Newest Literature Essays

Any basic plot is driven by the conflict from opposing trails to intertwined goals. There can only be one winner. Treasure Island symbolizes this with the epitome of archetypes: Long John Silver the notorious villain and Jim Hawkins the hero boy....

In The Odyssey by Homer, and the Epic of Gilgamesh the titular protagonists of their respective narratives, Odysseus and Gilgamesh face their own perilous journeys, by their own hands and at the caprice of the fickle gods. Odysseus is left to his...

Despite the fact that the Cicero constructs his argument based on factual evidence of what took place during the time before the fight and during the fracas itself, we cannot deny the fact that Cicero does at times use Clodius’ past actions to aid...

Many have called writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson’s 2017 film Phantom Thread a return to form after two misfires. Not only is Phantom Thread a glorious return to form for Anderson, it will go down in film history as a classic. What makes ...

In The Winter’s Tale, by William Shakespeare, the concept of ‘faith’, both in a religious and social sense, plays a pivotal role in the interactions between major figures in the play, and which underpins and re-affirms the consistent theme of...

A famous princess held captive by a beast once sang in the Beauty and the Beast musical by Ashman and Menken, “Home should be where the heart is, and never were words so true.” This idea clues in a relevant truth that resonates throughout Willa...

Throughout the course of history, people have struggled with the question of God. Where did He belong? How should people worship Him? Does God even exist? As time progressed, faith in God has faded and diversified. The questions surrounding Him...

John Donne effectively explores the relationship between passion and reason in his love poetry. Donne’s many works, such as ‘to his mistress going to bed’ and ‘the ecstasy’ exhibit the discourse of love and equate the strength and power of both...

Truth is a universal theme that has been the fascination of people since the dawn of time. It is the underlying, almost primal reason that urges mankind to progress; a noble quest for knowledge, and an uneasiness that the essence of truth will...

Blood is an important aspect in ‘The Bloody Chamber’ due to its connotations with many different elements, specifically to do with the human body. Blood is shown as impure and something that stains women and objects. This is symbolic of the...

Bullying is defined as unwanted, aggressive behavior that involves a real or perceived power imbalance (stop bullying.gov). Dear Bully 70 Authors Tell Their Stories delves into this serious issue and shines a light on its lasting impact. This book...

In Jean Rhys’s Wide Sargasso Sea, Rhys weaves the tale of a severely-oppressed woman and her trials through life. Several critics have argued for post-enlightenment, post-colonialism, and identity-based themes in Wide Sargasso Sea, claiming these...

Benjamin Franklin’s Autobiography presents the life of its author from his early years until he worked as an Agent of Pennsylvania in London. The biography starts as he writes to his son about his success, his mistakes, and most of the important...

Ambrose Bierce’s “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” (1890) suggests a thought-provoking view on reality. Within Bierce’s work, we learn that a Confederate man, Peyton Farquhar, is to be hanged for actions against the Union Army. When Farquhar is...

In John Gardner’s Grendel, a few key interactions between Grendel and other characters mark the paradigmatic shifts that spur his philosophical evolution. Despite Grendel’s self-proclaimed isolation, his response to these interactions demonstrates...

In their formative years, Henry Clerval and Victor Frankenstein lead parallel lives; they share experiences, morals, and a love for knowledge. When Frankenstein leaves for Ingolstadt, however, their once-similar traits and values diverge. Clerval...

The infamous scene portraying an individual on their deathbed has been recreated numerous times in films, literature, and poetry. Some showcase a peaceful, tranquil death, while others depict pain and grief. However, in the 19th century poem, I...

In Ottessa Moshfegh’s novel Eileen, the first person point of view creates a duality between the narrator, Lena, and the younger version of herself, who is the protagonist of the story. This duality allows Lena to pass judgment on her younger...

In Renata Adler’s novel Speedboat, dynamic syntax is juxtaposed with images of violence to create an urgent, or anxious, tone in the narration. The narrator, Jen Fain, reveals details about her life through short bursts of anecdotal information...

The gods as depicted in Christopher Marlowe’s Hero and Leander are beings that exist outside of the realm of morality, living near humans but bound by separate rules and ideas. This is especially true in relation to sexuality, and the senses of...

Heritage appears as a central theme both to ‘Translations’ and ‘District and Circle’. Heritage can be described within the context of these texts as a set of ideas, traditions or explicit values that gives a sense of identity or belonging to a...

In The Time Machine by H.G. Wells, the Time Traveler travels from the late 19th century to the future–802,701–to find both heavenly and hellish, both beautiful and sickening environments. The earth at that time is inhabited by the Eloi,...

In her novel Changes, Ama Ata Aidoo carefully portrays Esi, Opokuya, & Fusena as the prominent female roles and the different levels of oppression that they face in urban Ghanaian society. Given some of her accomplishments, it is apparent that...

Samuel Richardson’s novel, Pamela, is an epistolary work of fiction that exposes the hypocrisy of eighteenth century England’s high class citizens. The disparity between the upper class and the lower classes of society, though traditionally...