Literary Criticism essays

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Introduction "The House on Mango Street" by Sandra Cisneros is a seminal work that captures the complex interplay of identity, community, and personal aspiration. Published in 1984, this novella is a collection of vignettes that weave together the experiences of Esperanza Cordero, a young Latina girl growing up in Chicago. The narrative is both intimate and expansive, offering readers a...
Literary CriticismThe House on Mango Street
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3 Pages 1497 Words
From communicating on clay tablets to typing on computers or other technological devices, our history has come a long way. To this day, fortunately enough we still have one of the oldest pieces of literature in history. Throughout time and civilization, people have found a way to continue telling stories in order to communicate the roles and purpose of society...
Epic of GilgameshLiterary Criticism
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1 Page 500 Words
Within every story, there is a particular character that changes the entire storyline and contributes to the outcome of the plot. In plays, character placement and attributions are very important for helping the audience better understand and interpret the meaning throughout the play. The Chorus in Oedipus, Roderigo in Othello, Mrs. Linde in A Doll’s House, and Bono in Fences...
CharacterFencesLiterary Criticism
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1 Page 674 Words
Chris McCandless’ literary heroes were not opposite from each other but they were not the same either. Tolstoy, London, and Thoreau were all considered great minds of their times, just reading their works gives me an understanding of why he would be influenced by these great minds. ~These authors influenced Chris in his moral principles and his aspirations to embark...
Into The WildJack LondonLiterary Criticism
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2 Pages 839 Words
The play the “ Crucible” is written by Authur Miller and was published in 1953 as a response to what is known as the “communist scares” in America in the 1950s. The definition of a crucible can be defined as a severe test. Although it also can be defined as a container that can withstand high temperatures, it is often...
Arthur MillerLiterary CriticismThe Crucible
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2 Pages 1070 Words
In life, many encounter signs and symbols which have deeper meanings that may be evident or sometimes, not clear. According to the Oxford Dictionary, symbols are things conventionally regarded as typifying or representing something. Symbols are not only an important part of life but a significant representation of appearance versus reality. In Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, the...
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1 Page 579 Words
Masculinity has numerous meanings among many. The most common meaning of masculinity having qualities or appearance traditionally associated with men, especially strength and aggressiveness. To be masculine means to be have strength, courage, independence, leadership, and assertiveness. Sometimes violence gets tied in with masculinity because some men believe that is their way to be masculine. Most of these qualities are...
Epic of GilgameshLiterary Criticism
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3 Pages 1332 Words
Tablet IX begins with Gilgamesh lamenting over the Enkidu’s death, wandering wild alone, and pondering “I shall die, and shall I not then be as Enkidu” (70). Gilgamesh was completely desolated by the sorrow and frightened by their friend’s death. He had a fear that he would die the same as Enkidu died from the sickness. His reaction after Enkidu...
Epic of GilgameshLiterary Criticism
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1 Page 374 Words
Allegory: The story Animal Farm is an allegory. To begin with, The eminent windmill symbolizes the pigs' control of different creatures for their benefit. Regardless of the promptness of the need for nourishment and warmth, the pigs abuse Boxer and the contrary typical creatures by causing them to attempt backbreaking work to build the windmill, which will, at last, again...
AllegoryAnimal FarmLiterary Criticism
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2 Pages 860 Words
Martyrdom is described as an act by a person or group, who willingly suffers death for their beliefs or principles. In today’s society, death is an uncomfortable subject, where the acts of martyrdom would be seen as particularly shocking and unusual. This notion contrasts the idea of historical sources, with self-sacrifice often would be applauded for their bravery, such as...
Epic of GilgameshLiterary Criticism
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3 Pages 1200 Words
Antigone is a Greek tragedy by Sophocles, that centers around a young female, Antigone, after the deaths of her two brothers. Antigone’s two brothers, Eteocles and Polynices, were battling for the throne of Thebes. As the brothers were dueling against each other, they ended up defeating one another. Since Eteocles was the King of Thebes and was seen as defending...
AntigoneLiterary CriticismTragedy
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3 Pages 1235 Words
“There is a certain enthusiasm in liberty, that makes human nature rise above itself, in acts of bravery and heroism” (Hamilton, 45). A Hero’s Journey is never an easy one, but what defines a Hero? The best way to define a hero is by looking at literary examples such as the Odyssey or the Illiad. Focusing on the first work...
HomerLiterary Criticism
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1 Page 533 Words
Death of a Salesman is regarded as one of the three most remarkable tragedies in America. The author, Arthur Miller, emphasized that the drama should not only express characters’ psychological and subjective world but also convey the real complex social situation. It has successfully characterized the tragedy of a common salesman in America. It is significant to analyze why Willy...
Death of a SalesmanLiterary CriticismTragedy
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2 Pages 947 Words
In the given passage from Miller’s play, Death of A Salesman, Biff confronts Willy about his decision to leave the family. An argument ensues between the two of them after this revelation. This extract of Death of A Salesman by Arthur Miller from Act 2 describes the events that occur after Happy and Biff are confronted by Linda for abandoning...
Death of a SalesmanLiterary CriticismTragedy
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3 Pages 1517 Words
A tragedy enhances the destruction of characters leading to their downfall and often has an unhappy ending that can cause a form of loss. Every person experiences loss with varying degrees of severity. The play Hamlet by William Shakespeare is a tragedy written between the years 1599 and 1602. It revealed many themes, including this primary and crucial one, the...
HamletLiterary CriticismTragedy
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5 Pages 2263 Words
Hamlet: An Existential Crisis in the Making Through the dawn of mankind, one thing has remained constant for humanity, and that is our crippling mortality. The tragedy of Hamlet by William Shakespeare is about the self-doubt of the tragic hero Hamlet and his journey towards revenge in order to honor his father. Shakespeare uses the popular ideology of the time,...
HamletLiterary CriticismTragedy
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2 Pages 1067 Words
Long before daytime soap operas, Sophocles regaled the masses with the tragic tale of Oedipus the Tyrant. It is the first of its kind to enmesh the reader in a complicated web of incest, patricide, and regicide whilst featuring a protagonist who evokes rage and pity in the same breath. Centuries after its first performance, the tragedy remains a focus...
Literary CriticismOedipus the KingTragedy
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3 Pages 1410 Words
Comedy vs. Tragedy: Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream vs. Romeo and Juliet According to Horace Walpole, “Life is a comedy to those who think, a tragedy to those who feel” (Wolterbeek). Over the course of many years, comedy and tragedy have been studied by various scholars, from Aristotle to Friedrich Nietzsche. In both of Shakespeare’s works, A Midsummer Night’s Dream...
Literary CriticismRomeo and JulietTragedy
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1 Page 513 Words
The play is called Antigone not because Antigone suffers the most, but because she suffers at all. The tragedy is befallen by both Antigone and Creon, yet the circumstances upon which they arrive there is where their similarities end. Antigone’s character is built on such a morally strong basis of fraternal love and reverence to the gods that she ends...
AntigoneLiterary CriticismTragedy
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2 Pages 1116 Words
Because Macbeth is nothing on the different hand a killing machine, it is very difficult to view him as a tragic hero. But can one without a doubt inform whether or not or no longer or now not Macbeth is a two-faced hypocrite? This essay will speak about the public and personal persona of Macbeth and whether or not he...
Literary CriticismMacbethTragedy
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1 Page 424 Words
In his work, William Shakespeare uses the elements of drama to analyze and explain the universal themes present in each of his plays. The Shakespearean play ‘Julius Caesar’ demonstrates the universal themes of betrayal and tragedy. Julius Caesar is a tragedy play written in 1599. It’s about a conflict/rivalry between two people, named Brutus and Caesar. In the end, Brutus...
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2 Pages 1035 Words
Oedipus The King is a work heavily focused on Justice. Oedipus, as a king, discovers that the only way he can save his beloved city and its people is to seek and punish the murder of his predecessor. He is determined to establish justice and peace in his city. He starts to uncover the murder mystery but he faces harsh...
Literary CriticismOedipusOedipus the King
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2 Pages 1011 Words
In A Christmas Carol, Dickens presents the hope of redemption in the novel as a whole through the contrast and by using Scrooge from stave 1 to stave 5. At the start of the novella, we see how Scrooge has disconnected himself from society. He doesn't allow Bob to heat the office by burning coal, he believes Christmas is a...
A Christmas CarolLiterary Criticism
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3 Pages 1436 Words
In Geoffry Chaucer’s literary piece, The Canterbury Tales, various details the various characteristics and opinions of characters as they make a pilgrimage to Canterbury one spring. Chaucer gives each character the task to recite their own tale which the audience may learn from various morals that are depicted. One particularly interesting character that Chaucer calls upon happens to be “The...
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2 Pages 880 Words
In Plath’s poems “Contusion’ and “Edge” there is a central theme and image of death that is liberating and perfect. These themes and images are constant throughout many of Plath’s poetry, but in these two particular poems, the idea of death is more forthcoming. “Edge” the last poem that Plath wrote before she ended her life is also another reason...
Literary CriticismPoetrySylvia Plath
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2 Pages 853 Words
The “The Tale of Sohrab” and “Oedipus Tyrannus” are two distinct stories that showcase the timelessness of the Shahmaneh. The two stories are not only entertaining but also reflect on various themes that are relevant to the social structure of society and can also apply to the individual lives of people. Upon reading the tales, one can see the undeniable...
Literary CriticismOedipusOedipus the King
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1 Page 512 Words
The poem “Invictus” by William E. Henley, and the novel Anthem by Ayn Rand, both have frequent themes that examine the significance of selfness. Each of the themes that these toils have to offer will be examined throughout the pilcrow of this attempt. The characters in both arts of literature face prosecution for what they expect in our adventurous hard...
InvictusLiterary Criticism
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2 Pages 874 Words
Bigotry in ‘The Prioress Tales’ and ‘General Prologue’ The description in The Prioress’ Tales is full of bigotry and depicts Prioress as a woman of dual character. In the General Prologue, Chaucer describes her as a polite, aristocratic, and godly nun but realistically, she is a bigot whose stories are full of anti-Semitic attitudes. The Prioress’ tales portray her as...
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1 Page 428 Words
Gilgamesh is a king of Uruk, a born demigod between his mother Ninsun god, and his human father Lugalbanda king. Gilgamesh was a king who have strength, ability, property, and rights which enraged him even the male citizens of Uruk. However, Gilgamesh used all his rights to harass the Uruk citizen and molest the women. He was neither afraid nor...
Epic of GilgameshLiterary Criticism
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2 Pages 750 Words
While I enjoyed all the poems and stories we have read in class. The one that really stood out to me is Oedipus the King. The poem is very enjoyable to read and has many lessons about life. Unlike too many readers, I think Oedipus was a hero, of course, he was unfortunate in the eyes of the Gods. He...
Literary CriticismOedipusOedipus the King
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