Edward Albee’s play “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolff?” is a drama exploring the anxieties of modern life. By personalizing aspects of the epic Albee has inverted many of its features to create satire. This internalization pits individuals against each other and themselves. M. H. Abrams’s definition of epic, in his book “A Glossary of Literary…
`You are the curse, the corruption of the land!’. With these words, Tiresias, a blind prophet in `Oedipus The King’ set the actions in play that would turn king to beggar within the day. Prophecy and foreshadowing are an important part of playwriting and adds an element of suspense that is not possible any other…
William Shakespeare’s satirical comedy, The Merchant of Venice, believed to have been written in 1596 was an examination of hatred and greed. The premise deals with the antagonistic relationship between Shylock, a Jewish money-lender and Antonio, the Christian merchant, who is as generous as Shylock is greedy, particularly with his friend, Bassanio. The two have…
The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam presents an interesting challenge to any reader trying to sort through its heavy symbolism and not-so-obvious theme. Not only does the poem provide us with a compelling surface story, but a second look at the text can reveal a rich collection of separate meanings hidden in the poem’s objective descriptions…
Holden is a complex person with many conflicting characteristics. He has many ambitions and desires for his life but he is faced with the basic conflict in the story, corruption. This corruption is what drives him and at the same time restricts him Holden’s being surrounded by corruption disgusts him. There are a few main…
In the Sinclair Lewis novel Babbitt, the character of Babbitt is completely controlled by the power of conformity. Conformity is so powerful that even after Babbitt realizes the stifling nature of the society in which he lives he is powerless to change his fate as a member of conformist society. George F. Babbitt is a…
Toad. The word conjures up images of a grotesque, little amphibian and yet it is this little animal that Larkin decides to base his poem on. He describes two toads. One is the exterior influence that society has on an individual level, and the other is the interior or personal prompting to work. He takes…
The peregrine falcon belongs to a group of birds called the Falconiformes. This group includes vultures, kites, hawks, eagles, and falcons. Other than vultures, all of these birds hunt and kill other animals for food. Falconiformes are equipped with hooked beaks and strong talons, making them excellent predators. All Falconiformes are daytime hunters. The peregrine…
I. Biographical Insights John Grisham was born on February 8 1995 in the town of Jonesboro, Arkansas. His father was an emigrant construction worker so the family moved a lot. In 1967 they came to Southhaven, a little town outside Memphis. John got an undergraduate degree in accounting at the Mississippi State University and after…
In the novel Deliverance, by James Dickey, the themes of man and his mind set are pondered upon many times. The theme “the passing of the torch” seemed to stand out in my mind more and more as the novel concluded. Throughout the novel, three of the characters seemed to rely on the fourth character…
Summary Introduction In this book analysis, about the book “The Outsiders” by S. E. Hinton I will discuss character and plot development, as well as the setting, the author’s style, and my opinions about the book. In this part of the analysis, I will give some information about the subjects of the book, and about…
Dr. Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States might be better titled A Proletarian’s History of the United States. In the first three chapters Zinn looks at not only the history of the conquerors, rulers, and leaders; but also the history of the enslaved, the oppressed, and the led. Like any American History…
The Parthenon was a temple to the patron goddess of Athens, Athena. Located atop Athens’s Acropolis, the Parthenon was an architectural masterpiece. It was constructed between 447 and 432 BCE by the Greek sculptor Phidias and the Greek architects Ictenus and Callicrates. It the largest temple in Greece. However, subtle elements used in the construction…
“The Minister’s Black Veil”, a literary masterpiece written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, was a divergent parable for the period it was written. Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote as an anti-transcendentalist in the transcendentalist period; as a result, his view’s in writings were mostly pessimistic considering his family’s sinfulness. Hawthorne’s grandfather was a judge in the Salem witch trials;…
Thesis: Poe uses symbolism to unfold this gripping tale of terror. I. The first symbol in the story is the name of the Prince himself, Prince Prospero. II. The ebony clock is another major symbol within this tale. III. The black room is the most prominent symbol in the story but is not clear until…
Conrad Richter presents a historic fictional work describing the colonial frontier in The Light in the Forest. True Son, born as John Butler, was captured by the Lenni Lenape Indians at the age of four. He was adopted by them and raised as the son of their chief, Cuyloga. He became a part of the…
The Island of Dr. Moreau is a story that questions the ability of men playing God. The balance of nature is put to the ultimate test as a man by the name of Charles Edward Prendick stumbles across an out-of-control experiment that fuses man with animal. At first glance, this tropical paradise seems idyllic. But…
There are many characters in The Jungle. These characters vary widely in their professions, social status, and economic status. The main character in the novel is a Lithuanian named Jurgis Rudkus. His wife is Ona Lukoszaite, also a Lithuanian. Their son is named Atanas. Mike Scully is a powerful political leader in Packingtown. Phil Connor…
“The House of the Seven Gables” is a romantic novel set in a grand and rustic, old house with seven gables in New England town. The story opens with its history, beginning in the 1690’s, when witch-hunting was rampant. Afterwards, it revolves around the course of one summer in the 1850’s. At his housewarming party,…
Before Bilbo Baggins meets Thorin, he was a tiny and modest creature living as an ordinary hobbit, in his average hobbit hole. Thorin, who plays the role of a guardian angel in this story, watches over Bilbo as he seeks to complete his journey. The series of events that Bilbo has to face on this…