Literature Essay Examples and Topics. Page 4

8,301 samples

Theatre of Absurd: Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf

Written in the 1960s, Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf is an expansive, one-of-a-kind, and utterly honest depiction of a family life rife with disappointment. George and Martha's marriage defies the idealized American family.
  • Subjects: Plays
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 673

“My Secret Life as a Black Man” by Anthony Walton

He feels that he is living two lives his real life and the other as a black man, struggling with a history of his own racial identity and the expectations of the society around him.
  • Subjects: World Literature
  • Pages: 1
  • Words: 283

Baal’s Qualities in Christian Demonology

The increasing interest in the occult world and other rituals linked to diabolical are becoming extensive in a wide segment of the populace, prompting renewed vigor in comprehending their actions. The expression accentuates the Canaanite [...]
  • Subjects: Mythology
  • Pages: 8
  • Words: 2247

Angel in House in Woolf’s Professions for Women

In Woolf's Professions for Women, the Angel in the House symbolizes the expectations of the society from what a woman should be; this Angel in the House got in the way of Woolf's writing and [...]
  • Subjects: British Literature
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 835

“Home” by Gwendolyn Brooks

Being a home-owner is one of the aspects that determine status in the society and, consequently, stimulates people to preserve their status.
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 572

Roles of Women in “The Odyssey” by Homer

Of course, she is not a mortal woman as she is a nymph and is beyond the laws of human society. Of course, the woman is meant to be devoted to her husband and her [...]
  • Subjects: World Literature
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1693

Burning Chrome by William Gibson Analysis & Summary

This is also a reflection of the impact of modern technology on the lives of the young as they grapple with new ways to survive and thrive in a world controlled by things that are [...]
  • 5
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1589

“Charlotte’s web” by E.B. White

The book gives a story of a spider by the name Charlotte and her acquaintance with Wilbur, the piglet. Wilbur's purpose and his impact on the themes of the book Wilbur is the main character [...]
  • 5
  • Subjects: World Literature
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1387

Emily Dickinson “If I Should Die” Analysis

Thus, it can be stated that the persona of the poem is a confident and peaceful person which is aware of the fact that other people will live and the world will still exist after [...]
  • Subjects: World Literature
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 554

Nick as the Narrator in The Great Gatsby

Therefore, his connection with the Gatsby's story is that he is depended upon to serve as the mouthpiece of the older generation as he metaphorically transcends through time to retell the Great Gatsby tale accurately [...]
  • 5
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 9
  • Words: 2458

Fantasy in Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland”

The primary objective of fantasy is to provide a way of escape from the unexciting existence of daily living. In the case of Carroll's Alice in Wonderland, one of the purposes of fantasy is to [...]
  • Subjects: British Literature
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1697

Racism in the “Dutchman” by Amiri Baraka

Generally, one is to keep in mind that Baraka is recognized to be one of the most important representatives of the black community, and the theme of racism in The Dutchman has, therefore, some historical [...]
  • 5
  • Subjects: Comparative Literature
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1401

An Archetypal Analysis of Hermann Hesse’s “Demian”

The theory of Carl Jung is perfectly superimposed on the work of Hermann Hesse Demian, where the plot is saturated with psychologism and symbols of acceptance of oneself and one's experience.
  • Subjects: World Philosophy Literature
  • Pages: 10
  • Words: 2863

“Bad English” in “Minor Feelings” Literature

The present work thus seeks to elaborate the reason behind Hong's valuation of 'Bad English' as featured in the book 'Minor Feelings.' The valuation of 'bad English' by Hong partly purposes to celebrate and appreciate [...]
  • Subjects: Themes in American Novels
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1465

“Serving in Florida” by Barbara Ehrenreich

Barbara's Ehrenreich's text 'Serving in Florida' can be described as effective in terms of defining the main problems of the American poor through the prism of the personal experience of the author.
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 866

William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” Reaction Paper

In this reaction paper to one of the most prominent Faulkner's works, I attempt to describe and analyze the strategies that the author used to make this conflict acute and sympathetic to the reader.
  • 5
  • Subjects: Concepts in American Novels
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1297

Marriage in the Importance of Being Earnest: Analysis

Although Algernon's view on love and marriage is not known during the conversation with his butler, we get to know his thoughts on the subject in a monologue where he claims that marriage is an [...]
  • Subjects: British Literature
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 879

Brother by David Chariandy: Novel Review

The novel Brother by David Chariandy explores the concepts of brotherhood, discrimination, and internalized racism through the eyes of Michael and Francis. The theme of brotherhood is apparent through the relationship between Michael and Francis [...]
  • Subjects: World Literature
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1810

“Neighbors” by Raymond Carver: An Analysis

The photos symbolize their neighbor's, Kitty represents the couple's insatiable urge to act s others, and the locked doorknob symbolizes their inability to abandon their lifestyle.
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 1
  • Words: 189

“Patron Saints of Nothing” Novel Analysis

This fact adds to the already uneasy perception of Jun's death and shows that the guilt is not only in the lack of connection but in the absence of attempts to support his cousin.
  • Subjects: Concepts in American Novels
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 835

The Thematic Concept in Water Names

Like the narrator, a reader may think that the story presents a happy ending, as the young woman "went to join the kingdom of her beloved". The woman wants the girls to find the answer [...]
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 864

“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

“Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley

The monster then travels to Geneva and meets a little boy called William in the woods, where he hopes that the young boy who is not yet corrupted by the views of older people and [...]
  • Subjects: British Literature
  • Pages: 7
  • Words: 2158

Stereotypes of Women in “Pride and Prejudice”

In this novel of manners, the author describes the character development of the protagonist, Elizabeth Bennet, and depicts the society of late eighteenth and early nineteenth-century England with its values and flaws. One of the [...]
  • Subjects: Gender in Literature
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 995

Hemingway’s “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place”

The younger one is in a hurry to go home, the older one hesitates, he clearly does not want to leave, although it is already deep night. There are no human meanings in the world: [...]
  • Subjects: Themes in American Novels
  • Pages: 1
  • Words: 376

Hamlet And Laertes: A Comparison

Hamlet, shocked by the revelation and shaken to the core by the knowledge of his mother's role in the act, immediately makes his intention clear in the presence of the ghost.
  • Subjects: British Literature
  • Pages: 12
  • Words: 3242

Lying, Acting, Hypocrisy in Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”

This paper will argue that, although the concepts of hypocrisy, lying, and acting are brought up directly only a few times in Hamlet, the manifestations thereof can be found throughout the poem, the Dutch prince [...]
  • Subjects: Plays
  • Pages: 7
  • Words: 1313

Gardens in Pride and Prejudice

In the novel, the author compares this garden to Darcy's perception of himself. He boasts about how he knows the number and the location of each and every tree in the garden.
  • 5
  • Subjects: British Literature
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1242

The Second Coming

But at the same time, there is a sense of controversy because of the unordinary nature of the title and the way the words are related to each other.
  • 4
  • Subjects: Poems
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 561

Al-Farazdaq, His Life and Poems

At this point, new subjects emerged and he chose to write about them in the spirit of a poet who was out to criticize.
  • Subjects: World Literature
  • Pages: 10
  • Words: 2858

The Play “Fool for Love” by Sam Shepard

The following paper aims to analyze themes from the play, identify the connections to the concept of identity, and determine whether the reality they are dealing with offers them a possibility to live the American [...]
  • Subjects: Plays
  • Pages: 8
  • Words: 2228

Literary Devices of “Ulysses” by Lord Tennyson

Thereby, irony can be traced in a poem even if contemporary scholars try to prove that there is no ironic meaning at all by using biographic approach to analyse the poem, motivation of the author, [...]
  • 5
  • Subjects: Poems
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1674

Frankenstein: The Theme of Birth

Frankenstein is a ruthless man who can stop at nothing in his pursuit of knowledge, and when he discovered the secrets of life, he uses it to create a monster.
  • Subjects: British Literature
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1474

The Feminine Power in A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Considering the Elizabethan times much was expected from women in terms of respect and submissiveness to the men in that society, such that a daughter going to an extent of going against a fathers choice [...]
  • Subjects: British Literature
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1725

The Theme of Sense and Sensibility

This paper explores the theme of sense and sensibility, and the lack of it, in details and shows how each of the characters stands out in relation to the theme.
  • Subjects: British Literature
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1169

“The Street Lawyer” by John Grisham: Plot Recap

When Michael returns to his office, he remains unsettled, and he decides to ask for the eviction file, but the real estate lawyer, Braden Chance refuses to give it to him.
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1113

Shakespeare versus Olivier: A Depiction of ‘Hamlet’

The presentation of the Ghost in the film builds the main theme of revenge and tragedy. Olivier shows that the Oedipus complex is a crucial aspect in understanding the play especially the character of Hamlet [...]
  • 4.5
  • Subjects: Plays
  • Pages: 10
  • Words: 2683

Edgar Allan Poe’s Story “The Black Cat”

For instance, when the main character looked at the image of the cat on the wall, he saw it as "gigantic"; however, whether the size of the animal was an expression of paranormal or the [...]
  • 5
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 394

R.K. Narayan’s ‘The Guide’

The very title of the Narayan's 'The Guide' is ambiguous since the main character, Raju, is a tour guide. In other words this is a modern India, and there is a complex interplay of forces; [...]
  • Subjects: British Literature
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1148

A Family Supper

The relationship between the author and the parents is strained because of the author's decision to move to California, as explained in the story where the author states, "My relationship with my parents had become [...]
  • Subjects: British Literature
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 812

Macbeth & Frankenstein: Compare & Contrast

In the being of the play, we assume that Macbeth is akin to the king, a loyal soldier, and a person "full of the milk of human kindness".
  • 5
  • Subjects: Comparative Literature
  • Pages: 8
  • Words: 2483

Symbolism and Realism in Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert

The character development in the story is presented through Emma's realization of the imperfection of the world. Although Madame Bovary as a realistic novel is widely recognized, Flaubert's quest of distortions and illusions lead to [...]
  • 3
  • Subjects: Romantic Literature
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 807

Defamiliarization in Literature: Examples

Defamiliarization is one of the helpful stylistic techniques of such kind, and this essay shall analyze examples of defamiliarization and the benefits of its usage.
  • 3.5
  • Subjects: Dramatic Literature
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 700

Stealing Buddha’s Dinner Themes and Analysis

The television commercials glorify fast food, and Bich is under the impression that this is the hallmark of an American identity. Bich's identity crisis was not helped by the fact that she lacked a stable [...]
  • 5
  • Subjects: World Literature
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 1092

Essay Review on the Refugee by Alan Gratz

Despite the different reasons that prompted Isabel and Josef to leave their native country, and the fate of their loved ones that affected the emotional state of the children, they are similar in that the [...]
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 573

The Short Story “Dead Men’s Path” by Chinua Achebe

With the support of his wife Nancy, this energetic and modern man decides to transform the school into a modern one by planting beautiful gardens on the fields and closing a path that villagers use [...]
  • Subjects: World Literature
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 671

Turn of the Screw: A Complication of Ambiguity

In this case, it is assumed that the ghosts are not real and are just figments of the governess's imagination and the 'evidence' she sees in the behavior of the children regarding the ghosts' existence [...]
  • Subjects: Aspects of American Novels
  • Pages: 13
  • Words: 3611

“Rape of the Lock” the Poem by Alexander Pope

In the times gone by, there was a period when scholars and knowledgeable people on the whole, tended to assume the primary half of the eighteenth century as the "Age of Pope".
  • Subjects: British Literature
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1448

“Sex Without Love” by Sharon Olds

Olds uses enjambment to quicken the pace of the poem, and employs repetition both these stylistic devices are used to denote the rhythm of sex: "How do they come to the / come to the [...]
  • Subjects: Poems
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 954

Frankenstein & the Context of Enlightenment

The public was becoming more and more involved in the debates being waged, particularly as newspapers and other periodicals became more prevalent with the introduction of the printing press, introducing and maintaining widespread discourse in [...]
  • Subjects: British Literature
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1568

The Epic of Gilgamesh: The Death and the Afterlife

The main purpose of the Gilgamesh myth is to illustrate the weakness of man in the face of destiny. By the time this dream appears in the story, the reader is already aware Enkidu is [...]
  • 3.6
  • Subjects: World Literature
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 582

Pecos Bill: Summary and Analysis of the Story

That is why, according to a child psychologist Bruno Bettelheim, Pecos Bill may be considered as a somewhat successful story for children and their perception of the world.
  • 4.5
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 734

The Poem “Primer for Blacks” by Gwendolyn Brooks

The segregation and prejudices attached to the black community by their counterparts impacted them negatively in regard to how society perceived the black people and consequently, how they felt about themselves.
  • Subjects: Poems
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 820

Imagery and Theme in William Blake’s Poems

Through the years the author got the new vision of his poems what was expressed by the difference between the imagery of Introductions and the Song's of Nurse in the Songs of Innocence and Songs [...]
  • Subjects: Comparative Literature
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 648

Victorian Poetry and Its Characteristics

One of the most prominent traits of Victorian poetry was that most poems portrayed the themes of isolation, alienation, and the distinction between love and life.
  • Subjects: British Literature
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1102

Feminism in Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Mary Wollstonecraft expressly makes her stand known in advocating for the rights of the women in her novel, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, but her daughter is a bit reluctant to curve a [...]
  • 3
  • Subjects: British Literature
  • Pages: 8
  • Words: 2266

Everyday Use by Alice Walker

The two hand-stitched quilts draw attention and become the center of conflict in the family of Mama and her two daughters.
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1705

“Ceremony” by Leslie Marmon Silko

According to the Ceremony, the word story refers to factors that contribute to the identification of a story. That means how different people usually narrate the same story to her In the novel Ceremony, storytelling [...]
  • Subjects: American Novels Influences
  • Pages: 10
  • Words: 2740

Walter Lee Younger: Character Analysis Essay

This promise is immature; Walter knows very well that getting the money to invest in his business remains a point of contention, yet he promises Willy that he would take the money.
  • 3.5
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 1000

The Poem “The Spoiler’s Return” by Derek Walcott

As such, Walcott projects the theme of corruption by denoting the Spoiler's return in a suit as representative of the powerful people in society that have emerged from hell to bring terror to the Trinidadian [...]
  • Subjects: Poems
  • Pages: 1
  • Words: 304

Guilt in “Maus: A Survivor’s Tale” by Art Spiegelman

Maus, through the comic, explains the Holocaust through his father's experience, and we see that it was not an easy place to come out because of the horrors and mistreatment in the concentration camps.
  • Subjects: Themes in American Novels
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1390

“The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson

The author wanted to show that the strength of the crowd, coupled with a strong sense of habit and tradition, so much clouded the mind that only the victim, left alone against the entire crowd, [...]
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 1
  • Words: 383

Comparing Emerson and Thoreau

In his essay "Nature" and "Divine School Address", Ralph Emerson opposes it as the perfect "City of God" to the City of Men or society.
  • Subjects: Writers
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 923

“Dance of the Dead” by Richard Matheson

Although the story mostly belongs to the science fiction genre, its central scene is focused on horror, and more specifically, the horror of the unknown that is emblematic of the dark fantasy genre according to [...]
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1127