John Milton, a poet who was completely blind in 1651 wrote “Sonnet XIX” in 1652; this sonnet is his response to his loss of sight. The theme of the sonnet is the loss and regain of primacy of experience. Milton offers his philosophical view on animism and God. Furthermore, “Sonnet XIX” explores Milton’s faith and…
James Joyce’s A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is a novel of complex themes developed through frequent allusions to classical mythology. The myth of Daedalus and Icarus serves as a structuring element in the novel, uniting the central themes of individual rebellion and discovery, producing a work of literature that illuminates the…
Written in free verse, this poem dramatizes the chance confrontation of a groundhog and terrier. As the speaker relates the setting, the poet uses the design of the groundhog den to provide an alternative, “option”, to the latent conflict. Morgan, asserts the layout of the groundhog den “always has a back door”, and in doing…
Mrs. Sommers, of Kate Chopin’s “A Pair of Silk Stockings” faces a major Man-vs.-Society conflict. She is a perfect example of how humans are tempted by material gain, “the life of luxury”, and the vicious way society judges things (or people). Society views people who live in the lap of luxury as “gods”, they are…
Willa Cather was born in Virginia in 1873, but moved to Nebraska where the population was diverse. She attended school and also was educated at home. She planned on becoming a doctor early in life. She accompanied a local doctor on his house calls and assisted in many of the examinations. By the time she…
In the book One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, the main character Ivan and the other prisoners in the camp are treated very badly. Ivan tries to make himself warm and to get enough food to keep himself alive. He does only what is necessary to please the guards and the commanders of…
In the summer of 1960, Carlos Casteneda, a UCLA anthropology student traveled to the southwest to do research on medicinal plants. While at a bus station, he met an extraordinary man. His name was don Juan Mateus, but I will refer to him as don Juan. Don Juan, a Yaqui “brujo” or shaman, decides to…
The differences between eighteenth-century literature and romantic poems, with respect to history is constituted here. This is seen through the influential works of John Keats and Alexander Pope. These works are acknowledged as, “The Rape of Lock” and “The Eve of St. Agnes.” Alexander Pope takes his readers on a hatred filled epic. A robust…
The role and character of Puck, or Robin Goodfellow, in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, is not only entertaining but quite useful. William Shakespeare seems to have created the character of Puck from his own childhood. In Shakespeare’s time it was believed that fairies and little people did exist. Whenever something went wrong around the farmyard…
A Mid Summer Nights Dream True love never runs a smooth course. And this is quit evident in a Mid Summer Night’s dream. The young love of two people is far more powerful than one thinks. And at the end true love will prevail no matter what gets in the way. Hermia and Lysander are…
Shakespeare uses many ways to portray humor and make his plays a success because of it. He created a careful mix of love with humor to create a success called “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” The focus of this paper is to describe how Shakespeare uses humor in his play. One way that Shakespeare uses humor…
The Play: “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, by William Shakespeare offers a wonderful contrast in human mentality. Shakespeare provides insight into man’s conflict with the rational versus the emotional characteristics of our behavior through his settings. The rational, logical side is represented by Athens, with its flourishing government and society. The wilder emotional side is represented…
A liberal arts education provides students with a broad spectrum of information enabling them to expand knowledge and to advance society in a positive direction. This universal education provides a strong foundation of knowledge in many subjects. The students can observe the strengths and capabilities, as well as the limitations of each field of study.…
In A Lesson Before Dying, Mr. Grant Wiggins’ life crises were the center of the story. At the start of the book, he more or less hated Jefferson, but after a while he became his friend and probably the only person Jefferson felt he could trust. The turning point in their relationship was the one…
Fyodor Dostoevsky’s novel, NOTES FROM THE UNDERGROUND, has held many labels, such as being a case history of neurosis or a specimen of modern tragedy. The most popular label it has obtained however is being the author’s defense of individualism. The novel is written as a performance, part triad, part memoir, by a nameless personage…
In Margaret Laurence’s novel a Jest of God, Mae Cameron plays a critical role in the development of the main character as well as the plot. Mae Cameron’s fear of isolation in turn causes Rachel not to develop as a person. Mae is so worried about being left alone that she will stop at nothing…
The Taming of the Shrew is one of the earliest comedies written by sixteenth and seventeenth century English bard, William Shakespeare. Some scholars believe it may have been his first work written for the stage as well as his first comedy (Shakespearean 310). The earliest record of it being performed on stage is in 1593…
“Barn Burning” is a sad story because it very clearly shows the classical struggle between the “privileged” and the “underprivileged” classes. Time after time emotions of despair surface from both the protagonist and the antagonist involved in the story. This story outlines two distinct protagonists and two distinct antagonists. The first two are Colonel Sartoris…
Firstly, because the sonnet is a very strict form, the author has to be very careful in constructing his poem, to ensure that it fits the design constraints. One of these constraints is that the sonnet is very short, at only 14 lines. This forces the author to distill his thoughts and feelings into as…
Flannery O’Connor’s background influenced her to write the short story “Revelation.” One important influence on the story is her Southern upbringing. During her lifetime, Southerners were very prejudiced towards people of other races and lifestyles. They believed that people who were less fortunate were inferior to them; therefore, people were labeled as different things and…
