to its citizens. They live in fear because they are afraid of having corrupt thoughts about the governments of Oceania, a crime … Read more
From the beginning, Jane possesses a sense of her self-confidence and contentment. Her integrity is continually tested over the course of the novel, and Jane must learn to balance the frequently conflicting aspects of her so as to find contentment. An orphan since early childhood, Jane feels exiled and out of favor at the beginning … Read more
“The Great Gatsby “, besides being a great literary piece, is a metaphor for a whole society, the American society. As well, as a clich: “The party was over”, which signifies a level of prophetic vision within the American society and its history. An essential part of this American characteristic of the novel, and its … Read more
Chaucers greatest work came after everything else. Canterbury tales was the last of his literary works. It followed such stories as Troilus and Creseyde. It is considered as one of the greatest works of literature during the English Middle Age. The ironic thing is that it wasnt even finished the way Chaucer had intended it … Read more
The book, “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” was obviously a novel where the setting was the major factor in the plot of the story. If this had taken place in any other area, like Canada, there would not have even been as story because slavery did not exist there. Therefore the South was the prime region to … Read more
In the beginning of the play, the main character, Willy Lowman, has just returned home after finding himself unable to concentrate on driving. His wife, Linda, suggests that he ask for a job in New York so that he wont have to drive so much. Willy insists, however, that it is vital to his company … Read more
Throughout the Mark Twain (a. k. a. Samuel Clemens) novel, The Adventures of HuckleBerry Finn, a plain and striking point of view is expressed by the author. His point of view is that of a cynic; he looks upon civilized man as a merciless, cowardly, hypocritical savage, without want of change, nor ability to effect … Read more
The novel, A Land Remembered, is the epic saga of three generations of MacIveys. The novel begins with a flash back, from the last generation MacIvey, Sol. Sol was a real estate tycoon in Miami and the surrounding areas. He has chosen to give up his life in Miami to live his last hours in … Read more
An in-depth character analysis Often, The character Shylock, in Shakespeares The Merchant of Venice, is portrayed as a beastly monstrosity, with a lust for Antonios life. Through a more careful examination it can be determined that Shylock was an upstanding member of his community, who endured abuse, forgave easily, and upheld the customs and law. … Read more
The intensively descriptive novel, The Color Purple is about Celie, a woman born in the early 1900s, unselfishly surviving the social injustices of those times. As the novel unfolds, Celie experiences so much sorrow, that she is forced to grow up quickly and learn to appreciate the little that life has to offer her. As … Read more
William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” has been interpreted in many different ways. Most of these rely solely on hints found within the story. I believe that his life can also help one analyze this story. By knowing that Faulkner’s strongest influence was his independent mother, one can guess that Miss Emily Grierson’s character was … Read more
In Andrew Hackers book, Two Nations, Hacker argues that blacks and whites live in two different worlds. He uses statistical evidence to prove that the United States is a nation of inequality, hostility, and separatism. Hacker uses a quote from Benjamin Disraeli in the preface that basically sums up his entire book, Two nations, between … Read more
Characters, items, and events found in George Orwells book, Animal Farm, can be compared to similar characters, items, and events found in Marxism and the 1917 Russian Revolution. This comparison will be shown by using the symbolism that is in the book with similarities found in the Russian Revolution. Old Major was a prized-boar that … Read more
The primary theme of the novel is the conflict between civilization and natural life. Huck represents natural life through his freedom of spirit, his uncivilized ways, and his desire to escape from civilization. He was brought up without any rules and has a strong resistance to anything that might sivilize him. This conflict is introduced … Read more
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad and in Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe both involve the colonization on Africa. In Heart of Darkness, the author talks about how savage the natives were and how much there was a need to update the living conditions of the natives and to help them become better people. … Read more
It is late evening and the sun is about to set on old highway 53 heading south from Yonkers to home. Willy driving in is car, continuously thinking to himself, what he his going to do about all his problems. You see Willy is down on himself about his success in life. He thinks to … 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 seventeenth century lyric poems, such as Robert Herricks Cavalier poem Counsel to Girls, and Andrew Marvells metaphysical poem To His Coy Mistress are similar in many ways; yet also contrast in some aspects. These poems of love and life can be summarized in the quote, Gather ye rosebuds while ye may, Old Time is … Read more
William Faulkner wrote many stories depicting society during the early twentieth century. In his stories Barn Burning and A Rose for Emily, Faulkner discusses how rich whites mistreat the tenant farmers who in turn abuse the blacks, tells about Colonel Sartoris Snopess dilemma when his father wants him to lie, and explains how Emily was … Read more
What Makes Us Love? What makes us love? This question has been studied for centuries by philosophers, scientists, and even writers in search of a sensible answer. Shakespeare, for one, explored many ideas to justify love. In his play, A Midsummers Night Dream, he lists various thoughts on what he thinks causes people to love. … Read more
When writing a book, most authors are writing about an issue they have. However, other themes become apparent through the course of the piece, either consciously or subconsciously. One such theme is a reversal of characters in A Tale of Two Cities. Individuals and groups of people change dramatically from the outset of the book … Read more
Ancient civilizations pass on their contributions to society through oral traditions now written down. They felt the best way to continue their livelihood was to create fabulous stories that encompassed the general ideal of the people. These stories were used as tools for teaching societal standards, displaying consequences, and modeling expectations. Today new look back … Read more
In todays society, women have overcome many hardships to become able to vote, able to run for public office, and even able to hold high business positions. Some people believe that such accomplishments are because of literary examples that have, over the years, lead women to believe in themselves, motivate them-selves, and stand up for … Read more
In Joseph Conrad’s book Heart of Darkness the Europeans are cut off from civilization, overtaken by greed, exploitation, and material interests from his own kind. Conrad develops themes of personal power, individual responsibility, and social justice. His book has all the trappings of the conventional adventure tale – mystery, exotic setting, escape, suspense, unexpected attack. … Read more
In the beginning of the play, the main character, Willy Lowman, has just returned home after finding himself unable to concentrate on driving. His wife, Linda, suggests that he ask for a job in New York so that he wont have to drive so much. Willy insists, however, that it is vital to his company … Read more
In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Birthmark, there is indeed a representation of a submerged personality in Aylmer. Although the other underlying personality is not represented within himself, it is rather portrayed through his assistant Aminadab. Since Aylmer is lacking so much within himself, he is unable to appreciate his wife even she was dying. Basically if … Read more
The poem The Road Not Taken, by poet Robert Frost is about a man who goes through the woods and has to choose between two paths, one grassy and un-trampled, the other with no grass, has tons of leaves and was trodden black. He decides to take the less trodden one and liked his decision. … Read more
In 1726, the Anglo-Irish satirist Jonathan Swift wrote Gulliver’s Travels. Gulliver’s Travels was originally intended as an attack on the hypocrisy of the establishment, including the government, the courts, and the clergy, but it was so well written that it immediately became a children’s favorite. Swift wrote Gulliver’s Travels at a time of political change … Read more
Canterbury Tales as a whole was very interesting. It has introduced us to a way of life that we never knew existed. It also introduced us to a type of crude humor that we have never been exposed to. It has shown us a true side of life during the Middle Ages. We have learned … Read more
Authors use character development to show how a person can change. Through a descriptive portrayal of a charter and their development they become real to the reader. A well-developed character stirs up emotions in the reader making for a powerful story. A person can change for better or worse and Nathaniel Hawthorne shows this thru … Read more
In J. D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, the first person narration is critical in helping the reader to know and understand the main character, Holden Caulfield. Holden, in his narration, relates a flashback of a significant period of his life, three days and nights on his own in New York City. Through his … Read more
William Shakespeares The Merchant of Venice contains many examples that insult Jews because they were the minority in London in Shakespeares time. Although many parts of the play could be interpreted as offensive in modern times, Elizabethan audiences found them comical. The majority of Londons population at the time was anti-Semitic because there were very … Read more
The play Death of a Salesman was written by Arthur Miller in 1949. He was born on October 17, 1915 in New York City. Most of Millers works emphasizes the common man struggling through the misconceptions and false illusions that modern society imposes. In the case of Death of a Salesman, Miller uses social realism, … Read more
Anthony Burgess has been heralded as one of the greatest literary geniuses of the twentieth century. Although Burgess has over thirty works of published literature, his most famous is A Clockwork Orange. Burgesss novel is a futuristic look at a Totalitarian government. The main character, Alex, is an “ultra-violent” thief who has no problem using … Read more
Comprehension of anything requires a framework already in place in order to place it in out sphere of reference. Especially those that are “fuzzy” or difficult to nail down. The brain and the atom are not fully understood, but by comparing functions, structures, and similar operations to known items or concepts one can obtain a … Read more
Time is an idea described in different periods and aspects, for example philosophical, psychological, physical and biological. This time flows evenly but is broken into the past, present and future. Since we only live in the present forever planning for our futures and dreams, when we try to live in the past it restricts our … 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 and years of suffering. There is great difference between … 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 eventually 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 foolish things. … Read more
In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, life is centered around a rigid, Puritanistic-structured society in which one is unable to divulge his or her innermost thoughts and secrets. Every human being needs the opportunity to express how they truly feel, or the emotion is bottled up until it becomes volatile. Unfortunately, Puritan society did not … Read more
Emily Dickinson’s “Because I could not stop for death” and ” I heard a fly buzz when I died”, are remarkable masterpieces that exercises thought between the known and the unknown. Critics call Emily Dickinson”s poems masterpieces with strange ” haunting powers”. In Dickinson’s poems ” Because I could not stop for death” and ” … Read more
In a world of chaos, he who lives, lives by his own laws and values. Who is to say that the death of millions is any worse or better, for that matter, than injuring a cockroach. And in the case of an existing power in the form of God, who is presumed to be all … Read more