Literature Essay Examples and Topics. Page 4

8,494 samples

Romanticism, Realism, and Modernism in Literature

Romantic literature is characterized by several key traits, such as a love of nature, an emphasis on the individual and spirituality, a celebration of solitude and sadness, an interest in the common man, an idealization [...]
  • Subjects: World Literature
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 619

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

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

Silver & Gold: Color Symbolism in The Great Gatsby

Although the color palette presented in Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby is rich, the problem of differing social status is most vividly described in the novel through the use of golden and silver colors that stand [...]
  • 4.5
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 880

Role of Women in Twelfth Night and Hamlet by Shakespeare

Purpose of the research The purpose of this study is to compare specific women characters in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night and Hamlet and to explore their similarities in terms of their passivity, relationships with other characters [...]
  • Subjects: British Literature
  • Pages: 10
  • Words: 2527

Harrison Bergeron Theme

In summary, the loss of freedom and civil rights would lead to America's dystopia are the main messages of Harrison Bergeron.
  • 3.3
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 943

“Dark Princess” by W.E.B. Du Bois: Novel Analysis

Those who were dissatisfied with the novel tried to accuse the author of failing to use social realism in the book and of excessive eroticism. Matthew Townes is the main character of the work, and [...]
  • Subjects: Historical Literature
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 644

Character of Kurtz in Heart of Darkness

The quote is indicative of the loneliness that Kurtz experiences and depicts the intensity of his emotions in being away from his homeland. The character of Kurtz conveys symbolism that is important in understanding his [...]
  • Subjects: Dramatical Novel
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 845

“Thoughts of Hanoi” Poem by Nguyen Thi Vinh

The Vietnam War found a profound reflection in the literature and poetry of the country's citizens, affected by the continuous loss of lives and the division of the country into North and South Vietnam.
  • Subjects: Poems
  • Pages: 1
  • Words: 398

Modernism in Eliot’s “The Hollow Men” Poem

This scene of destruction indicates the spiritual devastation of the men, as the depiction of death and the afterlife connect with the Christian idea of the soul.
  • Subjects: Modernist Literature
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 575

Hospitality History in “Hotel” by Arthur Hailey

The author fulfilled the purpose of the book and the needs of the audience, as he described realistic events, created a down-to-earth hero and made the plot thrilling.
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 7
  • Words: 1991

“The Swamp Dwellers” by Wole Soyinka

The swamp dweller "talks about the urban and remote society, the confrontations between the older and younger people, the battles between the old and the new in the society, love for modernism, the existence of [...]
  • 1
  • Subjects: Plays
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1123

Themes in “The Reader” by Bernhard Schlink

The relationship between the two characters is a depiction of the connection between the wartime generation and the post-war generation. He is faced with the dilemma of exposing her illiteracy to reduce her sentence.
  • Subjects: World Literature
  • Pages: 8
  • Words: 2279

Historical Parallels Between George Orwell’s 1984 and Today

Perhaps that is clearly illustrated by the quote that presupposes that whoever can control the past, has power to control the future; while whoever has the ability to control the present, wields the right to [...]
  • 5
  • Subjects: Themes in American Novels
  • Pages: 12
  • Words: 3364

The Great Gatsby Reflection Paper

Throughout the novel the major character Nick who was the narrator managed to bring out the main themes of the novel as well as developing other characters.
  • 5
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 745

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

Todd Schwartz’s “American Jerk” Essay

Another one is more of a humorous idea that there are spores in the sunlight that are essentially converting people into self-centered zombies.
  • Subjects: Themes in American Novels
  • Pages: 1
  • Words: 409

“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

“Woman as Other” by Simone de Beauvoir

This article was able to prove the main argument that a woman is an "other"; however de Beauvoir was unable to win a decisive victory because in order for this statement to be accepted as [...]
  • Subjects: World Literature
  • Pages: 7
  • Words: 2054

Evil in “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding

The idea is that we are born with both the capacity of good and the capacity of evil and that the way we are raised, or the environment in which we live determines how we [...]
  • Subjects: British Literature
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 721

“Beachy Head” Poem by Charlotte Smith

Although Smith does not lose her connection to social and political contexts, the first and foremost describes the discovery of the human self through nature, which means, the natural world appears both a key character [...]
  • Subjects: Poems
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 712

“The Glass Castle: A Memoir“ by Jeannette Walls Review

For instance, the birth of a younger brother or sister, the beginning of school, or the divorce of parents would change the relationship between the child and his or her environment. In the given case, [...]
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1692

“Goodbye to All That” by Joan Didion

Didion was experiencing the emptiness and meaninglessness of her life in New York, the city that kept disappointing her, not because it was a bad place to live but because it was not the place [...]
  • 5
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 478

Sexual Identity in Behn’s “To the Fair Clarinda”

Wahl is of the idea that Hermaphroditism is a metaphor that enables Behn to describe the Lesbian desire while Frangos believes that there is a possibility of Clarinda being a hermaphrodite.
  • Subjects: Gender in Literature
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1970

“The Lady, or the Tiger?” by Frank Stockton

However, once the lover of the king's daughter is given the dreadful choice, the princess secretly interferes with the chance and gives the man a hint to open the door on the right.
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 599

Oedipus as a Tragic Hero

By the end of the paper, the reader should be able to identify a strong correlation between Oedipus and the tragic hero outlined by Aristotle in the Poetics.
  • 3.4
  • Subjects: Plays
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1778

To His Coy Mistress

The man's view was that he was in short of time and he was wasting the time he already had. The idea he had was that if they had all the time in the world, [...]
  • 3
  • Subjects: Concepts in American Novels
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1249

“The Wolves” Play by Sarah DeLappe

Before the last game, the mother of the deceased girl approached the girls and made a delirious speech about her daughter and the team's cohesion.
  • Subjects: Plays
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 957

Deception in “A Doll’s House” by Henrik Ibsen

It is important to note that the topic of deception and self-deception in Henrik Ibsen's "A Doll's House" is of paramount criticality in order to understand the underlying message and characters' actions.
  • Subjects: Plays
  • Pages: 1
  • Words: 280

The Poem “Daystar” by Rita Dove

The readers are encouraged to reflect on everlasting truths and the role of a common woman in her daily life as a mother and wife.
  • Subjects: Poems
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 925

“The Other Shore” by Xingjian Gao

Although the play had a religious connotation, it highlighted the government's failure and the inherent struggle by the people which aggravated the leaders, thus leaving the country and becoming a French citizen.
  • Subjects: Plays
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1108

Hamlet’s Parental Relationships

The death of his father, the actions of his mother and his existing relationship with his uncle all have Hamlet confused regarding the true nature of the world.
  • Subjects: Plays
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1716

“How to Talk to Girls at Parties” by Neil Gaiman

The present paper shows that the theme of coming of age is developed in the short story through the parallelization of girls to aliens and through the growth of the main characters' understanding that the [...]
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 740

The American Dream in Arthur Miller’s Plays

Willy has a distorted vision of the American Dream, and he has such blind faith in this inaccurate vision that it leads to his mental disturbance when he is not able to accept how the [...]
  • Subjects: Plays
  • Pages: 10
  • Words: 2776

James Joyce’s “Araby”: Summary of an Epiphany

The theme of the story Araby reveals the hero's psychological state from the way of love to despair and bitter realities and shows boy's findings about the difference between real and imagined life around him.
  • 1
  • Subjects: World Literature
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1439

“The Two-Sen Copper Coin” by Edogawa Rampo

It is impossible not to agree that he reached considerable success in his endeavors."The Two-Sen Copper Coin" is a shining example of Ranpo's ability to tell a story in an exciting and intriguing way, intermingling [...]
  • Subjects: World Literature
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 571

George Orwell’s “Why I Write”

The third part of the essay reflects Orwell's personal motives in writing and the development of his style which is rather "public-spirited" because Orwell wanted to reflect the social issues in writing.
  • 4
  • Subjects: British Literature
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 564

My papa’s waltz

The boy had to waltz with his father and as they did so, he hit his right ear on his father's buckle because he was a small one.
  • 3.5
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 568

Zeus’ Mythology

Zeus' main weapon was the thunderbolt and he was commonly referred to as the father of men and gods. Zeus had to fight with the remaining Titans and he was able to vanquish one of [...]
  • 5
  • Subjects: Mythology
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 832

Short Detective Story

You nabbed them!" "Who?" asked the detective."The time fugitives" said the other man, with a note of deep distaste."They were not content with the domes, the recycled air, the recycled food, the unvarying light and [...]
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 10
  • Words: 2725

Themes of the “Adams” Story by George Saunders

In the context of the story "Adams," these actions play an essential role in the life of the narrator, who tries to understand the further deeds of his neighbor Adams and put himself in his [...]
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1099

The Poem “Beowulf”: Prologue Analysis

Another example of kenning in the Beowulf's foreword is the phrase "mead-bench tore", which describes a sturdy man, emulating the size of the seat at the Germanic feast.
  • Subjects: Poems
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1565

Charles Dickens’s Childhood Experiences

The secret of his popularity is that Dickens keenly felt the changes in the life of England, and was an expression of the hopes and aspirations of thousands of people.
  • Subjects: Writers
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1414

The “Educated” Memoir by Tara Westover

The author demonstrates all the complexities of her intra-familial relationships in detail, and it is impossible not to feel sympathy and empathy.
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 838

“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

“Interpreter of Maladies” by Jhumpa Lahiri

The plot revolves around the trip of the Das Indian family from the USA to India itself. Kapasi to discover the difference in "interpreting" their national and personal perception.Mr.
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 1
  • Words: 389

“The Piano Lesson” by August Wilson

The main theme of the play under consideration is the importance to understand, accept and cherish our past, which is symbolized by the family heirloom piano.
  • Subjects: Plays
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 570

The Death of Ivan Ilych and The Metamorphosis

As he comes to understand the difference between his servant's and his family's views on life, Ivan begins to realize that he has lived a life of moral death, a life empty of everything save [...]
  • Subjects: Comparative Literature
  • Pages: 11
  • Words: 3084

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

The Epic Ramayana by Valmiki

Her loyalty is seen in the book again, when she is abducted by the demonic Ravana, who is king of Lanka, to avenge his demon sister's disfiguring.
  • 5
  • Subjects: World Literature
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 829

“An Imaginary Life” by David Malouf

Raising the issues of de-colonization and the consequences of the political and cultural dependence of the colonized territories, the postcolonial writers criticize the racist inclinations of colonizers and the colonial rule in general.
  • Subjects: World Literature
  • Pages: 9
  • Words: 2577

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 Fairy Tale Rapunzel

The justification for this is that the girl's mother had eaten a Rapunzel from the witch's farm. Her long hair is a symbol of a bond that links her to the outside world and from [...]
  • 5
  • Subjects: World Literature
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 583

Transcendentalism: The Role of Emerson and Whitman

Emerson argued that American intellectuals should create their unique style of scholarship and literature, while Whitman celebrated the beauty and diversity of America in his poetry.
  • Subjects: Writers
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1150

Shelley’s Frankenstein: What It Means to Be Human

The contestation was largely influenced by the Enlightenment led by the philosopher David Hume, who argued that there were different species of people and non-European species were "naturally inferior to the whites".
  • Subjects: British Literature
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 877

The Epic Poem “Beowulf”: Arms and Armor

Beowulf uses all manner of tools to slay and protect himself from being slain, and the poet constantly compares the hero to the monsters he fights. Beowulf's three great battles are the most prominent: the [...]
  • Subjects: Poems
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 678

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

Betrayal in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”

The betrayer, Macbeth betrays the King, friend and other subjects in the kingdom. However when Macbeth is told he has just been chosen as the Thane of Cawdor, scenes of the possibilities of him as [...]
  • Subjects: Plays
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 887

“The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst

The disabilities of the younger brother do not prevent him from admiring the world, while the elder brother is inclined to show more pride, and these differences form the basis of the story.
  • 5
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1120

An Analysis “Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes

Harlem Renaissance also referred to as the New Negro Movement led to the evolvement of a new identity of the black culture between the the1920s and the early years of the 1930s.
  • Subjects: Poems
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 1087

The Truth about Stories by Thomas King

These sections are titled in such a way not by chance as they help for people to understand themselves, to identify themselves in the world, the sections of the book help to relate people to [...]
  • Subjects: World Literature
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1407

America Is in the Heart by Carlos Bulosan

Carlos Bulosan's novel America is in the heart is born from the hostile environment to which the writer was exposed, from his childhood years to the time the novel was published.
  • Subjects: World Literature
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1103

“The Lottery” by Chris Abani

A 10 year-old child, completely happy with the life, walks out of the house with the aunt to go to the store. Moreover, one of the actions of making a sacrifice was to spit on [...]
  • Subjects: World Literature
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 546

Dinner Guest: Me by Langston Hughes

In the second line of the poem, he says that "The Negro Problem", thus attempting to bring out some of the challenges that the Negros had to face in their endeavors to fit into the [...]
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 584

“Sure Thing” by David Ives

The first scene is the best confirmation of the offered claim as searching for love people refuse take it when they have it in their hands. However, being a symbol of destiny, the bell helps [...]
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 843

Blindness in Oedipus Rex & Hamlet

Therefore, in this play, the sighted like Oedipus and Jocasta are 'blind' to the truth whilst the blind like Teiresias can see the truth.
  • 4.7
  • Subjects: Comparative Literature
  • Pages: 10
  • Words: 2788

A Simple Story by S.Y. Agnon

He significantly influenced the development of Hebrew literature by means of the frequent usage of literary techniques. These techniques assist in helping the reader to comprehend the atmosphere of the story and enter the characters' [...]
  • Subjects: Modernist Literature
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 577

Father-Son Relationship in The Odyssey by Homer

In Odyssey therefore, it is expected that the relationship of Odysseus and Telemachus is as admiring as it is; the father is proud of his son, who is courageous and the son is proud of [...]
  • 4
  • Subjects: Plays
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 825