Literature Essay Examples and Topics. Page 20

8,758 samples

“Give Me Liberty an American History” by Eric Foner

As regards, the neutralists, Eric Foner believes that these people harbored some doubts as to fighting against the British troops, On the one hand, they understood that the Colonies could do without the UK and [...]
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 577

Betty Wood: The Origins of American Slavery

Economic analyses and participation of the slave labor force in economic development are used to analyze the impact and role of slave labor in the development of the American economy.
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 848

Carnival in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream and the carnival elements in the play are widely discussed topics in the literary world. When analyzing the gradual development of the plot of the play A Midsummer Night's Dream [...]
  • Subjects: Plays
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1671

“The Open Boat” Short Story by Stephen Crane

As they struggle to survive through rationing of food and water, fighting off the exhaustion of body and mind, and contend with the sharks that come to investigate the boat, they continuously think about nature [...]
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 1
  • Words: 261

The Heroism of Othello

He is a tragic hero because of how he fits the mold, with the single difference that instead of pride, Othello is unwise in his placement of loyalties.
  • Subjects: Romantic Literature
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 953

“The Awakening” by Kate Chopin

She is the perfect Victorian example of what Edna is expected to be, but Edna is incapable of keeping up the act, which is all her marriage and family really are to her.
  • Subjects: Themes in American Novels
  • Pages: 7
  • Words: 1964

Analysis of Play “Proof” by David Auburn

Both works have similar motifs and are using the same means of helping to deeper understanding the nature of the protagonists and the drama of the life them.
  • Subjects: Plays
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1280

Analysis of “Sonnet 130” by Shakespeare

Firstly, the author of the article mentions that the message of the poem is simple i.e.that the dark lady's beauty cannot be compared to the beauty of a goddess or to that found in nature.
  • Subjects: British Literature
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 672

“The Monk” by Matthew Lewis

The Age of the Enlightenment adored the samples of the classical art, in which it has seen the embodiment of intelligence.
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1350

“A Pair of Silk Stockings” by Kate Chopin

Even when she "found herself the unexpected possessor of fifteen dollars" she did not want to spend the money for nothing and started carefully making plans trying to figure out what the best way to [...]
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 612

Interpretation of Robert Frost’s Poems

Type: Lyric Rhyme Scheme: aababbcbccdcdddd-last two lines are the same Setting: In a sleigh in the middle of a winter's night, between the lake and the woods and not near the houses.
  • Subjects: Poems
  • Pages: 12
  • Words: 3164

«Dancing Girls» by Margaret Atwood

The major topic of the analysis in this paper is the role of the secondary characters in the development of the theme of absence of perspectives in the life of ordinary people who came to [...]
  • Subjects: World Literature
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 706

“No One Writes to the Colonel” by G. G. Marquez

The author combined the "objective" prose and philosophical symbolism of Hemingway with the existentialistic prose of Camus and created one of his most famous story "No one Writes to the Colonel".
  • 5
  • Subjects: World Literature
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1697

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury Review

Bradbury's vision of America and Americans assumes the form of the game of the possible because he wants it to be played out in reality.
  • Subjects: Themes in American Novels
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1888

“Frankenstein“ the Book by Mary Shelley

Though the true nature of the Monster is virtuous and kind, he is treated like a beast, like a devil and even his creator addresses to him as to "it" "For this I had deprived [...]
  • Subjects: British Literature
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1070

Analysis of The Naked Citadel by Susan Faludi

The cadets insist that this is an integral part of the Citadel, that promotes the lifestyle that they want the cadets to follow one of trust in one's fellow man and the sense that everyone [...]
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 947

Medusa in Greek Mythology

So, it should be pointed out that Medusa was the great character of the Ancient mythology and remains to be the significant image in the world of modern literature and art.
  • Subjects: Mythology
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 813

“The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” by Mark Twain

When the novel starts, Tom is appointed in and often the arranger of childhood tricks and make-believe games. In The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Tom's obsession with Rebecca Thatcher is obvious.
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 482

“The Hiding Place” by Corrie Ten Boom

The essay will provide a brief summary of the book followed by an analysis of the book on the basis of the social psychological theories in order to demonstrate how religion and religious beliefs influenced [...]
  • Subjects: World Literature
  • Pages: 7
  • Words: 1817

Deconstructing Elizabeth Bishop’s Poem ‘The Fish’

As she describes it, the reader gets the impression that this fish is quite ugly and undesirable. In the first line, the poet calls this fish "tremendous", and according to the experience of the reader, [...]
  • Subjects: Poems
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 1157

“Rocking Horse Winner” by D. H. Lawrence

Thesis The symbol of horse winner symbolizes the "desire" of a family to prosper and flourish, but at the same time, "desire" is a mirage that disappears and leaves nothing to the family.
  • Subjects: British Literature
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 557

Novel by Nick Hornsby “How to be Good”

Katie has a cynical view of the self-righteous concepts of Good News and David. She cannot abide by the concept of goodness which is prevalent in David and Good News.
  • Subjects: British Literature
  • Pages: 7
  • Words: 2036

Marked With D’, an Adaptation of ‘Pat-a-Cake’

The first two lines of the poem reveal the picture of an actual corpse being burned in the process and providing the readers with ideas regarding the subject of the poem; namely, Harrison's father the [...]
  • Subjects: Poems
  • Pages: 7
  • Words: 920

Character Analysis of “Macbeth” by William Shakespeare

The unplanned overnight stay of King Duncan and his entourage at Macbeth's castle precipitates Macbeth's first fateful decision: to murder King Duncan and clear the way for the witches' prophecy to come true.
  • Subjects: British Literature
  • Pages: 8
  • Words: 2165

Vladimir Nabokov’s “Signs & Symbols”

The essay will examine and discuss the usage of symbols and images about the actions and thoughts of the main characters and their meaning for the readers.
  • Subjects: World Literature
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1129

Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown”: Facing the Darkness

It is not difficult to realize that Hawthorne's intention in "Young Goodman Brown" is to force the reader to experience the temptations which Brown himself must endure and that he is made to see the [...]
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1759

Milton’s and Dante’s “Paradise” Analytical Comparison

On the other hand, to hypothesize and expand the concept of Heaven, it was first necessary to create a general framework of life after death and specify such issues as admissions to the various parts [...]
  • Subjects: Comparative Literature
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1608

Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

In some ways, Alice resembles the ideal female character of the period, but there are also several ways in which she breaks the mold, such as in her willingness to assert herself and her ability [...]
  • Subjects: British Literature
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1512

“The Grapes of Wrath” the Novel by John Steinbeck

The novel "The grapes of Wrath" by John Steinbeck is claimed to describe the lives of ordinary farm workers all over the United States of America who moved to California during the period of the [...]
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 10
  • Words: 2861

Hell in Dante’s Inferno and Sartre’s No Exit

For Dante, the Divine Comedy was not a substitute for the two Testaments, but an extension of them and because of this, Inferno is a critical part because it serves as a reminder of the [...]
  • Subjects: Comparative Literature
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1831

“Cross Country Snow” by Hemingway

The hesitancy and repetition of phrases, the parallels of contrast, express and enforce the strong bound between George and Nick. In the case of George and Nick they form the basis of their relationship.
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1178

Kurt`S Vonnegut Cat’s Cradle Reflection Paper

From the very beginning of the book the problem of evil begins to torment the reader. The work under consideration is the author's flesh back to the past with foreseeing the events of the future.
  • Subjects: Themes in American Novels
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 552

The Treatment of Childhood in Victorian Literature

The author analyzes the main features of childhood in Victorian novels and tries to explain the image of victimized children predominant in major nineteenth-century novels. The author analyzes the socio-economic conditions of the Victorian era [...]
  • Subjects: British Literature
  • Pages: 7
  • Words: 1789

Irony in Frank O’Connor’s “First Confession”

When she answered in the affirmative, Jackie became sure that he was a terrible boy and a sinner who had broken all commandments all because of his old grandmother."I was scared to death of confession".
  • Subjects: World Literature
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1066

Underworld in Greek and Roman Mythology

The human personality traits determined the gods and goddesses to be immortalized, hence the actions that were observed in the myths were as a symbol of the actual actions of men.
  • Subjects: Mythology
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1642

Francis Weed in “The Country Husband” by John Cheever

The short story "The Country Husband" by John Cheever reveals the darker side of Suburbia, "the side which traps its residents in a web of conformity," and the protagonist of the story Francis Weed, is [...]
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 641

Feminism in Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler

Hedda Gabler, upon the discovery that her imaginary world of free-living and noble dying lies in shivers about her, no longer has the vitality to continue existence in the real world and chooses self-annihilation. At [...]
  • Subjects: Plays
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 880

“Jude the Obscure” Novel by Thomas Hardy

Previous to he was able to try to enter the university; the immature Jude was influenced into getting married to a rather uncouth and outward confined girl, Arabella Donn, who left him in two years.
  • Subjects: British Literature
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1333

Homer’s The Iliad and John Milton’s Lost Paradise

It was written after the Restoration, but the powerful voice of the poet declared that the spirit of the Revolution was not broken, that it still lived in the hearts of the people.
  • Subjects: Comparative Literature
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1907

Justice and Injustice in Medea’s and Socrates’ View

The purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast how Medea and Socrates respond to injustice or unfair accusations. The following section discusses how Medea and Socrates respond or react to adversity by comparing [...]
  • Subjects: World Philosophy Literature
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1118

Two Brothers in Sonny’s Blues by James Baldwin

In contrast to the brother, Sonny uses jazz music and heroin to cope with the despair of their living conditions. In the final part of the story, Sonny's performance at a jazz club brings his [...]
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 898

“The Other” in Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis”

The thesis of the paper is that the notion of "the other" in The Metamorphosis is represented not so much through the opposition between the character and other characters as though the opposition between his [...]
  • Subjects: World Literature
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1112

People & Nature in “Tourist Season” by C. Hiaasen

First of all, it is the mystery of a man who wants to preserve the nature of Miami and area, save it from being destroyed by tourists and other people who disrespect it.
  • Subjects: Themes in American Novels
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1403

1950s in Wilson’s “The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit”

Happiness becomes accessible through product attainment, and even the opening of the story deals with the fact that the protagonist and his wife, Tom and Betsy Rath, want to live in a better house.
  • Subjects: Themes in American Novels
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1474

“My Papa’s Waltz” Poem by Theodore Roethke

The literary styles influence the interpretation of the poem by the target audience. In the poem "My Papa Waltz," the author has employed, vivid descriptions, figurative language, and unique poetic tones to communicate the meaning [...]
  • Subjects: Poems
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 615

Raymond Carver Story “A Small Good Thing”

At the beginning of the story, we come across Ann as one of the protagonists in the story as she tries to order and give instructions for her son's birthday cake.
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 838

“A Summer Tragedy” by Arna Bontemps

The story is set near the Mississippi River, in the fertile lands of New Orleans. The Patton's love each other so much, and their affection is shown in the story.
  • 5
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 404

“Tangled Up in Blue” Lyrics by Bob Dylan

The song manages to tell the whole story of the life and love of the lyrical hero. The future is unpredictable but we see glimpses of it in the past and present.
  • Subjects: Poems
  • Pages: 1
  • Words: 306

David Montgomery’s “The Fall of the House of Labor”

The book highlights the events that led to the formation of workers' unions and David Montgomery's contribution to the revolution. He also claimed that the existence of different classes of labor led to the downfall [...]
  • Subjects: Historical Literature
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 848

“Harrison Bergeron” a Short Story by Kurt Vonnegut

He argues that egalitarianism calls for the suppression of the bright and hardworking in order for them to be equal with the rest; that it assigns much importance to peaceful living at the expense of [...]
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 796

“Girl” a Novel by Jamaica Kincaid

The writer in the text uses authentic statements to show the reader that culture was supposed to be preserved in the family.
  • Subjects: American Novels Writing Style
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1418

Consumerism in the 1960s in “A&;P“ by John Updike

He also shows the way people responded to the opportunities and challenges of the new times. The girls seem to rebel against the system and conventions of the society, as they dare come into the [...]
  • Subjects: Themes in American Novels
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1131

Meursault in “The Stranger”: A Novel by Albert Camus

When Meursault is asked by Raymond to write a letter that the latter can use to torture his mistress, he unsympathetically consents to the request because he "did not have any reason not to".
  • Subjects: World Philosophy Literature
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1465

“Where the Red Fern Grows” by Wilson Rawls

The entire story is a documentation of the happiness that the dogs brought to Bill, and its conclusion is practically an illustration of how fond memories always stay with the individuals left behind after the [...]
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 232

Heroism and Power in Homer’s “The Illiad”

In The Iliad, the relations between two characters, Agamemnon and Apollo, as well as their motivation and passion help to underscore the theme of power and rage; the conflict between the characters is based on [...]
  • Subjects: World Literature
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1565

The Sonnet: My Mistress’ Eyes Are Nothing Like the Sun

Despite the fact that the usual approach to analyzing poems and sonnets is to divide literary devices and assess their value, it is proposed to use the structuralist approach and analyze Sonnet 130 as a [...]
  • Subjects: Poems
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1650

Themes and Experiences: “I Am Malala” by Malala Yousafzai

In telling her story, Malala emphasizes the importance of education for girls, the differences in culture and religion she experienced growing in Pakistan, the dangers of being an education activist, and the beginnings of the [...]
  • Subjects: World Literature
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1117

“Hysterical Realism” in Zadie Smith’s Novels

Instead, she wants to provide her readers with a chance to position themselves toward the residue of the past experiences of the country that still can be felt on the streets of modern London.
  • Subjects: British Literature
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1119

History of China in Novel “To Live” by Yu Hua

On the whole, the novel is an example of intersection of personal and historical aspects of life depicting an individual and his changes under the impacts of the political history of the country.
  • Subjects: Historical Literature
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1376

John Donne’s and Edmund Spenser’s Works Comparison

Although the theme of female body is disclosed differently in two poems, both authors resort to a variety of devices to make the idea clear and to engage the readers in the perception of it.
  • Subjects: Comparative Literature
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1250

“The Open Boat” by Stephen Crane

The central characters, the correspondent, the captain, the oiler, and the cook, are all survivors of a shipwreck which left them stranded in the water in a small and flimsy dinghy.
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 640

“Le Morte d’Arthur” by Thomas Malory

It is imperative to consider Merriam-Webster's definition of a knight: "a man who is given special honor and the title of Sir by the king or queen of England", to understand the first component of [...]
  • Subjects: British Literature
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 844

“The Wind” a Novel by Dorothy Scarborough

The author focuses on the thoughts of the protagonist, Letty Mason, and shows the world through her eyes. Letty is a young woman that is not prepared to live in the harsh environment of her [...]
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1192

Sophocles’ Oedipus as a Tragic Hero

Oedipus does not know that he kills his father and marries his mother; the only motif he follows is to protect people he loves and become happy.
  • Subjects: Plays
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 630

Narrator in Poe’s “The Pit and the Pendulum”

The term "unreliable narrator" was first introduced by Wayne Booth who described the unreliability of a narrator as based on the differences between the views of the speaker in the story and the reader.
  • 4
  • Subjects: Aspects of American Novels
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1111

Lynching in “A Party Down at the Square” by Ellison

The practice of lynching could be considered one of the worst acts committed by the citizens of the United States. This date would place the events at the end of the period of extreme racism [...]
  • Subjects: Themes in American Novels
  • Pages: 7
  • Words: 1998

Sexuality in Shakespeare’s Sonnets

Additionally, the poet's description of beauty, satirical approach to love, and the construction of gender roles reveal his interest in the issue of sexuality.
  • Subjects: Poems
  • Pages: 8
  • Words: 2243

“The Twenty Years’ Crisis 1919-1939” by E. Carr

In his book, The Twenty Years' Crisis 1919-1939: An Introduction to the Study of International Relations, Edward Hallett Carr studies the political and economic factors that predisposed the creation of the conflict, at the same [...]
  • Subjects: Historical Literature
  • Pages: 15
  • Words: 3861

Themes and Culture in Li Bai’s Poetry

This is likely intentional as the tower, and the neighboring lake is a very famous location in China and holds great significance outside the context of the poem.
  • Subjects: Poems
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 852

“Riders of the Purple Sage” Western by Zane Grey

The book "Riders of the Purple Sage" was one of the first in the genre western. Overall, storylines intertwine the fates of the main characters, which allows the audience to understand them better, and an [...]
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1111

Race and Culture in Langston Hughes’ Poems

The most obvious way of assessing the extent to which Langston Hughes responded to the historical context of his race in his work is to assess his thematic concerns. Again, just like in "Cross," Hughes [...]
  • Subjects: Poems
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1229

“The House on Mango Street” by Sandra Cisneros

The vignettes presented in The House on Mango Street describe the daily experiences of Esperanza, and they demonstrate the particular features of the Mexican Americans' life in a low-income neighborhood.
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 589

“The Count of Monte Cristo” by Alexandre Dumas

Having passed through the period of revolution and Napoleonic Wars, connected with the radical changes in the structure of society and shifts in the mentality of people, society entered the new era characterized by the [...]
  • Subjects: World Literature
  • Pages: 9
  • Words: 2494

Literature: The Grapes of Wrath and As I Lay Dying

This understanding forms the background of The Grapes of Wrath and As I Lay Dying analysis in this paper. The unity of structure and language in any comical genre take after carnivalistic folklore..".there is a [...]
  • Subjects: Comparative Literature
  • Pages: 11
  • Words: 3270

“The Jungle Book” by Rudyard Kipling

Devoted to the description of the life of a human being, the book, though, manages to combine this description with the visions of nature of the jungle and the laws according to which animals live [...]
  • Subjects: British Literature
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 565