Study Like a Boss
William Shakespeare used many different writing devices when he wrote his plays. In Act I of The Tempest, the use of contrasts between characters, setting, and ideas were often used to develop the story, and more importantly, the messages that Shakespeare wished to portray by the play. One good example was how some characters in … Read more
William Staffords “Traveling through the dark” is beautifully written poem that expresses one of lifes most challenging aspects. It is the story of a mans solitary struggle to deal with a tragic event that he encounters. Driving down a narrow mountain road, Traveling through the dark, the narrator of the poem encounters a deer. This … Read more
The deterioration of Salem’s social structure precipitated the murders of many innocent people. Arthur Miller’s depiction of the Salem witch trials, The Crucible, deals with a community that starts out looking like it is tightly knit and church loving. It turns out that once Tituba starts pointing her finger at the witches, the community starts … Read more
Both Toni Morrison’s novel about an African American family in Ohio during the 1930s and 1940s, The Bluest Eye and Louise Erdrich;s novel about the Anishinabe tribe in the 1920s in North Dakota, Tracks are, in part, about seeing. Both novels examine the effects of a kind of seeing that is refracted through the lens … Read more
“The Yellow Wallpaper”, Gilman makes direct or indirect reference to objects which play a symbolic role within the context of the story and elucidate its thematic fibre, a fibre which revolves around the main character and whose essence is integrated in her inner constitution. Thus, in order to come to terms with the story and … 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 conflict in the play “All My Sons” in embodied by two different sets of values. The older generation represented by Joe and Kate strongly believed in family values and Pursue of the American dream at any cost. In contradiction, Joe and Anne express the younger generation’s ethics and ideals clearly shown in the thoughts … 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 Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost is a poem that seems simple and direct but actually has a two-fold meaning. Frost lures in the readers with a rhythmic poem that could have a figurative or literal meaning depending upon the reader’s assessment. Literally, “The Road Not Taken” is about a traveler who is walking … Read more
A hundred years from now, it will not matter what type of car I drove, or what kind of house I lived in, or the amount of money I made, yet the world might be changed because I made a positive difference in the life of a child. This increasingly popular statement raises a question … Read more
The Epilogue of the Tempest by William Shakespeare is an excellent — if not the best — example of Shakespeare’s brilliance. In 20 lines Shakespeare is able to write an excellent ending to his play, while speaking through his characters about Shakespeare’s own life and career. Even more amazingly, he seemlessly ties the two together. … Read more
When reading Beloved for the first time I was stunned by this lyric tale, and by the author’s chorus of African American women’s voices, I instinctively knew that a heretofore unknown to me, tradition of Black women’s writing existed. I recognized the way the story was told. It was the shape of my mother’s storytelling … Read more
“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife. ” This first sentence of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice could not have better prepared the reader for the rest of the novel. The thread that sews together the lives of all … Read more
One thing leads to another. This is a statement most people are familiar with, especially if they read William Shakespeare’s Macbeth. It tells what happens to the tragic protagonist, Macbeth. At the start of the play, Macbeth is a highly praised and loyal nobleman admired by all until he becomes a victim of the witches. … Read more
From beginning to end the play-write gives prominence to the problems of dominion, freedom, political failure and of repetition. Like Russ Mc Donald I also believe that Shakespeare devoted his last comedy largely to the exploration of the shapes and effects that possession and the search for power can have on persons. The Tempest’s central … Read more
Toni Morisson’s novel The Bluest Eye is about the life of the Breedlove family who resides in Lorain, Ohio, in the late 1930s. This family consists of the mother Pauline, the father Cholly, the son Sammy, and the daughter Pecola. The novel’s focal point is the daughter, an eleven-year-old Black girl who is trying to … Read more
The Chorus, being a group of women, was a crucial part of this production of Antigone. The fact that they death by the end. They were the bridge that connected Creon and Antigone involved with both of their downfalls. The way that this was shown was through costume and change of costume during the play. … Read more
A Rose for Emily is a very popular short story because of its, style , climax, and plot. The author, William Faulkner, was a Southern writer from Oxford, Mississippi. FAulkner bases this story on the tale of Oxford’s aristrocratic Miss Mary Neilson. She married Captain jack Hume, the charming yankee foreman of a street-paving crew, … Read more
In Shakespeare’s play of “Caesar” Brutus is a conspirator who portrays a person who favors a republic for Rome. Brutus is an honorable man. Many characters in the play show there reverence for Brutus. Brutus exemplifies his honor in many ways. Brutus is obsequious when he is needed to abet his fellow romans. Brutus is … Read more
The play Macbeth’ is a portrait of one man, an ambitious, ruthless, disturbing individual. The play shows how he evolves as a person. Although we are presented with his declination from good to evil, we can see his human side throughout the play, which makes it a tragedy. The themes of Macbeth’ are ambition, effects … Read more
In the novel Crime and Punishment, by Fyodor Dostoevsky, suffering is an integral part of every character’s role. However, the message that Dostoevsky wants to present with the main character, Raskolnikov, is not one of the Christian idea of salvation through suffering. Rather, it appears to me, as if the author never lets his main … Read more
The Mill on the Floss is a book written by George Eliot, whose real name is Mary Anne (later Marian) Evans. There is a great deal of autobiography in this book. The facts of Mary Anne’s life do not match Maggie Tulliver, but there is an obvious reflection of her own life. Book One: Chapter1-13 … Read more
Loyalty, courage, honor, purity, and courtesy are all attributes of a knight that displays chivalry. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is truly a story of the test of these attributes. In order to have a true test of these attributes, there must first be a knight worthy of being tested, meaning that the knight … Read more
The Squire’s tale ends two lines into its third section, and following this abrupt termination is the “wordes of the Frankeleyn to the Squier. ” The Franklin praises the young Squire’s attempt at a courtly romance and says that he wishes his own son was more like the Squire. This is followed by the “wordes … Read more
In times of distress, trauma and uncertainly, many people find a comfort in familiar surroundings, where they can close out the world and relax. This was certainly Emilys way of handling her trauma. All her life Emily tried to escape from change. Even the posting of the new mailbox was unacceptable for her. She acted … Read more
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is above all a portrait of Stephen Dedalus. It is through Stephen that we see his world, and it is his development from sensitive child to rebellious young man that forms the plot of the novel. There are many Stephens, often contradictory. He is fearful yet … Read more
The setting of A Farewell to Arms is Italy, where they were fighting Austria, during World War I. The story is about Frederick Henry, an American, who served as a lieutenant in the Italian army to a group of ambulance drivers. At the start of the novel, Frederick was a drunk who traveled from one … Read more
The characters of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn were very similar, yet were also the antithesis of each other. One major similarity between the two was their desire to escape their dreary lives. Tom and Huck were constantly breaking their house rules by going out at all sorts of strange times, like at midnight, to … Read more
Either you have sex with me or you die. This is a very strong statement which, when said, has to get someone’s attention; and that is exactly what Andrew Marvell intends for the reader in this poem. He wants the undivided attention of this mistress so that he can scare her and rush her into … Read more
The title of the novel Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen, can be interpreted as a theme running through the novel. Pride, observed Mary, . . . is a very common failing, I believe. By all that I have ever read, I am convinced that it is very common indeed, that human nature is particularly … Read more
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is above all a portrait of Stephen Dedalus. It is through Stephen that we see his world, and it is his development from sensitive child to rebellious young man that forms the plot of the novel. There are many Stephens, often contradictory. He is fearful yet … 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
Huckleberry Finn, timeless classic, or modern day disgrace? Should it be banned? Or should it be continued to be taught? The answer is two-faced, because there is undoubtly some questionable themes and word choice. But on the other hand, if the material is presented in a mature way, with a discussion about the, questionable, racial … Read more
The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer is a compilation of short stories that served as a moral guide for his era. Through the faults of both men and women, he shows in each characters story what is permissible and what is improper. Chaucers Tales serve as lessons on how one should live honorably and soundly. … Read more
Faith Is Not All Its Cracked Up to Be. While much of Emily Dickinson’s poetry has been described as sad or morose, the poet did use humor and irony in many of her poems. This essay will address the humor or irony found in five of Dickinson’s poems: “Faith” is a Fine Invention” (185), “I’m … Read more
The story starts out by Tom Joad hitchhiking home after being released from the state prison. He’s finally on parole. He served four years of his seven year sentence. While walking, he catches a ride with a truck driver who takes him to his old house, on his family’s farm. While he walks the rest … Read more
A large controversy that revolves around the play “Death of a Salesman” is whether or not Willy Loman was actually a hero or a villain in the story. It certainly cannot be said that he is really one or the other because of the evidence that is given throughout. At some times he seems the … Read more
“Acquainted With the Night” and “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night” are two poems about the night which contain desires, and it is readily said that these two poets offer easily accessible emotion in their verse. For Frost, his emotion was an attainable one because he didn’t fill his life with what he … Read more
The story, The Odyssey, was written by Homer and translated to English version by Samuel Butler. The main character in Odyssey was Odysseus, Kind of Ithaca, who after 20 years of wanderings returned home from the Trojan War and a long difficult journey which the powerful gave to him. He found himself recognized only by … Read more
Is Odysseus, the main character of Homer’s The Odyssey, really an epic hero? An epic hero embodies several heroic traits such as; having superior or super-human strength; being intellectual and courageous; and being a strong and responsible leader. An epic hero struggles and is overwhelmed with difficulties. An epic hero is on a quest of … Read more
Joyce’s Araby begins as a story about a young boy and his first love, his neighbor referred to in the story as Mangan’s sister. However, the young boy soon turns his innocent love and curiosity into a much more intense desire, transforming this female and his journey to the bazaar into something much more intense … Read more
John Steinbeck passionately describes a time of unfair poverty, unity, and the human spirit in the classic, The Grapes of Wrath. The novel tells of real, diverse characters who experience growth through turmoil and hardship. Jim Casy- a personal favorite character- is an ex-preacher that meets up with a former worshiper, Tom Joad. Casy continues … Read more
In the poem Beowulf, there are many monsters that are slayed by the hero. Like in the poem, many monsters exist in our world today. One of the monsters that attack people is a negative attitude. This monster attacks numerous people everyday, limiting their potential to succeed. However, there is a hero who battles this … Read more
In “The Yellow Wallpaper”, by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, the dominant/submissive relationship between an oppressive husband and his submissive wife pushes her from depression into insanity. Flawed human nature seems to play a great role in her breakdown. Her husband, a noted physician, is unwilling to admit that there might really be something wrong with his … 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
On a website posted by teachers at Harker Heights High, an epic hero is someone who embodies the values of a particular society. He is superhuman. An epic hero is b raver, stronger, and cleverer than an ordinary person. He is on a quest for something of great value to him or his people. The … Read more
When looking back on the recent decades or even last week, it is not difficult to find a Macbeth-like figure in mainstream American culture. In this it is meant that these individuals experience a downfall in an attempt to gain power. One such figure was former President Richard Nixon. Nixon was long associated with American … Read more
It is worthwhile to take a close look at the marriage and trial plots in The Merchant of Venice. The antagonists of the respective plots have similar goals; they seek access to power and privilege. However, the types of power they seek is very different. The methods they use of gaining power are also differ. … Read more
Although it appears simple and straightforward on the surface, a mere travelogue intended solely for the amusement of children, Gullivers Travels, by Jonathan Swift, proves, upon closer examination, to be a critical and insightful work satirizing the political and social systems of eighteenth-century England. Through frequent and successful employment of irony, ambiguity and symbolism, Swift … 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
