Literature Essay Examples and Topics. Page 61

8,776 samples

“Death of a Salesman” a Book by Arthur Miller

Loman believes that Biff has wasted time and money, and is throwing his life away. To defend himself, Biff lies to his father that he has a potential business meeting the very next day.
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 564

Racist Ideas in Joseph Conrad’s Work

Achebe emphasizes that Conrad attempts to show his positive attitude towards Africans, but it is clear that he shares the belief about the superiority of the white race that reigned at that time.
  • Subjects: British Literature
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 577

“Spy Novels” and Intelligence Studies

The literary genre 'spy novel' emerged in Britain prior to the beginning of the WW1, which in turn explains why in a classical spy novel the protagonist's intelligence-gathering activities are usually described as nothing short [...]
  • Subjects: World Literature
  • Pages: 10
  • Words: 2777

Different Images of the Countryside in Literature

Throughout the story, the image of the countryside is displayed in two instances: first, as a backdrop against which the reader follows the journey and the conversation of H and Tong-I, and as an environment [...]
  • Subjects: World Literature
  • Pages: 8
  • Words: 2005

“The Cherry Pickers” by Kevin Gilbert

At the moment of the initially rehearsed interpretation of The Cherry Pickers, Gilbert was named the first Indigenous dramatist to have his play performed.
  • Subjects: Plays
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1102

“Paradise Lost” a Poem by John Milton

Finally, Adam and Eve had to defend their right to believe and have their faith is the allusion to the changes that were apparent in the religious life of England.
  • Subjects: British Literature
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 309

“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

“First Person Plural” by Cameron West

The reader, who gets deeply engaged in the narrative, feels a kind of false hope that Cameron is going to get better when he leaves for California with his family and starts to undergo treatment [...]
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1385

The Play “The Last Days of Judas Iscariot”

It seems that the artists decided to participate in this play since they are also concerned about the mentioned issues and would like the spectators to feel as close to Judas Iscariot as possible, sharing [...]
  • Subjects: Plays
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 567

The Play “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever”

The purpose of this production is to deepen the understanding of the story and its themes. The diversity of characters, an interesting and unusual plot, and the variety of settings are factors that contributed to [...]
  • Subjects: Plays
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 710

“Swamp Thing” a Book by Alan Moore

The personal struggle of the protagonist was two-dimensional: the rejection of his own nature and the active rejection of the idea of duty.
  • Subjects: British Literature
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 567

“Song of Solomon“ by Toni Morrison Book Review

Ruth did not abandon her affection for her father even as an adolescent, their goodnight kiss ritual, motivated by her seeing her mother as a rival due to the latter's lack of maternal care, was [...]
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 496

“Tortilla Flat” by John Steinbeck

One of the most notable aspects of a contemporary living in the West is that, as time goes on, more and more people tend to adopt a highly individualistic approach to addressing life-challenges while assuming [...]
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1661

The Value of Realistic Heroes

The uniqueness of a real hero is in their heroism that can be controversial, flawed in nature and outcomes, and harder to detect in general.
  • Subjects: World Literature
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1120

“My Mistress’ Eyes Are Nothing Like the Sun”

Although Shakespeare wrote about the exquisite beauty of a young woman and compared her to a goddess, saying, "I grant I never saw a goddess go; my mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground," [...]
  • Subjects: British Literature
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 847

“Their Eyes Were Watching God” by Zora N. Hurston

When Janie decides to move in with Tea Cake, she secretly conceals two hundred dollars in her shirt pocket, and fears to reveal the secret to Tea Cake. Tea Cake's role in the novel is [...]
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 843

Sylvia Plath’s Life and “The Bell Jar”

The decision to publish the novel under an alias was informed by the author's attempt to protect several of the real-life characters that were depicted in the book.
  • Subjects: Writers
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1716

“The Man in the High Castle” by Philip Dick

Robert Childan is considered to be one of the key characters of The Man in the High Castle as he makes a significant contribution into the unraveling of the plot.
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 588

Racial Injustice in “The New Jim Crow” by M. Alexander

The author believes that it can be one of the new systems used to control society and affect African Americans negatively even though it seems to make the USA safer for the representatives of the [...]
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1091

“Travels With Charley” a Book by John Steinbeck

Although his participation is sometimes attributed to the author's fascination with dogs, Charley actually serves two functions in the novel: he is an important character that helps to highlight the author's point and a plot-forming [...]
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 950

“Twelve Angry Men” Movie-Based Play

In this essay, we will examine the setting of the story, the behavior of Juror Eight, and the arguments he used to sway the other jurors to his side.
  • Subjects: Plays
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1373

Europa and Jupiter in Ovid’s and Rembrandt’s Works

The myth "Europa & Jupiter, the House of Cadmus" narrates the romantic story about the abduction of Europa by Jupiter. Immediately, the god in the guise of a bull jumped into the sea and began [...]
  • Subjects: Mythology
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 671

Japan in “The Pillow Book” by Sei Shonagon

The author of The Pillow Book is Sei Shonagon, a Japanese writer who served as a court lady to the Japanese empress in the 1000s. Sei Shonagon was a part of the upper class, which [...]
  • Subjects: Historical Literature
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 679

John Hale’s Image in “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller

The book is concerned with the topic of witch trials taking place in the city of Salem, the Province of Massachusetts Bay, 1692-1693; it features a number of characters, some of whom depict the real [...]
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 663

“The Adventures of Amir Hamza” by Bilgrami & Lakhnavī

Indeed, Amir Hamza is a character in which multiple other characters' attribute is embedded: he is a trickster, a warrior, a hero, a spiritual person, a lover, and a mature man; as his personality evolves, [...]
  • Subjects: World Literature
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1114

“Haroun and the Sea of Stories” by Salman Rushdie

One of the principal plotlines of the novel is a love story. Meanwhile, it should be noted that the author's interpretation of love is different from that elucidated in a typical romance.
  • Subjects: British Literature
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1099

“Life After Death” a Book by Damien Echols

Thanks to the newly-attained DNA evidence that pointed at the unknown suspect present at the crime scene, in 2011 the West Memphis Three were able to sign the Alford plea that allowed them to maintain [...]
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1123

“Mein Kampf” a Historical Book by Adolf Hitler

However, the book shows that even under the mask of one of the cruelest people in the world, there is a boy with his own dreams and intentions to have a happy life.
  • Subjects: Historical Literature
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 500

“Because I Could Not Stop for Death” by Emily Dickinson

The poem's unique touch is the characterization of death and the consequent relationship between this character and the speaker. The interaction between death the metaphor and death the symbol is one of the factors that [...]
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1388

American Southern Literature

Some of the most common themes that can be found in Southern literature are dedicated to the dominant religion practiced in this region Christianity, the ethnic communities that inhabit it, class division of the Southern [...]
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1705

“Survival in Auschwitz” by Primo Levi

For instance, in the chapter called "The Drowned and the Saved", the author only describes the setting and does not allow making any particular conclusions about his position, and the reader has to interpret the [...]
  • Subjects: Historical Literature
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 592

American “The Name of War” by Jill Lepore

The purpose of this paper is to review the assigned selections of Lepore's book and discuss the importance of the theme of violence in this reading.
  • Subjects: Historical Literature
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 629

“Heart of Darkness” a Novel by Joseph Conrad

Disguising the work as an autobiographical traveler's story, the author chooses to focus on the issues of race, colonialism, and the indigenous, which become central to the author's exploration and the story in general.
  • Subjects: British Literature
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1113

National Identity in “Song of Solomon” by Morrison

In this novel, Morrison, from her feminist viewpoint, depicts the successful quest for the personal and national identity of the main character Milkman, who finds the solution in African national values and the act of [...]
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 834

“Tiny Beautiful Things” by Cheryl Strayed

Tiny Beautiful Things is also a memoir with a strong element of self-help built in it; the author is in the role of Sugar who answers questions sent to her by ordinary people for the [...]
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 559

“The Giver”: Novel by Lowry and Film by Noyce

Having the plot in common, the book and the film have some slight differences in the content, and the most significant of them can be acknowledged the theme of love which is touched upon only [...]
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 576

Taiwan Literature, Its Identity and Development

The notion of "Taiwan literature" caused debates in the 1980s and 1990s concerning the term itself, its content, and the place of the phenomenon within world literature.
  • Subjects: World Literature
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1137

Capital Punishment in Melville’s “Billy Budd, Sailor”

One of the reasons for the triumph of Billy Budd, Sailor in America and the United Kingdom, was the precision, with which the author portrayed the historical and cultural context, particularly Melville analyzed both issues [...]
  • Subjects: Themes in American Novels
  • Pages: 8
  • Words: 1947

“Citizen: An American” by Lyric Rankine

Of the points that Rankine makes about "mistaken" identity, the social racism, and the fabric of urban and suburban life, what point hits closest to home for you?
  • Subjects: World Literature
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 609

“The Story of the Stone” by Cao Xueain

The author of The Story of the Stone, Cao Xueain, integrates his own reality with the story in the novel. The theme of reality versus appearance affects Shi Xiangyun in terms of what her life [...]
  • Subjects: World Literature
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1377

Byzantine in The Alexiad of Anna Comnena

Anna portrays historical accuracy in her unbiased account of the father, and her information about her background contributes to the accounts of the Byzantium events, highlighting to the readers the Byzantine way of life.
  • Subjects: Historical Literature
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1444

“The Frontline Surgeons” by Clifford L. Graves

He tries to put into account all the activities of the surgeons, the challenges and achievements, and even highlight the specific roles of the members of the "Third Auxiliary" played during the Second World War.
  • Subjects: Historical Literature
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1135

“Bartleby, The Scrivener” by Herman Melville

Right from the start, the Lawyer admits that "Bartleby was one of those beings of whom nothing is ascertainable, except from the original sources", yet he is also the character who is central to the [...]
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 888

The Japanese Traditional Tales

The reason for this has to do with the fact that the concerned epic was written by Buddhist monks over a long period and also the fact that the Tale of the Heike can be [...]
  • Subjects: World Literature
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1394

“The Tale of Heike” and “The Pillow Book”

Although the authors sometimes succumb to the traditional gender tropes, the subtle changes to the roles that men and women played in the 16th-century society, as well as the behavior norms that they were supposed [...]
  • Subjects: World Literature
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1435

“Native Son” a Novel by Richard Wright

Towards the end of the novel, the author could have featured or explored the life of Buddy. Since from the very beginning Buddy is portrayed as someone who wants to be like his brother, the [...]
  • Subjects: Gender in Literature
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1148

Alexander Pope, a Poet and Translator

Pope was living with his parent in their house, but his works on some of the writings by Homer provided him with enough finances to find his own dwelling, which happened to be a villa [...]
  • Subjects: Writers
  • Pages: 1
  • Words: 309

Edgar Allan Poe’s Life, Poems, Short Stories

The recognition of his works is based mainly on the uniqueness of the themes and characters the author created, as well as his excellent command of the language and exceptional imagery and style.
  • Subjects: Writers
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1159

“The Epic of Gilgamesh” in Art Interpretation

It is imperative to mention that the analysis of ancient works is incredibly important because it enhances the understanding of the traditions and values of the people."The Epic of Gilgamesh" is regarded as one of [...]
  • Subjects: Poems
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 832

Character Building in the Reluctant Fundamentalist

By building his character, Changez, in a very original manner and displaying him as both the lover and the critic of the American traditions, the author of The Reluctant Fundamentalist makes the audience realize the [...]
  • Subjects: World Literature
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1666

Chinua Achebe’ Book “Things Are Falling Apart”

Chinua Achebe, an African author with his origin in Nigeria mainly focuses on the colonization of African countries and the role of women in the society in the village of Umuofia in his book Things [...]
  • Subjects: World Literature
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 874

“The Romance in the Forest” by Ann Radcliffe

Ann Radcliffe's "The Romance in the Forest" explores the relationship between Adeline and the men in the book. Adeline is the lead character in the book, and she is supposed to exemplify the strength of [...]
  • Subjects: British Literature
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 564

“Daisy Miller” a Novel by Henry James

As the representative of literary realism, Henry James in his novel Daisy Miller uses a number of realistic features such as concentration on details, accent on reality instead of reflections and on characters instead of [...]
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 580

“Barn Burning” a Story by William Faulkner

Another aspect that is worth noting is that it is entirely possible that the boy has recognized that Abner is emotionally unstable and requires the support.
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 7
  • Words: 2015

“Blood Child” a Story by Octavia Butler

However, the interpretations of slavery and obligation to pay the rent are not mutually exclusive, because the obligation to pay the rent forces humans to become slaves and have to provide their bodies for incubating [...]
  • Subjects: Historical Literature
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 571

“To the Lighthouse” a Novel by Virginia Woolf

In such a case, it shows that Friedman perceives the imagery of water as a part of change according to which one surrenders to the process of accomplishing the wouldouble vision'.
  • Subjects: British Literature
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1131

LGBT Literature: “The Picture of Dorian Gray”

The chosen book is Oscar Wilde's 1891 classic: The Picture of Dorian Gray; a story carefully fashioned to affirm the tilt youths have toward beauty, and the extent most could go to retain that unique [...]
  • Subjects: Gender in Literature
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1112

The Play “King Hedley II” by August Wilson

The play is touching and even funny at certain parts, but overall it became one of the darkest and most tragic reflections on African-American life in the 20th century's drama.
  • Subjects: Plays
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 580

Binary Opposition in Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily”

To transmit the message, Faulkner uses three binary oppositions: death life, the old the new, and the North the South. In this passage, Emily is compared to the soldiers who fell in the Civil War [...]
  • Subjects: Themes in American Novels
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1151

”Arcadian Adventures With the Idle Rich” by Leacock

The short story that is found in the second chapter of the book describes a significant flowering of the seeds of individualism and corrupt materialism that occur in Plutoria Avenue in a large city in [...]
  • Subjects: Historical Literature
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1100

Miller’s “A Doll House” and “A Sorrowful Woman”

The succeeding sections of this work give the literal evidence, which indicates the place of a woman in the society, and support the thesis on the need to radicalize the society on gender equity.
  • Subjects: Gender in Literature
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 959

“Dead Man at Grandview Point” by Edward Abbey

In this chapter, the Abbey's goal is not to clarify the reasons of death, but to explain that death is something all people have to accept one day, and the way the tourist at Grandview [...]
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 500

“Planet of Slums” a Book by Mike Davis

In his book, Mike Davis explains to the readers the mechanisms of how slums work, and puts forth an idea that the blame for slums being dangerous and miserable lies not on the inhabitants of [...]
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 920

Repetitive Narration in Steinbeck’s “Of Mice and Men”

It also shows that Lennie and George were never going to escape the desperate circle of the routine of their lives."The deep green pool of the Salinas River" that is "still in the late afternoon" [...]
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 568

“Legends of the Fall” by Jim Harrison

S, the horrors of the First World War, and the atmosphere of the beginning of the 20th century America. Legends of the Fall tells the readers about the fate of the Ludlow family, consisting of [...]
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1206

“The Giver” a Novel by Lois Lowry

Before the Sameness, the world of the book was much like ours. Finally, the central box lists the emotions and sensations, probably the cause most responsible for the occurrence of the Sameness.
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 538

Elena Poniatowska and Her Feminism

Thus, the primary objective of her journalism and fiction was to break the indifference of the society and to open people's eyes to the problems of those who are silently excluded from public life.
  • Subjects: Gender in Literature
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 603

Sandra Cisneros’ Life and Work

Cisneros was the only daughter in a family of seven children, and they often traveled from Mexico to the United States, as her father was involved in upholstery, which demanded constant movement between the two [...]
  • Subjects: Writers
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 598

Loyalty in “The Gift” by Rosario Ferre

In general, loyalty is considered to be a state or a feeling of devotion and faithfulness that is oriented to a particular person, a group of people, cause, or country, etc. Exclusionary one presupposes that [...]
  • Subjects: World Literature
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 315

Loyalty in “Hard Times” by Charles Dickens

For instance, the author ridicules this blind loyalty to Gradgrind's philosophy and outlines various ways it has affected the lives of his children and people that surround him.
  • Subjects: British Literature
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1104

Humanism in Thornton Wilder’s Play “Our Town”

Rather than invoking the idea of creation, Wilder seems to describe the role of birth to the continuation of generations and the role that physicians play in conserving human values. In this case, Wilder wanted [...]
  • Subjects: Plays
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 662

Chiew’s, Ramos’, and Chimamanda’s Short Stories

The consistency of the three works in addressing power struggles within the family as a social unit is a lesson to the society of the urgent need to restructure the family as the basic social [...]
  • Subjects: Comparative Literature
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 819

The Mother Image in a Poem, a Song, and an Article

Both the children and the husband will definitely miss her because she is the epitome of their comfort and sustenance."The Mother Return" by Dorothy Wordsworth is a highly sensational poem.
  • Subjects: Comparative Literature
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1494

Gender Fights in “The Chrysanthemums” by Steinbeck

In this story, the author managed to challenge the traditional views on gender roles and demonstrated the tragedy of a person constrained by the existing order."The Chrysanthemums" pictures individuals in the stagnant world and identifies [...]
  • Subjects: Gender in Literature
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 855

Afghani Childhood in “The Kite Runner” by Hosseini

The purpose of writing this book, on the author's part, had to do with his intention to reflect upon his childhood memories of having lived in Afghanistan through the years 1965-1980.
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 8
  • Words: 2221

Tales of Times Now Past and The Tale of Genji

Moreover, the difference in mentalities and perspectives peculiar to bearers of various cultures preconditioned the appearance of the unique masterpieces that could help to understand the peculiarities of peoples lives in ancient times.
  • Subjects: Mythology
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1373

Eliot’s “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” Poem

With Eliot's description of Prufrock's thoughts and consciousness, the reader observes that Prufrock's personality and character are a representation of what most people experience as they advance towards old age.
  • Subjects: Poems
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 610

Solidarity in The Waste Land and Angels in America

In his 1922 poem "The waste land", Thomas Eliot attempts to portray how social solidarity of in the modern world is affected by social and cultural changes such as the change in gender roles, dynamism [...]
  • Subjects: Comparative Literature
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1137

“The Story of an Hour” Plot by Kate Chopin

In this case, the duty of the person breaking the news was to appear gentle while transmitting the sensitive news. It was quite unnoticed that a sob was to hit her hard since she was [...]
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 554

Homelessness in “Light in August” and “Wise Blood”

The concept of home is commonly regarded in relation to the process of formation of individual identity, and, in almost every culture, the definition of a home serves as an indicator of a person's wholeness [...]
  • Subjects: Themes in American Novels
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1425

Racism in “To Kill Mocking Bird” by Harper Lee

The family is transformed from poverty to wealth, but it remains one of the few white families ready to accommodate and recognize the black people as a part of the society, while other Whites oppress [...]
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 833

Denmark’s Occupation in “Number the Stars” by Lois

She is also courageous because she had to hide in the other family, away from her parents. She was brave when she encountered the Nazis in the Annemarie's apartment and pretended her elder sister.
  • Subjects: Historical Literature
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 632

Governance and Society in Mi’kmaq Creation Story

The ingenuity of the elders and respect of the societal culture is a critical governance issue. The governing figure in the story is Gisoolg who is the Great Spirit and creator.
  • Subjects: Mythology
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 551