Would you ever harm someone to get something you wanted? Well that is just what the doctor, faceless attackers, and Kino did in the novella The Pearl by John Steinbeck. Kino constantly is willing to do anything to protect his pearl, even if that means harming his own wife and baby and killing and or … Read more
Religion is something that is mentioned to a great extent in the novel Moby Dick by Herman Melville. Father Mapple delivers the story of Jonah and the Whale, in which he speaks about a man named Jonah who tries very hard to get away from God which has a horrible aftereffect. Every time he tries … Read more
In the timeless Romantic era novel The Count of Monte Cristo set in France during the early nineteenth century, Alexandre Dumas displays the complexity of the word ambition and demonstrates, through his characters, how ambition is the common driving force behind actions–often rooting itself in the very essence of a character’s being. Ambition is defined … Read more
In the novel, Under The Feet of Jesus, by Helena Maria Viramontes, the author conveys the harshness of being a migrant worker and how easily one can become stuck in the same job for their whole life. Viramontes, uses the main character, Estrella, a 13 year old migrant worker to display how this long-lasting cycle … Read more
Character Development and Characterization In the story, all the character’s actions were believable since all the character’s actions would be exactly identical to human beings behavior in the Earth. For instance, Harriet went to Tokyo for a modeling job. That seems reasonable, but it does sound difficult. Another example would be that Harriet and her … Read more
The time after World War I is usually seen as a prosperous one, full of extreme economic growth and opportunity. The most prominent image is over flappers and speakeasies, people that challenged any traditional thoughts, and boldly moved forward into the future. F. Scott Fitzgerald is known for being a writer from this time period, … Read more
In the novel The Illustrated Man, by Ray Bradbury, there are many short stories that analyze the abuse and danger of technology, as well as our fascination with it. In addition, it shows how technology influences our relationships with others. In “The Veldt”, a family’s smart house ends up making their lives easier at first, … Read more
Not all who attempt to live in nature survive. In the movie Grizzly Man narrated and directed by Werner Herzog and the novel Into the Wild written by Jon Krakauer, Timothy Treadwell and Chris McCandless both were driven by the idea of removing all traces of the mainstream modern world. Both of them chased a … Read more
As the graphic novel has become a more respected medium of literary work, artists/authors have found a more effective yet subtle method of communication: instead of explicitly stating feelings, they can be portrayed through illustration which will be absorbed both consciously and subconsciously by readers, further developing an understanding and connection to the content matter. … Read more
In a novel by William Styron, a father tells his son that life “is a search for justice. ” Merriam-Webster defines justice’ as “just behavior or treatment. ” Deciding what actually quantifies itself as just behavior is completely a subjective process. Everyone, in their own minds, has their own sense of innate justice that drives … Read more
Hazel Lancaster attends a support group for cancer patients to please her mother and ends up meeting the boy she will fall in love with. Issac, the only person she likes in the support group, brings his friend Augustus Waters for support. Hazel and Augustus have a disagreement over Augustus’s fear of oblivion which Hazel … Read more
The Adventures of Roald Dahl The autobiography, “Going Solo,” by Roald Dahl is about the adventures he faced throughout his journey as a World War II pilot. Throughout the novel, Dahl exhibits the ability to draw readers in and make them want to read more. His techniques and excellent storytelling skills helped develop this novel … Read more
The Antiguan, realistic writer Jamaica Kincaid once said, “I think in many ways the problem that my writing would have with an American reviewer is that Americans find difficulty very hard to take. They are inevitably looking for a happy ending” (BrainyQuote 1). Kincaid is surely not wrong about America and our happy ending; America … Read more
McEwan in his novel Atonement explores deceit through the character of Briony. Briony is presented as an overly ambitious young girl whose actions are mainly done to gain some recognition in the adult world. McEwan structures his novel in such a way that the reader is presented with the deceit in the first part of … Read more
Even though a novel may receive critical acclaim, there can still be perspectives that question about some of the information written. These criticism delve into what Hemingway wrote and investigate the issues and controversies within the novel. With any classic novel, many people are going to have opinions about it. They try to strip a … Read more
The Poisonwood Bible contains many themes throughout the novel. It is interesting to see how the characters react towards certain themes, especially the theme regarding justice and injustice in the Congo as well as globally. Justice can be defined by many as the quality of being just or righteous. Most of the Price family reacts … Read more
From the dawn of time, people have always had a deep and violent nature hidden within their roots. Although this kind of trait is suppressed and often strongly frowned upon, under the correct conditions, it is revealed to have a powerful effect, showing positive results. Conversely, throughout its true, vigorous and highly controversial content, the … Read more
“I thought about August’s words. People can start out one way, and by the time life gets through with them they end up completely different” (Kidd, 293). Although it may seem as if this quote has a negative viewpoint, in relation to Lily, it represents how her life took a turn for the better and … Read more
Often times, who one surrounds themselves with, even for a short period of time affect a person’s life for years to come. In Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger captures the story of Holden Caulfield, who throughout his travels to New York, is compelled by his thoughts of characters who are never introduced … Read more
William Shakespeare once said,”I must be cruel only to be kind; thus bad begins, and worse remains behind” (Hamlet 3. 4. 14-17). Those same words can be applied to the iconic American novel, Beloved. From the start of her story, Toni Morrison makes it apparent that slavery haunts the residents of 124, as the cruel … Read more
One author who stands out in the abolitionist literary canon is Harriet Beecher Stowe who wrote Uncle Tom’s Cabin in 1851. Stowe decided to publish her novel as a series of weekly articles in a newspaper entitled the National Era. This magazine appealed to men, women and sometimes even children. The Era’s format included four … Read more
Introduction: In American Psycho and The Outsider, to experience the Absurd is to experience Otherness, and within both film and novel it is absurdity and the Absurd which drives Mersault and Bateman towards their respective social alienations. However, despite the inextricable link between the Absurd and Otherness within the texts, the means by which the … Read more
Homesickness can be defined as the distress or impairment caused by an actual or anticipated separation from home. The frantic attempt to recreate the previous life leads to depression and a loss of identity. Distraught and alienated in America, Ashima pushes her Bengali heritage upon her children, Gogol and Sonia, in an effort to lessen … Read more
One way Philip K. Dick’s novel the Simulacra demonstrates the convergence of political power in America and the spectacle as defined by Guy Debord is through the character Richard Kongrosian. This character displays both of these characteristics and is greatly affected by these aspects throughout the text. Debrod’s text focuses more on presenting specific ideas … Read more
Humans tend to ignore what is within their environs and how it might influence their lives. Some act out of ignorance while others are naive of how the things they interact with may impact their lives. This project is meant to evaluate the perception of humans on various aspects of life that they encounter on … Read more
White Teeth by Zadie Smith White Teeth, the novel written by Zadie Smith, has a very peculiar name and the imagery of teeth is brought up many times throughout the novel. I believe that this reoccurring symbolism of teeth are so prominent because teeth are white no matter what a person’s race is; Teeth are … Read more
Life is a thrilling mystery novel, a conglomeration of seemingly random events, pieced together to form a thrilling story. The Five People You meet in Heaven, written by Mitch Albom, is a novel about the afterlife of Eddie, an amusement park maintenance worker. When Eddie arrives in his afterlife, he meets five people who were … Read more
Female leaders are not the most common thing in the world, in fact out of 142 nations only 63 of them have had a female leader in the past 53 years (Kent). That makes the novel by Jose Saramago a very unique novel. In the novel, Blindness, the only character that can see is the … Read more
When someone walks into a bookstore like Barnes & Nobles they see different books of different genres. They see fantasy, non-fiction, bibliography and magical realism. Magical realism, according to Encyclopedia Britannica is “chiefly Latin-American narrative strategy that is characterized by the matter-of-fact inclusion of fantastic or mythical elements into seemingly realistic fiction. ” In other … Read more
The tale of Don’t Quixote de la Mancha is noted as the first modernly written novel, and has impacted many different works throughout history. Within the tale of Don Quixote de la Mancha, by Miguel Cervantes, the reader is told early on that the protagonist, Don Quixote, has gone mad due to his incessant reading … Read more
John Gardner’s novel, Grendel, takes place in the fourth century A. D. in Denmark. The novel is about Grendel, a monster that lives in a cave with his mother who is unable to communicate with him due to her lack of ability to speak, and fails to fit in among humans, causing him to live … Read more
Mo’ Money, Mo’ Biggers Long ago, our economy, our government, our families, and individuals joined together and created the greatest weapon yet, Biggers. What are Biggers? Biggers have been around since the beginning of time, they are sinful creatures like yourself that has been outcast from society because their soul has been labeled “unredeemable”. Biggers … Read more
In American culture, there are many social issues and aspects in which influences a person; in the long run hopefully it inspires change in society. In the fictional novel, Choke, written by Chuck Palahniuk. American culture is explored throughout the whole novel, and it reveals social issues in hope that it will lead to a … Read more
“Every time a crime was committed by a Muslim, that person’s faith was mentioned, regardless of its relevance. When a crime is committed by a Christian, do they mention his religion? “(Eggers 37). Dave Egger states in his novel Zeitoun. Zeitoun is a nonfiction book written by Dave Eggers about the main character named Abdulrahman … Read more
Is words could possibly change individuals ‘s thoughts from hopelessness, brutality, to become a normal human being that was use to be live inside a prison. Some convict spend a certain amount of time on serving a long or short sentenced, some of the time they lose themselves in a world of brutality and turn … Read more
In the novel, The Marrow of Tradition by Charles W. Chesnutt, it seems like vengeance is viewed differently through the lens of different characters. For example, the vengeance that Josh Green seeks upon Captain McBane, which is murdering him because of a past incident, and the vengeance that the whites of Wellington seek through lynching … Read more
Jane Smiley’s A Thousand Acres offers a plethora of situations involving the idea of power. There is one word used by Smiley that seems to display the masculine power in her novel. The idea of gazing, whether at someone or something, is a traditionally male action. Larry Cook is a man in control in this … Read more
In the novel Border Odyssey, Professor Charles Thompson travels along the Mexican-US border with his wife and other travel companions to better understand the relationship between the two countries. Even though Thompson had traveled to different areas of the border before, this was his first trip attempting to cover its entirety. Thompson is currently a … Read more
Martin Luther King Jr once said, “We must accept finite disappointments but never lose infinite hope. ” Chanda’s Secrets created by Allan Stratton is a fictional novel. In Chanda’s Secrets only one person, that being Chanda shows an immeasurable amount of hope even though she faced a numerous amount of devastation and disappointments. Mama displays … Read more
A Confederacy of Dunces presents a vivid image of the city and lays out the alterations between romantic and vulgar indulgence. Toole illustrates Ignatius’s obsession with literature demonstrating how that condition sets him apart from the world marred with perilous challenges. Although armed with a master’s degree, his inadequacy to adopt the status quo cost … Read more
Apple Of My Eye: A Summary of Michael Pollan’s ‘The Apple’ from The Botany of Desire Micheal Pollan begins his bestselling novel, “The Botany Of Desire”, with a question, what is the difference between humans, and the bumblebee? Pollan argues that humans do not have control over nature as we tend to believe, he believes … Read more
90 MILES presents as a political drama. The opening scene sets the dramatic tone and offers a tension-filled sequence, in which two men struggle in the water. It certainly reminds one of the recent scenes in the news of refugees’ real-life struggle. It makes for a solid opening. The story then transitions to the past … Read more
Exposure to isolation for a prolonged period of time has devastating consequences on the well-being of a human being. Susan Glaspell in Trifles and Anton Chekhov in The Darling portray the results of isolation through their protagonists, Mrs. Wright and Olenka. Glaspell and Chekhov prove the consequences of isolation by exploring the impacts it has … Read more
The novels “Mister Pip” by Lloyd Jones and “The Kite Runner” by Khlaed Hosseini reveal that identity is revealed when confronted with overwhelming obstacles. It is through a series of unfortunate events, such as death and factors relating to culture and time, that the protagonists, Amir and Matilda begin their road to self discovery. Following … Read more
In the Talented Mr Ripley the author creates a psychopath that is not only cringe worthy but very much believable. By showing the main character who presents many of the characteristics and traits of such a person, from pathological lying to lack of empathy for others, Highsmith does well at getting the reader to root … Read more
Where’d you Bernadette by Maria Semple is a novel about a woman who has a daughter and a husband. She seems to be a weird person at the beginning, but as the story goes through you find out why is acting that way. She ends up by going away and leaving her family, but at … Read more
David Suzuki is a Canadian scholar and an environmentalist. Born in 1936, Suzuki has been a great scientist known for the campaigns of a sustainable environment. Suzuki has written many articles and books that have been noticed to intrigue the public with his words and form of writing (Suzuki, p2). This essay will focus on … Read more
In an attempt to place Heart of Darkness in a new historical perspective, Brook Thomas writes methodically, with intention, in an effort to convey his ideas. In an effort to get to his main point, Thomas must first define the terms he is going to use in his argument. This definition not only leads to … Read more
A controversial theme of the novel “Never Let Me Go” may be Trust. Trust is very evident throughout this novel. The characters in the novel go through many problems where they must trust each other to help decide to disapprove to an action and correct another’s actions. To gain this trust most people state that … Read more
When you are posed with the question if human beings are inherently good or bad, you often find yourself floundered to find an answer. It is a fundamental question with no definite answer, only your conception of situations and human beings. People often look for the bad in the world, they point out the negative … Read more
The Kite Runner is an Afghan American fiction novel written by Khaled Hosseini. In the text the story of a man, named Amir’s, past is told. In continuation, a reader of the novel may get the impression, at the beginning of the book, that Amir is just an ungrateful child that receives everything he wants, … Read more
Within Hosseini’s ‘A Thousand Splendid Suns’ and Atwood’s ‘The Year of the Flood’, each modern novel’s societies present their central women characters as being enslaved. Whilst each society is entirely different as ‘The Year of the Flood’ is post-apocalyptic and on the other hand ‘A Thousand Splendid Suns’ follows the ever changing political situation in … Read more
In the novel, the characters tell the story by using an internal monologue and take turns giving their version of what happened during their mother’s death. The family lives in a part of the south and must make it to town to get the mother buried in a proper setting. The actual setting of the … Read more
An astounding read, the Gravity Journal was a tear-jerking novel about the mental battle fought by, young Anise. A 16 year old girl who views herself as fat and ugly, although she is skin and bones, and she also self-mutilates when her depression becomes overwhelming. She comes from a rich but very dysfunctional family; she … Read more
The essay will be about the Novel Throwaway Daughter a fiction that is about a girl named Grace on a journey of finding her identity. The main story is about a young girl Grace Parker, who was abandoned in front of the orphanage by her mother and was adopted by a Canadian family. She is … Read more
A Day No Pigs Would Die is a captivating novel that depicts many images of life and death throughout the story. It follows the life of Robert Peck who went through some rough times in his young life. He also had several happy moments including when he obtained his first real belonging, a pink piglet … Read more
Introduction – 45 to 60 seconds Audio Sarah has just written her first short story and is now in the editing phase. Her story is about a school field trip to the holocaust museum. In the beginning of the story the two main characters are pretty self-centered. They often ridicule and criticize others while building … Read more
The different uses of colour by an author in their writing can have an incredible effect on the way that a novel is perceived. In the novel The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway, the lack of colour sets the tone appropriate for a book about a city under siege, this is punctuated by spots … Read more
All the Literature We Cannot See With as much time and energy that readers divest into reading, they certainly want what they read to be worthwhile. According to Jago, literature is defined as works that are worthwhile, texts that “we’re likely to remember-ones that may, in fact, influence who we are”. By this definition, Anthony … Read more
The novel Mother Night was a popular novel of its time and still affecting its reader in present day. The film of this novel followed the text exceptionally well representing comedic scene and romance accurately. In the film main character Howard Campbell Jr. was faced with some ethical dilemmas and tough choices that would determine … Read more
Aldridge’s essential claim in this article is that even 25 years after publication, Catch 22 has remained relevant and ubiquitous due to its many revelations that come only after reading. One of Aldridge’s main points in this article is that while Catch-22 is known for its satire, it ultimately ends with a realization of the … Read more
The idea of a perfect society might sound appealing, but would a perfect society include Sameness? In the novel, The Giver by Lois Lowery, Jonas, the main character, lives in a society where everyone portrays Sameness. Sameness is where everything is equal. For example, every family has four people: a mother and a father, one … Read more
In the novel, Running in the Family by Michael Ondaatje, the author uses figurative language in Ceylon where which the story of his family unravels. He uses figurative language to connect Ceylon to the people who live there, particularly his family. As the story goes on, Ondaatje has the climate and earth of Ceylon form … Read more
“It’s the left over humans. It’s the survivors. They’re the ones I can’t stand to look at, although on many occasions I still fail…I am haunted by humans,” (Zusak, 5-550). Markus Zusak, filled with inspiration and education, created a thrilling historical fiction novel. Because of these principles, it has become highly successful and is a … Read more
Not many novels are comparable to Flannery O’Connor’s The Violent Bear it Away. Perhaps this is due in part to her skillful composition, but O’Connor’s blunt addressal of the natural struggle between faith and reason is strikingly convicting. Raised in the south in a predominantly Catholic family, O’Connor herself was no stranger to the concepts, … Read more
Overcoming Hardships Many people experience hardships within their lives, while some struggle to adapt to the circumstances, others conquer the odds of the situation. In Margaret Lawrence’s The Other Side of the Bridge, Arthur Dunn overcomes his hardships by showcasing forgiveness and achieving self-worth. Ultimately these factors help Arthur to overcome certain hardships and to … Read more
Works of literature are able to influence all forms of society, and the authors of said literature are the forces behind it. Sarah Orne Jewett is a notable author from the nineteenth century and wrote many short stories and novels. Most of these works directly reflect Jewett’s early life in the New England countryside, and … Read more
The novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie’s was such an inspiring powerful book that left a profound impact on me. One thing the book helped me realize is that everyone that I meet and run into has their own personal story and you never know what it took for … Read more
Thinking about the world today and its society, lots of people are judgmental and hypocritical. Yet, some may also be very conscious of every step they take. Being courageous isn’t necessarily running in the face of danger, nor is it risking your life. Courage can be a private matter and to act with hope that … Read more
The novel Witch and Wizard: The Kiss is very thrilling and James Patterson and Jill Dembowski deliver another exciting story in the fourth-book of the series, and continue the saga of Witch and Wizard. Wisty Allgood, one of the main protagonists in the story, is a rebellious seventeen-year old young lady who is of tall … Read more
In a world where everything has gone to chaos, where there is cannibalism, where food is sacred, and sky is charcoal grey; people will do anything to survive. In order to survive one needs the basic elements: food, water, and shelter. Having others, to help one stay sane; having a sense of direction, in order … Read more
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian The novel “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” written by Sherman Alexie is an inspiration to the younger generation. The novel targeted young adults when Alexie was writing it; however, she has got a positive response from many people. The fans of the book include … Read more
Our past experiences, especially in our formative years as children, shape who we are, how we experience the world, and how the world sees and labels us. We are born being thrown into circumstances we have no control over and are not of our our own choosing. Our birthright is our race, class, gender, and … Read more
Statement of intent: Thave done a formal writing piece of the Kite Runner to show what I know about this novel, and to show some of the ideas in the text that are represented by cruel and kind behaviour. (Analyse how cruel or kind behaviour was used to show one or more ideas in the … Read more
In the book Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn he writes a fictional novel to entertain his reader while trying to bring out a bigger message. His message is evidently shown throughout the whole book. The message Dunn wants to address in his book appear to be that we as individuals are lacking language, communication … Read more
In his novel Mortal Engines, Philip Reeve is critiquing society and class, violence, and technology. To begin with, Reeve is displaying how unfair society is and how the wealthiest people get the recognition for making our society run smoothly. In chapter seven, Reeve (2001) states that the “Top Tier hangs over the city like an … Read more
Jade Taylor lives with her family. She has five sisters (Amelie, Emma, Blythe and Mimi). Her mother is a medium, so she focuses on the spiritual realm. Her father died of smallpox, leaving her mother in grief. This whole book starts off with Maude Taylor connecting with the spirit of Mary Adelaide. Mary Adelaide’s husband … Read more
I Walk This Lonely Road “On this road there are no godspoke men. They are gone and I am left and they have taken with them the world” (McCarthy 32). Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, a novel set in a post-apocalyptic world, follows a father and son throughout their journey in a new world in which … Read more
In the novel Cue for Treason by Geoffrey Trease, Peter Brownrigg is a heroic individual. Throughout the novel Peter is depicted as being selfless, courageous and having good morals that support virtuous actions. No matter the age, race, or size of a hero, they all share those traits with Peter; a supreme example of the … Read more
The movie Contact, based on the novel by Carl Sagan, is a fascinating journey through the human mind that attempts to answer the questions that humans have been asking since the dawn of time, ‘Are we alone in the Universe? ‘; Ellie Arroway (portrayed by Jodie Foster), the main character of the movie refers to … Read more
“And O-lan in the house was not idle. With her own hands she lashed the mats to the rafters and took earth from the fields and mixed it with water and mended the walls of the house, and she built again the oven and filled the holes in the floor that the rain had washed. … Read more
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
McTeague, a novel written at the turn of the century by Frank Norris, is a classic example of naturalist writing. This novel is written with the harsh realities that were this time period. There are many themes that occur in naturalism. Some of them that appear in this novel are greed, lust, strife, as well … Read more
1) The Hours, based on the novel written by Michael Cunningham, is more than a biographical movie about Virginia Woolf. How can you discribe the importance and co- relation between the three female main characters: Virginia, Laura Brown and Clarissa Vaughan? The novel is essentially about women. Women from different periods, of different ages, and … Read more
The new American edition of the novel A Clockwork Orange features a final chapter that was omitted from the original American edition against the author’s preference. Anthony Burgess, the novel’s author, provided for the new edition an introduction to explain not only the significance of the twenty-first chapter but also the purpose of the entire … Read more
You are not your job. You are not how much you have in the bank. You are not the contents of your wallet. You are not your khakis. You are not a beautiful and unique snowflake. What happens first is you cant sleep. What happens then is theres a gun in your mouth. And what … Read more
In Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby he introduced Jay Gatsby, a man of extreme wealth who lives his life in pursuit of one dream: having Daisy Buchanan as his own. There are many rumors surrounding this man, and his character and actions are questions by many people. Regardless of all the gossip and speculation, Gatsby … Read more
After the Bomb, written by Gloria Miklowitz, is a thrilling novel that takes place before, during, and after a bomb, which supposedly was sent from Russia by accident. The disastrous happening alters all of Los Angeles and surrounding cities. Philip Singer, a teenager, is in a position as leader of the family. His brother, Matt, … Read more
I have to admit, when I first started reading this book, I had a problem with trying to stay awake: I found the writing dry. Then slowly as characters were introduced, a mystery started to unfold, and tension between neighbors rose, I could not put the novel down. Whether it was the vivid descriptions of … Read more
Authors, readers, and those in literary circles use the term ‘genre’ to classify the different modes of expression used in individual works of literature. The importance of this term can most easily be understood when examining the human tendency to classify the majority of items in our society. When examining literature, using the term ‘genre’ … Read more
Richard Wright’s novel, Native Son, consisted of various main and supporting character to deliver an effective array of personalities and expression. Each character’s actions defines their individual personalities and belief systems. The main character of Native Son, Bigger Thomas has personality traits spanning various aspect of human nature including actions motivated by fear, quick temper, … Read more
In the novel Sula, by Toni Morrison we follow the life of Sula Peace through out her childhood in the twenties until her death in 1941. The novel surrounds the black community in Medallion, specifically the bottom. By reading the story of Sulas life, and the life of the community in the bottom, Morrison shows … Read more
The novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens is a tale of a young orphan boy who enters this world, according to Dickens as an it. For a long time after it was ushered into this world of sorrow and trouble by the parish surgeon it remained a matter of considerable doubt whether the child would … Read more
The Importance of 1984 1984 was a very important book. First, it helped show where communism was headed, and helped create repulsion towards Communism. Before this book (and Animal Farm) a lot of people thought Communism was a good thing. The major mainstream generally neutral about it, but this book really opened up and showed … Read more
