Literary Criticism essays

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3 Pages 1599 Words
'Cathedral' is a short story written by Raymond Carver. The story develops an ironic situation in which a blind man gives a sighted man an eye-opening experience. The story beautifully depicts the process of an individual who transforms from this unknowledgeable, ignorant being, into a knowledgeable soul. When we read the story, we can see that the narrator, the sighted...
CathedralLiterary CriticismShort Story
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2 Pages 919 Words
More than often, people use stereotypes to describe or define other people without fully knowing the effects they may have. A stereotype is commonly known as a widely held fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing. Many people are guilty of creating stereotypes about other groups and are not aware of it. This...
CathedralLiterary CriticismStereotypes
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3 Pages 1182 Words
People are part of a society where therapy would be necessary for emotional stability. The impact that therapy has on peoples’ emotional progress can pay-off their future. In Raymond Carver’s short story ‘Cathedral’, he dives into the significance of personal therapy sessions on people like the Narrator who have a difficult time expressing their feelings. People want to express the...
CathedralLiterary CriticismNovel
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3 Pages 1284 Words
Envisioning dreams which are meant to be accomplished is a human created concept to motivate ourselves to alter the course of our future, or as quoted by renowned poet Henri Amiel, “Dreams are excursions into the limbo of things, a semi-deliverance from the human prison”. In other words, dreams are an imaginary escape route from our inescapable reality. John Steinbeck’s...
DreamLiterary CriticismOf Mice and Men
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3 Pages 1285 Words
“The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision” - Helen Keller. In ‘Cathedral’, a short story written by Raymond Carver, the narrator is presented with a situation, one that shows him that there is more to life than he could have imagined. Throughout the story, it is apparent that the differences between Robert (the blind...
CathedralLiterary Criticism
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3 Pages 1152 Words
Jealousy is a parasite on the soul, and feeds on self-gratification. Othello in Shakespeare’s ‘Othello’ is susceptible to narcissistic thoughts that cloud his judgement and opens a door for Iago to plot revenge. It ironic that Iago already had everything he needed to exact revenge inside of Othello. Othello has spent his whole life trying to cultivate a reputation as...
JealousyLiterary CriticismOthello
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5 Pages 2382 Words
Is reality simply based on the things that can be seen with the physical eye? Are there things beyond the physical eye which leads us to a deeper perception of life? Can epiphanic moments be the key to this deeper level of perception where we are able to see things that require more than physical eyes? The inability to see...
CathedralEveryday UseLiterary Criticism
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3 Pages 1567 Words
Sophocles’ The Three Theban Plays explores the faults in one’s character that triggers irrational and unlawful behavior. A specific fault seems to recur throughout the plays and pushes characters to commit the greatest crimes. To find this fault, it is vital to retrace the motivation of each character’s actions. The root of all their actions is pride. Oedipus, Antigone, and...
Literary CriticismOedipusOedipus the King
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2 Pages 1011 Words
“I’m not happy and bubbly, I’m dark and cloudy” claims Dr. Meredith Grey from the hit drama TV show Grey’s Anatomy. Many people are obsessed with the show and the show's main character, Meredith Grey, played by Ellen Pompeo. Pompeo has had many interviews, but two online articles seem to surprise Pompeo’s fans: Sarah Grossbart's (online author for Enews’s )...
CharacterGrey’S AnatomyLiterary Criticism
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3 Pages 1528 Words
Shakespeare’s tragedy ‘Macbeth’ presents the themes of ambition, the supernatural, and guilt and illustrates the consequences of regicide. Written for audiences of the 16th century, the Scottish tragedy shows how the Great Chain of Being would have been disrupted if the foiled Gunpowder Plot was successful. The purposeful killing of a monarch is often associated with the forceful taking of...
Literary CriticismMacbethWilliam Shakespeare
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2 Pages 832 Words
Techniques are a commonly used by authors and directors to display different messages in a media. Slinger and Fincher use this in the book ‘Catcher in the rye’ and the movie ‘The Social Network’ to give the audience a better understanding on the protagonists, Holden and Mark. These techniques include setting, symbolism and language, these techniques are seen in the...
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1 Page 616 Words
In Lord of the Flies, Jack Merridew’s character traits propel the theme of violence and evil, the dark part of human nature. As a former “head boy” as well as choirmaster, Jack arrives on the island with the experience of significant success in controlling as well as exerting his power over his peers. As such, he is eager to establish...
CharacterLiterary CriticismLord of The Flies
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4 Pages 1840 Words
Students are more likely to retain knowledge if they obtain it through something they enjoy. Reading an interesting book, for example, is a more effective way of learning than simply sitting in a classroom and taking notes about concepts and events from decades ago. I believe that it is for this reason that many teachers choose to include Harper Lee’s...
Literary CriticismTo Kill a Mockingbird
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2 Pages 731 Words
“Prejudice is the child of ignorance” (William Hazlitt). In her novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee describes Maycomb, the town the story takes place in, where white people are prejudiced in all ways possible. Although everyone in Maycomb is prejudiced and rude towards black people, Harper Lee tries to show the reader the light by showing how the people...
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6 Pages 3014 Words
SEGREGATION Slavery is the act or practice of owning slaves and making them work very hard without proper remuneration or appreciation. Slavery was abolished in 1890 however this led to segregation in the early and mid-twentieth century. Scout, the narrator is able to bring out the hardships the slaves go through during the trial of Tom Robinson. They are depicted...
2 Pages 942 Words
Love, greed, jealousy. These are all emotions that a normal human being may experience, you can’t deny that, right? Emotions are like bullets in a gun, once fired, can cause disasters. This is all part of human nature, there is no way a person can hold on to their emotions forever. For example, your friend offended you, will you be...
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3 Pages 1449 Words
The transition between childhood and adulthood is a time of growing independence along with constant questioning, especially when being exposed to the cultural norms of society, some of which are divisive and not always driven by pure motivation. When becoming adults, our personal world is shaped around what we have been taught and through our experiences. This highlights that it...
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1 Page 579 Words
As we know, Fahrenheit 451 is a dystopian themed book that makes references to the multiple events that occurred around the time the book was published, which was 1953. Because of this, the core of the book was written under the heavy influence of World War 2, which was still raging on only a decade earlier. Fahrenheit 451 depicts a...
CharacterFahrenheit 451Literary Criticism
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3 Pages 1580 Words
William Shakespeare is one of the greatest poets and playwrights from the Renaissance period. The Renaissance period spanned from 1485 to 1625. It was known for being the economic, political, and artistic rebirth of civilization creating a burst of creative expression. The Renaissance had a distinctive impact on literature, specifically involving the sonnet cycle and the influence of Greek and...
Literary CriticismPerspectiveWilliam Shakespeare
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3 Pages 1159 Words
Composed in the early 15th century, William Shakespeare’s “Henry IV Part 1” exhibits the power struggles that occur due to the socio-political upheaval that perpetuates his Elizabethan context. Through the rhetorical revision of history, the play explores the complexities and uncertainties of humanity, questioning the volatility of humans through pride and honour and its focal impact on kingship, the binaries...
Literary CriticismPerspectiveWilliam Shakespeare
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2 Pages 1020 Words
From analysing Harper Lee’s renowned novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird”, it becomes apparent Harper Lee expertly explores and incorporates various themes and values in “TKAM” to challenge societal attitudes. Harper Lee explores various significant themes, formulating her perspective, then cleverly incorporating her perspective through the book’s various ideologies, textual convention and literacy devices. These themes were revolutionising, innovating her controversial...
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2 Pages 1086 Words
The catastrophic Greek tragedy, “Medea” deals with the maltreatment faced by the titular character and how such struggles can lead to immoral retributive acts. Medea challenges society’s paradigm of the typical woman who is a “timid creature” and a “coward” through her headstrong and opinionated character, thereby establishing herself as an exemplar for women. Moreover, Euripides illustrates how Medea, as...
Literary CriticismMedeaMyths
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3 Pages 1229 Words
Tone can be defined as the general character or attitude of a place, a piece of writing, a situation, etc. In literature, tone is the foundation of everything created; without it, there would be no mood, theme, characterization, or anything else involved in the makeup of a story. In the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding, a group...
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2 Pages 935 Words
Evil is born not made In Sweden, scientists have discovered that there are genes in the human DNA that make them violent and become murders in the worst case. The result of this experiment supports the violent behavior of young survivors in the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding. A group of children release the evil trait within...
Good and EvilLiterary CriticismLord of The Flies
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3 Pages 1569 Words
Othello is considered one of the most tremendous tragedies out of Shakespeare's excellent, well-known work. Shakespeare's playwright was initially believed to have performed around 1604 for the relatively the first time. It is a story based on Othello, an African general within the Vietnam army, who is tricked by an envious and spiteful man into suspecting that his wife had...
Literary CriticismOthelloWilliam Shakespeare
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1 Page 435 Words
There are some differences that we can notice between the movies and book “Lord of the Flies”. The reason that there are differences is because the book is written by William Golding’s while the movie is made by Harry Hook’s so that’s why we can recognize some differences , but that doesn’t mean that we don’t have similarities between those...
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4 Pages 1793 Words
“The agony of my soul found vent in one loud, long and final scream of despair.” That line may summarize the whole assemblage of the works of Edgar Allan Poe. A writer from Massachusetts who became a notable of the American Romantic movement, and authored the poem-story, The Raven. While the narrator is reading loric stories with his lips quietly,...
Edgar Allan PoeLiterary CriticismThe Raven
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