Oedipus Rex, a tragedy written by Sophocles, is a prime example on how Oedipus fulfills the requirements of a tragic hero. Oedipus’ character embodies all of Aristotle’s characteristics of a tragic hero from Oedipus’ hubris to Oedipus’ self-blinding as he realized his true identity. Oedipus himself realizes that he is the protagonist of the story … Read more
Audre Lorde was born on February 18, 1934 in New York City Coal is one of her greatest poems Coal deals with themes such as discrimination, oppression and racism Coal deals with life and death Coal deals with hatred Coal deals with anger Coal deals with the black community Coal tells us about Audre Lorde’s … Read more
Beowulf, a heroic poem written around 1000 A. D. , tells of Beowulf’s epic battles, his quest to kill monsters and beasts, his friendships with the Geats, and ultimately his descent into death at the hands of a dragon [1]. Beowulf was believed to have been passed down orally for over 300 years before finally … Read more
Death of a Salesman is the Death of the American Dream. Willy Loman, American salesman who made an effort to become someone great but failed. This failure resulted in his lack of self-esteem and happiness. He was never able to provide for his family or get recognition for being anything other than just being a … Read more
The poem The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost addresses the idea of decision-making and choosing what direction life will take you. The speaker of the poem is discussing a dilemma he faced, and how he ultimately chose one path over another. The roads were essentially identical in nature, and it was only after choosing … Read more
Beowulf is a Christian poem. The purpose of this article is to prove Beowulf ‘s Christianity by showing paganism in Beowulf , then showing Christianity’s superiority over paganism, and finally comparing Beowulf ‘s Christianity with today’s pseudo-Christianity. Beowulf was written in Old English sometime in the 700s AD . The audience for Beowulf would have … Read more
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is a novel written by Ken Kesey that was first published in 1962. The story is about a man, Randle Patrick McMurphy, who arrives to an insane asylum pretending he is mentally ill to escape some jail time from some criminal activities. In the asylum, he meets many other … Read more
Ralph Waldo Ellison’s Invisible Man is a fictional novel that has several allusions. Invisible man, which was originally published in nineteen forty-five, talks about an unnamed African American man’s life experiences. In the novel, Invisible Man uses many allusion s to explain his experiences and feelings towards them. Invisible Man is full of symbolism. Allusions … Read more
Love is integral to both The Iliad and The Odyssey. Love presented in these works is not the romantic love we recognize today, but more familial ties–a type of love that was essential for survival. To Homer, Love gives meaning to everything without Love there would be no hardships which is why Love is how … Read more
Silas Deane (; October 25, 1738 – September 23, 1789), American statesman and diplomat, was one of the earliest Americans to be employed in foreign service. Silas Deane was born to Silas and Elizabeth Ayers on October 25, 1737 in Groton, Connecticut. Silas Deane attended Yale College from 1758 until he received his BA degree … Read more
In Frankenstein, Mary Shelley uses symbolism to explore important themes. Frankenstein is a book which can be interpreted in many different ways, as it contains many symbols and significant ideas. Frankenstein contains the classical symbol of a story: an antagonist and protagonist. In Frankenstein’s case, Frankenstein is the antagonist and his creature is the protagonist. … Read more
Macbeth is a play in which William Shakespeare uses different moods to portray Macbeth’s character development throughout the play. Macbeth starts off as a proud, ambitious man who is loyal to his king, Duncan. However through the use of deception and manipulation Macbeth acts on his intentions of being king himself. Macduff helps Macbeth realize … Read more
Alice Munro’s Boys and Girls begins with Jeanette who talks about her experiences in boarding school. Boys and girls were separated into three different buildings: high, middle, and elementary. Boys and girls couldn’t interact at all without a teacher present; however, if they did get together, it was mostly for educational purposes. While she was … Read more
A Midsummer Nights Dream, by William Shakespeare, is a romantic play that presents love in many forms including self-love, the love of parents, and the love between lovers. At the beginning of A Midsummer Nights Dream, Hermia is engaged to marry Demetrius but falls in love with Lysander instead. A subplot of A Midsummer Night’s … Read more
There are many perspectives when thinking about the topic of Leadership. Some people may say that leaders are born, while others think leaders are made over time through experience and knowledge. Some argue that leaders are groomed by society to accept leadership roles in organizations, while many others argue that leaders emerge in an organization … Read more
Internal conflict is a battle of opposing forces, ideas, or desires occurring within a character’s mind. Young Goodman Brown faces both internal and external conflicts throughout Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Young Goodman Brown. Young Goodman Brown struggles with his heart and soul after being led astray by the devil to participate in witchcraft. Young Goodman Brown also … Read more
Hamlet has enjoyed the reputation of being Shakespeare’s masterpiece for centuries. Hamlet is a Tragedy, which implies that Hamlet will experience some kind of downfall by the end of the play. Hamlet experiences several character changes throughout this piece due to external and internal factors. He goes through three distinct periods of development: Hamlet in … Read more
The Glass Menagerie is a play written by Tennessee Williams. The symbolism in The Glass Menagerie has many different meanings, most of them related to the human psyche, but some are just there to give us more insight into the characters and their feelings. The major symbols in The Glass Menagerie are the glass menagerie … Read more
A serial killer is a person who murders three or more people, in two or more separate events over a period of time, for primarily psychological reasons. The United States FBI asserts that serial killers commit crimes (the unlawful killing of one or more human beings by another) to satisfy some abnormal psychological need for … Read more
The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is a novel about Hester Prynne and her daughter Pearl living their lives exiled from the town of Boston for an unnamed sin which we later find out was committed by Hester’s husband Arthur Dimmesdale. The characters all try to make their way in this world, both surrounded and … Read more
Drunk driving is an issue that affects many people all over the world. Drunk driving leads to thousands of deaths every year, and it accounts for nearly one-third of traffic fatalities. Drunk driving not only harms people involved in accidents but also has serious consequences for society as a whole. Drunk driving laws seek to … Read more
After reading A Rose for Emily, I can’t help but realize that Faulkner is an incredibly descriptive writer and A Rose for Emily was quite the literary work of art. It didn’t make sense to me at first, but after thinking about it and rereading the story a few times I gained some insight into … Read more
Have you ever met a devil who does evil for his own sake? Iago in William Shakespeare’s Othello could seem like he has good motives, but I feel that he uses them as his excuses. Othello, Othello’s wife Desdemona, Iago and Iago’s wife Emilia are the key characters of Othello. The first time we meet … Read more
Hamlet, written by William Shakespeare, is a story of betrayal and deception. The main character Hamlet seeks revenge for the death of his father, but how he goes about doing that can be seen in two distinct ways; one way through Hamlet’s eyes, the other through Hamlet (and William Shakespeare)’s audience. Hamlet believes that he … Read more
Mark Antony was one of the members in Julius Caesar’s famous assassination. Mark Antony was made a leader after Julius Caesar’s death. Mark Antony also used to be married to Julius Caesar’s daughter, but then Mark Antony started having affairs with other women; Mark Antony later divorced his wife and left her for Cleopatra VII. … Read more
A Career As A Medical Technologist – Career in science The medical field is the fastest growing industry today. More opportunities are expected to open up in this area, due to the increasing aging population worldwide. Career opportunities for people with qualifications in science are set to increase. If you are interested in medicine and … Read more
The sculpture of the Greek demigod Hercules is a marble statue in which he is depicted with his right arm and index finger pointing up at half-mast. His head faces forward, and there is a handsome, youthful face on him. There are two deities featured near his feet: Apollo, god of music and poetry; and … Read more
Iago is often considered to be the main character of William Shakespeare’s play. He was even originally performed as such by Richard Burbage, the first actor who played him on stage for the very first time. The mastermind behind evil deeds and plans, Iago makes us wonder why he does what he does throughout the … Read more
Julius Caesar is a play written by the famous William Shakespeare. Julius Caesar was first printed in 1623. Julius Caesar portrays an influential point of view on past events which include Brutus as a principle character. In Julius Caesar, the main principle character Brutus attempts to use his power for good but ultimately fails due … Read more
Frankenstein and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde are both famous novels about a man who experiences a change in character due to the influence of another mysterious person, Frankenstein explores Victor Frankenstein’s life before his transformation, while Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde focuses on how each character interacts with one another. Frankenstein is Frankenstein’s story … Read more
Macbeth manipulates everybody that he comes into contact with. Macbeth is a tragic hero because he starts off his manipulation of others as an innocent bystander, but eventually Macbeth feels forced to manipulate others in order to save himself from the guilt for what he has done. Macbeth needs Lady Macbeth’s help throughout this tragedy … Read more
The Birthmark, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is a story about using science for good and evil. The main character, Aylmer , loses his wife Georgiana because he wanted to rid her of a “birthmark” that she had on the right side of her cheek. The symbolism in The Birthmark is symbolizing how man will try … Read more
“The Cheater’s Guide To Love” features a main character that struggles with finding love again after ruining his first. The main character is described as a young man who was considered the catch in college due to his good looks, charm, and athletic physique. The story tells of how this main character meets someone that … Read more
Oscar Wilde was on the one hand the first man who lived in homosexual relationship in public and on the other hand he represented the theory of new hedonism. New Hedonism is a life philosophy, which was inspired by Oscar Wilde. New hedonism as an ethical doctrine combines the wishes to achieve the momentary as … Read more
Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) was an American poet and one of the leading female poets of her time. Emily lived a quiet life and spent most of her adult life in seclusion, only leaving her home for occasional visits to friends. Emily wrote almost all of her poems during this period of seclusion and had them … Read more
“The Great Gatsby,” a novel written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is set in the summer of 1922, during a boom time in America as well as a period of economic decline for The West and The South. This is important to understand because The Great Gatsby was first published in 1925, which means The Roaring … Read more
The poem The Raven, by Edgar Allan Poe is written in a very melancholic tone that evokes feelings of sorrow and sadness. The actions of the narrator throughout the story also exude these sad emotions. The setting helps to create this tone as well because the focus on death and darkness adds to the morbid … Read more
What’s Eating Gilbert Grape is a 1993 film directed by Lasse Hallstrom and starring Johnny Depp, Juliette Lewis, Darlene Cates, and Leonardo DiCaprio. What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (film) was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay in 1994. The movie What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (film) – based on the novel – is about … Read more
Antigone, by Sophocles, is a tragedy about family loyalty and respect for the dead. Antigone respects her brother’s wishes to be buried where she thinks he should be laid to rest. Antigone follows her moral code in these actions, not realizing that she will be severely punished. The use of the chorus was very important … Read more
Fate is a recurrent theme in Beowulf. Fate has many faces and affects nearly every character in some way. Fate cannot be altered, it can only be accepted or denied. Fate is both self-fulfilling and inevitable. The characters in the poem who seem to master fate are those that come closest to fate’s true nature: … Read more
Antigone (Greek: Antígona, “acting against”) is a tragedy by Sophocles written in or before 441 BC. It portrays the conflict between Antigone and Creon, two rulers of Thebes. Antigone has been condemned to death because she has illegally buried her brother Polynices who attacked the city of Thebes as part of the war that led … Read more
Ray Bradbury’s The Veldt has many examples of symbolism that tie into the story, but the most prominent one is the “virtual” African veldt. The story discusses how George and Lydia Hadley can’t control their children Peter and Wendy, because they are always playing games in their “nook,” which is a room-sized play area with … Read more
In A Raisin in the Sun, Lorraine Hansberry uses a variety of literary devices to explore conflicts that come up when a family moves from an all-black neighborhood to a predominately white one. One of these major conflicts is between Walter and his family. Walter Lee Younger is the designated protagonist in Lorraine Hansberry’s A … Read more
The Crucible , by Arthur Miller, is a story of injustice and the consequences that follow. The characters are thrown into situations where they are forced to look deep inside themselves to decide how their actions will affect others. The results can be seen as good or evil depending on the point of view of … Read more
Emily Dickinson’s poems explore the realms of spirituality and transcendentalism. Emily Dickinson’s poems explore concepts such as God, eternity, eternal life, and death in a transcendentalist way. Emily Dickinson was a strong believer in a spiritual world which transcended the physical one. She wanted to live forever because she felt that there were not enough … Read more
Andrew Jackson was the 7th President of the United States, serving from 1829 until 1837. Andrew Jackson served in the field of battle for over 20 years before he became president. Andrew Jackson began his career as a politician at the young age of 26 when he was elected to serve in both houses of … Read more
The setting and time of A Rose for Emily coincide with the telling of the story, as it is an important part of the story. A Rose for Emily takes place during a short period and in one specific area. A sense of isolation and discord creeps into this Southern Gothic short story establishing that … Read more
The Odyssey is an epic poem attributed to Homer. The protagonist, Odysseus, spends much of the poem pursuing his vengeance against those who attacked his home and killed his wife’s relatives ( The Odyssey, Bk I). The wrath of Achilles is a central theme in The Iliad; however, The Odyssey takes on a decidedly different … Read more
The school to prison pipeline is a term used to describe the alarmingly increasing number of students having contact with the juvenile criminal court systems, because of the implemented zero-tolerance policies by the educational institutions. Zero-tolerance policies are implemented in schools around the United States, and through these policies, students are at risk for having … Read more
The movie The Patriot movie review states that The Patriot is a movie about the American Revolution and that it is rated as one of the best Revolutionary War movies ever made. The Patriot follows Benjamin Martin (played by Mel Gibson) as he leads his family to safety, while trying to stop the violence between … Read more