Study Like a Boss
At the heart of mankind, there are certain rules by which society runs. These timeless laws or ethics cross cultural bounds in order to preserve lifes order and maintain a righteous standard. For example, almost all societies agree that it is immoral to kill another human being outside of self-defense. Christine Menefree of the School … Read more
In this essay, I am going to examine Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. When the novel was written in 1817, the world was unbalanced. In England the industrial revolution was about to start. This meant that hundreds of workers were out of work. I think that Mary Shelley was trying to give the message that people should … Read more
In Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon many of the characters have very strange and unique names. Song of Solomon is a very unique story about the struggles of a black family in the early 1900’s. Many of the names of characters in the book appear in the Bible. In the story three character have their … Read more
Throughout the Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer, participants of the pilgrimage tell stories to entertain one another. These stories, while amusing, tend to have an underlying message, one being the Franklin’s Tale. The Franklin’s Tale is the most moral tale that has been read. It is not told to make the other pilgrims laugh, rather … Read more
Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, classically symbolizes the struggle between man and creature. The creature, created under selfish pretences, fights for acceptance by society, and his creator Frankenstein, in turn destroying the lives of others. Both left to live a dark, depressing life of seclusion, Frankenstein’s existence with a healthy and sound mind is hopeless. The … Read more
The two villains in Much Ado About Nothing and Othello share much in common, despite their numerous differences. It is evident that Shakespeare framed the second piece of literature to be similar to the first. Although shorter, the plot of Othello is definitely more complex. The villains play a major part in the novels, and … Read more
1984 is a political novel written with the purpose of warning readers in the West of the dangers of totalitarian government. Having witnessed firsthand the horrific lengths to which totalitarian governments in Spain and Russia would go in order to sustain and increase their power, Orwell designed 1984 to sound the alarm in Western nations … Read more
The Iliad and the Odyssey are two of the best Greek epics written by Homer. Despite their popularity, almost nothing is known about the author beyond the existence of his masterpieces. Surprisingly enough no concrete evidence of his existence is available; not even to confirm the same person created the two works. The authorship of … Read more
The role of the gods in the Trojan War proved to be a major importance in the final outcome and the psychological wellbeing of the mortals who fought for both the Trojan side and the Achaians side. The Greek Gods high, on Olympus watched the bloody battlefield below with a sense of satisfaction that they … Read more
Northrop Frye’s theory of symbols reconciles that people like the primitive and the popular tend to follow towards the core of imaginative experiences. However, in the play Othello, Othello reacts differently and begins to think without logic when jealousy strikes his inner conscience. Thereafter, Othello captures horrifying and explicit images of his wife Desdemona having … Read more
Dave Peltzer the author of The Lost Boy tells his story from the time he left his abusive mother and alcoholic father, through his experiences in five foster homes and juvenile detention, and how he eventually made it into the Air Force. He was a defiant, rebellious boy who, despite his background and personality, managed … Read more
Piggy and Ralph meet up with each other after escaping from their shot-down plane. A large scar was made in the untouched jungle, symbolizing the first of man’s destruction on the island. A war is going on in the “outside world”. I couldn’t begin to imagine how Piggy and Ralph would be feeling at this … Read more
The hero, Beowulf, is a seemingly invincible person with all the extraordinary traits required of a hero. He is able to use his super-human physical strength and courage to put his people before himself. He encounters hideous monsters and the most ferocious of beasts but he never fears the threat of death. His leadership skills … Read more
Likely the most influential writer in all of English literature and certainly the most important playwright of the English Renaissance, William Shakespeare was born in 1564 in the town of Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire, England. The son of a successful middle-class glove-maker, Shakespeare attended grammar school, but his formal education proceeded no further. In 1582, he … Read more
Willy Loman is a man of no character, a fragile being who creates his own dysfunction in life with false self perceptions and ideology on success. His self image is manufactured from his version of the truth. He cannot tell the truth. He cannot keep up with the lies, even to himself. He is losing … 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
The novel, McTeague, written by Frank Norris has many ways to understand the events. The relationships between the characters in the story are strange. First, it seems that the first half of the story many of the characters come together. For example, Marcus and McTeague become friends, Trina and McTeague get married, Maria and Zerkow … Read more
After reading the book Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, and then seeing several adaptations done for the silver screen, there are changes that the films make to the book. The most evident change that jumps out at me is the portrayal of Dr. Victor Frankenstein. The common missing element in all of the film versions of the … Read more
Crime and Punishment is a psychological novel that deals with Raskolnikovs aspirations to transcend pity, guilt, and the desire for companions. He is mentally tormented due to his intellectual disgust with his compassionate and submissive nature that suffers for others pain. Both of Raskolnikovs personalities are personified in the novel. The embodiment of the cold, … Read more
The novel “A Farewell to Arms” should be classified as a historical romance. Many people in reading this book could interpret this to be a war novel, when in fact it was one of the great romance novels written in its time. When reading this book you notice how every important event of the war … Read more
F. Scott Fitzgerald is known as a writer who chronicled his times. This work has been critically acclaimed for portraying the sentiments of the American people during the 1920s and 1930s. The Great Gatsby was written in 1924, whilst the Fitzgeralds were staying on the French Riviera, and Tender is the Night was written nearly … Read more
In most plays and novels, the protagonist is the main character, who is viewed as a good person who has bad things happen to him or her. Likewise, the antagonist is portrayed as evil and villainous, and seeks to destroy the moral protagonist. Many readers and critics perceive Iago as evil, manipulative, and antagonistic. He … Read more
What was it that caused the aggression and dominance exhibited by the boys of Lord of the Flies? Was it some metaphysical, spiritual force, or perhaps their genetic makeup? Could it have been the influence of their peers or families, or was it the media that inspired this dangerous pattern? Conceivably, their gender had something … Read more
Creating the Melancholic Tone in The Raven Edgar Allan Poes “The Raven,” representing Poes own introverted crisis of hell, is unusually moving and attractive to the reader. In his essay entitled “The Philosophy of Composition,” Poe reveals his purpose in writing The Raven and also describes the work of composing the poem as being carefully … Read more
Emily lives in the small town of Jefferson. Jefferson is a town where her family has lived for generations, and where her family is known to have held themselves a little to high for what they were; so they were treated as such. Emily is kept home by her father and almost hidden from the … Read more
Most humans are confused. Some know what the problem is, but most haven’t even realized something is wrong. The novel Ishmael by Daniel Quinn is an attempt to bring about awareness of the mistakes that people have made and have continued to repeat through the course of human history. At its core, the story has … Read more
Ponyboy Curtis – The novel’s fourteen-year-old narrator and protagonist, and the youngest of the greasers. Ponyboy’s literary interests and academic accomplishments set him apart from the rest of his gang. Because his parents have died in a car accident, Ponyboy lives with his brothers Darry and Sodapop. Darry repeatedly accuses Ponyboy of lacking common sense, … Read more
There have been many misgivings about the book Frankenstein. In movies and T. V. Frankenstein is portrayed as a monster. This monster will not stop at anything to hurt or destroy others. He usually has a green hue to his complection and has bolts coming out the sides of his neck. The bolts symbolize the … Read more
Francois Marie Arouet de Voltaire was the French author of the novella Candide, also known as “Optimism”(Durant and Durant 724). In Candide, Voltaire sought to point out the fallacy of Gottfried William von Leibniz’s theory of optimism and the hardships brought on by the resulting inaction toward the evils of the world. Voltaire’s use of … Read more
Of all the characters presented in Shakespeare’s literature the most sinister one is without a doubt Iago. He is a ruthless sociopath. No other character can even come close to his evil. Most of the antagonists present in Shakespeare’s plays have valid reasons for the troubles the cause. Iago doesn’t for the most part he … Read more
Toni Morrison depicts the physical and psychological effects slavery has on an African American woman and her family following the civil war in her famous book, Beloved. Throughout the novel, Morrison uses various themes to capture the impact of slavery had on the various characters portrayed in Beloved. The effects on these characters were not … Read more
At first glance, Beowulf appears to be an epic exclusively about Christian values, and how it influenced the Anglo-Saxons of this time. Moreover, a tale about how Christian principles always defeat the forces of evil, and how all thanes and kings are saintly. However, as the book further develops, it becomes more apparent that this … Read more
Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” talks about a community that follows a tradition. Every year the people take everyone’s name, put it in a black box, and pick the name of a person. This person they stone to death. Their reason range from an idea that having the lottery makes them civilized to an idea that … Read more
One of the most interesting and exotic characters in the tragic play Othello, by William Shakespeare, is honest Iago. At first Iago seems to be motiveless. However, the motivation behind his actions lie more in Iago’s quest for personal gain, as opposed to just being evil for evil’s sake. Iago’s greediness can be validated by … Read more
Oscar Wilde, author of The Picture of Dorian Gray, makes Basil’s life change drastically by having him paint a portrait of Dorian Gray and express too much of himself in it, which, in Wilde’s mind, is a troublesome obstacle to circumvent. Wilde believes that the artist should not portray any of himself in his work, … Read more
The novel Lord of the Flies was full of challenges that the boys overcame in order to survive. Conflicts within themselves, with nature and with each other constantly test the childrens ability to endure. Struggles against the natural elements of the island, rival groups or fear of the unknown continually appear throughout the story. Some … Read more
True redemption of sin comes from suffering. When a person goes against what they judge as wrong, the only way to be freed of the guilt that their actions have caused is to feel the pain emotionally from the guilt of their sin. The guilt they feel on the inside and the shame they have … Read more
Selecting a good leader for a country is like setting up a set of dominoes. If the leader does his job correctly the country will be strong, but if he does not become a good leader, the country will topple and go fall. A good leader must be able to make his own decisions because … Read more
The Grapes of Wrath James D. Zook Chapter 1 In the beginning of the chapter the book Steinbeck discusses the earth. It tells how dry the soil is and how even walking stirred up a dust cloud. It tells how the people have adapted such as wearing mask and goggles to protect the air they … Read more
If the name Merlin were spoken, many would immediately connect the name to the legendary magician that served King Arthur. Many variations of this legendary magician have been passed down through the ages, but only one makes the reader connect with Merlin as a man and not just a magician. In the book The Crystal … Read more
“Speak what you think now in hard words, and to-morrow speak what to-morrow thinks in hard words again, though it contradict every thing you said to-day. -‘AH, so you shall be sure to be misunderstood. ‘-Is it so bad then to be misunderstood? “(pg. 129)This concept viewed by Ralph Waldo Emerson makes the point that … Read more
At the close of Crime and Punishment, Raskolinkov is convicted of Murder and sentenced to seven years in Siberian prison. Yet even before the character was conceived, Fyodor Dostoevsky had already convicted Raskolinkov in his mind (Frank, Dostoevsky 101). Crime and Punishment is the final chapter in Dostoevsky’s journey toward understanding the forces that drive … Read more
The title of the book A Catcher in the Rye is reflected in the mistaken words of a poem by Robert Burns. Holden thought it was “If a body catch a body coming through the rye. ” That’s what he wanted to be. The only older individual in a group of kids in the rye, … Read more
“Out, Out–” by Robert Frost is a poem about a young boy who dies as a result of cutting his hand using a saw. In order to give the reader a clear picture of this bizarre scenario, Frost utilizes imagery, personification, blank verse, and variation in sentence length to display various feelings and perceptions throughout … Read more
By the end of Sheakspeares “Macbeth,” Lady Macbeth has proven that her imagination is stronger than her will. During the beginning of the play, Lady M had been the iron fist and authority icon for Macbeth. She was the voice of determination and hardness, yet deep down, she never carried such traits to begin with. … Read more
Shirley Jackson’s, ‘The Lottery’;, clearly expresses her feelings concerning traditional rituals through her story. It opens the eyes of readers to properly classify and question some of today’s traditions as cruel, and allows room to foretell the outcome of these unusual traditions. ‘The Lottery’; is a short story that records the annual sacrifice ceremony of … 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
After reading “The Child by Tiger,” written by Thomas Wolfe, and Richard Connell’s “The Most Dangerous Game,” I have noticed that these stories are similar, yet they are different. Although both stories have manhunts and mad men, according to Thomas R. Arp, the editor of Perrine’s Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense, “The Child by Tiger” … Read more
As I began to read this short story about a painful and tedious trek an aged grandmother endures she has made for the last three or four years to the city with one intention in mind, to get a medicine for her chronically ill grandson. On a cold December day she repeats the same journey … Read more
It is reasonable to wonder what Shakespeare had in mind while writing Hamlet. After all, Shakespeare wasn’t a philosopher or historian, or even a literary critic. He was a playwright. He didn’t leave critical essays examining his work. It is left to us to examine his work and decide for ourselves, if we care to, … Read more