It is often said that love is blind. This may be true in some sense, but it is also important to remember that love is a perception. What we perceive as love may be very different from what someone else perceives as love. Our perceptions of love are shaped by our upbringing, our culture, our … Read more
There has been much debate over whether or not Hamlet truly loved Ophelia. Some say that he was only using her to further his own agenda, while others believe that he genuinely cared for her. So, what is the truth? Did Hamlet love Ophelia? There is no doubt that Hamlet had strong feelings for Ophelia. … Read more
Love is one of the most powerful emotions and it plays a very important role in our lives. It is often said that “love makes the world go round.” Love can be defined as a strong and passionate emotion felt between two people. Love is often described as a feeling of strong affection and requires … Read more
Erik Erikson was a developmental psychologist who is best known for his theory of psychosocial development. This theory proposed that there are eight stages of human development, each characterized by a different psychological task. One of the most important tasks during the early stages of development is learning to love. This can be a difficult … Read more
Romeo and Juliet is set on a theme of love. Love is a central theme in the play, as Romeo and Juliet fall in love despite the ongoing feud between their families. This tragic story was written by William Shakespeare, and has been adapted numerous times for stage, film, and television. In William Shakespeare’s play … Read more
What is love? This is perhaps one of the most asked questions throughout history. Love is a feeling that we all experience at some point in our lives, but what does it really mean? There are many different interpretations of love, but one common thread is that love is a deep emotion felt between two … Read more
The love of art, love of country, love of family, love of another—the love that is experienced in more than one way. Love is defined as a strong affection based on admiration for someone or something occasioned by the superior qualities or the achievements of that person or thing. However, love has been very ambiguously … Read more
Othello, a play by William Shakespeare, is a tragedy that follows Othello, a Moorish general in the Venetian army as he falls prey to his own insecurity and jealousy after being manipulated by Iago which leads him to kill his wife Desdemona who Othello falsely believes is having an affair with Othello’s lieutenant Michael Cassio. … Read more
Encounters with the two women suggest that physical desire and sex are essential aspects of the material world he must explore. When the first woman wordlessly invites Siddhartha to engage in a sexual act, Siddhartha refuses her, but his curiosity about sex remains. When he sees the beautiful courtesan Kamala, his lust finds a focal … Read more
Little brothers were engineered to annoy their sibling; luckily for me my little brother kept that to a minimum. For me my little brother was my best friend. Jerry was always athletic; any sport he played, did he excelled in. His intelligence was enlightening. My favorite characteristics however, was his heart; his heart was full … Read more
During the American revolution, Patrick Henry’s cry, “Give me liberty or give me death,” was a philosophy adopted by many as they aimed to separate themselves from the British, but this statement is problematic due to the fact that it suggests liberty is something opposing, or simply different, from death. As a country we continue … 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
Step 1: Characters: Most important characters in the book are Louisa Clark and Will Traynor. Louisa Clark is an average girl with a spunky fashion sense, and she was hired by Will’s mother to keep Will company. Will is an adventurous guy who later in his life gets hit by a motorcycle causing him to … Read more
The theme for this semester is “The Good Life,” but as the class read different poems, novels, and dramas, one will realize that “The Good Life,” can have multiple meanings. The dystopian novel, Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel and the poem, “Waiting for Icarus,” by Muriel Rukeyser has given me a good understanding … Read more
According to the feminist literary theory “The Male Gaze”, literary texts have a tendency to portray the world and women from a masculine point of view. These texts present women in terms of stereotypes and as objects of male pleasure. This usually occurs through the way males in a novel describe, talk about, and view … Read more
In the play King Lear, the idea of redemption is predominant throughout as we watch as the King moves from a state of moral blindness to one of clear vision. At the beginning of the play we see how ignorant he his towards how Goneril, Regan and Cordelia really think of him. As the play … Read more
It is not exaggerated to say that in any human societies, past or present, deception lies at the foundation of most romantic relationships. For us to have the genes that we carry in our DNA today, men and women of many generations across geographic boundaries have had to be simultaneously deceiving and deceived. Despite how … Read more
Love is portrayed many different times throughout the play, from being blind by chance to being one of the most difficult feelings a person can have. One way love is displayed throughout the play is shown as being difficult. Since love is different from what the mind feels and thinks, it will not be easy. … Read more
The wedding actually turned out to be really nice. We had both recited our vows, and surprisingly neither of us screwed them up. Blake’s was really sweet; “I love you. You are my best friend. Today I give myself to you in marriage. I promise to encourage and inspire you, to laugh with you, and … Read more
The bedroom poems of the 18th century was a new piece of literature introduced to me. I like how these poems were so detailed and made you cringe from the sights that were being portrayed. Both Behn and Rochester were two extremely strong poets who use sexual encounters to display gender and power roles among … Read more
Equality saw Liberty in a different way then he saw any other person. He felt happy with her and would think about her constantly when they were not together. He also felt fear for her in ways he would not feel for someone else. There is also a great fear that he felt for her … Read more
tale. ” Again, the worthiness of the Clerk’s source is invoked. At the end of the tale, the Clerk admonishes the audience, telling all women they should be “constant in adversitee / as was Grisilde. ” Here Chaucer appears to following the Petrarchan mould. To further emphasize this kinship, Chaucer once again cites Petrarch, immediately … Read more
The deliberation of the word marriage is connected to thoughts, feelings, emotions either its love marriage, arranged marriage or forced marriage. Antecedently, discussing the concept of forced marriage and arranged marriage, I would like to bring thoughts of the reader toward two stories related to forced and arranged marriage. Begin with a story of a … Read more
Ethan Frome is a dramatic romantic story based on the love triangle between Ethan, his wife Zeena, and their housekeeper Mattie Silver. The author introduces multiple themes and conflicts throughout its words and pages. Within these themes of love, poverty, and isolation the author introduces three distinct symbols being the outdoors, bedroom and kitchen which … Read more
In her short story “The Loons”, Margaret Laurence employs the theme of racism and poverty as a medium to vent, and highlight the indignities of the Metis community. The story’s central, and dichotomous symbol,–the Loons–, as well as the author’s compassionate tone uniformly evoke and portray sympathy toward the Metis community. The story’s main focus … Read more
When reading or watching any form of literature we expect for there to be a happy ending. Many times we use literature to fill the voids in our lives. In “The Far and the Near” an old train engineer, who has seen deaths, has no family, and has performed a solitary and lifeless job for … Read more
Throughout The Taming of the Shrew how can Shakespeare be found to present the struggle for female identity in a comedic fashion?In the time Shakespeare was active, society was vastly different to today. Not only were class boundaries more distinct, but so too were the differences in gender and their accompanying rights. It is my … Read more
“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” is the first in the bestselling “Millennium” trilogy by Scandinavian author Stieg Larsson. It is a complex, passionate and compelling thriller centred on the intrigues of financial fraud, corrupt minds and on an affluent family’s dark past. Henrik Vanger, the head of Vanger Corporation, is convinced that his niece, … Read more
The tale of Uncle Tom’s Cabin begins in the parlor of the Shelby household, as Mr. Shelby discusses how many slaves he will need to sell to Mr. Haley, a slave trader, to relieve him of his debts after falling upon hard times. Shelby ultimately decides to sell Tom, a “good, steady, sensible, pious fellow” … Read more
Shakespeare was pointing out that love is maddening and that people do very eccentric things for love. In the play A Midsummer night’s dream written by Shakespeare, the characters portray the quote written by John Lennon, ‘All you need is love’ in multiple ways. To some extent the quote is relatable and to some extent … Read more
Growing up the image of dedication is commonly seen as a gateway towards being a successful person. It is put into the heads of the children that those who are famous and successful , made it where they are through hard work and dedication which for the most part, is true. People often wonder what … Read more
Under enormous pressure, coal is able to transform into diamonds. In Alan Moore’s graphic novel V for Vendetta, Evey Hammond goes under a unique transformation, modeled after V’s traumatic experiences. By her twelfth birthday, she lost both of her parents. Subsequently, she had to provide for herself, causing her to grow in some ways and … Read more
Pain is a harsh reminder that one is still very much connected to the collective rapture called existence; a belonging which often resonates radially as it does its utmost best to alert one that to continue with the chosen action, to continue along the chosen path, is not without harsh yet definitely quantifiable inauspicious consequences. … Read more
The sexual intent of the Old Testament is throughout the manuscript, as the Prophet Isaiah continues to reference the LORD’S marriage with His people by further declaring, The reference to ‘land’ repeatedly describes a person’s being or body as its actual meaning. Hephzi-bah, in Hebrew means ‘my delight is in her’ and Beulah means ‘husband/married. … Read more
Over the decades, humanity has changed a substantial amount on several different aspects. Although many things have changed, the recurring themes of human greed and betrayal have both stayed persistent. By examining several stories this essay aims to critically assess the underlying theme of greed, specifically in the form of greed for personal rank and … Read more
When a person concentrates on one single thought, a broader more important lesson might be missed. In “The Student,” Ivan Velikopolsky, a seminary student, tells the story of how Apostle Peter denied knowing Jesus three times the night before Jesus’ crucifixion. After telling this story to two widowers, he finds that the widowers are crying. … Read more
Much like poetry, “Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent. ” Music and poetry are two platforms in which artists from the beginning of time have chosen to circulate their ideas, feelings, and opinions. Although different in popularity, these mediums are alike in various ways. Nonetheless, not … Read more
Discoveries deepen our understandings of ourselves and the world and have a transformative effect on those who discover. In William Shakespeare’s play The Tempest, and Gwen Harwood’s poem ‘The Glass Jar’, the authors use the characterisation of main characters in their texts to explore the ways in which discovery affects people and how it changes … Read more