Newest Literature Essays

In the lyric poem Neutral Tones by Thomas Hardy, the speaker reflects back to a particular moment in their life when they realised that the love had died between them and the person they were in a relationship with. They consider what this moment...

Women in the nineteenth century were often considered less than men. Consequently, they depended on the men in their lives, usually their fathers or husbands. Nevertheless, there were women who did not have a husband or father to depend on, yet...

The Digging Skeleton and Bone Dreams are poems written by Seamus Heaney during a time of conflict between England and Ireland. He writes poems in hope to bring peace and to stop the fighting and bloodshed. He reflects this mindset in his poems...

Modern renditions of classics are notorious for misrepresenting the cherished old works they try to depict, but when they are successful they add modern twists and embellishments while still maintaining the timeless message. In O Brother, Where...

Every society has unwritten rules that everyone respects, and it is momentous when these boundaries are crossed. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee develops the argument that love creates a loyalty that can overcome any standards. The author...

The most fundamental human beliefs are often expressed in unconventional ways, and Holden Caulfield is the embodiment of this aspect of human nature. In J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield is an easy character to relate to...

Xenophon’s account of the life of Cyrus the Great tells the story of one of the world’s most successful leaders. Cyrus, king of Persia, established one of the largest empires in the world. He was also a leader in establishing human rights when he...

The Federalist was written at a time when republican government, historically, was not popular. It had failed throughout history, and monarchies were thriving in Europe. Yet the Americans, with their extraordinary potential as a nation, proposed...

In Plato’s Apology, Socrates’ views on death (in that he does not fear it) result in his defense being more about being righteous and showing the truth rather than actually defending himself. This legitimizes his defense because he is not simply...

The federalist theory behind an increase in the size and power of the federal government is backed by three main ideas: the power to actually enforce the laws equally. the protection and safety of the states from physical conflict as well as...

God’s lesson for Abraham through his destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah is simple; a nation without God that falls entirely into sin will be punished, but one that is good and loyal to Him will be saved. In other words God will be harsh, but...

While Locke first appeals to his readers’ passions to justify a separation between church and state, these arguments are weak; the true, more covert argument Locke makes for not allowing the magistrate to enforce religion is that having one...

In Richard II, Henry IV and Henry V, Shakespeare appears on a micro level not to support divine right as characters throughout the plays consistently disrespect God and try to act above Him, yet when viewed more holistically it is clear that...

Ignorance may be bliss, but knowledge is power. Plato created “Allegory of the Cave” to define the structure of society and illustrate the pursuit of knowledge—or lack thereof. On the other hand, James Joyce’s “Eveline” portrays a more...

With the rise of individualism in the 20th century, people had become distant and detached, while worrying about trying to communicate, and dreading being misunderstood. The Egyptian society itself at the time was on a brink of an abrupt state of...

The railway system brought an air of uneasiness to British society during the nineteenth century, during which change was felt behind every corner. While this feeling of skepticism was felt through all social classes, the middle and lower classes...

The Epic of Gilgamesh and the Popol Vuh are two fictional and religious texts from the ancient world. The Epic of Gilgamesh is regarded as the earliest great literature, written in 2100 BC, while the Popol Vuh was written in approximately 1550...

Langston Hughes provides several types of rhetorical strategies in Salvation in order to achieve his purpose. Hughes was an African American writer living during the Harlem Renaissance, a period of emphasis on African American art, literature, and...

Over 2,000 years ago, the philosopher Aristotle stated that with regards to “the origin of poetic art as a whole…the habit of imitating is congenital to human beings from childhood and so is the pleasure that all men take in works of imitation.”...

The poem “Evolution” by Sherman Alexie is about the business ventures of a man called Buffalo Bill who does business with the Native Americans on a reservation, opening first a pawn shop where they pawn all that can be given away. Buffalo Bill...

“The Nightingale and the Rose” by Oscar Wilde is a children’s story within his collection, “The Happy Prince and Other Tales.” In this story, a student pines over a romantic interest who ultimately rejects him, despite the help he receives from...

In The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander, the protagonist, Taran, faces similar situations as Harry Potter from the Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling, which involves seeking victory against the evil villain to become a hero....

Although Salman Rushdie's Shame is considered by some critics a feminist text, others find that Rushdie's novel "reinscribes the patriarchal role of women as passive", as commented by Stephanie Moss, in her essay “The Cream of the Crop: Female...

Sir Gawain, as an extension of King Arthur, and folk hero Robin Hood, are heroic characters that both figure in the British literary tradition. Their narratives have both contributed to the construction of national history, and have been used to...