Study Like a Boss
Protagonist: The protagonist in the novel is Victor Frankenstein. He is the main character who contends with the conflict in the novel. His decision to create life provides a problem that he attempts to escape but eventually marks his death. Antagonist: The antagonist in the novel is also the protagonist, Victor Frankenstein. Victor may have … Read more
The novel Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, illustrates the hardships of the common man in great detail. The one aspect of this book that displays life as it exists in the hostile real-world is the third chapter, in which the human plight is displayed by a turtle, and his struggle to reach the other … Read more
In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the author weaves a tale of deception, murder, and love into five dramatic acts. Maintaining a fierce plot of murder between both Claudius and Hamlet, in some way each leads to death in the end. Along the way, however, all the characters suffer form the slings and arrows of their devious … Read more
To fully appreciate literature, we must look at it from every angle possible. There are many ways to criticize a piece of literature. Each way helps a reader to better understand the work in its own different way. I hope to outline and give examples of the many different ways that the short story The … Read more
Mind control is more common then many people think. Take Television, for instance. Most people won’t admit that commercials and TV shows influence them, but of course they do. People buy cars, peanut butter, and soda because of the advertising they see in newspapers adds, magazines, and billboards. Many people don’t realize that the information … Read more
Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, written in approximately 1385, is a collection of twenty-four stories ostensibly told by various people who are going on a religious pilgrimage to Canterbury Cathedral from London, England. Prior to the actual tales, however, Chaucer offers the reader a glimpse of fourteenth century life by way of what he refers to … Read more
The Glass Menagerie, written in 1945 by Tennessee Williams, remains today as a great literary masterpiece. Williams gave unimaginable depth and uniqueness to each of his characters. Even though the play was written in the mid-forties it is timeless, in that the problems and troubles of the characters can be related to life today, more … Read more
For Whom the Bell Tolls is a novel loosely based on Ernest Hemingway’s own experiences in the Spanish Civil War in the 1930’s. Before I delve into the book itself, I thought it would be best to give some background information on Ernest Hemingway and on the Spanish Civil war and the circumstances surrounding it. … Read more
The theatre metaphor also helps to explain why, in the last analysis, Prospero has to surrender his magical powers. Life cannot be lived out in the world of illusions, delightful and educative as they can often be. Life must be lived in the real world, in Milan or in Naples, and Miranda cannot thus entirely … Read more
Othello, by William Shakespeare, is perhaps not as exciting as a ravishingly sexy poster of Laurence Fishburne and Irene Jacob. Yet, with its intoxicating mix of love, sexual passion and the deadly power of jealousy, Shakespeare has created an erotic thriller based on a human emotion that people are all familiar with. It all depends … Read more
An allegory is a work of fiction where all the elements are subservient to a single theme by designating them as symbols of abstract concepts in order to portray that theme. The interaction between these symbols creates an explicit statement on human nature or human relationships, usually in moral, religious, or political terms. In “Young … Read more
Hemingway’s “The Snows of Kilimanjaro” is a story about a man and his dying, his relationship to his wife, and his recollections of a troubling existence. It is also, more importantly, a story about writing. Through the story of Harry, a deceptive, dying, decaying writer, Hemingway expresses his own feelings about writing, as an art, … Read more
A dream is defined as a condition or achievement that is longed for; an aspiration. Throughout the book the “Great Gatsby” we see the dream of one man, Jay Gatsby. Gatsby’s dream is not merely what is known as the American Dream-the belief that anyone can rise to success no matter who they are or … Read more
For purposes of this discussion, it is the intent of this author to assess the plight of African Americans at a time when they were merely slaves, captives taken forcibly by rich white American merchants to a new and strange land called America. Right from the very beginning, slavery was a controversial issue. It was … Read more
Throughout each of Shakespeare’s dramas, the thematic inclusion of mistaken identities, hidden identities, and deceptive identities permeates many of the conflicts between the characters. While many times these characters experience a transformation in identity, be it physical, emotional, or spiritual, these transformations reflect the concept of an ever-changing society. As I once heard, “nothing is … Read more
The play Othello is a tale of jealousy, revenge, and deception. Iago, a disgruntled military officer, in a quest for revenge against Othello, lies, cheats, and bullys everyone around in order to get what he wants. He uses Roderigo, Brabantio, and just about every other character in the play to attain his goal of ruining … Read more
The main character of the book is Mr. Bilbo Baggins. He is the hobbit who led the dwarves to the Lonely Mountain to reclaim their treasure from the dragon named Smaug. Bilbo is middle aged and resides in a clean, warm burrow dug into the side of a hill. In the beginning of the story … Read more
In the Medieval Period, knights dedicated their lives to following the code of chivalry. In Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur, a number of characters performed chivalrous acts to achieve the status of an ideal knight. Their characteristics of respect for women and courtesy for all, helpfulness to the weak, honor, and skill in battle … Read more
Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy about two star crossed lovers whose love cannot apart them from their two feuding families. In this essay I will state who or what are responsible for their deaths, the main theme of the story is hatred and fate. Firstly I must introduce the two families because their attitude … Read more
Soon after the death of a loved one come many visitors to the bereaved. Some arrive early, bearing gifts of food and speaking words of consolation and comfort. Others appear late in the day, unable to say anything, but still comforting in their very presence. But when the comforters have gone away and we sit … Read more
The authors Kate Chopin of Desirees Baby and Susan Glaspell of Trifles present a caste system of the 19th century. They both focus upon the theme of the inferiority of women with respect to marriage, gender, and prospective positions in a caste system of society. Actually, these two authors can be thought of as feminists … Read more
In his short story, gA&Ph, John Updike presents the story through the view of an adolescent boy who is a supermarket checkout clerk of the gA&P. h The boy, Sammy, comes across three strange girls who come to the A&P to shop wearing nothing but bathing suits. This extraordinary happening in his dull everyday existence … Read more
The book The Scarlet Letter is all about symbolism. People and objects are symbolic of events and thoughts. Throughout the course of the book, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses Hester, Pearl, and Arthur Dimmesdale to signify Puritanic and Romantic philosophies. Hester Prynne, through the eyes of the Puritans, is an extreme sinner; she has gone against the … Read more
Beowulfs story is somewhat of an allegory in which he is depicted as the Christ figure. The theme of Beowulf is a contrast of good and evil which is manifest in both Christian and pagan elements; Beowulf represents good, while Grendel, his mother, and the dragon represent evil. The first monster our hero, Beowulf, faces … Read more
In the two stories, Jane Eyre and The Yellow Wallpaper, the main characters are faced with various encounters with authority. Jane and the Narrator are the central characters that are faced with these authority figures, and an external as well as an internal relationship is developed with the figures that have power over them. These … Read more
The Scarlet Letter and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest: What Makes Up A Work Of Literature A work of literature may be defined as a classic because it promotes deep insight into human behavior. Both The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, by Ken Kesey give a reader … Read more
“Everything is relative” or so the flippant motto of the post-modern generation would say. Interestingly enough, this aphorism is brilliantly applied by Henrik Ibsen to enhance his characters in the acclaimed drama, A Dolls House. Often, we see things relative to their surroundings, and as the contrast between objects heighten, each becomes more visible. Within … Read more
Long ago in Hrothgar’s Danish kingdom lived a gruesome monster-giant named Grendel, who nightly roamed the countryside. Rising from his marshy home, he would stalk to the King’s high hall, and there devour fifteen of Hrothgar’s sleeping warriors. Then, before departing, the monster would seize fifteen more men with his huge arms and bear them … Read more
The Romantic sonnet holds in its topics the ideals of the time period, concentrating on emotion, nature, and the expression of “nothing. ” The Romantic era was one that focused on the commonality of humankind and, while using emotion and nature, the poets and their works shed light on people’s universal natures. In Charlotte Smith’s … Read more
1. What does Shakespeare accomplish by setting most of the action at night and in the wood? Explain thoroughly. Use examples. Setting most of the action at night and in the woods creates a dreamlike world. There is no other place that holds more myth than the forest. Obernon makes clear that nighttime is fairies’ … Read more
Supernatural occurrences show the abnormal behaviors of nature. In Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte uses the abnormal as an introduction to the novel and shows the desires of characters in the novel. We meet Lockwood in the beginning of the novel. He had absolutely no clue on the history of the Lintons and Earnshaws. A few … 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. The … Read more
Chaucer’s Character, the Wife of Bath, is a very unique woman during the Middle Ages. She takes pride in the knowledge of the remedies of love, she wears elaborate clothing, and she has gone to the altar five times. A lesson of domination and submission can be learned from the Wife of Bath and her … Read more
The Epic of Gilgamesh leaves me somewhat discouraged when I finished the book. This pessimistic ending is not the happy ending I was expecting to see considering the tragedies throughout of the rest of the story. The entire last part of the book, starting with Enkidus death, is nothing but more sorrow for Gilgamesh. The … Read more
The characteristics of Holden from the book The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger, will be compared to the “modern teenager”. The characteristics of both sets of teenagers are basically similar, but in some parts, they are different. I chose myself as the modern teenager to be compared to Holden. There will be … Read more
As young children we all had our share of superheroes; whether they were a world saving Superman or the crime fighting Batman of Gotham City, we admired them. Then as we grew older, we realized that heroes didn’t have to save the world but just change the world for the better with their achievement or … Read more
In Antigone by Philip Harsh, the play Antigone by Sophocles is critisized. Many argue about the originality of the play. Scholars believe that a large portion of the play was made up by Sophocles instead of being reffered to the orginal epic. Characters such as Tiresies and Ismene are only found in Sophocless version. The … Read more
One of the most intriguing characters in the tragic play “Othello,” by William Shakespeare, is Othello’s “friend” Iago. At first glance, Iago seems to have no motive for the destruction he is causing. However, despite Iago’s unquestionable malignancy, the motivation behind his actions lie more in Iago’s quest for personal gain, as opposed to just … Read more
In 1928, Virginia Woolf was asked to speak on the topic of “women and fiction”. The result, based upon two essays she delivered at Newnham and Girton that year, was A Room of One’s Own, which is an extended essay on women as both writers of fiction and as characters in fiction. While Woolf suggests … Read more
In Brave New World Huxley is targeting consumer, materialistic attitudes that existed in his time (and still do today) and extrapolating, then projecting them into the world that is the World State, to serve as a warning to society of the consequences of these attitudes. The passage in question is from Chapter XIV of Huxley’s … Read more
Not all 19th-century writers were attracted to the novel. Walter Savage Landor, besides writing one or two unforgettable lyrics, poured out his views of the past and present in a series of literary dialogues, Imaginary Conversations. Charles Lamb became an accomplished essayist in the Addisonian style, while William Hazlitt was a more penetrating essayist and … Read more
A tragedy can be described and executed in many ways, whether it is through cinema, television or a play for theatre, as long as it has a solemn kind of ending. It is characterized as a very sad event, action, or experience for a certain character in the piece. According to Aristotles Poetics, a tragedy … Read more
Dryden’s Essay of Dramatic Poesy is a discussion in dialogue form of such matters as the merits of Elizabethan, French, and Restoration plays, the place of rhyme in drama, and the value of dramatic “rules. ” It is said that the unity of time the audience can comprehend is about 24 hours or as close … Read more
The story of The Yellow Wallpaper reflects the period where men have dominated over women. The real meaning of this story is written hidden behind it. The author had used a writing style that is taking objects portraying men, women, and society. The story first starts off a couple have moved to a house. A … Read more
Joseph Conrad develops themes of personal power, individual responsibility, and social justice in his book Heart of Darkness. His book has all the trappings of the conventional adventure tale – mystery, exotic setting, escape, suspense, and unexpected attack. Chinua Achebe concluded: “Conradis undoubtedly one of the great stylists of modern fiction and a good story-teller … Read more
Symbolism is a literary technique used in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight to liven up the story and give a deeper significance to the plot. Almost anything in the poem can be interpreted as a symbol in one way or another. The Green Knight, the green sash, and Sir Gawain’s shield are three of … Read more
On reading Beloved by Toni Morrison and Don Quixote by Kathy Acker, there seem to be quite a few similarities in themes and characters contained in these texts, the most prevalent of which seems to be of love and language as a path to freedom. We see in Acker’s Don Quixote the abortion she must … Read more
“Lord, What fools these mortals be… ” That’s what Robin Goodfellow from the book “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” remarked. It is inevitably the truth. The aspect of love can mar the human mind. It’s hard to explain and hard to fit into mere words. Three main kinds of love seen most often in literature are … Read more
Voltaire’s Candide is the story of an innocent man’s experiences in a mad and evil world, his struggle to survive in that world, and his need to ultimately come to terms with it. All people experience the turmoil of life and must overcome obstacles, both natural and man-made, in order to eventually achieve happiness. In … Read more
The epic poem Beowulf tells of an evil, mysterious, and ravishing creature named Grendel. Although no precise concrete descriptions or visual references were given to me throughout the story, I was able to formulate my own personal opinion of what this horrifying beast may have looked like. The amoral, despised, and feared Grendel was a … Read more