Study Like a Boss
In A Farewell to Arms, by Ernest Hemingway, the novel concerns itself primarily with Hemingway’s philosophy of life: unordered and random. There is no God to watch over man, to dictate codes of morality, or to ensure justice. Hemingways hero must accept his place as something insignificant, yet continue to fight endlessly against the meaninglessness … Read more
Sophocles’ Oedipus, the King is a great representation of Greek tragedy and of the human experience. Within it, he explores the intricacies of human thinking and communication along with its ability to change as more information and knowledge is acquired. His primary focus as the story begins and progresses is the growth of Oedipus from … Read more
When we first meet Hermia she is the typical girl in love against her fathers wishes. Obviously we see from the start that she is very devoted to Lysander, her love, and she does not like to be forced to do things that she does not want. She does not want to marry Demetrius even … Read more
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown” is set of the mid 1800’s. Hawthorne uses extensive symbolism. This story took us on road of two parallel meanings of Goodman’s life and faith. With the many symbols we understand the loss of Goodman’s faith. Goodman Brown was a young Puritan. Goodman has been called on an errand and … Read more
Solitude and isolation are immense, powerful, and overcoming feelings. They possess the ability to destroy a person’s life by overwhelming it with gloom and darkness. Isolate is defined: to place or keep by itself, separate from others (Webster 381). Solitude is “the state of being alone” (Webster 655). Nathaniel Hawthorne uses these themes of solitude … Read more
Many may say that Creon is the tragic hero of Antigone. Creon and Antigones personas are equal-and-opposite throughout this play. The story belongs to both of them. Creon is the one who makes a mistake; his figure is perhaps more tragic. Hes the one that realizes that hes wrong, and he suffers for it. Antigone … Read more
From the analysis of St. Augustine Confessions and Beowulf, it is clear that the two authors, St. Augustine and the poet respectively, differ on their views of death, which helps to paint a better picture of the world that each writer lived in. In Augustine’s writings, death plays a major role in life; it serves … Read more
Respect for authority plays an important role in The Iliad. Achilles is a major character in it whose views on authority change throughout the book. In Book One, he seems to have no respect for King Agamemnon. Achilles questions his judgment as well as rebelling against his authority. This is shown best when Achilles says, … Read more
The Imagery of Emily Dickinson, by Ruth Flanders McNaughton, in a chapter entitled “Imagery of Nature,” examines the way the Emily Dickinson portrays nature in her poetry. Dickinson often identified nature with heaven or God (33), which could have been the result of her unique relationship with God and the universe. There are a lot … Read more
The line, ‘Fate will unwind as it must,’; (284) not only shows that the people believed they had no control of their destiny, but it is also relevant that Paganism was a significant part of their every day life. There are many illustrations throughout the poem Beowulf, that portray the importance of fate to the … Read more
History has been recorded throughout time in stories, books, poems and other literary works. These writings give historians and readers of the present day valuable insights into the lifestyles, beliefs, society, economics, politics and pagan religion of the time period they originate. Authors are greatly influenced by the beliefs and attitudes of their own society … 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
In a range of dramatic works from Agamemnon to Hamlet, one sees the range of development of the tragic form, from the earliest Greek to the later Shakespearean tragedies. There are two basic concepts of tragedy: the concept introduced by Aristotle in his Poetics, and the concept developed by Frederick Nietzsche in his “The Birth … Read more
In the course Y2k and The End of The World, we’ve studied apocalyptic themes, eschatology, and for some, teleology. Apocalypse, which is to unveil or reveal, eschatology, which is a concept of the end, and teleology, the end or purpose to which we are drawn, are all themes used in Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale. … Read more
The first impression that I have from reading this poem of “A Modest Proposal” is that the author must be sick or unstable to propose the selling of one-year-old children for the purpose of being cooked and eaten by the rich. However, a more in-dept analysis of the tone and style of the writer reveal … Read more
While reading Crime and Punishment, by Fyodor Dostoevsky, the notion that it is a novel about Christianity seems absurd at first. Its central story focuses on revenge, murder and punishment ideals contrary to Christian beliefs. Although the book may appear to be non-Christian, there were many instances where faith, suffering and redemption were present. These … Read more
Rational Man: A critique and analysis of R. S. Crane’s interpretive essay on Book IV of Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels Since its first publication nearly three hundred years ago, Jonathan Swift’s satirical prose Gulliver’s Travels has been the subject of a wide variety of literary critique and social interpretation. Although many readers, at first glance, take … Read more
Often, epic heroes can be characterized the same way. They are portrayed as superhuman beings, possessing strength, physical beauty, and intelligence. These heroes aspired to live by a heroic code that would ensure immortality by keeping their memory alive in the people. Homer’s The Iliad shows how the heroic code was ingrained in ancient Greek … Read more
Robert Frost, the speaker of the poem, has portrayed himself as a reasonable, practical, open-minded and an unorthodox character. He has put himself before the readers as a personality who believes that in order to move on in life a change or a series of changes is necessary. The poet is a balanced character and … Read more
In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, life for the upper-middle class and the aristocracy was simple and comfortable, at least on the surface. Strict manners and “morals,” that often prevented them from asserting or protecting themselves, bound these two classes of people. Such lifestyles are illustrated quite honestly in Jane Austen’s novel, Pride … Read more
The truth was that Jay Gatsby of West Egg, Long Island, sprang from his platonic conception of himself. He was a son of God– a phrase which, if it means anything, means just that– and he must be about His Father’s business, the service of a vast, vulgar, and meretricious beauty. So he invented just … Read more
In the epic poem, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the author uses the protagonist, Sir Gawain, to illustrate the heroic ideals of chivalry, loyalty and honesty in fourteenth century England. The poem depicts the fabled society of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. It extols and idolizes the virtues of the … Read more
The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is a novel about three individuals whose lives are forever changed. The story takes place in a Puritan village in Boston, in the 1600’s. A woman named Hester Prynne has committed adultery and is subject to wear a letter “A” on her dress, representing adulteress. Her secret lover, … Read more
Reality and illusions are two words which may be confused among people reading or learning about this sort of topic. Reality is what is real or true and should not be misinterpreted with illusion, which is fake or something a person believes is real. Often people can put an illusion in some ones head and … Read more
The novel Candide by Voltaire is a great peice of satire that makes fun of the way people in medievil times thought. The book is about a man, Candide, and his misfortunes. Throughout the book Candide has countless things go wrong in order to show that this is not “the best of all possible worlds” … Read more
Beowulf was written during the Anglo-Saxon time period. Beowulf is a story about a young warrior and his quest through life. Some people consider Beowulf a tragic hero, and some people just consider him a hero period. Whether Beowulf is a tragic hero or not, he fights many great battles. The reason Beowulf fights stays … Read more
Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, is based on the dreams of a man named Jay Gatsby. Throughout the novel, it is suggested to the reader that Gatsby is a symbol for America. He represents the possibilities of life on a level at which the material and the spiritual have been confused (Bewley 11). Gatsby’s … Read more
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck is a story about life in the great depression. Steinbeck tells the story through the Joad family and how they struggle to survive. Also he has short chapters about the background and what was going on outside of the Joads. In the beginning of the book Tom, the … Read more
In a story as confusing and ambiguous as Thomas Pynchon’s The Crying of Lot 49, it is difficult to connect any aspect of the book to a piece of modern culture. However, Oedipa’s quest, her search for the truth, and the paranoia therein, are inherent in the plots of today’s most-watched television and movies. Though … Read more
Frank Kafka is considered one of the most influential writers of all time. Helmut Richter would agree with this statement. Richter agreed that Kafka was a very prominent figure in world literature and was amazed by his mechanics and word usage. I feel that his essay is supportive of Kafka’s writing, but also leaves out … Read more
One of A Doll’s House’s central theme is secession from society. It is demonstrated by several of its characters breaking away from the social standards of their time and acting on their own terms. No one character demonstrates this better than Nora. During the time in which the play took place society frowned upon women … Read more
In Faust, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe builds a dramatic poem around the strengths and weaknesses of a man who under a personalized definition of a hero fails miserably. A hero is someone that humanity models themselves and their actions after, someone who can be revered by the masses as an individual of great morality and … Read more
Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” and Franz Kafka’s “Metamorphosis” contain many similarities. They both have the common theme of the deterioration of the main character’s life and mind, as well as the theme of the ostracism of outcasts in society. They also both deal with the main characters gaining a freedom through the demise … Read more
S. E. Hintons novel, The Outsiders, is at first a narrative of Ponyboy, a young outcast boy who later becomes a young man filled with identity. At the end of the novel, it is revealed that the narrative is actually Ponyboys autobiographical account of his quest for a place in society. The symbols and motifs … Read more
Love is defined as a strong affection, attachment, or devotion to a person or persons. Many people tend to think that if you are young , you cannot possibly be in love at thee same time. It is believed that especially when you are in your teenage year that you are too young to know … Read more
Portia is one of Shakespeares best parts for an actress as, apart from being one of the central characters within the main plot of the play; she displays great wit and intelligence. These are assets which none of Shakespeares other female roles ever had as women who lived around the same time as Shakespeare, were … Read more
The characters of the chaplain, in Albert Camus The Outsider, and the priest, in Franz Kafkas The Trial, are quite similar, and are pivotal to the development of the novel. These characters serve essentialy to bring the question of God and religion to probe the existentialist aspects of it, in novels completely devoid of religious … Read more
“Young Goodman Brown”, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is a story that is thick with allegory. “Young Goodman Brown” is a moral story which is told through the perversion of a religious leader. In “Young Goodman Brown”, Goodman Brown is a Puritan minister who lets his excessive pride in himself interfere with his relations with the community … Read more
A Separate Peace was written by active author John Knowles from his real experiences and personal struggles. Knowles attended Phillips Exeter Academy, an exclusive New Hampshire prep school, for two summer sessions in 1943 and 1944. This book vaguely outlines his experiences at Exeter with himself as the main character but under the name of … Read more
“A Doll’s House” is classified under the “second phase” of Henrik Ibsen’s career. It was during this period which he made the transition from mythical and historical dramas to plays dealing with social problems. It was the first in a series investigating the tensions of family life. Written during the Victorian era, the controversial play … Read more
In this essay I will explore and explain one of William Shakespeare’s tragically play Macbeth. In this aspect is that of the three Weird Sisters. These three secret black, and midnight hags” (Mac IV. i 47), hardly noticeable as humans, serve a huge dramatic function in the play. Closely looking at Macbeth, one can distinguish … Read more
This reflects how both Grendel and Frankenstein must have felt during their lonely lives. The monsters simply wanted to live as the rest of society does. However, in our prejudice of their kind, we banish them from our elite society. Who gave society the right to judge who is acceptable and who is not? A … Read more
In Herman Hesses Siddhartha, Unity is a reflecting theme of this novel and in life. Unity is the state of being one or a unit; harmony, agreement in feelings or ideas or aims, etc. Unity is first introduced by means of the river and by the mystical word Om. Direct commentary from Siddhartha and the … Read more
Lewis Carroll’s classic Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland has entertained not only children but adults for over one hundred years. The tale has become a treasure of philosophers, literary critics, psychoanalysts, and linguists. It also has attracted Carroll’s fellow mathematicians and logicians. There appears to be something in Alice for everyone, and there are almost as … 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
Pawns are often used in literature to manipulate the storyline. In many cases, these people are minor characters. They usually support the main idea, but are just tools that the author uses to convey the message and not very significant to the true meaning of the novel in question. But there can also be people … Read more
A Separate Peace is a novel by John Knowles that is about prep school experiences during World War II. This book was a good story about an adolescents attempt to understand the world and himself. I enjoyed reading about Gene’s journey towards maturity and the adult world. This book takes place in Devon School, New … Read more
“There is no character in Wuthering Heights who is completely lovable, who wins our sympathy completely. ”(Bloom 99) Love, in one way or another is the force which makes people unlikable. In Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights, people’s adoration for one another is the reason why no character is completely lovable. Receiving too much attention spoiled … Read more
In The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, we see Duddy set himself up for a great downfall. We all know that every one must pursue their dreams, because without dreams there would be no reason to live. Duddy understands this perfectly, that is why he is very ambitious. From the moment he hears his grandfather say, … Read more
“For more than half an hour he stayed there, struggling between life and death, dying in slow agony under our eyes. And we had to look him full in the face. He was still alive when I passed in front of him. His tongue was still red, his eyes were not yet glazed. Behind me … Read more
