Literature Essays

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Essay on 'A Rose for Emily' Setting

This essay will be about William Faulkner's short story A Rose for Emily, which was distributed on April 30, 1930. The setting of A Rose for Emily is fundamentally about a small community called Jefferson in the South and a major, old farm set away from various tenants. In the time the story takes place dark-skinned human beings were slaves and treated crudely while human beings of high status were well regarded by all. The community in this story develops...
2 Pages 771 Words

Essay on Symbols of Corruption

Beauty in White, Corruption in Gold, The Character of Daisy Buchanan Prevalent in stories written in the 1920’s, corruption is a common trait found in characters. Stemming from reasons such as fame, wealth, and greed, it adds depth to the story and questions morality itself. The book, The Great Gatsby, also published in the 1920’s, showcases many examples of characters being corrupt because of wealth’s easy access or pursuit. Take Daisy Buchanan, one of the most interesting cases in literature....
2 Pages 999 Words

Essay on Figurative Language in 'The Yellow Wallpaper'

During the late 1800s women and men were not equal, they lived in a society where women were defined as housewives and were expected to take care of their children and husbands for the rest of their lives. The issue connects with the experience of the narrator in the short story The Yellow Wallpaper, written in 1892 by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, focuses on. Gilman’s main reason for creating this story was to make individuals understand the roles in society during...
5 Pages 2106 Words

Essay on Literary Devices in 'The Bluest Eye'

No matter who we are – our skin color, race, or religion – we are all beautiful. However, society fails to accept that and only portrays white beauty. There is an image of how to be beautiful to fit into society's norms and their category of beauty. Society teaches that beauty is racist, valuing white beauty; white beauty will always be at the top of the social hierarchy. It sets standards for women to look a certain way; if you...
3 Pages 1244 Words

Essay on 'The Bluest Eye' Racism

Toni Morrison was born in 1931 and is still alive today. She lived in Lorian, Ohio. Four of her most famous works are Bluest Eye, Sula, Tar Baby, and Song of Solomon. I am doing this essay on her because of her variety. She writes not only novels but poems as well. Another reason I chose her is because of her book The Bluest Eye. It is a very interesting book. I also chose her because of her novel Sula....
1 Page 607 Words

Essay on Oppression

Oppression is described by the Oxford English Dictionary as ‘cruel or unjust treatment or exercise of authority’ and it can also be described as ‘a situation in which people are... prevented from having opportunities and freedom’ as outlined by the Cambridge dictionary. Oppressive acts are commonly used against people who belong to certain groups and categories. In a modern world-renowned for its diversity and inclusivity, we are still able to see many forms of oppression daily. Oppression comes in many...
3 Pages 1389 Words

The Namesake' Gogol and the Struggle with His Name Essay

“The Namesake” is a novel by American author Jhumpa Lahiri. The novel travels through numerous locations in the world, examining the nuances involved with being caught between two conflicting cultures with highly distinct religious, social, and ideological differences. It explores and communicates ideas and attitudes through the many themes in a complex story in which conflicts between characters and their own are often illustrated. The ideas cited throughout the books are explored by themes such as Name and Identity and...
3 Pages 1157 Words

How 'The Great Gatsby' Criticize Consumerism and the American Dream Essay

Introduction Fitzgerald explicitly explores the desolation and despair of the hedonistic Jazz Age in the tragedy The Great Gatsby through society's plunge into moral decay. The widespread corruption of the essential foundations of the American Dream, usurped by excessive materialism and consumerism, is at the heart of the novel as success becomes synonymous with immorality. The Great Gatsby details the catastrophic downfall of the once social and generous gentleman - Jay Gatsby, due to his inability to control his monstrous...
3 Pages 1346 Words

Essay on 'Much Ado about Nothing' Gender Roles

Different types of texts incorporate key ideas through significant characters and important events to demonstrate the nature of humanity. Much Ado About Nothing is a play (1598) written by William Shakespeare. Some concepts that are identified in this play include deception and gender. Shakespeare explores deception, and how it can make or break relationships. Additionally, he includes the expectations of each gender and how it can lead to inclinations and prejudice. Shakespeare incorporates these ideas in the play by associating...
2 Pages 749 Words

The Curious Incident of Dog in the Nighttime' Maturity Essay

Bob Richards wisely stated, “It may sound strange, but many champions are made by setbacks.” This means that although you may fail at something, how you come back up determines your strength. This quote relates to people with autism because many people with autism struggle with everyday occurrences and tasks. Autism is a brain-related development that can be applied to a spectrum ranging from high to low functioning. Autism affects the way people with autism interact with others and can...
3 Pages 1242 Words

Essay on Geraldine in 'The Bluest Eye'

In the novel The Bluest Eye, Toni Morrison depicts the life of a young black girl, Pecola Breedlove, who lives in a community crippled by racism created by its members. The internalization of the cultural ideals of physical features and skin color causes a damaging effect on the African-American characters. As a result, Pecola develops feelings of inferiority and self-loathing, causing her to believe that she is ugly and worthless because she does not embody the Western culture’s ideas of...
3 Pages 1272 Words

Essay on Juxtaposition in 'The Bluest Eye'

The importance of the symbol that Marigold portrays? The marigold symbolizes the idea that although Pecola, Frieda, and Claudia may work very hard in their community to grow and prosper, it may never happen. The marigold had good seeds, was cared for, and was planted with good intentions, but because of the location where the marigold was planted, it never grew. Ultimately, the marigold symbolizes black suppression, indicating that no matter how hard they try to change things, even against...
4 Pages 2010 Words

Essay on Religion in 'Bless Me Ultima'

His mother is the first introduction Antonio had to his religious identity. All his life he only knows what his mother forced onto him. With this formalized religion, he feels as if it is the only accepted religion and the only God he should follow and abide to. Especially since his mother continues to pressure Antonio to be a priest and never sin, he is always pressured. Yet at the same time, Florence tells Antonio that (2nd quote). Antonio has...
1 Page 411 Words

Essay on 'Bless Me Ultima' Dialectical Journal

 Chapter 1 (summary/ important events) Throughout these pages, he dreams about his birth and in that dream he had specific people in it. Later on, he asked his mom if the people he had in his dream were actually there. His mom said yes, but was a concern in why he was asking so many questions This dream kinda made me believe that he has some kind of gift. Maybe a gift of remembering things from the past by using...
4 Pages 1713 Words

Essay on Emmett Till in 'To Kill a Mockingbird'

“If ever there was a case deserving Capital Punishment, it's for this white lie.” (Brian Spellman) The US has employed the use of the death penalty ever since the nation declared independence, while the first recorded execution in the state of Alabama was in 1812. Since the beginning of the recession in the 1920’s to 1930, the number rose dramatically, with the majority consisting of men of color who were mainly subpoenaed for crimes against whites. THESIS: Minding the history...
1 Page 552 Words

The Bluest Eye' Social Influence Essay

Toni Morrison, original name 'Chloe Anthony Wofford', was born in Lorain, Ohio, on 18th February 1931 is a Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist, professor, and editor. Morrison’s books are known for their dramatic plots, beautiful vocabulary, and highly detailed African-American characters which are fundamental to their narratives. She has received several book-world accolades and honorary degrees, and the Presidential Medal of Liberty in 2012 as well. She was awarded the 1933 Nobel Prize for Literature in recognition of her services...
1 Page 572 Words

The Bluest Eye' Essay on Oppression

The Bluest Eye is about what it’s like to be hated for things that are outside of your control. She addresses the larger implications of that, probably something that all of us have experienced in our lives. Especially, she is talking about what it’s like to be hated for being a poor black girl. For many people, knowing that they’re hated for things that are outside of their control makes that hate easier to dismiss, especially if they have the...
2 Pages 1061 Words

The Bluest Eye' Theme Essay

“Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” This statement, said by Albert Einstein, restates one of the main themes of Toni Morrison’s novel, The Bluest Eye. This novel takes us through the life story of a young African American girl named Pecola, who grows up during times of prejudice and racism. This story portrays Pecola as an ‘ugly,’ dark-skinned...
3 Pages 1278 Words

Essay on Child Labour Jobs in the Industrial Revolution

Poetry has been used to convey feelings and emotions since 1200 BCE. It’s an art which encourages us to see things differently and transports us beyond the page, into mindscapes that teach us about ourselves. I’m Alice Walker, and you’re listening to the Open Learning Podcast, where in our first episode of The Literature Round Table today, we will be discussing the inspiring world of Poetry. We will be examining the exquisite mind of William Blake (1757-1827), an English poet...
2 Pages 936 Words

Essay on Mary Wollstonecraft Human Nature

 Mary Wollstonecraft saw, “reason (as) a distinctly human trait and that the degradation of women is due primarily to the suppression of their rationality and an overemphasis on their feelings and emotions.” She stressed the higher values of women rather than the pleasure-centered view so many had of her sex in the European patriarchal society. She addressed women, “My sex, I hope, will excuse me if I treat them like rational creatures…” believing the kernels of reason were already embedded...
1 Page 413 Words

The Namesake' Expository Essay

Sunday Adelaja once said, “Names have a great influence on the destiny of the person, who bears the name”. In Jhumpa Lahir’s novel The Namesake, Lahir tells the story of a Bengali man named Gogol who, throughout his life, has experienced an identity crisis. The name given to him at birth was solely supposed to be used as his dark naam (secret pet name) but his love for it in his childhood went on to haunt him throughout his life...
2 Pages 713 Words

Cultural Conflict Essay on 'The Namesake'

 “Not all plants, let alone humans, survive transplantation, and, as Lahiri’s stories show, for some the process of transplantation is impossible or irremediably damaging”(Ambreen Hai). Identity is always difficult for everyone, but being culturally displaced, as immigrants are just adds to the pressure of fitting in. Or even more so for those who grow up in two worlds at the same time. The book The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri, explores the ideas of identity, the clash of cultures, isolation, the...
3 Pages 1151 Words

Much Ado about Nothing': Comedy or Tragedy Essay

Much Ado About Nothing, a Shakespearean play, is a comedy that relates the stories of two couples as they navigate their love lives in sixteenth-century Italy. In the play, we learn of the love story of Claudio and Hero as well as the love story of Beatrice and Benedick. Though classified as a comedy, a variety of themes carrying deeper meaning can be found within the storyline. Through the characters’ actions, we see how honor, prestige, notability, and social graces...
3 Pages 1445 Words

The Bluest Eye' Rape Essay

In the scene with Maureen, Pecola’s response is inertly passive, as compared to that of Claudia’s and Frieda’s, which shows they welcomed the “chance to show anger” (The Bluest Eye, 59). Although surprised at first by the meaning of Maureen’s declaration, they collected their pride and shouted back, “the most powerful of their arsenal of insults”. (The Bluest Eye, 61). Pecola, however, shrouded with shame “seemed to fold into herself, like a pleated wing” (61). Her gesture infuriates Claudia, who...
1 Page 630 Words

The Namesake' Immigrant Experience Essay

Ashoke remains busy in his career, it hurts her most. When the doctor examines her in the Hospital, she tells her everything is normal. “ But nothing feels normal to Ashima. For the past eighteen months, ever since she arrived in Cambridge, nothing has felt normal at all. It’s not so much the pain, which she knows, somehow, she will survive. It’s the consequence: motherhood in a foreign land”(TN 5-6). Ashoke’s migration is for economic gain and professional progress and...
2 Pages 997 Words

The Call of the Wild' Theme Essay

The novel The Call of the Wild, written by Jack London, begins with a portrayal of Buck's happy life. He resides in the Santa Clara Valley with his owner, Judge Miller, but difficulties arose for the innocent dog when gold was discovered up north. Buck, a muscular dog, was in high demand among gold-rushers. Buck was walking through an orchard near his house one day when he was kidnapped. He'd learned to trust individuals who understood more than he did,...
4 Pages 2024 Words

Essay on Setting in 'Lord of the Flies'

How the Setting Affects the Boys In William Golding’s novel for students, “The Lord of The Flies,” The setting affects the boys in multiple different ways. Many of these ways can include fear, vulnerability and authority elaborating on the effects it will have on the boys later on in the novel. The topic of fear includes the thoughts of the beastie, as well as other topics, much like Authority. Authority takes a toll on the boys, as many of the...
5 Pages 2492 Words

Essay on Old Money Neighbourhood in 'The Great Gatsby'

Fitzgerald’s ability to effectively implement contrasting settings in a novel is fundamental in symbolizing the organization of social strata, establishing major conflicts, and creating a social environment reflecting that of America in the 1920s. The construction of both location and time settings play a pivotal role in endorsing belief and value systems in The Great Gatsby. The 1920s setting contextualizes the tension between the social classes, attributing this to the laws introduced and recent economic prosperity. The juxtaposition of Manhattan...
3 Pages 1204 Words

Essay on Internalized Oppression and the Culture of Silence

How does the life, and death, of a person who was hung 168 years ago affect the lives of people today? The truth is, on the surface level it does not, but without looking at the politics of the time to find reasonings in their judgment one cannot delve into the truth of how the story of Josefa Segovia. To answer this question I will be using an argument that I first heard during my second lecture of this class:...
3 Pages 1292 Words

Why Was Hitler a Good Leader Essay

Adolf Hitler, as we all know, was the leader of Germany’s Nazi party and his way of leading is not to the best standard which made him a tyrant. But what separates a good leader from a tyrant? That is a very difficult question to answer, I suppose. I think many leaders, fictional or not, have both the poor and the good qualities of being a tyrant's good leader. Certainly, Macbeth possessed the ambition we would wish for a king....
2 Pages 722 Words
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