Today's Date:
December 16, 2024
Three Views of the Model Citizen: Socrates, Antigone, and Oedipus
One of the subjects that will always preoccupy the literary imagination is what it means to be a good, productive, and moral member assisting in the construction of a meaningful society. This theme can be traced across the entire span →
The Blues as Poetry : Ellison, “Crazy Blues” and “Down-Hearted Blues”
Perhaps there is no better definition of the blues than the one that has been offered by the writer Ralph Ellison, who said, “The blues is an impulse to keep the painful details… of a brutal experience alive in one’s →
Literary Analysis of “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison : History and Slavery
Unlike so many works in the American literature that deal directly with the legacy of slavery and the years of deeply-imbedded racism that followed, the general storyline of Toni Morrison’s novel, The Bluest Eye does not engage directly with such events but →
Violence, Coping and Contemporary Poetry
In his poem “Try to Praise the Mutilated World,” Adam Zagajewski juxtaposes intense images of violence, such as “the executioners sing[ing] joyfully” (l. 11), with simple but equally powerful images of beautiful objects and moments of positive connection between people. →
The Purpose of a Poetry Anthology, An Analysis by Example
So many excellent anthologies of poetry were published in the second half of the 20th century, and continue to be published into this century. Anthologies, collections of poems by numerous authors pulled together under a single cover, are attractive to readers →
The Foil Character in Shakespeare : Laertes, Claudius and Fortinbras
In William Shakespeare’s works, there are often many instances of the protagonist’s key traits being highlighted in the behavior of another character. However, there is no play where these foils are more obvious than in the famed Hamlet. While nearly every →
Plot Analysis of Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin
The main character in Chopin’s “Story of an Hour” is, despite the lack of rich background details about her situation, quite obviously a typical married woman of the late noneteenth century, living under the thumb of her husband without much freedom →
Literary Character Comparison of Gawain and Beowulf
Gawain embodies many of the characteristics of the chivalric knight and hero, among them, modesty, honesty, commitment, courage, and an even temperament. He also engages in the activities that define heroes: a journey, a challenge, and the proof of his →
Sample Discussion Questions on Beowulf with Answers Key
What do the poets in Beowulf sing about? To whom do they sing their songs? What is the purpose of their performances? Much of the subject matter the poets relate in Beowulf revolves around heroic traditions, including important lineages and →
Character Analysis of Gertrude in Hamlet By Sasha Safonova
Many describe The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark as the most mature and complex play in Shakespeare’s repertoire. Thorough studies and research exist on topics which touch upon numerous diverse facets of Hamlet. The author developed a range of characters which has fascinates →
