The Intentional Death of Francis Macomber

Ernest Hemingway has created a masterpiece of mystery in his story “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber”. The mystery does not reveal itself to the reader until the end of the story, yet it leaves a lot to the imagination. At the end of the story Margaret Macomber kills her husband by accident, in … Read more

A Midsummer Nights Dream

A Midsummer Nights Dream is a classic fairy tale of lovers and betrayers. This play has been called Shakespeares happiest comedy and it most definitely is. It is filled with humor and non-stop action. There are many different qualities in a happy play that are clearly noticeable. For example, love that is for the best … Read more

And Then There Were None

The plot of the story is about 10 people getting murdered on an island called “Indian Island.” It seems that the “10 little Indians,” nursery rhyme relates to the death of each person. ( Read poem ) There’s also China figures that are suppose to represent each character. The 10 people were brought to the … Read more

Conflicting Ideals in The Great Gatsby

Throughout the world, societies can become cruel and unjustified machines. In the novel, The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the morality of a society is clearly revealed through the choices and consequences its characters experience. The two societies within the novel, West Egg and East Egg, create an atmosphere of mixed ideals and morals, … Read more

The story of Julius Caesar

The story of Julius Caesars assassination has been told both historically and fictionally. Historical sources focus on the facts of the assassination, while fictionary works focus more on the characters and the drama of the story. Because of the different purposes of the sources, there are many differences between the historical and fictional stories. William … Read more

Good vs. Evil

So often we see a battle of good vs. evil in movies, books, society, and in this case, an epic poem. This motif is used so often because it pertains to so many facets of authentic life. The epic poem Beowulf is an example of this because the hero of the story has an ongoing … Read more

The story A Rose for Emily

Characterization refers to the techniques a writer uses to develop characters. In the story A Rose for Emily William Faulkner uses characterization to reveal the character of Miss Emily. He expresses the content of her character through physical description, through her actions, words, and feelings, through a narrator’s direct comments about the character’s nature, and … Read more

The Heroine in A White Heron

A White Heron was a beautiful story of the battles within a little girl in her formative years in life. The story has a deeper meaning though, expressed in the involvement of much symbolic representation. The author, Sarah Orne Jewett, paints a vivid and descriptive image of the young heroine and her surroundings in the … Read more

The Catcher in the Rye

Innocence, Compassion, and some Crazy’ Cliff A novel, which has gained literary recognition worldwide, scrutiny to the point of censorship and has established a following among adolescents, The Catcher in the Rye is in its entirety a unique connotation of the preservation of innocence and the pursuit of compassion. With certain elegance the writer J. … Read more

Willa Cather’s novel, My Antonia

In the past, critics have ad moralized and/or brutalized every writer they could get their pen on. This is seen from criticisms of Henry Adams to William Butler Yeats. These writers critique everything about the writer and his/her works. For instance many critics criticize Willa Cather’s novel, My Antonia. Their criticisms lie on the basis … Read more

The story “A&P,” by John Updike

In the story “A&P,” by John Updike, the main character Sammy makes the leap from an adolescent, knowing little more about life than what he has learned working at the local grocery store, into a man prepared for the rough road that lies ahead. As the story begins, Sammy is nineteen and has no real … Read more

A Doll’s House by Hendrik Ibsen

After reading ‘A Doll’s House’; by Hendrik Ibsen. I can conclude that there is both a parallel and a contrast structure in the characters of Mrs. Linde and Nora. A contrasting difference in the characters, are shown not in the characters themselves, but the role that they play in their marriages. These women have different … Read more

Airframe by Michael Crichton

Airframe, a novel by Michael Crichton was a fairly good book that became very exciting towards the end. It is about the aviation industry and a fictional company named Norton Aircraft that manufactures planes. There is only one main character and the plot of the novel is about a secret plan to destroy the president … Read more

The poem “The Most of It,” Robert Frost

“He thought he kept the universe alone,” too most people the thoughts of being alone are very frightening. It is human nature to search for companionship. In the poem “The Most of It,” Robert Frost uses a wealth of strong imagery to tell a story of a person who has lost his loved one to … Read more

The Poetry of E. E. Cummings

E. E. Cummings, who was born in 1894 and died in 1962, wrote many poems with unconventional punctuation and capitalization, and unusual line, word, and even letter placements – namely, ideograms. Cummings’ most difficult form of prose is probably the ideogram; it is extremely terse and it combines both visual and auditory elements. There may … Read more

Frankenstein, Mary Shelley

In her novel Frankenstein, Mary Shelley explores a wide range of themes concerning human nature through the thoughts and actions of two main characters and a host of others. Two themes are at the heart of the story, the most important being creation, but emphasis is also placed on alienation from society. These two themes … Read more

The novel The Catcher In The Rye

In the novel The Catcher In The Rye we read about a sixteen year old boy named Holden Caulfield. The story starts off telling us about how he gets kicked out of a preppy High School and uses his parents money to move to New York. Throughout the story we see Holden expressing different types … Read more

A Prose Analysis on “Sonnet XIX”

John Milton, a poet who was completely blind in 1651 wrote “Sonnet XIX” in 1652; this sonnet is his response to his loss of sight. The theme of the sonnet is the loss and regain of primacy of experience. Milton offers his philosophical view on animism and God. Furthermore, “Sonnet XIX” explores Milton’s faith and … Read more

In Cold Blood

Truman Capote is one of the greatest authors of all time. He was born in 1924 and died in 1984. Sincehis early childhood, he has written many books and he has won many prizes and awards. Many people say that In Cold Blood was Capote’s best work. In this book, Capote writes a carefully detailed … Read more

A Farewell to Arms, a typical love story

A Farewell to Arms, by Ernest Hemingway, is a typical love story. A Romeo and his Juliet placed against the odds. Frederick and Catherine’s love affair must survive the obstacles of World War I. The background of war-torn Italy adds to the tragedy of the love story. The war affects the emotions and values of … Read more

Grim Prediction of the Future in Nineteen Eighty-Four

Nineteen Eighty-Four was written between the years of 1945 and 1948. Orwell got the title from switching the last two numbers of the publication date. In Orwell’s criticism of a perfect society, his book became known as one of the greatest anti-utopian novels of all time. The book’s message is so powerful that some say … Read more

The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum

Heinrich Boll uses his novel, The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum, to attack modern journalistic ethics as well as the values of contemporary Germany. The structure of this novel is important to conveying his message. He uses a police report format, differences in chapter lengths, narrator or author intervention, a subtitle, and the extensive use … Read more

The Joy Luck Club

The Joy Luck Club is a representation of the persistent tensions and powerful bonds between mother and daughter in a Chinese American society. The book illustrates the hardships both the mother and daughters go through in order to please the other. Also, it shows the troubles the daughters face when growing up in two cultures. … Read more

Homer Works

In the works written by Homer who nothing is known about him but his name. The Greeks believed that he was blind. The Greeks also believe that the Iliad, and the odyssey is a great Masterpiece written by Homer. The Iliad is the first written of the two poems. It is a war fought by … Read more

Okonkwo – Things Fall Apart

The world in Chinua Achedes novel, Things Fall Apart, was a society in which males had control of everything, and the women had control of nothing. As wives, women were seen as property, rather than as partners to be loved and cherished. The men of the Ibo tribe usually married more than one wife because … Read more

The Poetry of E. E. Cummings

E. E. Cummings, who was born in 1894 and died in 1962, wrote many poems with unconventional punctuation and capitalization, and unusual line, word, and even letter placements – namely, ideograms. Cummings’ most difficult form of prose is probably the ideogram; it is extremely terse and it combines both visual and auditory elements. There may … Read more

The Young and The Innocent Views

The thesis of my paper would have to be, How Being Young, While Having an Innocent View of The World Could Be Misleading. I am comparing both Tom from “A Woman on The Roof” and Sammy from “A&P”. Both characters are very similar. Yet in some ways the two characters Tom and Sammy are not … Read more

How does California seem to modern America?

People who live in cities and have lost touch with the earth. These people are portrayed in John Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath as Californians. Yet, people from the Midwest flocked to California seeking prosperity and opportunity. Their land had been taken by the banks and turned into cotton fields. They were left homeless and desperate. … Read more

Husbands: The Cause Of Conflict In Literature

Being that writing is inherently romantic in nature, throughout the history of literature, we see many authors insights into the enigmatic and often ambiguous subject of love and relationships. Three short stories written by three separate American writers deal with such matter; Charlotte Perkins Gillman in \”The Yellow Wallpaper\”, Kate Chopin in \”The Storm\”, and … Read more

The novel The Grapes of Wrath

We as Americans have seen our share of violence whether it is first hand, through the media, or in history books. We have seen the pain and struggle that these people must go through in order to survive. This novel, The Grapes of Wrath, relates to some of the many times of violence and cruelty … Read more

The Sun Also Rises

The novel starts out when Jake Barnes, Frances Coyne, and Robert Cohn are dining together. Jake suggests that he and Cohn go to Strasbourg together, because he knows a girl there who can show them around. Frances kicks him under the table several times before Jake gets her hint. After dinner, Robert follows Cohn to … Read more

Gods Grandeur

As a Jesuit priest who had converted to Catholicism in the summer of 1866, Gerard Manley Hopkinss mind was no doubt saturated with the Bible (Bergonzi 34). Although in “Gods Grandeur” Hopkins does not use any specific quotations from the Bible, he does employ images that evoke a variety of biblical verses and scenes, all … Read more

My Antonia Book Report

William Cather showed a great amount of information about the “old wild west” and the expansion of the United States. In My Antonia, Jim Burden told a story of his childhood, the people in his life, and the struggles he and his surroundings faced during this time. At age ten, Jim Burden was sent by … Read more

Literary Analysis: The Storm

The plot of the story “The Storm” by Kate Chopin is a conventional everyday plot. The story would not be so interesting if it weren’t for the last line of the story; “So the storm passed and everyone was happy. ” What did she mean by the closing line? My interpretation of the story is … Read more

The book “Flowers For Algernon”

The book “Flowers For Algernon”, by Daniel Keys was written in 1961. Later, Richard Heynes decided to produce the movie in 1968 properly called “Charly”. There are both similarities and differences between the two. However, the differences play a more crucial role between the two rather then the similarities. One major difference between the movie … Read more

Stalin’s five-year plan

Stalin’s five-year plan was made to upgrade Russia and bring it current with the rest of the world within a five-year period. In Orwell’s book Animal Farm, Napoleon – Snowball thinks up the idea of constructing a windmill which looks like it is designed to bring the farm up to current technology. In both cases, … Read more

Elli – Coming of age in the Holocaust

Elli, her mother and all of the prisoners they meet all have to undergo numerous physical and psychological hardships when they are forced into the concentration camps. They are treated like cattle on their way to the slaughterhouse when they are taken from their houses to the ghetto, then to the synagogue, and eventually to … Read more

The Devil and Tom Walker: Human Intent and the Aftermath of It

Washington Irving, in writing “The Devil and Tom Walker”, and Stephen Vincent Benet, in writing “The Devil and Daniel Webster” illustrate to the reader the consequences of man’s desire for material wealth and how a person’s motivation for a relationship with the devil affects the outcome of the “deal”. In these two different, yet surprisingly … Read more

The Tempest Character Analysis

William Shakespeare’s last play The Tempest is a story about Prospero (the rightful duke of Milan). He is betrayed by his brother Antonio and left on a ship with his daughter Miranda to die. Only things are not going according to plan and Prospero and Miranda arrive on an island. Prospero is seeking his revenge. … Read more

Post-modern Victorian: A. S. Byatts Possession

If I had read A. S. Byatt’s novel Possession without having had British Literature, a lot of the novel’s meaning, analogies, and literary mystery would have been lost to me. The entire book seems one big reference back to something we’ve learned or read this May term. The first few lines of chapter one are … Read more

The Touch of Magic by Lorena Hickok

The book I chose to read is called The Touch of Magic written by Lorena A. Hickok. The story was about Anne Sullivan Macy, Helen Keller’s wonderful teacher. I had never heard of Anne before I read this book, but while looking in the library my mom explained to me who she was and she … Read more

The Rudder That Steers a Story

Two men. Two men alike in two different stories, in two different time periods, characterized in ways that fit their culture and the social structure of their audience. Efficient changes in characters tend to help the reader or the viewer better understand and relate to modern day circumstances. Ulysses Everett McGill in O Brother, Where … Read more

Shakespeare’s Cymbeline

Shakespeare’s Cymbeline is a story of love, hatred, and betrayal. The main character, Imogen, is hurt by all of these emotions and actions. Not just by one person, by many throughout the play. These would include her father Cymbeline, lover, Posthumus, an Italian named Giacomo, the Queen, Posthumus’ servant, Pisanio, and the Queen’s son, Cloten. … Read more

The novel, Huck Finn

Throughout all of his adventures, Jim shows compassion as his most important trait. He makes the reader aware of his many superstitions and Jim exhibits gullibility in the sense that he, Jim, always assumes the other characters in the book will not take advantage of him. One incident proving that Jim acts naive occurs halfway … Read more

Thinking Man

Margaret Atwood once described the thinking man as on who resists, believes survival is a necessity, is isolated and alienated, and who is aware of the elements that make ones psyche and physical being disappear. Atwoods “thinking person” is exhibited in Holden Caulfield through the use of character, plot, & symbolism. To begin with, the … Read more

Experiment Gone Bad in Flowers for Algernon

One experiment was done on a mentally retarded person to try to raise his intelligence. The experiment worked, but after months, he came back to the state he orginally was at. In the book, Flowers for Algernon, by Daniel Keyes, this intelligence operation was done, and the patient was Charlie Gordon. After the operation, Charlie … Read more

So called Love Song

The ironic character of “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,” an early poem by T. S. Eliot (1888-1965) in the form of a dramatic monologue, is introduced in its title. Eliot is talking, through his speaker, about the absence of love, and the poem, so far from being a “song,” is a meditation on … Read more

The Artificial Nigger by Flannery O’Connor

In OConners “The Artificial Nigger” the essences of prejudice and degradation are captured to a great extent. Reality shows us with needless consistency people who need to feel better about themselves and only achieve it by being better than someone else. Mr. Head, the grandfather, is an example of one of these people. He is … Read more

The Catcher in the Rye

The Catcher in the Rye can be strongly considered as one of the greatest novels of all time and Holden Caufield distinguishes himself as one of the greatest and most diverse characters. His moral system and his sense of justice force him to detect horrifying flaws in the society in which he lives. However, this … Read more

Angelas Ashes, Jane Eyre, Lord Of The Flies – Suffering

Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it’. This literal and realistic statement said by one who has known suffering and has dealt with it. Helen Keller experienced a traumatic time as a child; being deaf and blind, she knew suffering but also knew that it is … Read more

The Taming of the Shrew

For the sixteenth century “The Taming of the Shrew” was extremely controversial. It portrays an independent young woman who falls in love with the only man she does not scare. For women to voice such strong opinions was considered extremely crude. Today we recognize it as wrong to stop anyone regardless of their religion, race … Read more

The book Ethan Frome

Ethan Frome, the main character in the book entitled Ethan Frome, by Edith Wharton, has many complex problems going on at the same time. His family has died and he has a wife that is continually sick, and the only form of happiness he has is from his wife’s cousin Mattie. This, however, at times, … Read more

The Nuns Priests Tale

The tale told by the Nuns Priest is a fable or story with animals as the main characters and usually ends with a moral of some sort. This tale takes place on the farm of and old, poor widow. All that she posses can be summed up in a few lines. It is among her … Read more

A Common Thread

We as a society are surrounded by life, as we know it each day. Never stopping to look around and absorb what is going on around us. Our surroundings pass us by and we never take a glimpse at what those surroundings may hold. Our society presses forward without looking over their shoulder to see … Read more

Quinn on Heart of Darkness

We cannot read Quinns Ishmael without re-evaluating ourselves. Quinn confronts us with powerful revelations about mankind. According to Quinn, if we continue to live in our taker lifestyles, we will eventually destroy ourselves. Conrads Heart of Darkness illustrates a real life manifestation of Quinns insights. Written nearly a century ago, Conrads tale of early English … Read more

Sammy’s Role In A&P

There are many different interpretations of Sammys role in A&P. T here are several that have been considered but the one that I have picked is the is Sammy a Womanizer by trying to lead the girls in to licking him or is he just quitting to become more successful than working at an A&P … Read more

The Importance of Point of View in The Black Cat

Point of view is a very important aspect of The Black Cat. The main character tells the story to the reader from his first person point of view. You have a good feel for the story because you have the first person narration. As you read into the story it comes apparent however that the … Read more

Slaughterhouse Five

When one begins to analyze a military novel it is important to first look at the historical context in which the book was written. On the nights of February 13-14 in 1944 the city of Dresden, Germany was subjected to one of the worst air attacks in the history of man. By the end of … Read more

The Winter’s Tale

In a court of Sicily, Lord Archidamus of Bohemia invites Lord Camillo of Sicilia to visit Bohemia when he can. They also speak how King Leontes’ son Mamillius will someday be king. Next, the king of Bohemia, Polixenes, says goodbye to the king and queen of Sicilia, Leontes and Hermione, although they beg him to … Read more

Post-War Insanity

“This is a novel somewhat in the telegraphic schizophrenic manner of tales of the planet Tralfamadore, where the flying saucers come from. ” Insanity is a major theme in Kurt Vonnegut’s life and in turn his novels tend to be a release for his thoughts of mental illness. Vonnegut’s characters tend to embody him or … Read more

The Handmaid’s Tale – Feminist?

Yes, I agree with this statement. Although the theocratic totalitarian regime operating in Gilead was instigated and is controlled by men, the male protagonists in the novel are seen as caring and sympathetic. Although one or two women have become quite close through their ordeal, despite the fact they’ve had no other choice (“We’re used … Read more

The story “A&P,” by John Updike

In the story “A&P,” by John Updike, the main character Sammy makes the leap from an adolescent, knowing little more about life than what he has learned working at the local grocery store, into a man prepared for the rough road that lies ahead. As the story begins, Sammy is nineteen and has no real … Read more

The Old Man and the Sea by Hemingway

The Nobelprize winning book: The old man and the sea, has been written by Ernest Hemingway and was published in 1982, though the original American print had been published in 1952. The title is exactly what the book is about. It is a short story. The story is written in one continuous whole and is … Read more

All Quiet on the Western Front

The chapter begins with German soldiers at rest after fourteen days of fierce battle on the Western Front. A double ration of food has been prepared so the soldiers are eating their fill. Paul Baumer, the protagonist and narrator of the novel, watches in amazement as his friends, Tjaden and Muller, eat another helping; he … Read more

The Storm and The Rocking Horse Winner

As a general rule, children love fairy tales. We grow up being read Grimm’s or watching Disney remakes of classics. Parents love telling children fairy tales not only because they have an opportunity to spend time with their sons and daughters, but also because fairy tales, like fables, always contain a lesson or moral within … Read more

Robinson Crusoe and Gulliver’s Travels: the Soldier Within

The characters in Gullivers Travels and Robinson Crusoe are portrayed as resembling trained soldiers, being capable of clear thought during tense and troubled times. This quality possessed within Robinson Crusoe and Gulliver is a result of the author’s background and knowledge. Daniel Defoe was knowledgeable and proficient in seamanship, he understood the workings of a … Read more

The story Flowers for Algernon

The story Flowers for Algernon depicts the meaning of intelligence in a very deep sense. The narrow definition intelligence is the capacity to learn, to understand, or to deal with new or trying situations. It is a concrete definition in such a way that it also means the ability to apply knowledge to manipulate ones … Read more

Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper”

Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” is an observation on the male oppression of women in a patriarchal society. The story itself presents an interesting look at one woman’s struggle to deal with both mental and physical confinement. Through Gilman’s writing the reader becomes aware of the mental and physical confinement, which the narrator endures, … Read more

Say Yes by Tobias Wolff

The short story written by Tobias Wolff in 1985 entitled Say Yes, manages to remind us with mostly the written dialog of the story that there were and possible still are conflicts within society of whether Caucasians and African Americans should marry. Whats more, is the author also getting across the point that no matter … Read more

Emerging Feminism in The Yellow Wallpaper

The Yellow Wallpaper, by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, is about a woman who is suffering from temporary nervous depression. Her husband, a doctor, has taken her to a summer vacation home for rest therapy; however, the woman’s condition worsens and she sees images of faces in the wallpaper of her room. She believes the images are … Read more

Its Not Plagiarism, Its Recycling

What does plagiarism have to do with Shakespeare, Marlowe, Ovid’s Metamorphosis, Titus Andronicus, Revenge Tragedies, Adam, Eve and the apple, and The Tempest? All these and many more are the result of plagiarism. There seems to be a great discussion on whether or not Shakespeare is the true author of the plays associated with his … Read more

“The Storm” by Kate Chopin

The plot of the story “The Storm” by Kate Chopin is a conventional everyday plot. The story would not be so interesting if it weren’t for the last line of the story; “So the storm passed and everyone was happy. ” What did she mean by the closing line? My interpretation of the story is … Read more

Trifles by Susan Glaspell

Trifles was written in the early 1900’s by Susan Glaspell. This occurred far before the women’s movement. Women were generally looked upon as possessions to their husbands. Their children, all wages, and belongings were property of their husbands. In Glaspell’s story it is easily depicted as to what role the men and women portrayed in … Read more

The Monster’s Human Nature

Hollywood has played a big part is our lives. Growing up we’ve seen numerous movies, some that scared us others that touch us, and those images stayed with us forever. So what happens when Hollywood takes a classic piece of literature such as Frankenstein and turns into a monster movie. It transforms the story so … Read more

The Age Of Reason And Decay

Rousseau’s ideology of education and nature laid the basic ground work for many of the Gothic novels that saturated the English society from the 1764 to 1830. From The Romance of the Forest by Ann Radcliffe to the book which was able to forge a bridge of thought that was able to span the chasm … Read more

A Critical Analysis of The Snows of Kilimanjaro

Ernest Hemingways background influenced him to write the short story The Snows of Kilimanjaro. One important influence on the story was that Hemingway had a fear of dying without finishing a work. Hemingway confirmed this fear in many interviews. Baker, in The Slopes of Kilimanjaro, states that Hemingway could well express the feelings of Harry … Read more

The short story “Everything That Rises Must Converge”

The short story “Everything That Rises Must Converge”, by Flannery OConnor tells the story of Julian, the main character and his thoughts and feelings toward his mother. Julian is a college graduate who has a fair understating of the world he lives in, and because of this finds difficulty dealing with his mother and her … Read more

The White Hotel

Psychoanalysis is a system of psychology originated by the Viennese physician Sigmund Freud in the 1890’s and then further developed by himself, his students, and other followers. It consists of activities such as using methods for research into the human mind, a systematic knowledge about the mind, and a method for the treatment of psychological … Read more

“Ode to A Nightingale” by John Keats

The Poem “Ode to A Nightingale” by John Keats is a unique poem, written sometime during the 1815- 1820’s while he was visiting at a friend’s house. This Romantic Age poem is well known for the way it is written. The main writing style Keats uses is imagery. This style is an excellent example of … Read more

Nemo Me Impune Lacessit

“No one provokes me with impunity” (Symons 315). These words began to take shape in Edgar Allan Poe’s life at a very early age (Silverman 1). Deep inside the mind of a madman, such as Poe, there is a world of loneliness, depression, hatred, and revenge. Each of these inner feelings is continuously reenacted throughout … Read more

Irony of The Setting in “The Lottery”

The setting set forth by Shirley Jackson in the beginning of The Lottery creates a mood of peacefulness and tranquillity. This setting also creates an image in the mind of the reader, the image of a typical town on a normal summer day. Furthermore, Shirley Jackson uses the setting in The Lottery to foreshadow an … Read more

Critical Essay on Billy Budd

Charles Reich’s assessment of the conflict in Billy Budd focuses on the distinction between the laws of society and the laws of nature. Human law says that men are “the sum total of their actions, and no more. ” Reich uses this as a basis for his assertion that Billy is innocent in what he … Read more

Jane Eyre, A passage to India, and The Tempest

Jane Eyre, A passage to India, and The Tempest all hold within their covers’ stories of women or girls who knowingly and unknowingly affected the lives of men they were involved with. However, the females’ range of influence does vary between the books due the writer’s opinions of the female sex. The strength and influence … Read more