It is no secret that hierarchy has been essential in the advancement of the human race. From the Romans to the Mongolians to the Ottomans, the largest and most organized societies in history have used this class separation to surpass their disorganized inferiors. That being said, the appointment of power to some individuals over others…
When one is surrounded by constant incredulity from the people in their life it can lead to a lack of conviction and self-doubt. In the novel Monkey Beach, Eden Robinson develops the theme of loss of native culture through the struggles Lisamarie faces with the normalcy of her spiritual gifts because of colonialism from residential schools…
The People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry revolves around two main characters, Alex and Poppy, who are also friends. Alex and Poppy are fundamentally different in thought and character despite their strong friendship. While Poppy is quite rambunctious, Alex seems to be the exact opposite as he has a calm individual and can…
Characters In, “No One Is Talking About This” Patricia Lockwood pens an autobiography that explores the life of an unnamed female protagonist who rises to fame because of a viral social media post, named, “can a dog be twins” (13). Although nothing about her is revealed before the viral post, her relationship with her father…
Summary Joan Didion, the author of Let Me Tell You What I Mean, doubles up as the main character in the stories presented in the book, as she plays the role of the narrator. For example, in Alicia and the Underground Press, Didion plays the role of the narrator, who is also the main character.…
One of William Shakespeare’s most notable comedies is “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” According to Harold Bloom, “Nothing by Shakespeare before A Midsummer Night’s Dream is it’s equal, and in some respects nothing by him afterwards surpasses it. It is his first undoubted masterwork, without flaw, and one of his dozen or so plays of overwhelming originality and…
Summary The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave is about Hannah Hall, who is married to Owen, whose wife had died tragically, leaving him with their only daughter Bailey. After two years of their marriage, Owen fails to come back home from work one day. Hannah’s calls to Owen go unanswered. Hannah discovers…
The extract from ‘Revolutionary Road’ insights into the growing anxieties of modern life during the transition from postwar America to the 1950s, through the perception of Frank Wheeler. The feeling of emptiness is accentuated by Frank’s rejection of conformity; which entails the loss of human individuality through nuclear families, original thought and suburban lifestyles. Themes…
Secularism is the ideology that involves separating the influence of religion or spirituality from government, politics, state law or public matters. Secular thinking removes the imminent bias that appears within judicial and systemic affairs when they are dealt with religiously; in turn creating a more neutral environment for communities. Many people advocate for secularisation as…
Characters Elsa Wolcott Martinelli is the main character in the novel, and the story is mainly told from her perspective. A mother to Loreda and Ant, the novel starts while she is at the age of 25, describing herself as a spinster. Loreda Martinelli is the daughter of Rafe and Elsa Martinelli. She is initially…
The Alchemist (1988) by Paulo Coelho, is a revolutionary novel about a boy realising his own predetermined fate and his journey in order to achieve it. Coelho challenges the preconceived constructs of fate, spirituality and identity, through character development and symbolism, encouraging new ways of thinking amongst the audience. Coelho incorporates the idea of ‘Personal…
Klara and the Sun is one of the masterpieces of Kazuo Ishiguro depicting the patterns of the changing world while exploring the true meaning of love. The novel is based upon dystopian science fiction, the story revolves around the views of the first-person narrator, Klara, the novel’s main protagonist. She is an android developed to…
The film The Danish Girl (2015) provides a complex representation of gender as it centres on the transitioning of its main character from male to female. Based on a true story set in 1926 Copenhagen, Einar Wegener and his wife Gerda are famous artists living in a traditional heterosexual relationship. One day, Gerda asks Einar to model…
Shakespeare used many methods to create comedy throughout the gulling scenes. The two gulling scenes show first Benedick, then Beatrice, being tricked into thinking that the other is madly in love with them. Shakespeare succeeded in bringing different forms of amusement into the scenes, through irony and exaggeration – amongst other techniques. Together, these produce…
“We did everything adults would do. What went wrong (Golding 149)?” questions William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, a novel written exploring and uncovering the dark side of human nature. Symbolism is applied to express the author’s perspective as a lieutenant in the navy during World War II. The conch shell, the war paint, the…
Romeo’s love for Juliet is a significant turning point in the play Romeo and Juliet. The romantic tragedy was written by William Shakespeare, about two admirers who love each other undyingly but come from families who have been feuding for years. Both youngsters, Romeo and Juliet, long for a relationship that will fulfill their desires.…
“The Beauty Queen of Leenane” (1996) is Martin McDonagh’s first play, it is part of The Galway Trilogy together with “A Skull in Connemara” and “The Lonesome West”. All three plays are set in the small village of Leenane, County Galway, and depict three villagers’ closely interwoven stories. Set in the kitchen of a cottage…
Termed as ‘prose-poetry’, Jamaica Kincaid’s 1978 short story “Girl” is a lyrical, rhythmic list of instructions a mother tells her daughter. Being just one sentence, reading the story feels like drawing in a long breath that is only let go until the final moment. The plot is barely discernible, but character and tension are cleverly…
Our shared human experiences can be often hard to unravel and may seem buried under a complex web of conflicting and contrasting ideologies. It can be easy to forget that we are united in the basic aspects of living that are part of our physical condition. Irish poet Seamus Heaney has demonstrated this through his…
D.H. Lawrence is one of the great writers who may be described as ‘life-changers’ and like all life-changers, he is highly controversial. Diana Neil gives a better estimate of him when she writes, “But when all is said, there is greatness in him. He is something of an authentic visionary and the future may be…