A Doll’s House was written by Henrik Ibsen in 1879. A Doll’s House is not only one of Henrik Ibsen’s most famous plays, but it has also been seen as the starting point for realist drama. A Doll’s House, along with Brand and Peer Gynt, are often considered to be the first modern plays written … Read more
Euthanasia is a very controversial topic that is constantly being considered and reconsidered. Euthanasia can be described as “the act or practice of inducing the painless death of hopelessly sick or injured individuals in a relatively quick and painless way for reasons of mercy” ( Euthanasia, 2011). In Greek, euthanasia means ‘easy death’ ( Euthanasia … Read more
Death of a Salesman, written by Arthur Miller, is deemed as one of the greatest American dramas ever written. The play focuses on themes such as the American Dream and failure to achieve it. Willy Loman is depressed because he has not achieved this dream and his life turns tragic when he tries to hang … Read more
The book The Old Man and the Sea is Ernest Hemingway’s last major work published in 1952. It won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction and was cited by the Nobel Committee as contributing to its award of the 1954 Nobel Prize in Literature to Ernest Hemingway. Ernest Miller Hemingway (July 21, 1899 – July 2, … Read more
Ernest Hemingway has been hailed as one of the greatest American writers of all time. Ernest Miller Hemingway was born in Oak Park, Illinois, in 1899 and died in Ketchum, Idaho, in 1961. During his lifetime Ernest Hemingway published seven novels and six short story collections. Ernest Hemingway’s works tend to focus on Americans who … Read more
Jane Eyre is a timeless classic of literature. Jane’s story is one of pain, hardship, and isolation; however, Jane finds within herself the ability to persevere through it all. Jane finds an inner strength that allows her to become one of the most beloved characters in literature. Jane has suffered abuse at the hands of … Read more
The novel The Handmaid’s Tale is not merely a story about the experiences of one woman in a patriarchal society, but rather an examination of power and gender dynamics in such societies. The Handmaid’s Tale uses Margaret Atwood’s writing style to portray what life could be like under such conditions with rich symbolism and underlying … Read more
Black people were segregated from white people by law and custom. Black schools, drinking fountains, restaurants, hotels, buses and restrooms were for “colored” people only. Black people had to get off the sidewalk when a white person wanted to walk on it. Black people could not try on clothes in stores; they had to buy … Read more
Jane Eyre is a novel by Charlotte Bronte, published in 1847. Jane, the main character of the story, was orphaned at birth and takes many journeys through her lifetime; journeying for both literal and metaphorical purposes. Jane’s journey is made up of events that she encounters throughout her life which shape who she becomes. Jane’s … Read more
Death of a Salesman, one of the most respected plays ever written, is an example of Arthur Miller’s dramatic realism. Death of a Salesman established Arthur Miller as an important playwright with its first production in 1949. It won both the Pulitzer Prize and the Critics Circle Award for Best Play in 1949. Death of … Read more
Odysseus and Gilgamesh are heroic characters in the sense that they both overcome tremendous obstacles to help not only themselves, but also their fellow man. Odysseus is faced with the challenge of making it back to his beloved Ithaca while fighting Poseidon’s wrath, angering all sorts of other deities, trying to get home before he … Read more
The Lottery is a short story written by Shirley Jackson, published in The New Yorker magazine on June 27, 1948. The protagonist is an educated man living near the fictional town of “Jackson”, New York yet unnamed throughout the story. The story starts with a description of a local annual tradition known as “The Lottery”. … Read more
Mr. William Faulkner was one of the most famous Southern writers to have ever lived. A lot of his work focused on real historical events, especially concerning the South . His writing was so well done it made readers feel as if they were living through those times themselves. A Rose For Emily is no … Read more
A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a comedy written by William Shakespeare. A Midsummer Night’s Dream was first performed around 1595–96, and it was originally categorized as a comedy. A Midsummer Night’s Dream is set in a forest near Athens, where the fairy king and queen have been quarreling, and a troupe of amateur actors is … Read more
A key theme in The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer is, The Role of Women. The roles of the women characters have been a source of intrigue and debate for centuries. In The Wife of Bath’s Prologue, she uses biblical allusions to both defend and promote her view about the role of women in society. … Read more
Willa Cather was a Pulitzer Prize-winning American author who achieved recognition for her novels of frontier life on the Great Plains, in works such as O Pioneers!, My Ántonia, and The Song of the Lark. At age 21 she was awarded an honorary degree from the University of Nebraska (1902). She received critical recognition for … Read more
The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is considered one of the greatest pieces of literature in The United States today. The novel tells a story that most people can relate to, and it does so with fantastic use of allegory. The purpose behind The Great Gatsby’s allegories are to emphasize the message that Scott … Read more
The insanity defense is a defense by which defendants in criminal trials can plead not guilty by reason of insanity. This plea acknowledges that the accused did indeed commit the acts constituting the offense charged, but seeks to avoid liability on the ground that they were unable to appreciate or know right from wrong at … Read more
Doctor Faustus is a tragedy written by Christopher Marlowe. Doctor Faustus has been called one of the greatest Elizabethan tragedies and is the earliest example of a theatrical “tragedy of repentance.” Doctor Faustus was a man who sold his soul to the devil for superhuman powers so that he may be an accomplished scholar and … Read more
Jane Eyre opens with Jane remembering events from her childhood. Jane’s family is isolated and poor; Jane has no friends of her age and limited education. Jane’s sense of isolation, anger, and curiosity leads to rebelliousness against the adults around her: she throws a book at Miss Temple (her teacher), gives Rochester (her foster father) … Read more
For any who are not familiar with The Innocent Man by John Grisham, it is about the murder of a young woman in Ada, Oklahoma. The book focuses on two men that are charged for this murder: Ron Williamson and Dennis Fritz. The story follows Ron’s struggles to deal with all of the changes he … Read more
The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock The poem The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock is an ironic love song, as the character Prufrock does not actually love. The irony comes from within the poem itself and what we know about Prufrock; it also comes from what we imagine about his contact with women … Read more
Fordism is a socioeconomic order that was instituted by Ford Motor Company and the Fordist model of management during the early 20th century. Fordism is characterized by four interdependent social processes: mass production, high wages, an extensive labor union and a broad consumption category. Fordism consists of production and consumption patterns as well as employment … Read more
Michael Jerome Oher (born Michael Jerome Williams; January 11, 1986) is an American football offensive tackle for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for The University of Mississippi, and was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft. In 2013, he signed … Read more
Materialism is the philosophical position that matter is the fundamental substance in nature, and that all things, including mental aspects of reality , are results of material interactions. Greek materialists’ arguments were grounded on two basic assumptions: (1) material is before mind; (2) everything is made up of atoms . Atoms were believed to … Read more
Hazing is defined as any action taken or situation created intentionally which causes embarrassment, discomfort or harassment. Hazing can be physical in nature, mental in nature or psychological in nature. Hazing is often used in organizations to initiate new members into a group. This type of initiation has no place in the military and military … Read more
The play The Miracle Worker is based on the story of Helen Keller. The Miracle Worker takes place in Tuscumbia, Alabama, in 1887 when Helen Keller was six years old. The main characters are the Tuohys, Kate and Captain Arthur, their daughter Annie Sullivan who comes from Boston to teach Helen how to communicate using … Read more
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a classic novel of sin, guilt, and redemption. The story is told through the eyes of Hester Prynne, an adulteress who lives in Puritan Boston with her illegitimate child. The main theme of The Scarlet Letter is shame, which often appears alongside its companions guilt and fear . … Read more
Mule in the Yard is a short story written by William Faulkner, first published in Mules and Men (1935). It is set around the recollections of an old black man, John Pearson. Mule in the Yard tells the story of how Pearson’s grandfather owned a stubborn mule that lived up to its name even into … Read more
Hamlet by William Shakespeare is a play about Hamlet, the crown prince of Denmark who lost his father at a very young age. Hamlet’s mother married Hamlet’s uncle Claudius one month after Hamlet senior died. Hamlet did not want his uncle to be king so he started planning on how to get rid of him. … Read more
Othello is a tragic story about Othello, the Moor, who married Desdemona in what seemed to be a happy marriage. Othello’s friend Iago wants Othello to become so consumed with jealousy that Othello will kill Desdemona, allowing Iago to get Othello out of the way so Othello’s position as the Moor of Venice can be … Read more
The Bell Jar, the semi-autobiographical novel published by Sylvia Plath in 1963 under a pseudonym, is considered to be loosely based on her own experiences. The protagonist of The Bell Jar is Esther Greenwood, a young woman who has graduated from Smith College and won a prestigious summer internship at “Aunt” Emma’s fashion magazine. The … Read more
Internet technology has changed the way that we work, communicate, and express ourselves over the past 20 years. Internet history goes back much farther than many people realise, though. The Internet’s origins are in a project proposed by United States Department of Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (ARPA) in 1962 called “Net”. Net was designed … Read more
Leiningen Versus the Ants is a short story that appeared in The Saturday Evening Post on September 14, 1935. Leiningen himself is one of the main characters because he’s the protagonist and his personality best shows this. Leiningen is a plantation owner who has been driven from his home by hordes of ants. He says … Read more
Alcohol consumption is the act of ingesting alcoholic beverages. Alcoholic beverages are drinks that have ethanol in them, which is a psychoactive drug found in booze. It causes short-term effects to the drinker including impaired judgment, motor control, and reaction time. Drinking too much has long-term effects on the body, including liver diseases like cirrhosis … Read more
In Hip hop music, the DJ acts as a musician playing songs from his/her collection. Hip hop is composed of four elements: rapping, DJing, breakdancing and graffiti writing. Hip Hop stylizes text in ways that form poems and rhymes. The forces of creation have driven Hip hop for over 40 years now. Hip hop began … Read more
The Hobbit was first published on September 21, 1937 by George Allen & Unwin. It has 92 pages and is about 300 words long. The book has been translated into at least 38 languages since its publication including Latin, Greek, Urdu, Russian and even Chinese! The story didn’t originally include the poem “All that is … Read more
The absolutism of Louis XIV was the major power behind France’s success during his reign. Through his military strength and effective bureaucracy, Louis XIV successfully transformed France into the most powerful nation of Europe. The absolutism of Louis XIV sparked an era of French dominance that lasted more than a century after his death. The … Read more
Computer programming is all around us. Mobile phones are filled with apps that are software programs, however small they may seem. Anytime you use Google to search the internet, trillions of lines of code are being run by your web browser in the background to accomplish the task. Even on your home computer, most of … Read more
I Stand Here Ironing tells a story of a mother and daughter relationship. The story takes place in a kitchen, most likely the mother’s kitchen, where she is going through her daughter’s clothes. I think it is important to know who the protagonist of this story is because I feel it would make the reader … Read more
Macbeth is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare about a brave Scottish general named Macbeth who receives a prophecy from a trio of witches that one day he will become King of Scotland. Consumed by ambition and spurred to action by his wife, Macbeth murders his king and takes the throne for himself. He soon … Read more
Anthem is a dystopian, romantic fiction written in 1937 by Ayn Rand. Anthem takes place in an unspecified future time when mankind has entered another dark age. Technological advancement is now carefully planned and the concept of individuality has been eliminated. Anthem tells the story of how one man rediscovers the long-forgotten idea of individualism … Read more
Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley, was written in 1931. The Brave New World society is a satire on modern Western civilization. Brave New World is set in the year AF (After Ford) 632. Most of the people are clones with identical DNA. Thus, Brave New World reflects many criticisms of society made by Aldous … Read more
“The Merchant Of Venice is a play by William Shakespeare. The main character, Bassanio makes many choices throughout the play that revolve around his choice to marry Portia and marry for money rather than love. The theme in this play is greed. The reason why wealth is so prevalent in the play is that there … Read more
Immune to Reality, by Daniel Gilbert, is a book about the psychology of self-delusion. He describes himself as an experimental psychologist who studies happiness. This book is his first work of popular science, which contains some research done by him, along with stories he has heard from people all around him. The book starts with … Read more
Pygmalion, written by George Bernard Shaw, is set in London sometime after the Victorian era. Pygmalion tells the story of Henry Higgins, a professor who studies phonetics and how to change spoken language. Pygmalion begins with an explanation of how speech changes across time (in the play’s cast, across class) and then focuses on an … Read more
The Taming Of The Shrew is a play written by William Shakespeare. The published version of The Taming Of The Shrew was actually written after The Taming Of The Shrew, making the original name The Taming Of A Shrew. The work faced heavy criticism for portraying women as subservient to men, but it is now … Read more
Rip Van Winkle is a short story by Washington Irving about Rip Van Winkle, an old man who falls asleep in the Catskill Mountains and wakes up 20 years later when he hears his name being called. Rip Van Winkle is written in the American vernacular of the late 18th century, unlike most British literature. … Read more
Disney is an American company that was founded in 1923 by brothers Walt Disney and Roy Disney. Their first creations were animated movies, which brought them great success. Since then, the Disney company has expanded to include theme parks, stores, television shows, music groups and many other entertainment mediums. The corporation made $35 billion in … Read more
Nelson Mandela is a man who needs no introduction. The iconic South African leader became an international figure at the age of 71 when he was elected president, four years after his release from prison where he had spent 27 years fighting for equal rights in South Africa. The Nelson Mandela Foundation managed to publish … Read more