Literary Criticism essays

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1 Page 465 Words
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Nothing in The Catcher in the Rye flag Holden's twist of the importance of adolescence and adulthood more decisively than the title itself. As he wanders around New York City, Holden thinks about what he sees as the uncorrupted honesty of kids to the pietism of development. He considers pretty much every grown-up he meets to be a fake, and...
Catcher in The RyeLiterary CriticismNovel
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2 Pages 1058 Words
Introduction William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily" is a quintessential example of Southern Gothic literature, renowned for its intricate narrative structure and exploration of themes such as isolation, tradition, and resistance to change. Published in 1930, the story unfolds in the fictional town of Jefferson, Mississippi, and follows the life and death of Emily Grierson, a reclusive woman who becomes...
A Rose For EmilyLiterary CriticismShort Story
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3 Pages 1168 Words
In our lives, the society has always been controlled by adults, and the children have been considered fragile, immature, and unable to take care of themselves. William Golding’s novel entitled Lord of the Flies is a fictional depiction of the events that unfold after a group of schoolboys are stranded on a deserted island; however, it would be erroneous to...
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2 Pages 706 Words
During the Elizabethan era, men and women had distinct and varying roles that disempowered the female gender. This is challenged in William Shakespeare’s Elizabethan theatrical performance ‘A Midsummer Night's Dream’. During this context, a woman was required to be obedient to the male figures in her life, specifically her husband and father. Contrastingly, men were expected to be strong-willed and...
Literary CriticismPerspectiveWilliam Shakespeare
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1 Page 657 Words
Tone is a very important piece when writing any type of work because it determines how the audience should feel when reading it. The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien is a novel based in the Vietnam War. It is a compilation of war stories told by the narrator, who is also the author. The novel has many tones, but...
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3 Pages 1533 Words
The room is silent, as you read the novel To Kill a Mockingbird in complete peace, accompanied by only the sounds of nature beyond your room. The pages glisten in the beams of light through your window, and you are lifted and driven through the vast words on the pages. As you flip through the novel you begin to wonder...
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2 Pages 693 Words
In the novel The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger uses Holden Caufield’s view and outlook on women in order to express the idea of holding such high expectations for women prevents people from being able to form true and meaningful relationships. Throughout the novel, Holden judges all the women he comes across based on their looks and/or “phoniness”. He...
Catcher in The RyeLiterary CriticismWoman
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2 Pages 1046 Words
Holden willingly accepts alienation. In his mind he has a desire to connect with others. However he seeks out and antagonises people that he will not get along with. He searches for connections, only to undermine anything meaningful that would counteract his isolation. In the Catcher and the Rye, Holden alienates himself from society as depression and various traumatic memories;...
Catcher in The RyeLiterary CriticismLoneliness
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2 Pages 899 Words
Having just read Fahrenheit 451 in my Language and Literature class, there is quite a lot on my mind regarding the novel. There are many concepts and ideas that Bradbury mentions and references throughout the three different sections, such as the main message, which is to value the power of thought and knowledge. Bradbury also places quite a lot of...
Fahrenheit 451Literary CriticismNovel
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1 Page 467 Words
Teenagers deal with lots of emotional issues. In The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger and in Rebel Without a Cause by Nicholas Ray, both main characters Jim Stark and Holden Caulfield deal with so many emotional issues. Both characters deal with emotional issues as teenagers; Holden distances himself from his relationships while Jim tries to build relationships. Jim...
Catcher in The RyeLiterary CriticismTeenagers
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2 Pages 834 Words
The Catcher in the Rye is a story written by JD Salinger that takes place in 1951 about a teenager that faces many problems with life. Holden Caulfield, a 16-year-old boy who has just been expelled from his fourth school. JD Salinger uses symbolism to convey Holden's beliefs and how he feels for the reader to furthermore understand what is...
Catcher in The RyeLiterary CriticismNovel
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2 Pages 935 Words
There is certainly no denying the fact that J.D. Salinger's Catcher In The Rye is one of the most impactful books ever written for young adults. It does a very good job highlighting the struggles and pains that adolescents face. Perhaps the two most important themes that exist in the work are that of innocence and insecurity, two painfully familiar...
Catcher in The RyeLiterary CriticismNovel
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1 Page 611 Words
J.D. Salinger’s fictional novel, The Catcher in the Rye, illustrates sixteen year-old Holden Caulfield’s coming-of-age and the difficulties that accompany him through it. Salinger expresses the alienation adolescents face when assuming adult responsibilities, challenging their capacity on recognizing their own role. Throughout the novel, Holden's constant motif is finding opportunities to rescue others, when failing to rescue himself. Common themes...
Catcher in The RyeCharacterLiterary Criticism
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3 Pages 1140 Words
The reason society is flawed is because people are flawed. Golding, who had served in World War II, is well aware of the flaw known as savagery within humans, which he used to base his book The Lord of the Flies. In the novel, Roger shows this with his vicious and sadistic personality, motivation to inflicting pain and inciting fear...
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2 Pages 831 Words
Ray Bradbury and Kurt Wimmer highlight the use of female figures to show society’s truth and Kurt Vonnegut portrays that the overuse of technology can lead to a robotic society. In Fahrenheit 451, Clarisse is a significant influence on Montag and makes him realize that books are important in the world. Similarly, in Equilibrium, Mary shows John the feeling of...
CharacterFahrenheit 451Literary Criticism
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3 Pages 1588 Words
In her eponymous play, Medea, in the name of revenge for Jason’s betrayal, kills her own children. I will argue that Medea’s actions are, in fact, logically justified because they are rational when viewed on a cosmic scale. First, Jason’s severest and highest offense is his violation of his oath to the gods, and therefore the best form of justice...
Literary CriticismMedeaMyths
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2 Pages 1013 Words
Think about the last time you were angry and someone told you to calm down. Did it work? Did you go from angry to complete calmness? Of course not. Human brains have developed over time. We have one brain that can be essentially divided into two sections. The modern brain and the primal brain. The modern brain, the front cortex,...
Literary CriticismMedeaMyths
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2 Pages 846 Words
Some adolescents have trouble coping with struggles they have faced because they are more vulnerable to being traumatized than adults. In the novel, The Catcher in the Rye written by J.D Salinger, at just eleven years old, Holden Caulfield endured the loss of his brother. This devastating event unknowingly sent him down a path of turmoil. Holden struggled to connect...
Catcher in The RyeLiterary CriticismStruggle
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3 Pages 1343 Words
The Odyssey, a poem written by Homer, is a story about Odysseus' journey home after the Trojan War. While he is away, his wife, Penelope is surrounded by these horrible suitors who eat all the food and destroy Odysseus' home. While in the Inferno, written by Dante Alighieri, the poet and pilgrim Dante goes on a spiritual journey. Dante is...
HomerLiterary CriticismThe Odyssey
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2 Pages 782 Words
Never affirm. Always Allude. Allusions are made to test the spirit and probe the heart” (Umberto Eco). Allusions are necessary because it allows for authors to include a deeper meaning to their message indirectly, allowing the reader to interpret the message for themselves. Allusions are used on the assumption that the reader and author have shared knowledge about a certain...
2 Pages 1101 Words
Have you ever thought of living in a perfect society in which people do not have feelings and have sex and take drugs for happines. In Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, a society in which people have to follow strict rules we are presented with the idea of individuality by the characters Bernard Marx, Helmholtz Watson, and John “The Savage”....
Brave New WorldIndividualLiterary Criticism
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1 Page 600 Words
Simon’s character, was a complete opposite from all the others, because he represented the best of humanity. The Lord of the Flies, was written by WIlliam Golding in 1954, and is about a group of young boys who get stranded on an island, and are forced to create their own society to survive. The main theme of the book is...
CharacterLiterary CriticismLord of The Flies
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1 Page 594 Words
Most teens only read books because they have too in class. They don’t really think about the lessons that come with it. To Kill a Mockingbird is a Novel written by Harper Lee in 1960. In this book you will read about how colored were treated back then and how people can surprise you sometimes. To Kill a Mockingbird is...
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4 Pages 1634 Words
Salvage the Bones is narrated by a teenager named Esch. She is the only girl in an all-male family, since her mother is dead, and her father is an alcoholic. Isolated and alone in this savage town (the town’s name “Bois Sauvage” and the fact that their homestead is called “The Pit” says a lot about how rural this place...
Literary CriticismMedeaMyths
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3 Pages 1442 Words
Many actions in Euripides’ Medea occur without just explanation. The psychology behind these actions appear unpredictable, but still control key parts of the play. The play begins with a heartbroken Medea, angry and depressed because her husband, Jason, has left her for a new bride. However, the rage Medea exhibits is a byproduct of the backstory of the play. While...
Literary CriticismMedeaMyths
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5 Pages 2513 Words
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Introduction: Lord of the flies was first published in 1954. It has never gone out of print, it has been among the best-selling novels in both Britain and USA, it has been studied in schools and universities all over the world. Lord of the Flies is in part an allegory of the Cold War, as in 1940, it was William...
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2 Pages 996 Words
Behind every person, object and event, there is a veiled motive, undetectable by the public. Deception is an act or statement which misleads, hides the truth, or promotes a belief, concept or idea that is not true. Appearance leads to the formation of an opinion, which can be inaccurate due to deception. There is a thin line between perception and...
A Modest ProposalLiterary CriticismShort Story
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3 Pages 1164 Words
The themes in any piece of writing is what brings readers wanting more. A strong theme leads to a strong novel, or piece of writing. Salinger’s novel The Catcher in the Rye, holds three strong major themes which consist of, innocence, death and religion. These themes bring you along Holden's journey and how he overcomes certain obstacles in his life...
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2 Pages 753 Words
Truth. It is the real facts about a situation, event, or person or the quality of being true, as described by the Cambridge Dictionary. But really this may not be one hundred per cent accurate as one person may have their own truth and experience that is different to the next person and same with the next and so on....
Literary CriticismPerspectiveTruth
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