Study Like a Boss
Comedy, Courtly Love, Drama, Fiction, Poetry, Protagonist, Short Story, Tragedy, 1984, A Raisin in The Sun, Animal Farm, Beowulf, Fahrenheit 451, Frankenstein, George Orwell, Hamlet, Into The Wild, Lord of The Flies, Macbeth, Of Mice and Men, A Modest Proposal, All Quiet on The Western Front, Allegory, Antigone, Between The World and Me.
Does your family have any traditions? Do you eat certain foods for certain holidays? Traditional values and family are important in many cultures, but they seem to play an especially important role to Mexicans (Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia). One of the most important parts of their culture is food. Much of Mexicans daily routines and traditions … Read more
Lady Chatterley’s Lover, written by DH. Lawrence was first published in 1928. The novel follows around the protagonist of the story, Lady Constance Chatterley. The story is about how this woman, who is trapped in a loveless and almost sterile marriage, finds emotional and physical love with the games keeper of her husbands estate. As … Read more
In Fielding’s Joseph Andrews you see a variety of characters. They range from the shallow, vain and proud characters like Lady Booby and Mrs. Slipslop to the innocent, sincere, and virtuous like Joseph and Fanny. The presence of Lady Booby, and all of the people like her that are portrayed in the same selfish and … Read more
Ivanhoe is set in approximately twelfth century England during the time of feudal Europe, the crusades, Richard the Lion Hearted, and Robin Hood. Chivalry is still a major force in England, as is Christianity. The story refers more exactly to a period towards the end of the reign of Richard I, when his return from … Read more
Arcady: His Voyage Towards Individualism In the novel Fathers and Sons by Ivan Turgenev, Arcady plays a major role both in his own life and the lives of others. Arcady, despite the shield he surrounds himself with, is not a true Nihilist like his friend Bazarov through his thoughts and actions we see his change. … Read more
In the novel Far from the Madding Crowd the main female role, Bathsheba Everdene, is pursued by three suitors, each of whom is very different from the others. These three men are Farmer William Boldwood, owner of the farm adjacent to Bathshebas, Gabriel Oak, bankrupt farmer who becomes Bathshebas shepherd, and later, bailiff, and Sergeant … Read more
“I’ve never been so happy!” Emma squealed as she stood before the mirror. ” Let’s go out on the town. I want to see Chorus and the Guggenhiem and this Jack Nicholson character you are always talking about.” Emma Bovary in Woody Allen’s The Kugelmass Episode. As I sit here pondering the life of Emma … Read more
Jane Austen’s novel Emma is basically a biography. As Jane Austen matured through her childhood years, she acquired many talents which are reflected through the character Emma. Jane Austen lived in the popular image of Victorian society. Many critics agree that Jane Austen bases her novels on her own life. In the novel Emma Jane … Read more
Cervantes’ greatest work, Don Quixote, is a unique book of multiple dimensions. From the moment of its appearance it has amused readers or caused them to think, and its influence has extended in literature not only to works of secondary value but also to those which have universal importance. Don Quixote is a country gentleman, … Read more
In medieval times, knight-errants roamed the countryside of Europe, rescuing damsels and vanquishing evil lords and enchanters. This may sound absurd to many people in this time, but what if a person read so many books about these so-called knight-errants that he could not determine the real from that which was read? Such is the … Read more
Truthfully, my reasons for choosing to read this particular book were somewhat unexpected- going into the library and seeing so many books, I didn’t know what to choose; so I went to the CM cart in the front, and chose a book from there. Hearing many things of both Dickens and Copperfield, I felt there … Read more
The novel David Copperfield, written by Charles Dickens, deals with the life and times of David Copperfield. About a century ago in a small town in England, David was born on a Friday at the stroke of midnight, which is considered a sign of bad luck. David’s father has already died and his aunt comes … Read more
In Arthur C. Clarkes novel Childhoods End, people or beings use each other for selfish reasons. Sometimes it is subtle, even subconscious; other times it is a blatant usage. Three obvious examples occur and kind of chase each other around in a triangular fashion. 1) The Overlords use humans/humanity. 2) The Overmind uses humans. 3) … Read more
Catch-22 is one of the most poorly constructed, and distasteful books Ive ever read. Its order of events, or lack of order, becomes clear after the very first chapter. In fact It doesnt even seem to have been written; instead it gives the impression of having been shouted onto paper (Stern 50). By the middle … Read more
In Catch-22, Joseph Heller reveals the perversions of the human character and society. Using various themes and a unique style and structure, Heller satirizes war and its values as well as using the war setting to satirize society at large. By manipulating the classic war setting and language of the novel Heller is able to … Read more
There are many ways for a man to die, but there is no way to bring him back after he has entered the world of dead. Catch-22 is a novel satirizing war, and because of this, it inevitably has a strong underlying theme of death. But unlike many war novels, Catch-22 doesn’t use violent depictions … Read more
Joseph Heller satirizes, among other matters, red tape and bureaucracy in his first novel, Catch-22. The novel concerns itself with a World War II bombardier named Yossarian who suddenly realizes the danger of his position and tries various means to extricate himself from further missions. Yossarian is driven crazy by the Germans, who keep shooting … Read more
Since the dawn of literature and drama, comedy and tragedy have always been partitioned into separate genres. Certainly most tragedies had comedic moments, and even the zaniest comedies were at times serious. However, even the development of said tragicomedies left the division more or less intact. Integrating a total comedy and a total tragedy into … Read more
Bridge to Terabithia is set in rural Virginia in the mid-1970’s. The story revolves around characters; the Aarons, the Burkes, the students and faculty in the elementary school. Jess Aaron, is one of the central characters. He has four sisters, two older and two younger leaving him in the middle. Brenda and Ellie are the … Read more
Truman Capote wrote the novel Breakfast at Tiffany’s without a rhyme or a reason. He used real life characters possessing different names. It is stated that the narrator just might have been Truman himself during his early years in New York. It is clear that Mr. Capote does not believe in traditional values. He himself … Read more
Cormac McCarthy’s setting in Blood Meridian is a landscape of endless and diverse beauty. McCarthy highlights the surprising beauty of combinations of scrubby plants, jagged rock, and the fused auburn and crimson colors of the fiery wasteland that frame this nightmarish novel. Various descriptions, from the desolate to the scenic, feature McCarthy’s highly wrought, lyrical … Read more
Cormac McCarthy’s Blood Meridian is a passionate, lyrical, and ugly novel of depravity and destruction of life in the Old West. It is a story of a hellish journey where violence and corruption are currency in a life of murder and treachery. Contrasting scenes of scenic beauty, poetically described by McCarthy, are negated by his … Read more
Blood becomes the river. The human race dies and only the she-goats and the he-goats (109) remain. The lake cracked with laughter of madness and the ghosts stood and walked upon the shore.(109) Who dares dream such gruesome images? Antonio Marez. He questions God, he communicates with the dead, the dead ask him for blessings. … Read more
Characters: Ultima- An old Curandera who comes to spend her last days with Antonio and his family. She is Tony’s mentor and helps him to find the right path for his life. Antonio Marez- A young boy who is torn between his parents: a Marez and a Luna. But with the help of Ultima, he … Read more
The title of the novel, Around the World in Eighty Days, is pretty much self explanatory. An Englishman, Phileas Fogg, places a wager that he can circumnavigate the world in 80 days. The events that occur throughout the novel describe his journey around the world. Phileas Fogg, the protagonist, was a lonesome person who lived … Read more
Anthem, a science fiction novel, deals with a future primitive society in which the forbidden word “I”, which is punishable, has been replaced by “We”. Anthem’s theme seems to be about the meaning and glory of man’s ego. In this novel, Rand shows that the individualism needed for building a complex technological civilization has been … Read more
Anna Karenina was well-written, with a good plot, and valuable themes. But it fell short in each of these categories, because Tolstoy simply tried to do too much. The language was beautiful but, at times, far too descriptive. The plot was also well written, but tedious and hard to follow in many parts of the … Read more
In part two chapter three, Kittys broken heart causes her health to decline. There is a moment in this part of the story that Tolstoy adds to show that money and social status should not be the reasons for marriage. Kitty realizes this when she finds out about Anna and Vronsky. Kitty has something that … Read more
In the novel Anna Karenina, written by Leo Tolstoy, both major and minor characters played important roles through out the story. One protagonist, Constantine Dmitrich Levin, caught my interest as being a compassionate, moral character. Constantine Dmitrich Levin is a complex character whose direct and indirect characterization emphasizes a search for balance. Constantine Dmitrich Levin, … Read more
Reading provides an escape for people from the ordinariness of everyday life. Madame Bovary and Anna Karenina, dissatisfied with their lives pursued their dreams of ecstasy and love through reading. At the beginning of both novels Anna Karenina and Emma Bovary made active decisions about their future although these decisions were not always rational. As … Read more
By examining the character list, one immediately notices the value Tolstoy places on character. With one hundred and forty named characters and several other unnamed characters, Tolstoy places his central focus in Anna Karenina on the characters. He uses their actions and behavior to develop the plot and exemplify the major themes of the novel. … Read more
The world of Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina is a world ruled by chance. From the very opening chapters, where a watchman is accidentally run over by a train at Moscow’s Petersburg station, to the final, climactic scenes of arbitrary destruction when Levin searches for Kitty in a forest beset by lightning, characters are brought together and … Read more
When defining the word blindness, it can be interpreted in various ways. Either it can be explained as sightless, or it can be carefully deciphered as having a more complex in-depth analysis. In the novel Blindness, Jose Saramago depicts and demonstrates how in an instant your right to see can be taken in an instant. … Read more
Could you ever imagine living your entire life in the same town and if you try to leave something will keep bringing you back. In the novel, Ethan Frome, the main character Ethan Frome lives his life in this way. Through his silence, isolation, and illusions he causes himself to be trapped in Starkfield. In … Read more
Looking for Alibrandi is a novel which mostly deals with the concept of emotional change. Through a number of characters, the author, Melina Marchetta demonstrates clearly the concept of change and changing perspective. A variety of events happen throughout the novel to these characters which influence their lives and change their perspectives. Through these events … Read more
Frankenstein is considered to be the greatest Gothic Romantic Novel. It is also generally thought of as the first science fiction novel. Mary Shelley wrote this amazing novel when she was only nineteen years of age, which is quite talented. She completed the novel in May of 1817 and was published January 1, 1818. Many … Read more
“Who the hell am I? ” (Ellison 386) This question puzzled the invisible man, the unidentified, anonymous narrator of Ralph Ellison’s acclaimed novel Invisible Man. Throughout the story, the narrator embarks on a mental and physical journey to seek what the narrator believes is “true identity,” a belief quite mistaken, for he, although unaware of … Read more
A feminist is a person whose beliefs and behavior are based on feminism (belief in the social, political, and economic equality of the sexes). Jane Eyre is clearly a critique of assumptions about both gender and social class. It contains a strong feminist stance; it speaks to deep, timeless human urges and fears, using the … Read more
Films of this era are criticized for lacking substance and making up for this deficit with explosions and special effects. Books command a bit more respect from the general public. Many believe that devising a script is a juvenile form of writing, a shrub to the oak of a novel. Upon reading both the novel … Read more
In Brontes novel Wuthering Heights the idea compensation for love lost is discussed. Wuthering Heights is a quiet house in the country where the Earnshaws and Heathcliff live. Heathcliff loves Catherine Earnshaw very much but, she decides to marry another man, Edgar. Heathcliff marries Edgars sister just to make Catherine jealous. At the end Heathcliff … Read more
The main character of the novel Crime and Punishment by Feodor Dostoevsky, Raskolnikov, is in reality two totally contradicting personalities. One part of him is the the intellectual. He is cold, unfeeling and inhumane. He exibits tremendous self-will. It is this side that enables him to commit the most terrible crime imaginable – taking another … Read more
Melville, Herman (1819-91), American novelist, a major literary figure whose exploration of psychological and metaphysical themes foreshadowed 20th-century literary concerns but whose works remained in obscurity until the 1920s, when his genius was finally recognized. Melville was born August 1, 1819, in New York City, into a family that had declined in the world. The … Read more
As you know many novels are structured around routine themes, symbols, and occasional motifs. The novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe is no exception to the mean. The culturally crafted novel showcases an African man named Okonkwo and the Igbo people, a tribe in Nigeria, and they’re being susceptible to change. Mostly focusing on … Read more
In the fictional novel, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Betty Smith tells the life experiences of one girl growing up in Brooklyn, New York. The main character of the book, Francie, fulfills the pattern of a questing hero. Smith leads the reader through the high points of Francie’s life as well as the low. One … Read more
Voltaire’s Candide is a novel which contains conceptual ideas and at the same time is also exaggerated. Voltaire offers sad themes disguised by jokes and witticism, and the story itself presents a distinctive outlook on life. The crucial contrast in the story deals with irrational ideas as taught to Candide about being optimistic, versus reality … Read more
Morrison’s novels, Beloved, The Bluest Eye, Sula, Song of Solomon and Tar Baby, reveal a unity and a consistency in her vision of the human condition. One particular preoccupation is with the effect of the community on the individual’s achievement and retention of an integrated acceptable self. In treating this subject she draws recurrently on … Read more
Young Goodman Brown Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne contains much symbolism. The symbols take many forms from the setting to the characters. The symbols can be viewed as just part of the story line, but upon further thought they represent many different things. Faith, Browns wife, is a symbol herself. When he says, My … Read more
Joseph Conrad’s literary classic Heart of Darkness serves as a powerful indictment of the hypocrisy of imperialism and the evils of racism. It reflects the savage repressions carried out in the Congo by the Belgians in one of the largest acts of genocide committed up to that time (Brians, 1998). Typical of many of the … Read more
Huck Finn In the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, there is a lot of superstition. Some examples of superstition in the novel are Huck killing a spider which is bad luck, the hair-ball used to tell fortunes, and the rattle-snake skin Huck touches that brings Huck and Jim good and bad … Read more
“A&P”, written by John Updike, is based on a moment in the life of a cashier. He was known as Sammy and he referred to his position in the grocery store as a slot checker. Sammy spent his time watching and wondering about customers. One day, while working, three girls dressed in bikinis entered the … Read more