Christopher Marlowe contributed greatly to English literature. He developed a new meter which has become one of the most popular in English literary history, and he revitalized a dying form of English drama. His short life was apparently violent and the man himself was supposedly of a volatile temperament, yet he managed to write some…
Fyodor Dostoyevsky wrote, “ If someone succeeded in proving to me that Christ was outside the truth, and if, indeed, the truth was outside Christ, then I would sooner remain with Christ than with the truth” (Frank 68). It was by no means easy for Dostoyevsky to reach this conclusion. In Dostoyevsky’s life, one sees…
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…
It is about how the to forces battle for superiority over one another. The book tells how one of the sides over powers the other to claim its spot on top. The people are like pawns to two of the characters, Archie and Brother Leon because they use the people to get what they want…
Chivalry, the order of knighthood, and especially, the code of knightly behavior, comes from many origins. In Middle English, the word “chevalrie” meant “mounted horseman”. In Old French, the word “chevalrie” meant knightliness or “chevalier” meaning knight. (Microsoft, Encarta) Almost all origins of the word meant horseman. Warfare was not an option in the medieval…
Childhood barely existed for most British children at the end of the eighteenth century, since they began a lifetime of hard labour as soon as they were capable of simple tasks. By contrast, the fortunate children of the wealthy generally were spoiled and enjoyed special provisions for the need of a lengthy childhood, yet who…
A character’s environment reveals a great deal about his personality. In Chee’s Daughter by Juanita Platero and Siyowin Miller this theory is displayed. In this story, a young Navajo Indian girl is taken from her home by her deceased mother’s parents. Two different environments which reflect values and personalities are conflicting. A young traditional Navajo,…
Charles Manson is known as one of the most sinister and evil criminals of all time. He organized the murders that shocked the world and his name still strikes fear into American hearts. Manson’s childhood, personality, and uncanny ability to control people led to the creation of a family-like cult and ultimately to the bloody…
This characterization of Uncle Henry focuses on the two main ways that he is portrayed in “Luke Baldwin’s Vow.” These two ways are: what Morley Callaghan, the author, reveals through the narrator and what other characters say about Henry. In this short story, Henry is usually referred to as Uncle Henry because he is Luke’s…
In The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allen Poe, the dark side of human nature is exemplified through the character of Montressor and his victim, Fortunato. Montressor is a manipulative and vengeful person. These characteristics lead to the death of Fortunato, a man who has wronged him. Through the acts, words, and thoughts of the…
In the book A Separate Peace by John Knowles, one of the main themes is the effects of realism, idealism, and isolationism on Brinker, Phineas, and Gene. Though not everyone can be described using one of these approaches to life, the approaches completely conform to these characters to create one realist, one idealist, and one…
In Charles Dickens’ novel A Tale Of Two Cities, Sydney Carton is a man of several distinct characteristics. Carton is shown originally to be a frustrated alcoholic but then turns out to be a very noble and genuine man. Sydney Carton is also shown in the novel to be somewhat immature in his actions and…
Mr. Pignati is just a big kid at heart. He was very lonely until John and Lorriane came along. He is a closed man and tries to hide his feelings about his wife’s death. He is a very nice and kind hearted man and tries to be nice to Lorriane and John. “Make yourself’s at…
Throughout The Crucible we are introduced to and follow four or five important characters that Arthur Miller elaborated upon. One of those characters is Reverend Samuel Parris, a bitter minister who came to Salem for unclear reasons. That reason may have been he was looking for a small town to control, maybe he was trying…
Anyway Estelle is the only thoroughly developed character in Margaret Atwood’s “Rape Fantasies.” Though she is the narrator and quite thoughtful of the ideas and reactions of the story’s supporting players, it is her almost obsessive preoccupation with a singular topic that actually prompts her to fully illustrate her own ideas and reactions, drawing a…
The Scarlet Letter is a story of characters that have to live and deal with the effects of sin in different ways. Of these characters, Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale is the character portrayed as the weakest and ennoble. Despite this portrayal, Dimmesdale was a stronger character than given credit for. His unbelievable amount of control in…
The love described in the novel, The Great Gatsby, contains “violence and egoism not tenderness and affection.” The author, F. Scott Fitzgerald, writes on wealth, love, and corruption. Two coupes, Tom and Daisy Buchanan and George and Myrtle Wilson, match perfectly with these categories. Both couples are different in the way they choose to live…
Chaim Potok lives a very full life he has served his country, peoples, and religion very well and with great impact. First, to be discussed is his life birth through the present. He was born at a very early age on February 17, 1929, in New York, New York to Benjamin and Mollie Potok. The…
Ceremony is the story about Tayo, A Native American World War II Veteran, and his struggle to find himself. He struggles to adapt to a world where his people have to fight between the “whites” say is the true path, and what his culture says the right path. Ceremony displays Tayo’s struggle by comparing his…
Have you ever had that eerie feeling in the back of your mind that something just is not right? It is as if there is some unknown reason that a situation has a different meaning than what is obvious. This feeling is the disguised backbone of Raymond Carver’s story, “Boxes”. In this story, the son…