Literary Criticism essays

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1 Page 520 Words
“To be negro in this country and to be relatively conscious is to be in a rage almost all the time”, is a well-known quote by African-American novelist, playwright, and activist, James Baldwin. James Baldwin was a man whose upbringing, consciousness, and talent in writing put him on the path to becoming one of the best writers of the twentieth...
Critical ThinkingLiterary CriticismNative Son
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6 Pages 2882 Words
President Ronald Reagan, the 40th President of the United States of America, once said, “Freedom is a fragile thing and it's never more than one generation away from extinction. It is not ours by way of inheritance; it must be fought for and defended constantly by each generation, for it comes only once to a people. And those in world...
Critical ThinkingLiterary CriticismThe Giver
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2 Pages 749 Words
Freedom and Choice A utopian society has been created for people in the book so that they have no rights and no individual thoughts. Every individual is much the same. Daily, everybody takes a pill that erases all memories, pain, and tension. Jonas, the protagonist, is selected to inherit all the world's memories and discovers that anyone he cares for...
Critical ThinkingLiterary CriticismThe Giver
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1 Page 492 Words
Sirens, synonymous with their seductive and tempting voices in Greek mythology, which bewitch men causing their deaths, is one archetype intertextually present in both O Brother Where Art Thou and Homer’s Odyssey which the film is loosely based on. Through strategic employment of diegetic sound, the careful and thought-provoking composition of the mise-e-scene, and numerous camera shots, the archetype is...
ArchetypeLiterary CriticismThe Odyssey
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3 Pages 1160 Words
The Odyssey is a classic ancient Greek poem credited to Homer, following the Greek hero Odysseus and his extensive journey home after the fall of Troy. In his absence, his wife Penelope “is sieged by suitors who want her hand in marriage and with it her kingdom” (Morford, Lenardon, & Sham, 2019, p. 520). Despite having over one hundred wilful...
Literary CriticismLiterary DevicesThe Odyssey
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2 Pages 907 Words
Introduction In S.E. Hinton's seminal novel The Outsiders, the character of Bob Sheldon is often overshadowed by the more prominent protagonists. However, a closer examination reveals that Bob's role is crucial in understanding the socio-economic tensions and interpersonal dynamics that drive the narrative. Bob, a privileged teenager from the affluent 'Socs' (short for Socials), serves as a foil to the...
CharacterLiterary CriticismThe Outsiders
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2 Pages 995 Words
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, a novel that tells the story of the conflict between two rival gangs, Greasers and Socs, captures the voice of Ponyboy and his friends to talk about stereotype threats. In Ponyboy’s role as the narrator and main character in the story, he talks about the expectations of Greasers being violent delinquents, which sways his internal...
CharacterLiterary CriticismThe Outsiders
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1 Page 498 Words
S.E. Hinton wrote the novel The Outsiders, which is realistic fiction. It shows key events demonstrating the respect Dally deserves. Some might think that Dally doesn’t deserve respect for the way he treats people, but he acts this way because he came from a neglectful family and wasn’t shown love. One place this is seen is when Johnny and Ponyboy...
CharacterLiterary CriticismThe Outsiders
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1 Page 426 Words
The Mississippi River is the longest river in North America. It stretches from Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota all the way down through New Orleans and into the Gulf of Mexico. The Mississippi River covers half of the United States and connects to 33 states. It is also known because many explorers used the river to navigate the United States...
Book ReviewLiterary CriticismMark Twain
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1 Page 522 Words
At the right time, a flap of a butterfly wing can create a hurricane. People would oversee the power of the insignificant flap, but the destruction it would cause would leave people shocked. This idea is also represented in the novel 'Everything I Never Told You' by talking about how even the smallest detail can impact the final ending. Celeste...
Literary CriticismNovelPerspective
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2 Pages 892 Words
Hero. A hero doesn’t always mean outstanding powers to be significant. A hero has many meanings to different people. Some people see superheroes in capes or webs coming out of their wrists. But a hero that should be more recognized are the ones who do small things that stand out from the rest. Saving lives and cities from villains is...
CharacterLiterary CriticismThe Outsiders
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2 Pages 822 Words
Introduction 'The Hate U Give' by Angie Thomas is a compelling narrative that delves into the complexities of race relations, identity, and social justice in contemporary society. Through the eyes of Starr Carter, the novel presents a poignant exploration of the systemic inequalities that permeate the lives of African Americans. The narrative is not only a reflection of fiction but...
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2 Pages 879 Words
Introduction Euripides' play "Medea" stands as a monumental piece of classical Greek literature, renowned for its intricate exploration of themes such as betrayal, revenge, and the struggle of the individual against societal norms. Written in 431 BC, the play presents Medea, a powerful yet vengeful woman who defies the conventions of her time, challenging the patriarchal structures that sought to...
Critical ReflectionLiterary CriticismMedea
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2 Pages 1073 Words
THUG LIFE, Tupac Shakur’s famous acronym serves as inspiration for The Hate U Give. “The Hate U Give Little Infants Fucks Everybody,” is a statement that creates the foundation for the Black Lives Matter movement and the story of Starr Carter, a 16-year-old girl who decided to accept a ride home from a childhood friend, only to watch him shot...
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5 Pages 2261 Words
While the theme of the quest for identity is woven into the heart of both George Eliot’s Silas Marner (1861) and Jean Rhys’ Wide Sargasso Sea (1966), it is also clear that loss and destruction have significant roles to play in the texts. The characters are hit with the loss of their homes, their identities, their relationships, and their wealth,...
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4 Pages 1695 Words
Reflective statement: While reading Persepolis, I was quick to learn that the Sharia laws put in place to enforce the codes of Islam were taken far more extremely in 1980s Iran than what most Muslim countries experience today, and the interactive orals helped broaden contextual considerations as to why that is the case. Concluding in-class discussions and further research, one...
Critical ThinkingLiterary CriticismPersepolis
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4 Pages 1792 Words
'We are at a point in our work when we can no longer ignore empires and the imperial context in our studies.' Edward W. Said The themes of empire and imperial exploitation are scarcely touched upon in Pride and Prejudice; they are ignored to create an idyllic painting of rural in the Georgian era. These great paintings of a hearty...
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2 Pages 1075 Words
Symbolism- Can you spot any of these common symbols in your novel? What might they symbolize? In The Alchemist, sheep are one of the main symbols throughout the book. Santiago’s sheep symbolize the characters in the novel who are blind to their legends. Santiago loves and cares for his sheep, but sometimes he gets frustrated because of their basic desire...
Critical ThinkingLiterary CriticismThe Alchemist
like 325
2 Pages 993 Words
Introduction Paulo Coelho's 'The Alchemist' is a profound narrative that delves into the journey of self-discovery, underscored by a multitude of conflicts that propel the protagonist, Santiago, towards his ultimate destiny. These conflicts, both internal and external, serve as catalysts that challenge and transform Santiago's perception of the world and his place within it. The novel articulates recurring themes of...
Critical ThinkingLiterary CriticismThe Alchemist
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3 Pages 1589 Words
What are the Odds? What happens when coincidences occur that seem too incredible to be true? Coincidences are defined as, “a remarkable concurrence of events or circumstances without apparent causal connection.” These coincidences are considered to be random and meaningless events that happen in our lives; they don’t matter in the grand scheme of things. Paulo Coelho, however, shows in...
FateLiterary CriticismThe Alchemist
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1 Page 452 Words
Former President Franklin D. Roosevelt once said in a speech during World War II that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself. This is agreeable in the sense that people are the only things in the way of their accomplishments. Our fears and emotions are what we have to conquer for us to commit daring acts. Roosevelt...
Literary CriticismRisk TakingSuccess
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2 Pages 1070 Words
For centuries, environmental terminology and themes have circulated through works of literature (Christensen, 2018, p. 1). The topic has often occupied significant space in narratives due to its ability to engage readers. Literary writers, through their works, have the ability to explore the impact of the environment on society, how society consequentially develops, and how society engages with the idea...
Into The WildLiterary CriticismMeaning
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4 Pages 1778 Words
In Iran, there are different regulations and laws for women living in the country. Iran has different policies that men and women have to follow. The rules for women can restrict their freedom. In the book Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi shows an upper-middle-class woman growing up in Iran and the different restrictions that even women of her class have to endure....
Literary CriticismPersepolisSocial Class
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3 Pages 1497 Words
On the surface, the Great Gatsby novel is based on the story of Jay Gatsby`s life, in particular describing the tragic love story between him and Daisy Buchanan. Gatsby obsessively pursues her throughout the novel until his death. Beyond this, however, it is clear that Fitzgerald highlights the many themes running throughout the novel regarding the true disparities in the...
Literary CriticismRespectThe Great Gatsby
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2 Pages 963 Words
Symbolism, geography, and irony are brought up many times by Coelho throughout the book. In the book “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho, different types of literary devices are brought up, the book is spoken in 3rd person by a boy named Santiago and his Personal Legend. This story begins when they had the same dream over time, he met the...
Literary CriticismLiterary DevicesThe Alchemist
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2 Pages 1077 Words
The novel Blindness depicts an imploding social order as an epidemic scourges society; delineating the oppression of people in a totalitarian style world. Abandoning morality, a city is reduced to savagery by the mysterious plague of sightlessness. Saramago creates a totalitarian state mirroring that of the context in which he lived; in a centralised dictatorial system requiring complete subservience to...
Critical ThinkingLiterary CriticismNovel
like 206
3 Pages 1306 Words
Nonetheless, Keyes stresses another predominant theme: that self-awareness, the ability to acquire knowledge about one’s self, ultimately decides an individual’s identity. As the experiment progresses and Charlie’s academic knowledge, and personal understanding increase, a sense of inner confinement emerges. This interior conflict is apparent when there is a “sharp switch in perception” as the narration alternates between first-person, and third-person...
like 327
1 Page 617 Words
John Updike is viewed as one of the best writers in present-day American history. He is known for the idea that common parts of American life can be very captivating. He desired for the audience to see the excellence and enchantment of life, so he attempted to depict ordinary things utilizing the clearest yet wonderful language conceivable. A significant number...
Critical ThinkingLiterary CriticismShort Story
like 241
2 Pages 819 Words
When the odds are stacked against you, find a way to preserve and fight as your life depends on it. Emmellie Lyon discovers how a young boy did just that. Imagine this, your parents both are killed in a tragic car accident, leaving you to be raised by your inexperienced, bitter 20-year-old older brother, Darry Curtis. Darry doesn’t care for...
CharacterLiterary CriticismThe Outsiders
like 187
1 Page 608 Words
Bob begins the novel as the emblem of all things “Soc”—that is, all things rich, smug, entitled, and different from Ponyboy and his friends. The ominous blue Mustang that appears and reappears throughout the novel highlights the economic difference between Bob and Ponyboy; it’s as if Ponyboy cannot see past the beautiful car to the frightened boy behind the wheel....
Literary CriticismNovelThe Outsiders
like 205
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