Study Like a Boss
Kate Chopin entitled her second and final novel, The Awakening. In doing so she did not just give an abstract name to her work, but she chose a title with meaning and symbolism. By titling her work The Awakening, Chopin is indicating her feelings and opinions of the Creole society, Edna, her life, and her … Read more
In the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, the main character enters a transitional period of his life. This character, Huckleberry Finn, faces many situations. Such as “Humble myself to a nigger”(95), forcing him to deal with decisions that carry with them the ability to bring about change. Since transition can be … Read more
The Heart of Darkness may just be the title of a book to some people, but I believe that it goes much deeper than that. I think that this title describes the books main character, Charlie Marlow. Throughout this story I saw the many confusing and ever changing sides of Marlows character and his heart … Read more
In Henry David Thoreaus infamous novel Walden, we are shown endless paradoxes that stem from the authors deep and insightful views into natures universal connections with the human race. Thoreau makes himself a quest of finding the meaning to our existence by investigating nature from different perspectives that our preoccupied society constantly overlooks. Two of … Read more
Famous writers come and go every year. How do these writers become famous? Humans are fascinated with real life situations, tagged in with fictional story line. Mark Twain’s novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, describes real life situations, in a fictional story line perfectly. Twain put the real life happenings of slavery, in a fun … Read more
Beowulf was the first literary super hero. Like the common day superman, Beowulf has ordinary human characteristics, as well as superhuman powers. Like the Anglo-Saxons of Beowulf’s time, he is boastful, manly, and willing to outdo his fellow neighbor. The only difference between him and the rest of the Anglo- Saxons is that he possesses … Read more
Throughout the novel The Call of the Wild, we follow a dog named Buck through his journey through the Klondike. We experience a transformation in him, as he adapts to the cold, harsh land where he is forced to toil in the snow, just to help men find a shiny metal. Buck seems to almost … Read more
The dictionary definition of pride is a sense of one’s proper dignity or value. The dictionary definition of prejudice is an adverse judgment or opinion formed beforehand without knowledge of the facts. When you add these two themes together, you get the book “Pride and Prejudice. ” The very basis of this book is on … Read more
In the play Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, the minor character of Tiresias is responsible for foreshadowing Oedipus fate, developing the theme of blindness, and also illustrating dramatic irony. Tiresias is responsible for further developing the theme of blindness, by using his own physical blindness to reveal to Oedipus his mental blindness. Lastly, Tiresias is ultimately … Read more
Dostoevsky introduces Part I of Notes from Underground. He tell us that in this first portion, the protagonist will introduce himself and explain the causes that led to his appearance before us in this text. He then explains that the subseque nt extract, Apropos of the Wet Snow, will record the protagonist’s own notes. Summary … Read more
In the poem ‘Design’; by Robert Frost, the classic use of the color white, meaning innocence and purity is turned around. Instead of giving this color to wholesome, pure objects he gives them to objects that are the reverse, which are death, darkness and unholy objects. When I read the poem ‘Design’; I got the … Read more
Through the social criticism of Theodore Dreiser, the plight of the poor is compared against the actions of the rich. In both An American Tragedy and Sister Carrie Dreiser presents characters who are driven “by ignorance and in ability to withstand the pressures of the shallow American yearning for money, success, fashion — dreams about … Read more
Pygmalion and My Fair Lady are a modern parallel of the story of Pygmalion, legendary sculptor and King of Cyprus, who fell in love with his own statue of Aphrodite. At his prayer, Aphrodite brought the statue to life as Galatea. George Bernard Shaw’s play Pygmalion is the story of Henry Higgins, a master phonetician, … Read more
In 1932, Aldous Huxley first published the novel, Brave New World. During this time, the ideas that Huxley explored in his novel were not a reality, but merely science-fiction entertainment. Brave New World confronts ideas of totalitarianism, artificial reproduction, anti-individualism, and forever youth- ideas which were not threatening in the 30’s. In the 1930’s, the … Read more
Throughout the play Henry IV:Part I,there are many similarities between characters. Two that seem particularly alike are Falstaff and King Henry. Their common traits are demonstrated by Shakespeare in many subtle and not-so-subtle ways. While Falstaff seems to be able to accept himself for what he is, the King appears to be tied up in … Read more
“Furthermore, we have not even to risk the adventure alone, for the heroes of all time here gone before us. ” (p. 1 A Heroes Adventure). This quote from Joseph Campbell tells you the essence of a hero. Odysseus might be a hero in the book but Telemachus was the one who went through the … Read more
In Joseph Conrad’s novel, ‘Heart of Darkness’, the term “darkness” can be related to a few different meanings. Conrad uses this term in various ways to characterize social, political and psychological affairs in order to help the reader get a feel of his attitudes towards things, such as colonialism, Africa, and civilization. The first impression … Read more
Stanleys Brutality In the Street Car Named Desire, by Tennessee Williams, Stanley Kowalski displays his brutality in many ways. This classical play is about Blanche Duboiss visit to Elysian Fields and her encounters with her sisters brutal and arrogant husband, Stanley Kowalski, and the reveling truth of why Blanche really came. Stanley Kowalski is a … Read more
In the short story, The Lottery, Shirley Jackson aids the reader in shaping some horrific images of her characters. Each and every one of the villagers Jackson portrays manages to remove herself from the lives of friends and family so that she is able to stone another fellow villager to death. Jackson clearly proves that … Read more
Traditionally, men have held the power in society. Women have been treated as a second class of citizens with neither the legal rights nor the respect of their male counterparts. Culture has contributed to these gender roles by conditioning to these gender roles by conditioning women to accept their subordinate status while encouraging young men … Read more
“The Old Man and the Sea” is a heroic tale of man’s strength pitted against forces he cannot control. It is a story about an old Cuban fisherman and his three-day battle with a giant Marlin. Through the use of three prominent themes; friendship, bravery, and Christianity; the “Old Man and the Sea” strives to … Read more
The Anglo-Saxons were the members of the Germanic peoples who invaded England. They were people of their own time, language and culture. In the Anglo-Saxon adventure filled tale of Beowulf, the heron Beowulf was, at the time, considered the modern day superman. His character exemplifies the Germanic hero, and consequently the Anglo-Saxon ideal: strong, fearless, … Read more
Melancholy, grief, and madness have pervaded the works of a great many playwrights, and Shakespeare is not an exception. The mechanical regularities of such emotional maladies as they are presented within Hamlet, not only allow his audience to sympathize with the tragic prince Hamlet, but to provide the very complexities necessary in understanding the tragedy … Read more
Robert Frost uses the poem Birches to illustrate his personal experience about three things through the bending of the trees. The three things are loneliness, love, and desire to achieve. Frosts description of loneliness is provided immediately after he first refers to himself with his specific description in Line 20. There he states “I should … Read more
Before writing The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald must have done thoughtful and extensive research. This is apparent because, to explore the novel’s main theme, ‘The American Dream’, he chose to place it in the 1920s. This was, indeed, a perfect time slot because the 20s were notorious for the numerous ways in which they … Read more
After Simon is killed, the next paragraph begins, “The clouds open and let the rain down like a waterfall” When the boys kill Simon they not only kill him and spirituality, but what they perceive to be the beast. Because the beast was created by them and embodied all of their evils, one of its … Read more
All children have a special place, whether chosen by a conscious decision or not this is a place where one can go to sort their thoughts. Nature can often provide comfort by providing a nurturing surrounding where a child is forced to look within and choices can be made untainted by society. Mark Twain once … Read more
Adultery, betrayal, promiscuity, subterfuge, and intrigue, all of which would make an excellent coming attraction on the Hollywood scene and probably a pretty good book. Add Puritan ideals and writing styles, making it long, drawn out, tedious, wearisome, sleep inducing, insipidly asinine, and the end result is The Scarlet Letter. Despite all these things it … Read more
The Handmaid’s Tale is a dystopian novel in which Atwood creates a world which seems absurd and near impossible. Women being kept in slavery only to create babies, cult like religious control over the population, and the deportation of an entire race, these things all seem like fiction. However Atwood’s novel is closer to fact … Read more
In “The Odyssey”, Athene helped Odysseus numerous ways physically and mentally by aiding him, Telemachus, and Penelope. In book I, Athene urged Telemachus to give up boyhood, act like a man, present his case to search for his father to the assembly, and take stronger steps to search for his father. After Telemachus presented his … Read more
Homers Iliad was a tragedy illustrating the despair and useless suffering associated with war. Homer’s Odyssey was an epic tale of long suffering resolving in triumph. Though there were a great many differences between the two works, there was an underlying theme of love which ran through both. Not just the physical manifestation of infatuation, … Read more
Individualism has always been close and dear to American hearts. Even since colonial days, Americans have fought for and displayed individualism. Americans thrive on their differences and ideals to run their daily lives. The four stories Daisy Miller, Back to Babylon, Invisible Man, and Death of a Salesman display just that. The first story Daisy … Read more
William Shakespeare, born: 1564 died: 1616, is considered one of the greatest writers who has ever lived. He had a unique way of putting things into words. All of his plays, sonnets, and poems have gotten great recognition. But when Shakespeare wrote Othello he created one of the most controversial villains of all times; Iago. … Read more
The utopian society in The Handmaids Tale by Margaret Atwood is very different from what most people would consider a utopian society. The power of this society rests upon a small percentage of the population. In this society, men are superior to the women. Women have virtually no rights or say in what goes on … Read more
Jane Austen expresses her opinion on all this clearly enough by the fact that only her silliest characters have such sentiments (while Mr. Bennet says “He is rich, to be sure, and you may have more fine clothes and fine carriages than Jane. But will they make you happy? “). However, Jane Austen does not … Read more
Many authors use irony in their stories. There are different forms of irony, including verbal, situational, and dramatic irony. Irony adds a twist at the end of the story and leaves the readers a little confused. Irony plays a big part in Shirley Jackson’s short story, “The Lottery. ” Throughout the story, the reader is … Read more
Antigone by Sophocles is one of the most distinguished pieces of theatrical work that reflects upon Greek mythology and culture. Antigone has several themes and circumstantial settings that can be indirectly referred or related to in modern society. Sophocles uses various and strategically placed characters to present his play as well as his themes. The … Read more
In Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment, Raskolnikov’s dream about the mare can be used as a vehicle to probe deep into his mentality to discover how he really feels inside. The dream suggests that Raskolnikov is a “split” man; after all, his name in Russian means “split”. He has a cruel and thoughtless side as well … Read more
Many of us like to think that humanity as a whole is progressing to a better future where we will live united and in peace with one another. Nevertheless, there are those among us that do not share these beliefs. In A Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess, a futuristic world is turned upside down and … Read more
In a psychoanalytic view of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Robert Walton develops, during a “dreadfully severe” trip through the Arctic, a type of schizophrenia; this mental condition enables him to create a seemingly physical being representing each his superego and his id (9). In his mind, Walton creates Victor as his very own superego and the … Read more
The subtlety in the differences between Aneas and Turnus, reflect the subtlety in the differences between the Aeneid and the Iliad. Although both characters are devout and noble, Aneas does not possess the ardent passion of Turnus. Unlike Turnus, Aneas is able to place his beliefs in the fated establishment of Latium before his personal … Read more
Peasants of the early sixteenth century are often pictured carrying a bundle of limbs tied with vines on their backs. This is a perfect metaphor for the events in Macbeth. Macbeth is one of many thanes, or limbs, bundled together. The thanes are united by the king, or the vine. Scotland, or the peasant, carries … Read more
One of the underlying themes in Shakespeares play, King Lear is the concept of the generation gap. This gap is mainly illustrated between the family. The older generation is Lear himself, and the younger generation consists of his daughters Goneril, Regan and Cordelia. In the second plot of the play, Gloucester represents the older generation, … Read more
In the play, Antigone and Creon battle a philosophical war dealing with the controversy of the Greek ideals. They both based their actions on their beliefs of what is right and wrong. The whole problem arises when their believes and ideas encountered each other, making it contradiction between morals. Antigone’s side of the conflict held … Read more
In Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, Oedipus tried to make the world that he lived better by trying to kill people that he thought made the problems in the city. He said that he wanted to find the men who were responsible for the plague in the city. Then he would kill them and get rid … Read more
Love, affair, disowning! One may think that this is a soap opera, but one is fairly mistaken. In the novel, The Scarlet Letter written by, Nathaniel Hawthorne, love, lies, mistrust are a few of the many situations that confront his characters. In Boston Hester Prynne commits a sin of adultery landing her the punishment of … Read more
John Stubbs’ essay is an examination of the defense which he believes Henry and Catherine use to protect themselves from the discovery of their insignificance and “powerlessness… in a world indifferent to their well being… ” He asserts that “role-playing” by the two main characters, and several others in the book, is a way to … Read more
In the 1930s, drought and horrific dust storms turned the once-fertile agricultural lands of mid-America into virtual dust bowls and wastelands. Thousands of destitute farmers packed their families and belongings into and onto their cars and left their homes in search of agricultural work in central California. Their plight and the politics of that day … Read more
Chaucer’s attitude towards the friar is one of sarcasm. The friar is “wanton and merry,” but this pleasant-sounding description is actually packed with mockery. By the 14th century, friars, who were supposed to give up all worldly things and live only by begging for food and alms, were almost totally corrupt. They were known for … Read more
Herman Melville created many characters in his writing that had a mysterious nature to them. Melville himself had a bit of mystery in his own personal character and this quality is shown through many characters such as Claggart and Bartleby. Besides having a mysterious side to him, this author was stubborn. Even though his work … Read more