Edward Albee wrote the play Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf. Edward Albee (1928-2016) was an American playwright whose other well-known plays include The Zoo Story (1958), The Sandbox (1959), and Tiny Alice (1964). Edward Albee received three Pulitzer Prizes for Drama, more than any other living American dramatist at the time of his death. Who’s … Read more
James Dickey (1923-1997) was an American poet, literary critic, novelist, and screenwriter. James Dickey received the National Medal for Literature Award in 1996. James Dickey is most known for his poem “Falling”. James Dickey is also known for his novel Deliverance which was adapted into a film of the same name in 1972. James Dickey … Read more
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a well-known Middle English work that has withstood the test of time and is still read by many today. The author, Sir Thomas Malory , wrote this work in 1469 at the same time as he was writing his more popular work, Le Morte d’Arthur . Sir Gawain … Read more
Emily Dickinson (December 10, 1830 – May 15, 1886) was an American poet known for her unconventional and secluded life. Although Emily wrote poetry most of her life, fewer than a dozen of her almost 1,800 poems were published during her lifetime. Emily lived most of her adult life in the white bedroom of the … Read more
The First Day is a short story written by Edward P. Jones, first released in The Atlantic Monthly. The book was published in The Atlantic Monthly for the first time on January 2002, and was later found in Edward P. Jones’s short story collection The Known World (2003). The setting of the story takes place … Read more
Hazel Weatherfield was a 16 year old girl who lived in The Catcher in the Rye’s version of The Great Gatsby’s setting The Valley of Ashes. She became friends with Holden Caulfield after he saved The Great Swallow from becoming roadkill. The reader is introduced to Hazel as she comes home from school and discovers … Read more
The The Canterbury Tales is a popular work of literature that was written in the 14th century. The novel consists of some 24 stories told by different characters on their way to Canterbury, and it’s one of the most influential works in English literature. The book also contains poems. The Canterbury tales include many interesting … Read more
Herman Melville was a famous author in his time and is often known for writing the well-known novel Moby Dick , but Herman has many other incredible novels and stories. Bartleby The Scrivener is one of Herman’s most well-known short stories, making it significant to study through literary analysis. Herman Melville wrote Bartleby The Scrivener … 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
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
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
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
The poem The Boy Died in My Alley by Gwendolyn Brooks tells a story of a woman finding a young boy dead in her alley after gunshots were heard. In this article, we will take a look at The Boy Died in My Alley and discuss the meaning of the poem. Many famous writers and … Read more
Apocalypse Now (1979) and Heart of Darkness (1899) are both works of fiction that follow the same pattern, Apocalypse Now is set during the Vietnam War whereas Heart of Darkness follows events in Congo. Apocalypse Now has been listed as one of the greatest films ever made. Apocalypse Now is based on Heart of Darkness, Apocalypse … Read more
The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant is a short story written in eighteen eighty nine. The narrator, Madame Loisel, tells a tale of a necklace that she had to return ten years after it was originally purchased in the name of her husband. The events leading up to her having to give back the necklace … Read more
The protagonist of Things Fall Apart (1958), Okonkwo, is a powerful and respected tribal leader in Umuofia. He is the son of a successful farmer and lives with his seven wives and three children. He is a violent man who does not hesitate to commit murder or use violence as a solution. He is difficult … Read more
Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote many short stories, novels, and poems. Nathaniel Hawthorne was a key figure of the romanticism movement in American literature. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s works often addressed the themes of guilt and sin. Many Nathaniel Hawthorne works feature characters that are “morally ambiguous”. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s setting for The Scarlet Letter takes place during the seventeenth-century. … Read more
Two authors best who typify a Romantic style of writing are Edgar Allan Poe, and Nathaniel Hawthorne. Poe and Hawthorne share many concerns in their works, mainly death, the effects of social isolation, and the desire to create art. Edgar Allan Poe’s short story about a young man whose lover has died is “Ligeia,” while … Read more
The story “A Jury of Her Peers” was first published in 1917 and was based on a authors one act play “Trifles”. “Trifles” was written in 1916 by Susan Glaspell. Susan Glaspell was a Nobel Prize winner for literature and Trifles is seen as one of her most famous works. Trifles tells the story of … Read more
“The Bull Moose” was a poem written in the 1970s by Alden Nowlan. It talks about a situation where two people, who are very close and haven’t seen each other for a while, meet again. A “bull moose” is an animal that lives in Canada. They aren’t called this anywhere else in the world. The … Read more
– Of the many Russian writers in the 19th Century, there are three that stand out as having their works be representative of all other Russian literature. These three writers never met one another, yet they shared similar themes within their writing. – The first writer is Alexander Pushkin (1799-1837) whose work focused on two … 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
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
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
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
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
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
A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry portrays the life of a black family living in a bad section of Chicago. A Raisin in the Sun is full of symbolism. A couple of examples are, “The man” representing Death and the house representing the American Dream. The first example of symbolism is The Man … Read more
When looking at Young Goodman Brown, one of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s only novels, it is important to distinguish between the literal story being told and any underlying symbolism. Young Goodman Brown is a short novel that has been interpreted as an allegory by many scholars. Young Goodman Brown lives in Salem Village during its witch-hunting days. … Read more
In her poem “Because I Could Not Stop for Death,” death is portrayed as a gentleman who comes to give the speaker a ride to eternity. Because the poem is in first-person narration, Death also serves as a metaphor for depression; Death would be an escape from the pains of life. One day, I was … Read more
Huckleberry Finn often struggles to understand Miss Watson’s continuous criticism and lack of love. Huckleberry Finn is a young boy who runs away from his abusive, drunk father with an escaped slave named Jim. These two unlikely characters become the best of friends. Huckleberry Finn learns from Jim that he is a free man – … Read more
The story The Lottery was first published in The New Yorker magazine in the June 26, 1948 issue (Jackson). The setting of The Lottery takes place in a small town called ‘Jackson’. The author Shirley Jackson got her inspiration for The Lottery from various isolated village rituals that were carried out as an annual event. … Read more
The Lottery is one of the many short stories written by Shirley Jackson. The story takes place in a small village, which was unnamed in the text so it remains nameless today. The story begins with an introduction to the setting where there are lush green fields and old-fashioned houses everywhere, “The morning of June … Read more
In “A Rose For Emily”, William Faulkner suggests that isolation from society can cause people to do unspeakable acts because they are lonely. The story takes place in the fictional town of Jefferson, Mississippi. A man named Homer Barron who Emily has been seeing falls off a ladder and dies when he is supposed to … Read more
Jane Eyre is an 1847 novel written by Charlotte Bronte. Jane’s story follows her life as a young orphan, Jane’s time at the Lowood School for Girls and at Thornfield Hall, Jane’s love interest Rochester, Jane’s marriage to Rochester and Jane’s life with him in England. Jane Eyre explores the limits of religion, morality, social … Read more
Hyperbole is the use of exaggeration to make a point. Look at the first paragraph. The speaker says that he has been planning this for “years,” which is an exaggeration, but really means a long time. The use of hyperbole to convey the speaker’s intent in writing this story is important because it gives the … Read more
Rappaccini’s Daughter is a novella considered to be Nathaniel Hawthorne’s first foray into symbolism. Rappaccini, Rappaccini’s daughter, and Dr. Rappaccini are all symbolic of various things which the author has presented subtly throughout the story. Rappaccini represents science gone wrong, Rappaccini’s favorite garden symbolizes humankind gone wrong through unchecked scientific advances, and Rappacdni’s daughter Beatrice … Read more
The Birthmark on Aylmer’s wife was an obsession of his, so much so that he became mad with the desire to rid her of it. The story revolves around this concept and the consequences of Aylmer’s actions. The name Nathaniel Hawthorne himself is analogous to The Birthmark . The ‘praise’ given by other scientists/philosophers in … Read more
In “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” by Flannery OConnor, one is struck by the unexpected violence at the end of the story. A family on vacation becomes entangled in the story when they find themselves at the wrong place at the wrong time. A strange man appears and asks to be given a … Read more
It is better not to put off till tomorrow what you can do today. Many consequences can arise when one procrastinates. An example of this is found in Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Hamlet rages against his mother for marrying his Uncle Claudius, King Hamlet’s brother, mere months after the king’s death. Hamlet speaks to himself in a … Read more
In Edgar Allan Poes “The Black Cat,” symbolism is used to show the narrator’s capacity for violence, madness, and guilt. “The Black Cat,” written by Edgar Allan Poe, is a first-person narrative story that is told by a man who, at first, seems to be very pleasant and likable. Soon, however, throughout the reading of … Read more
Throughout time, authors have used the literary device, symbolism, to give objects or characters of their stories an underlying meaning that may not be easily figured out without reading between the lines. The novel, One Hundred Years of Solitude, written by Gabriel Garcia Marquez is full of objects and characters that are used as symbols … Read more
In the novel “The Great Gatsby”, Daisy Buchanan was faced with two different suitors. The first was Tom, who already had a wife and children with Daisy’s best friend. The second was Jay Gatsby, who is considered to be Daisy’s true love by the end of the novel. The question remains; why did Daisy choose … Read more
A lottery is typically thought of as something good because it usually means someone has won a big prize. However, in The Lottery by Shirley Jackson, the lottery is anything but good. The story is full of irony, beginning with the title. The lottery is not a game that randomly picks people to win prizes; … Read more
When enrolled in college, some classes are required, and this was one of them for me. I had already taken the first-year basic English classes, and as a sophomore, I needed to have higher-level credit. I will say that this class has been a challenge for me, but I am grateful for the way you … Read more
After Salman Rushdie wrote The Satanic Verses in 1988, the Ayatollah Khomeini placed a fatwah upon him, causing Rushdie to adopt a life of separation and hiding. During his hiding, Rushdie broke his silence with Haroun and the Sea of Stories (1990), a children’s book written as a means of explaining his situation to his … Read more
People embodies social institutions within them, and all social cues and behaviors are passed down, weather through direct education or not. The subtle process allows for unhealthy conducts and damaging ideals to seep through and pass on unseen, until it manifest itself in destructive ways, and this destruction can happen to a singular person or … Read more