Study Like a Boss
John Cheever’s story “The Swimmer” depicts a protaganist, and the society that has nurtured him, as lacking in seriousness and responsibility. Neddy, the bewildered protagonist, represents a society satirized for centering its values on social status and materialism. During the course of Neddy’s journey, the illusions he has constructed about his life are stripped away, … Read more
Heroes are almost perfect people. Odysseus was a great Greek Hero. Just like all of us though, he had exceptional abilities and faults. You notice many examples throughout the Odyssey that which was authored by Homer. The traits you notice are his tall tales, and his extravagant curiosity. Also, he is very attractive, extremely clever, … Read more
The personalities of the two sisters; Antigone and Ismene, are as different from one another as tempered steel is from a ball of cotton. One is hard and resistant; the other: pliable, absorbing and soft. Antigone would have been a strong, successful 90’s type woman with her liberated and strong attitude towards her femininity, while … 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
“Satire is a sort of glass, wherein beholders do generally discover everybody’s face but their own; which is the chief reason for that kind of reception it meets in the world, and that so very few are offended with it. ” Jonathan Swift (1667-1745), Anglo-Irish satirist. The Battle of the Books, Preface (written 1697; published … Read more
The effects on Elisa from sharing her plants are not normal, at least compared to an ordinary gardeners sharing of plants, in Steinbecks The Chrysanthemums. Elisa is a sexually frustrated woman who cares for chrysanthemums in order to gain the happiness and stimulation that she doesnt get from her husband, Henry. After reading the beginning … Read more
In all of my reading, I have come to the conclusion that Anthony Burgess is the greatest literary genius of the twentieth century. His masterpiece, A Clockwork Orange, is unrivaled in depth, insight, and innovation. The novel is a work of such quality, such perfection, that it seems to be written by a literary demigod. … Read more
“Israfel” is a mesmerizing poem, the beginning of which was first set down by Poe during his days at West Point College. (Allen 233) The poem itself is a direct contrast to Poe’s usual poetry, which usually deal with death and dark thoughts or other melancholy, Gothic ideas. Poe’s idea of the death of beautiful … Read more
Victor Frankenstein has always been fascinated by nature. By the time he was in his late teens he was at a school of science. This school sparked his obsession with recreating human life. This was not an easy task because of the minuteness of the organs, etc, which forced him to design an oversized human, … 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
Thomas Stearns Eliot was born in St. Louis, Missouri of New England descent, on Sept. 26, 1888. He entered Harvard University in 1906, completed his courses in three years and earned a master’s degree the next year. After a year at the Sorbonne in Paris, he returned to Harvard. Further study led him to Merton … Read more
During the Victorian Period, long held and comfortable religious beliefs fell under great scrutiny. An early blow to these beliefs came from the Utilitarian, followers of Jeremy Bantam, in the form of a test by reason of many of the long-standing institutions of England, including the church. When seen through the eyes of reason, religion … Read more
” ‘Suppose you met somebody just as careless as yourself. ‘ ‘I hope I never will,’ she [Jordan] answered. ‘I hate careless people. That’s why I like you. ‘ ” (Fitzgerald, pg. 63) Jordan is explaining to Nick how she is able to drive badly as long as everyone else drives carefully. This quote represents … Read more
Racism is the notion that ones own ethnic stock is superior to that of someone elses. Most all racism is as result of ignorance. Racism can range from a simple comment to make another human being feel inferior, to complex actions that make others feel unwelcome in society because of who they are. The theme … Read more
What do we not know about the Young Goodman Brown? The nature of his trip – confrontation with evil? or a Faustian business arrangement? Why Goody Brown is so fearful? I recall from a lecture something about it being Walpurgisnacht, or All Hallows’ Eve. The true identity of Young G. ‘s travelling companion (sure, it’s … Read more
Faulkner identifies some 600 inhabitants of Yoknapatawpha by name, often obviously delighting in the play of their names on the ear. Lump Snopes and Temple Drake are more obvious examples, but they alert us to Faulkner’s use of names in general. Helen Lang Leath has called attention to the significance of names in As I … Read more
To leave out the final chapter of A Clockwork Orange is to change the entire meaning of the novel; as Burgess says in the introduction, his story is transformed into a fable. Without the last chapter the reader is left with a dark and pessimistic theme, that absolute good and evil exist in this world … Read more
Sophocle’s tragic play Antigone, written in 441 BC, is a theatrical piece of drama in which an audience is compelled to empathize with its character’s. When empathizing with characters in Antigone the audience can, in imaginative and cognitive ways, participate in the understanding of a character’s feelings, ideas as well as their situations. Antigone, Creon … Read more
In the play Othello, the character of Othello has certain traits which make him seem naive and unsophisticated compared to many other people. This is why Iago, to get his just rewards uses him as a scapegoat. Iago told Roderigo, ” O,sir, content you. I follow him [Othello] to serve my turn upon him “(I, … Read more
The book “Cry, the Beloved Country” by Alan Paton is a book about agitation and turmoil of both whites and blacks over the white segregation policy called apartheid. The book describes how understanding between whites and blacks can end mutual fear and aggresion, and bring reform and hope to a small community of Ndotcheni as … Read more
Homers poem The Odyssey depicts the tendency of people to ignore the consequences of their actions. Odysseus punished Penelopes suitors without thinking of consequences that he would have to endure. He did not acknowledge the consequences because that would prevent him from doing what he wants to do. Odysseus wanted to kill the suitors; they … Read more
A guy walks into a bar and says, Ouch. Many are familiar with this ancient pun. Very often, jokes are told that begin with a character walking into a bar. This joke, however, satirizes those clichs and while sounding very foolish, the anecdote is still sensible, much like the humor performed in Voltaires Candide. The … Read more
To be buried while alive is, beyond question, the most terrific of these extremes which has ever fallen to the lot of mere mortality. That it has frequently, very frequently, so fallen will scarcely be denied by those who think. The boundaries that divide life from death are at best shadowy and vague. Who shall … Read more
By being filled with vigour and by being well written, the Odyssey sets the mood for many of the adventures allowing the reader to become caught up in the story and sympathise with its characters. In Homers description of the adventure, you feel overcome with curiosity while reading. The plot of the Odyssey consists of … Read more
The short story ‘The Lottery’; by Shirley Jackson is very well known because of the tradition of the village. Tradition is a big point issued to the people throughout their lives. The title ‘The Lottery’; sounds as if something good is being given away. As you know after reading the story, that isn’t the case … Read more
The play The Glass Menagerie, by Tennessee Williams, Williams uses many symbols which represent many different things. Many of the symbols used in the play try to symbolize some form of escape or difference between reality and illusion. The first symbol, presented in the first scene, is the fire escape. This represents the “bridge” between … Read more
Science becomes increasingly a metaphor for the explanation of why things are as they are: people look to science to explain the origin of human character and institutions; science becomes an important part of ideological argumentation and a means of social control. European scientists from late 18th to 19th century developed scientific theories to explain … Read more
In Nathaniel Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne lives in seclusion with her daughter Pearl. Hester has been shunned from Puritan society and now lives in the shelter of the wilderness. The clear contrast between Puritan society and life in the wilderness intensify the all too similar fight between light and darkness and ultimately can … Read more
Scientists are all too ready to lock themselves away with their research, unwilling – perhaps even incapable – of seeing the consequences of their actions. It is our duty as their educators to provide them with not only a means to gain knowledge but also insights into the society into which they will ultimately release … Read more
One of the most devastating problems for the Classical Greeks was the women’s issue. Women in Classical Greece were not citizens, held no property, and indeed were not even allowed out of the house except under guard. Their status differed from that of the slaves of Greece only in name. This alone, however was not … Read more
Lots of times people get love and lust confused. In Shakespeares Othello, the characters in this book are very confused about the difference and it results in perplexity, confusion, commotion and death. This is shown in Shakespeares use of symbolism, characterization and irony. The person who best illustrates this theme is Roderigo. He tells Iago, … Read more
An unknown author once wrote Never take life too seriously; after all, no one gets out of it alive. When reading this quote, there can almost be an immediate connection between two very good works of writing: Macbeths Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow speech from Shakespeares tragedy, Macbeth, and the poem Out, Out — by … Read more
In Henrik Ibsens play A Dolls House, the personality of the protagonist Nora Helmer is developed and revealed through her interactions and conversations with the other characters in the play, including Mrs. Linde, Nils Krogstad, Dr. Rank and Ann-Marie. Ibsen also uses certain dramatic and literary techniques and styles, such as irony, juxtaposition and parallelism … Read more
In viewing the various aspects of the island society in Golding’s Lord of the Flies as a symbolic microcosm of society, a converse perspective must also be considered. Golding’s island of marooned youngsters then becomes a macrocosm, wherein the island represents the individual human and the various characters and symbols the elements of the human … Read more
The Grapes of Wrath, a novel by John Steinbeck, exposes the desperate conditions under which the migratory farm families of America during the 1930’s live under. The novel tells of the Joad family’s migration west to California through the great economic depression of the 1930’s. The tries and tribulations of the Joad family stretches to … Read more
A Doll’s House is classified under the “second phase” of Henrik Ibsen’s career. It was during this period that 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
Women’s roles during the time of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s writings were that of the submissive housewife. The male dominated society made all women feel inferior and oppressed. They were told to believe that the male, their husband was the ruler of the house. What he said went and a proper lady would obey his orders and … Read more
Through out the novel we are under the assumption that the demon in the novel is the man who is disfigured and hideous on the outside. While we view Victor Frankenstein as the handsome and caring victim, even though sometimes a monster can not be seen but heard. Looks can be deceiving but actions are … Read more
Toni Morrisons, Beloved, is a complex narrative about the love between mothers and daughters, and the agony of guilt. It is the ultimate gesture of a loving mother. It is the outrageous claim of a slave. These are the words, of Toni Morrison, used to describe the actions of Sethe, the central character in the … Read more
A collection of short stories published in 1907, Dubliners, by James Joyce, revolves around the everyday lives of ordinary citizens in Dublin, Ireland (Freidrich 166). According to Joyce himself, his intention was to write a chapter of the moral history of [his] country and [he] chose Dublin for the scene because the city seemed to … Read more
No one has a perfect life. Everyone has conflicts that they must face sooner or later. The ways in which people deal with these personal conflicts can differ as much as the people themselves. Some insist on ignoring the problem as long as possible, while some attack the problem to get it out of the … Read more
This sonnet is by far one of the most interesting poems in the book. Of Shakespeare’s sonnets in the text, this is one of the most moving lyric poems that I have ever read. There is great use of imagery within the sonnet. This is not to say that the rest of the poems in … Read more
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a timeless American classic which set the tone for all other American literature to follow. The story opens up a window into the life of the American People before the Civil War. The lessons that this book presents can give the reader a deeper understanding of what existence was … Read more
Morality. It has been questioned by people, honored by people and revered since the beginning of time. Yet even today not one person can say what is morally right. It is a matter of opinion. It was Dr. Victor Frankenstein’s opinion that it was alright to create a “monster”. Frankenstein’s creation needed a companion. Knowing … Read more
The Grapes of Wrath entails a story of perseverance in dealing with oppressive labor conditions faced by migrant laborers during the Depression. Steinbecks purpose contrived by the novels tone, was to inform the public of the migrants plight. Through analyzing the effective use of diction, comparison of man to animal, and organization of alternating narrative … Read more
The character of Mark Antony from Shakespeares play Julius Caesar may be viewed as simply the confident and devoted supporter of Julius Caesar. On the contrary, Antony presents the qualities of a shrewd flatterer, a ruthless tyrant, as well as a loyal follower. Antonys characteristics will change as the play progresses. He will begin using … Read more
T. H. White’s The Once and Future King is one of the most complete and unique portrayals of the immortal legend of King Arthur. Though it has been in print for less than half a century, it has already been declared a classic by many, and is often referred to as the “bible” of Arthurian … Read more
Contributions of minor characters to the plot, theme and character development. Minor characters play large roles in contributing to many aspects of plays, movies and stories. Minor characters help bring out attributes of a character that only they can do. Friar Laurence is one of the minor characters who contributes, and furthers the plot by … Read more
Through Sophocles use of foreshadowing in the play Oedipus Rex, certain truths are revealed to the reader, such as the fact that a lack of respect for fate can eventually bring on a persons downfall, by driving them to delusion. Oedipus is looked up to by all his kingdom at the opening of the play, … Read more
Shakespeares Macbeth and Dostoevskys Crime and Punishment explore the psychological depths of man. These two works examine tragedy as represented through the existential beliefs of many philosophers. Existentialist theory expresses the idea that man can satisfy his own needs, regardless of social codes, if he has the energy and ambition to act. Both Macbeth and … Read more
