Literature Essays

In “Aunt Ida Pieces a Quilt”, Dixon illustrates the deepness of love that can draw out from a nontraditional family. As long a strong bond and supportive relationship are established within a family, whether it is a nontraditional or a traditional nuclear family, no specific, ideal or absolute standard can determine what a family should be.

The author states that set in the 19th century, the story shifts its focus from the usual plots to the more emotional side of human existence and paints a totally different image of a contemporary woman’s role in society. The theme revolves around two major characters – Calixta and Alcee – and is supported by the families of the two.

A struggling band for several years, their lives changed with their hit song ‘We Are Young,’ which was played during February's Super Bowl. It was their second album, ‘Some nights,’ that transformed the unpopular band into one with sold out gigs and their songs playing all over the world.

This essay analyzes the setting, characters, important events, themes, and styles of Beowulf. Beowulf is an epic poem that shows, through the styles of grim irony and Christian didacticism, how a great warrior can rise to high status through fighting for his identity, although fate controls all characters, events, and their ultimate ends.

The main character of the story appears to be its narrator Sammy. Sammy is a nineteen years old boy who is working as a checkout clerk at one of the grocery stores named A&P. The owner of the store happens to be an acquaintance of Sammy as well. Sammy, who has a very different view regarding life, happens to be sensitive enough to take sudden decisions based on random incidents of life.

The literary theory implies a possible connection between language, definition, and consumption (Stern 322). This paper seeks to criticize “The Lottery,” a short story by Shirley Jackson. Such a literary criticism approach will use three points, credibility, emotional, and logical approaches of the author, which will be discussed in the paper.  

Kafka’s unusual plots and his mystic treatment of different life events left lasting imprints on young Marquez and made him continue the journey of mysterious storytelling on the paths of his predecessor - Franz Kafka. Borges’ attempts to imitate the great surrealist are also an indication of the admiration that Kafka held for his successors.

The non-fiction literature by Dave Eggers in the year 2009 and titled as “Zeitoun” is also one of such creations. In this book, Dave Eggers brings together the two most influencing powers of the then United States political environments; the upset of terrorism and war along with the trauma of natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina.

In The Gardens of Mont Saint Michel, Mont Saint Michel has changed from an earthly paradise to commercial place, which disappoints the American couple while in Great Barrier Reef, Mr. J. gets so much fatigued at discovering his aspired place that he has negative thinking about his future. He is no more ambitious or happy.

The vision of satan or demon is usually present in horror movies like “The Exorcism”. This movie is probably the scariest classic movie among its genre. However, Bowen’s story did not include the real satan or demon. It was a story of a dead lover from the past who comes back for his great love.

In terms of similarity, the messages both consider the nature of individuals boxed into a specific type of life; in McKay this is witnessed in the individuals facing racial oppression, whereas in Brooks this is demonstrated in closed-in nature of the housing complex

He is considered as one of the greatest writers of all time as he shared his expertise in the field of literature and let the readers across ages experience fantasy, romance and a mixture of reality through his literary works. A Midsummer Night’s Dream is said to be a comedy.

Some critics have for the most part described Satan as a “classical villain” as opposed to a “classical hero” (Calloway, 2005, p. 82).  However, Calloway (2005) takes the position that Milton’s Satan is indeed a classical hero and would be widely accepted as a hero had he “acted wholly on his own volition, with no deference to a higher authority” (p. 82).

They aspire to be at the place where the Lintons are and this implication gets evident when Heathcliff and Catherine peek out towards the house of the Lintons through the windows of the Wuthering Heights. The houses represented in the novel not only build the thematic aspect of the novel, throughout the plot one can trace greater implications represented by the contrast of the houses.

The third-person narrative technique is, therefore, appropriately used in this book so as to help the reader understanding the characters, events, and the plot of the story. By having the characters narrate some of the stories through the third person narrative, the author is able to gain the reader’s attention and interest in the story that he is narrating.

Since the beginning of the play, the audience is introduced to a set of characters who are in love. In all these relationships, however, there are inequalities. The relationship between Hippolyta and Theseus, the duke of Athens is a result of the political situations of both parties.

Weinreich has reminded that once beat became popular, the beat generation was not limited to poetry or literature but to everything else as well (263). The “beatniks” had become “cultural icons” (Weinreich, 264).

The pieces reflecting the earlier era`s i.e. the post World War I and World War II depict the problems prevailing in America during that century. The literary works discussed in this paper focusing during those eras are focusing on the elitist culture of the society depicting their lust for power and the self-obsession dominating their societies.

The characters, the symbols as well as the imagery have been derived from biblical as well as other sources and allow a greater understanding of Hawthorne’s unexplained sides. The psychoanalytic interpretation of “Young Goodman Brown” allows the reader to transcend into the inner world of Hawthorne that had been riddled with guilt for the actions of his forefathers.

Catherine Richardson is certainly right in saying that the Elizabethan audience had a particular notion regarding the relationship between the family and the state that to a great extent impacted their response to the early modern tragedies. To understand the dynamics of this particular relationship between the family and the state it is imperative to have an insight into the very genesis of the early modern tragedies.

As the story starts, the city residents are preparing for the summer festivals, and the society is exuberant as the feel of ecstasy and overall happiness is evident all over. In light of all this jubilation and general state of happiness for the city inhabitants, a child is held prisoner in a small dingy room within the city.

‘The Parable of Sower’ by Octavia Butler is a novel on religion and how religion will function and look in the future, especially for the blacks in America. Butler looks at a cultural history reconstruction for blacks through looking at ‘Earthseed’ as a religion for slaves.

The allusive and dense epic; is inspired from biblical tale of Adam and Eve’s fall from heaven to Earth due to Satan’s enmity. Conventionally the work of Milton tends to explore different enigmas enfolded in the biblical tale. His poetic representation of morality and immorality as in the tale of Adam and Eve’s disobedience; firstly provides description of commencement of defiance by Satan with free will and then commencement of defiance by Adam and Eve due to Satan’s persuasion.

According to Cullen, susceptibility to injury is not a sufficient criterion to classify an occupation as risky or less risky (34). The author argues that other factors such as violence, harassment, exposure to health hazards also determines the dangers associated with a certain occupation.

1 Name Professor’s name Class Date The Story of an Hour – Literary Analysis Order No. 838183 Introduction ‘The Story of an Hour’ is a scintillating short story by Kate Chopin that got published in 1894. Throughout the course of history, we find that women had lesser rights and opportunities to pursue their careers or the dreams when compared to men.

It is believed to have been written around 2750 to 2500 BC and survived despite the absence of the any printing press (Jackson, xvi). Till date, there have been various translations and versions of the book that try to introduce the book into popular culture.

The story begins with a scene of pope is sending Thomas out on a mission to look for the body of saint Aquin who had been a popular and powerful preacher. Pope hopes that the evidence of this purportedly indecomposable body can bring more converts into the church, which has being persecuted and forced to go underground.

The first glance at Iago’s character speaks of pure evil, but as he progresses into play the villain comes out as as amoral rather than immoral. Iago exhibits villainy tactics deeply embedded in his characterization. Iago’s soliloquies award the audience with a distinct perspective into the episodes of the plot (Shakespeare and Honigmann 31).

As the paper tells, Homer’s Iliad shows examples of heroic psychology, particularly as regards fair-mindedness. However, an important question that requires a great deal of attention is: does the Iliad allow readers to discern any other reasons for the warrior’s tendency to be fair beside his benevolence?

The puritan era also had a rich witchcraft history, and Hawthorne uses of a woman can be seen as appropriate in this case. In general, it is clear that Hawthorne uses both sexes to bring out the explicit evil flaws and establish his beliefs to the reader

Michael Henchard in the Mayor Casterbridge. Michael Henchard is a character in the Mayor of Casterbridge written by Thomas Hardy. The protagonist in this novel has many encounters, many challenges than the hero that most individuals come across in the novels.

Children who are exposed to literature at a tender age are likely to be more creative. Moreover, children’s literature also serves as a tool to sharpen the thinking capacity of children, who often have to use their mental capacity to decipher the meaning of the story, as well as analyzing the moral lessons in each literature piece.

The paper dwells on “What You Pawn I Will Redeem” by Alexie. It narrates the story of Jackson Jackson, a chronically homeless Spokane Indian man who needs money to buy back an important family relic that was stolen years back.

Covey mentions of the four sourced of strengths obtained by being principle-centered. They are security, guidance, wisdom, and power. Security is related to personal strength, sense of worthiness, personal identity, emotional anchorage and self-esteem.

Overall, Herman Melville’s Billy Budd and Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Self Reliance both identify societal issues that speak to the inequalities and resulting depravity of human nature in a manner that illuminates for the reader a sense of understanding about the importance of self reliance and spiritual awareness.

The author states that as is customary of Kate Chopin’s writings, where her female characters are portrayed to be different from the typical woman encountered during those times or rather the typical woman, one expected to encounter, Louise Mallard of this short story, also serves as one such character.

Dickens develops great sympathy with the plight of the French poor class and peasantry, emphasizing their need for liberation. Consequently, violence in its various forms is one of the major themes throughout the whole novel. Violence, for Dickens, can take various shapes, but one of the most vicious forms of violence is oppression.

The story itself is not amazing or out of this world and it does not have any value that could be worth telling but the method the author used is quite commendable which is what made the storytelling interesting. The subtlety of the language and the point of view of the main character make it a worthwhile read. 

My interest in World War Two history was definitely piqued after having read this book at a very young age, before I read the book again for this IB oral exam. The bombing of Dresden, which occurred at the end of World War Two, was part of the fall of Germany into Allied hands.

The prevailing tension during the 1960s and ’70s which measured the African American struggle for the same rights are well depicted through the characters in the play. The 1980s observed a cold struggle to morph the two cultures in order to erase the difference between races and people. The African Americans were dissimilar to any other races or the Whites.

The segregation of black men was very evident during his time. It was one of the major instigators of violence against colored people. The letter was a call, not only to the government, but also to the people to look at the impact of segregation, discrimination, and oppression of black men. It was written with an emphasis on parallelism.

The world, in every segment of society, is engulfed in the avalanche of information. This has led to the cultural chaos, as the human being is unable to assimilate and put into proper use the available mass of information. In the meantime, new waves of information continue to arrive without intermission.

Controversy can be defined as a prolonged public contention or dispute concerning an opinion or an ideology under consideration. Heated arguments and strife characterize the most controversial situations on the best opinion or perception concerning the element under consideration. In this regard, numerous analysts postulate their ideas, which are based on some conventional perception, are correct.

The essence of human life is the unending search for the ultimate truth/reality and the tiresome effort to attain salvation. Some people try to attain salvation within the limits of religious rituals and customs. But some other people consider salvation as self-purification and as the essence of life.

Wright's passion for writing led him to publish his first book at the age of sixteen. His literature helped in changing the race relations in his home country, the United States of America, in the mid 20th century. This essay is going to look into Richard’s life and sample some of his writings (Rowley 4).  

Passing is Nella’s second novel that appeared in 1929. The novel depicts different aspects and experiences of her life and talks about her experiences and observations regarding the role of women confronting racial and sexual biasness in the society that prevent them from maintaining their identity and status (Thadious, p54).      

In Heart of Darkness, Conrad engages the nature of his conflicting myths about Africa. Where he had once believed it a mysterious place of adventure, it becomes something of darkness and terror. Both concepts are based upon beliefs that have been constructed through the associated myths that generalize aspects of the experience of travel.

According to the research findings, Hemingway does not merely present the realities of way --- he condemns it. He states that it creates a situation that destroys mankind. With the use of rain to symbolize gloom and death, he lets the readers reflect on the war's ability to kill everybody --- heart, mind, and soul. It is a bitter rebuttal to the romanticists' glorification of war.

Homer’s The Iliad and The Odyssey are two classical epic poems. When one investigates the epic poetry genre, Homer’s language and similes, characterization of the protagonists, the prevailing themes and structure of the poem, one ultimately discover a unity between both poems. The Iliad features the demi-god Achilles who goes out warfighting against Troy.

The issues that are focused on in the literary discourses are kin to thematic addresses. The works could be fictions or recounts of real events, but whichever the case, one fact that stands out is that the issues are from the observations that the authors make on the daily occurrences.