Literature Essay Examples and Topics. Page 8

8,812 samples

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: 2
  • Words: 2683

Hibridity in Walcott poetry and drama

The scars in Walcott's Omeros represent the wounds left by the slavemanship in the Caribbean combination of black and white skins of the Northern and Southern Hemisphere.
  • Subjects: World Literature
  • Pages: 17
  • Words: 4745

The Kite Runner

Amir does not get the issue of redemption and he thinks the only way to it is by paying for it through suffering.
  • 1
  • Subjects: World Literature
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 918

“The Lamb” Poem by William Blake

The poem 'The Lamb' by William Blake is a short verse that describes the author's attitude towards the little lamb that metaphorically symbolizes everything in the world that is calm, humble, and inoffensive.
  • Subjects: Poems
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 640

Women’s Social Roles in “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid

In the story, the mother is assured that passing on valuable domestic knowledge to her daughter will save her from a life of ruin and promiscuity and empower her to be a productive member of [...]
  • Subjects: Gender in Literature
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 907

“This Is Water” by David Foster Wallace

On the other hand, Wallace felt that most people were mistaken and that it was the mission of liberal arts education to tell them they were wrong Liberal arts education was designed to make people [...]
  • Subjects: Concepts in American Novels
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1143

“The Robber Bridegroom” by Brothers Grimm

Brothers Grimm published “The Robber Bridegroom” in 1812. The fairy tale reflects patriarchy in society where the father is the absolute authority.
  • Subjects: World Literature
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 334

Dual Consciousness in the Novel Life of Pi

In the novel, Life of Pi, by Yann Martel, the protagonist is found in a state where the realm of self-awareness and human consciousness fails to make the difference between reality and illusion.
  • Subjects: Aspects of American Novels
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1710

“The Second Coming” a Poem by William Butler Yeats

The title "The Second Coming" is taken from the Christianity prophesy from the book of revelation that the world will end through a series of events and eventually Christ will come back to rule over [...]
  • Subjects: Poems
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1422

Freedom in “Purple Hibiscus” by Chimamanda Adichie

The main character and the narrator Kambili, is virtually silent in the presence of her father, she can hardly express her views, knowing that it may result in a fit of her father's anger.
  • Subjects: World Literature
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 753

“Impulse” Short Story by Conrad Aiken

Many of the works of Aiken have a reflection on his interests about the psychoanalysis and the progress of identity. However, what the main character did is a mere expression of what he feels at [...]
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1387

Unreliable Narrator in Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper

In addition, the narration talks about a "yellow wallpaper," yet the narrator takes long before making an introduction to the subject of the story, hence bringing an element of confusion on what the subject is [...]
  • Subjects: Aspects of American Novels
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 840

The Poem “Model Village” by Carol Ann Duffy

The language used in the poem sound like, an adult is explaining the details of a model village to a child and the voices in the poem represent a village community.
  • Subjects: British Literature
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 615

Sartre’s “Why Write?” and Miller’s “Narrative”

The reader is extremely important for the writer because reading is the significant act in disclosing the generosity of the work, and the writer should understand for whom he writes because the reader is free [...]
  • Subjects: Comparative Literature
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 581

Human Emotions in English Literature

Since people's emotions are pretty basic, these are rather the mechanisms of emotions which have become more complicated over the centuries than the emotions themselves, which can be traced in such works as Chaucer's Truth, [...]
  • 5
  • Subjects: British Literature
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1443

Liberation of Women: “A Doll’s House” Analysis

While in some scenes the lights are turned off, towards the end of the play the intensity of light increases especially when Nora is talking to her husband. This is escalated towards the end of [...]
  • 1
  • Subjects: World Literature
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 722

The Major Themes in “The Analects of Confucius”

This write up is going to summarise the major themes captured in the book, critically analyse the contents of the book and its impacts on the Asian community before highlighting the major interesting concepts captured [...]
  • Subjects: World Literature
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1516

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

Dead men’s path by Chinua Achebe

He is against the footpath and in the spirit of converting the school, which he considers backward he wants the path closed.
  • 2.5
  • Subjects: World Literature
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1373

The Confessions of St. Augustine on Friendship

Augustine of Hippo believes that the only real source of friendship is God, and he adds that it is only through this God-man relationship that people can understand the ideal meaning of friendship.
  • Subjects: World Philosophy Literature
  • Pages: 7
  • Words: 2497

Responsibility in Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Although Victor Frankenstein seems to be responsible for the wretch's behavior due to his egoism, departure, and fears, the impact of the creature's individuality cannot be ignored in the story.
  • Subjects: British Literature
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 589

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

The Main Idea of “Oedipus Rex” by Sophocles

The inevitability of destiny is the main idea of the play, and the last lines support that: nobody should name a mortal happy until this mortal faces everything that destiny has for them. The story [...]
  • 5
  • Subjects: Mythology
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 591

Marxist Criticism in “Death of a Salesman” by Miller

Marxist criticism helps to get insight into the relationships between individuals and social groups and to understand the historical, social, economic, and political context of the environment of the story and its influence on a [...]
  • Subjects: Plays
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 598

Chapter 21 of “A Clockwork Orange” by A. Burgess

The analysis of the overall philosophy of Burgess and the meaning of the novel reveals that the twenty-first chapter plays a crucial role in delivering the main message of the possibility of moral evolution and [...]
  • Subjects: British Literature
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 962

“Family Supper” by Kazuo Ishiguro

Father felt that he was not able to raise the children properly, and he thinks that it is extremely shameful. The best way to interpret this story is that the father has made a decision [...]
  • Subjects: British Literature
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1218

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

In Part 4 of the book, Covey states that the individual needs to nourish himself in a holistic manner; physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 8
  • Words: 2642

Al-Mutanabbi

Equally, the history of the Arabic poetry can shed more light into the principles upheld by the past Arab poets, the themes they sang, the images they invented, and the convention they observed. In the [...]
  • Subjects: World Literature
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1655

A Good Man Is Hard to Find

Grace In A Good Man is Hard to Find, O'Connor explores the theme of grace through her two characters: Misfit and Grandmother.
  • Subjects: World Literature
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1086

Persuasion is Better than Force

When a person is forced to do something, he/she is sure to meet the resistance. When one is forced to do something, the natural reaction to resist appears.
  • 2.8
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 537

An analysis of the poem titled Ballad of Birmingham

In this situation, the author is trying to give emphasis to the mother's view, regarding the participation of her daughter in the march. This essay had set out to explain the usage of literary techniques [...]
  • 3
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1128

ZZ Packer’s “Drinking Coffee Elsewhere”

This follows the revelations of her background in the interview that ZZ Packer, just like the character Dina in the story, moved from a dominantly black neighborhood to a dominantly white university.
  • 1
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1386

Gilgamesh and Enkidu Friendship Essay

The role of friendship in the Epic of Gilgamesh is vital. This essay unfolds the theme of friendship between Gilgamesh and Enkidu that develops in the course of the story.
  • 5
  • Subjects: Poems
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1151

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Jane Eyre appears to have great self esteem even though she is an orphan and has a lot of negative energy and criticism around her in the shape of her aunt and cousins.
  • 1
  • Subjects: British Literature
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 556

The “Inventory” Short Story by Carmen Maria Machado

The author structures the stories in such a way that the reader imagines the life story of the main character: all meetings are interconnected, and by the end, it becomes clear that the author describes [...]
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 1
  • Words: 279

Hills Like White Elephants Analysis

Hemingway wrote 'Hills like White Elephants' in the third-person perspective that restricts the tale to the words and actions of the characters.
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 1106

“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

The Versions of “Little Red Riding Hood” Analyzing

The motif of a trick is also discussed in many versions of the tale with references to na ve Red Riding Hood's questions about the grandmother's appearance, with references to the Wolf's changes of clothes, [...]
  • Subjects: World Literature
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1649

A Christmas Carol by Dickens

It starts with a summary of the plot, then examines the main characters and the themes and concludes with the personal opinion on the novella.
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1180

The Gift of the Magi

Given the fact that, as it was implied earlier, ever since it was first published in 1906, The Gift of the Magi never ceased appealing to readers, we can well assume that the themes and [...]
  • Subjects: World Literature
  • Pages: 6
  • Words: 1649

Themes in Native American Tricksters

Whether the character is the wizened old man Coyote of the Crow tribes, Raven in the Indian lore or even Wakdjunkaga of the Winnebago, the narratives seems to be written from the same script.
  • 5
  • Subjects: World Literature
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1339

The Short Tale “Hell-Heaven” by Jhumpa Lahiri

As a result, she is trapped in the cage of her American apartment. Aparna's transformation ended up with an authoritarian head of the house, avoided by her daughter and viewed by her as a relic.
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1000

The Poem “She Walks in Beauty” by Lord Byron

The source of her beauty is revealed to be her physical appearance characterized by her body shape and contours all of which bring together what is best for the dark and light.
  • Subjects: Poems
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 596

The “Lagoon” Novel by Nnedi Okorafor

Ayodele is an alien that comes to Earth to establish contact, and the author relies on specific means to describe the character.
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 554

Analysis of “Mending Wall” by Robert Frost

When the neighbors begin to repair the main symbol of the poem the wall both the narrator and reader begin to inquire about the overall necessity of the wall.
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 1
  • Words: 380

Sherman Alexie’s Facebook Sonnet

Sherman Alexie's Facebook sonnet illustrates the various ways in which the use of social media reduces face-to-face interaction and causes controversy.
  • Subjects: Poems
  • Pages: 1
  • Words: 289

“Mirror” by Sylvia Plath

This illustrates that the author of the poem - who is a woman - does not know who she is and looks to external sources to define her.
  • Subjects: World Literature
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 409

Short Story “Ransom of Red Chief” by O. Henry

Yet, the worst was still laying ahead it is not only that Dorset had refused to pay ransom for the release of his son, but he himself demanded ransom from both kidnappers, in order to [...]
  • 5
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1469

“Masks” the Novel by Fumiko Enchi

The novel wraps the reader with the feeling of coldness that is both elegant and repellent. She had to stay with a husband she hated and in the society she hated.
  • Subjects: World Literature
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 1424

American Literature and the Two World Wars

They both post-war kinds of literature of America represent the revolutionary transformation in the world view of the literary figure and the employment of the most modern tools of interpreting the war-affected world.
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1730

Postmodern Age: Philip Larkin’s “Here”

The format of the poem also serves to create a sense of isolation and disconnection. The swerving described throughout the first stanza is adopted by the mind of the reader and is never fully brought [...]
  • Subjects: Poems
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 878

Feminism in the “The Bell Jar” by Sylvia Plath

This piece of writing reveals the concept of gender in general and "the role of female protagonists in a largely patriarchal world" in particular. In Plath's novel, the bell jar is a metaphor used to [...]
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 7
  • Words: 1909

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

“Disabled” by Wilfred Owen

The young soldier in the poem felt that the army personnel and the society at large were aware of the potential dangers that he could face in the war but they still encouraged him to [...]
  • Subjects: Poems
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1370

Gawain as a Hero

Gawain is not aware of the plan but is wise enough to find his way out and by so doing he proves to be a hero again, as he is strong enough to avoid the [...]
  • 5
  • Subjects: British Literature
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1378

The “You Fit Into Me” Poem by Margaret Atwood

The first image that appears in the poem is the hook and the eye. Those symbols represent the traditional heterosexual relationships where the man has the leading position and holds the initiative of showing the [...]
  • 5
  • Subjects: Poems
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 565

The Last Stand of Fox Company: Book Report

The book describes the American soldiers during the Korean war, with some of the main struggles being not even the battles but events in between.
  • Subjects: World Literature
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 588

“Pride and Prejudice”: Analysis of a Passage

The story, the characters, the setting, and even the speech of the characters make strong references to the environments of the beginning of the 19th century in England.
  • Subjects: British Literature
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1397

The Relationship Between Kafka and His Father

The father was a burden to him and though at times he was to be good to the son, his deep feelings of hatred towards his father would not be shaken by any good gesture [...]
  • Subjects: Writers
  • Pages: 4
  • Words: 1054

“The Stranger” by Albert Camus

The central concept of the novel is dedicated to the symbolization of 'absurd' as the key element accompanying a person's life and impacting the formation of human behavior and actions in society.
  • Subjects: World Literature
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 845

Zbigniew K. Brzezinski: The Grand Chessboard

The foremost ideological thesis, which defines Brzezinski book's practical implications, can be summarized as follows: ever since 75% of world's population and of world's natural resources are located in Eurasia, and ever since Eurasia generates [...]
  • Subjects: Historical Literature
  • Pages: 12
  • Words: 3737

Narrative: History, Functions, and Features

A narrative can be termed as a recounting or telling of a series of events which can either be real or imaginative, recounted by a narrator to a narratee.
  • Subjects: Concepts in American Novels
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 792

“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

Henrik Ibsen’s “A Doll’s House” Analysis

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the prominent elements of fiction used in A Doll's House as the most vivid example of Ibsen's approach, analyze the applied dramatic techniques, and describe different layers [...]
  • Subjects: World Literature
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 921

“The Scarlet Letter” a Novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne

This essay asserts that the role of the narrator in The Scarlet Letter functions more as social critic of the Puritanical values that founded the United States; the narrator of The Scarlet Letter represents Hawthorne's [...]
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 8
  • Words: 1941

Moral of Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?

Even though it might be true concerning the first element, since Connie and Arnold seem to be the only meaningful persons in the story, the situation is not straightforward when it comes to topics. It [...]
  • 5
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1129

On Violence by Hannah Arendt

In the book, Hannah put forth a number of arguments in analyzing the issue of violence in the second part of the twentieth century.
  • Subjects: American Literature
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 837

Themes in “The Road” by Cormac McCarthy

People are prone to hunger and starvation, the man and the boy, for instance, are at the verge of starvation when they come across an apple orchard and a well.
  • 5
  • Subjects: Themes in American Novels
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1466

Othello’s Tragedy

Othello is one of the characters who have features in William Shakespeare's tragedy titled The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice. It is clear to note that the tragedy that befell Othello was because [...]
  • 5
  • Subjects: Plays
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 830

Analysis of Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18

Sonnet 18 is an amazing part of Shakespeare's sonnets that addresses a number of crucial issues like human beauty, the power of nature, and writer's abilities to engrave an image of a man in the [...]
  • 5
  • Subjects: British Literature
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 822

“Water by the Spoonful” by Quiara Alegría Hudes

In the realm of the virtual world, Haikumom is a mentor that guides people throughout their journey of sobriety, as she is the administrator of the website and has been "clean" for nearly six years.
  • Subjects: Plays
  • Pages: 5
  • Words: 1515

Labyrinths by Jorge Luis Borges: Piece of Postmodern

The book Labyrinths is the collection of short stories written by Borges, and it is one of the most vivid examples of postmodern literature where realty is combined with the author's imagination producing the elements [...]
  • Subjects: Modernist Literature
  • Pages: 2
  • Words: 589

“The Lady and Her Five Suitors” Story

The woman decides to place a petition and hence dresses to her best and moves to the king's palace where she encounters four men who were the senior person in the state and were in [...]
  • Subjects: Romantic Literature
  • Pages: 3
  • Words: 1003