“Snuff film” is a film that some claim to depict actual murder. The film would be an authentic recording of such, as if someone had filmed the events and sold copies on the black market. Supposedly, this film would continue to be traded on the street and watched by people who find it entertaining. Snuff … Read more
The Black Cat is a short story written by Edgar Allan Poe. The plot follows a man named Mr. Pemberton, who has recently moved into a house, and the narrator’s friend, Mr. White. The protagonist soon gets married to his wife which brings in a pet cat for his wife. The cat wasn’t cared for … Read more
The Catcher in the Rye, by J. D. Salinger, is a novel that follows Holden Caulfield’s experiences through senior year at his private school in New York City, ending with him escaping from Manhattan for a few days to avoid being hospitalized after almost failing out of Pencey Prep. The book has become one of … Read more
There are few animals on the planet that strike fear into people’s hearts quite like wolves do. These powerful predators have wolfed down their fair share of children, women, old folks, and livestock over the centuries. Even today, wolf attacks are far from rare occurrences in many parts of the world. A wolf attack is … Read more
Standardized tests are common in most educational systems. Standardized testing is the practice of creating tests that always measure students on the same scale, with consistent questions and grading standards. Standardized testing has been around for over hundred years, but it didn’t become widespread until the United States passed the ‘No Child Left Behind Act’ … Read more
William Shakespeare’s poem “My Mistress’ Eyes Are Nothing Like the Sun” is a love poem depicting how something as beautiful as the sun could never compare to his mistress’ beauty. William Shakespeare was an English playwright and poet, widely regarded as the greatest writer of the English language. He wrote many sonnets throughout his life, … Read more
Cat’s Cradle, Kurt Vonnegut’s fourth novel, is a satirical view of modern man and his madness. Cat’s Cradle imagines the ultimate end for our dependence on technology through the story of John, a writer who journeys to a strange island called San Lorenzo in search of a legendary manuscript written by a mysterious man named … Read more
Langston Hughes was an African-American writer best known for “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” and poetry chronicling the struggle of African Americans. Langston Hughes was born in Joplin, Missouri, on February 1, 1902. His father moved to Mexico when Langston was only two years old because he didn’t think black people were treated fairly in … Read more
The Metamorphosis is a novel written by Franz Kafka. The protagonist, Gregor Samsa, wakes one morning to find himself transformed into an insect. The concept of The Metamorphosis deals with the alienation and isolation felt by people who feel outcast from their normal lives. The modern interpretation of The Metamorphosis deals with social alienation, specifically … Read more
Robert Hayden’s poem “Those Winter Sundays” talks about a father and son relationship during the early 1900s. It is told from a third person point of view, but it focuses on the son as he thinks about his relationship with his father. The poem takes place in winter because that’s when they used to see … Read more
In Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller uses symbolism to develop ideas and themes in the story. The three main symbols that arise from Death of a Salesman are Willy’s necktie, a rubber tree plant, and the family business. One symbol that is used frequently throughout Death Of A Salesman is Willy Loman’s necktie. Willy’s … Read more
A Doll’s House is a three-act play written by Henrik Ibsen that was first published in 1879. A universal theme throughout A Doll’s House is that of expectations and behavior, which are not always fitting with the reality of everyday life. A reoccurring idea within A Doll’s House is Nora Helmer’s lack of identity and … Read more
Bob Dylan is a brilliant songwriter, who has been active since the early 1960s. Themes of Bob Dylan’s music have evolved over time as his own life and cultural ideals changed. Bob Dylan can be best described as an American poet. Bob Dylan wrote folk songs about any topic that was affecting America at the … Read more
Stephen King is one of the most well-known horror writers alive. Stephen King’s influence on American literature has been significant, with Stephen King receiving praise for his talents in bringing a reader to the height of terror. Stephen King’s books have been made into many successful films, including Carrie , ‘Salem’s Lot , The Shining … Read more
Bob Marley was born on February 6th, 1945 in Nine Mile, Saint Ann Parish, Jamaica. Bob Marley would later become known as a world-renowned reggae musician and poet best remembered for songs like “No Woman, No Cry” and “Redemption Song. ” Dying at the age of 36 from melanoma skin cancer Bob Marley left behind … Read more
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley is a novel that is of the genre of science fiction. The setting of Frankenstein takes place in 1816 Europe, mainly England and Switzerland. Frankenstein is written in epistolary form because Frankenstein was said to have been written by Frankenstein himself, Victor Frankenstein himself. The plot of Frankenstein can be divided … Read more
Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf is the play that made Edward Albee famous. It was first performed on October 13, 1962 and directed by Alan Schneider at The Billy Rose Theatre in New York City and was presented by Arthur Hill and Kermit Bloomgarden. It won the 1963 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and Tony Award … Read more
The soliloquy in The Taming of the Shrew is a monologue spoken by Katherine to herself after being woken up by her sister, Bianca. The language of this soliloquy can be connected back to a few things: The Taming of the Shrew itself, William Shakespeare’s life, and The Sonnets. The language of The Taming of … Read more
Gulliver’s Travels was written by Jonathan Swift and first published in 1726. Gulliver’s Travels is a satire about human nature, politics, and other topics such as 18th century European politics and society seen through the eyes of Gulliver. Gulliver goes on four adventures: Gulliver gets stranded on Lilliput, Gulliver is trapped on the floating island … Read more
“The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street” was originally produced as an episode of “The Twilight Zone”, an anthology science fiction television series that ran between 1959 and 1964. It originally aired on March 4, 1960. Written by Rod Serling (1924-1975) and directed by Ron Winston (notable for his work on the original Star Trek … Read more
Medea is one of Euripides’ plays written in 431 BC. Medea, described within the text as an abandoned wealthy woman, decides to take revenge on her husband, Jason for leaving her with their two children. Medea’s actions are considered by many to be monstrous even though she was betrayed by her husband, who took another … Read more
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is an 1850 novel. The main character, Hester Prynne, has an adulterous affair with a minister and gives birth to their daughter Pearl. The Puritans in the Massachusetts colony sentence her to wear a scarlet letter “A” for adultery. As she struggles to raise her daughter alone while ostracized … Read more
Sherwood Anderson’s Winesburg, Ohio is a collection of short stories about the residents of Winesburg, Ohio. With each story, themes are expressed involving regret, isolation, alienation and unrequited love. These expressions represent the universal truths conveyed by the author to help impart his own understanding of life on to others. One theme that appears throughout … Read more
Rappaccini’s Daughter is a short story written by Nathaniel Hawthorne and published in 1844. Rappaccini is a scientist who has lived for some time away from society, with his daughter Beatrice Rappaccini who he raised through the same form of extreme isolation and unique education as himself. His unique methods have made Rappaccini infamous among … Read more
The Scarlet Letter is a novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne, considered one of the greatest in American literature. The novel is an account of an adulterous affair between Hester Prynne, who has committed the sin of adultery, and Arthur Dimmesdale; both are introduced as existing in Boston during 1642 in The Scarlet Letter . The main … Read more
For Reyna Grande, love is complicated. The author of “The Distance Between Us” (2004 ) grew up with the kind of poverty where most often times, there wasn’t enough food in the house or money to pay for electricity. Reyna and her sister Alma were raised by Reyna’s undocumented parents in Los Angeles until Reyna … Read more
Everyone deserves the chance to live a fulfilling life, but that’s not possible for many of us. Poverty is one of the biggest problems affecting people throughout the world today. Poverty comes in different forms and degrees; however, its effects on society are largely negative. Poverty can be defined as “the state of one who … Read more
Fitbit, Inc. is company based out of San Francisco, California founded in 2007 by James Park and Eric Friedman; it became a public company in June 2015. Fitbit products are wearable technology products that focus on fitness tracking for steps taken throughout the day and sleep monitoring. The company was created with the goal to … Read more
Publix is a supermarket chain that boasts over 100 years in business, with its first store opening in Winter Haven, Florida in 1930. Publix has grown to be the largest employee-owned supermarket chain in the US, as well as being one of the strongest companies based on revenue per employee. Publix’s management structure consists of … Read more
Is Moby Dick really the better novel? Moby-Dick is a whaling epic written by Herman Melville in 1851. On its surface, Moby-Dick tells the story of an egotistical and obsessive captain and his quest to kill and conquer Moby-Dick, a white whale who has given him previous grief. However, Moby-Dick is also a critical commentary … Read more
Oedipus’s fate was to kill his father and marry his mother. Oedipus believed that this man he killed, King Laios was Oedipus father. Oedipus thought that the long nosed man who brought him up was Oedipus real father. Oedipus ended up leaving Thebes because he married the one he loved which happened to be Jocasta-his … Read more
Greek and Norse mythology are two mythological systems that share the theme of gods interfering with human affairs. Norse mythology has its focus on Norse gods that descend to Earth, while Greek mythology places emphasis on humans coming into contact with immortals in a more direct fashion. This article will discuss a comparison of Norse … Read more
John Steinbeck is perhaps most famous for writing the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Grapes of Wrath, but there are many other books that were written by John Steinbeck that also incorporate the American Dream into their themes. A summary of each book follows along with how they involve this dream in some regard. ” John … Read more
The Maze Runner is a young adult, science fiction novel by James Dashner. The book’s genre does not suggest that it would carry many literary elements, but The Maze Runner is full of them. The key literary element in this book is foreshadowing. Foreshadowing makes The Maze Runner exciting and keeps the reader guessing at … Read more
The short story “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” was written by Ursula K. Le Guin and published in 1973. In this short story, Le Guin presents a seemingly utopian society where everybody is happy except for one child who is being tortured so the rest of the society can be happy. In Le … Read more
The theme of Mark Twain’s novel, “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” is that society must not judge people based on their social or racial backgrounds. Huckleberry Finn was abandoned by his alcoholic father and had to live with the Widow Douglas and her sister, Miss Watson. Even though Huck and Miss Watson loved each other … Read more
Holden Caulfield is an extremely complex character. The fact that he is not static, but changes throughout The Catcher in the Rye, makes it nearly impossible to summarize Holden’s development in a short paragraph. The original quote is “You never really know anybody.” The most important things to delve into when discussing Holden’s character development … Read more
Toys “R” Us is an American toy and juvenile-products retailer founded in 1948. Toys “R” Us, Inc. currently operates over 1100 Toys “R” Us and Babies “R” Us stores in 47 states, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. [1] Toys “R” Us has Toys “R” Us and Babies “R” Us stores in the United … Read more
Doris Lessing’s short story, “Through The Tunnel,” takes place in the late 1950s. It is told from the perspective of a man who wakes up to find himself one day strangely attracted to his wife; he feels that they are connected somehow. He also has dreams where he is at home with her, even though … Read more
The relationship between Dimmesdale and Hester in The Scarlet Letter has been analyzed extensively at length by literary scholars. The two characters’ connection is handled through symbolism, which helps to portray the nature of their relationship. The imagery presented in The Scarlet Letter deals with fertility, innocence, and redemption. The symbols presented help to form … Read more
This paper is about The Iliad, by Homer. The question that this essay seeks to answer is “What role does the Greek Gods play in The Iliad? ” The paper will give an insight on how The Odyssey forms part of The Iliad and highlights the theme of fate. The two epics are distinctively different … Read more
Macbeth is arguably one of Shakespeare’s most spectacular plays, if judged by the number of theatrical productions it has inspired over the centuries. Macbeth himself is a fascinating character, and his quest for power is full of twists and turns. But Macbeth ‘s intrigue lies not so much in its main character; Macduff, Lady Macbeth … Read more
The Wife of Bath is a character from The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer. The tale itself is one of the most famous ones in The Canterbury Tales, and is often used as an example of The Wife of Bath’s saucy behavior due to her overt sexuality. The story begins with a knight telling The … Read more
The Handmaid’s Tale is a novel by Canadian author Margaret Atwood. The first edition of the novel was published in 1985, and then again in 1998 with additional editing to update language that might be construed as sexist. It has since been expanded into a short series on Hulu, which has also garnered popularity for … Read more
In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne shows some misogyny as he writes about the evilness of Hester Prynne and how she is not worthy of respect. The consequences that Hester faced throughout The Scarlet Letter were given to her by men and because of actions that men directed her towards. This type of treatment and … Read more
“The Lottery” takes place in a small village full of normal looking people. The narrator starts by describing the time of year it is, late June. The weather on this particular day was hot and humid on that morning when Mr. Summers came to get old man Warner, who was selected to draw the winning … Read more
In the time when Ralph Waldo Emerson and Nathaniel Hawthorne lived, there were great changes in society. The people of this time were highly religious and believed that a life full of good works was most important for a happy life after death. For example, Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote about his beliefs saying “To be … Read more
A Midsummer Night’s Dream, written by William Shakespeare around 1595, is about the events that take place in the woods near Athens on midsummers night. The story consists of four different plots th at are all intertwined with each other throug hout the play. These include two love stories between Lysander and Hermia, Demetrius and … Read more
I have always been fascinated by Daddy, the poem written by Sylvia Plath. Daddy is a poem that was created in one of her worst depressive moments and it shows clearly how she felt, what she thought about her father Otto Plath. Otto Plath was born on November 6th, 1880 in Grabow (Germany). He had … Read more
Eudora Welty’s A Worn Path is a story of the patient and courageous struggle, defeat and victory of an old black woman named Phoenix Jackson. The story takes place in Mississippi during the early twentieth century. Eudora Welty wrote A Worn Path while living in New York City. Eudora Welty’s A Worn Path is a … Read more