Literature Essays

Tragedy and Lack of Self-Control in Mary Lawson’s Crow Lake In Mary Lawson’s fiction novel, Crow Lake, reader’s interpretation of real-life is influenced through the idea that great tragedy occurs as a result of lack of self-control evident through domestic abuse in families, emotional abuse, and underage sex – all growing issues in our society. … Read more

The longest known castaway survivor was Salvador Alvarenga who survived for a total of 438 days at sea. His only companion was the rotting corpse of a crewmate whom he befriended and talked to it before throwing it overboard. His companion kept him going, but at the cost of his own sanity. Although this castaway’s … Read more

Bear Grylls once said, “Survival can be summed up in three words– never give up.” This is exactly what the characters going through in a nuclear war. The drastic experience takes the characters on an emotional journey as well as help them take a look at the world through a different perspective. “Alas, Babylon,” a … Read more

Throughout history, countless Americans have pursued the American Dream in order to create better lives for themselves. The freedom of the American Dream, with no limitations on who can achieve it, has often lured numerous people. However, many have ulterior motives behind the dream that goes beyond simply better lives. During the tumultuous Roaring Twenties, … Read more

Throughout Virgil’s Aeneid, Turnus and Aeneas become rivals. They both become leaders but have different ways of leading their troops. Aeneas displays leadership and trustworthiness by doing what is best for his troops. He makes decisions based on what he thinks could be the right choice. Turnus on the other hand does none of this. … Read more

«With Every Drop of Blood» by James Lincoln Collier is about a southern boy named Johnny and an escaped slave named Cush. Johnny enters into a bloody Civil War without a good cause. His father dies from a bullet wound. Johnny made a promise before his father died that he wouldn’t join the Civil War. … Read more

A byronic hero is described as “an antihero of the highest order”. He is more often than not in a state of complete arrogance and rebellion. They shy away from social activities, however the author always has this character exude enticing mysterious romance, in which the main character falls madly in love with. In the … Read more

William Shakespeare created some of the best known tragic plays around the world, among which is Hamlet. Hamlet, the son of the King of Denmark, reminds his readers pride leads to self-destruction and in most cases nothing good coms out of it. Avenging King Hamlet’s death proves to be a challenge to Hamlet, but as … Read more

“You’re wrong!” “Be quiet!” “Stop that!” Every family experiences conflict; some even may have ‘family meltdowns” or arguments where everyone is talking and no one is listening. Family meltdowns are very common within dysfunctional families, such as the Lohmans, in Arthur Miller’s The Death of a Salesman. The reader hears many family meltdown within the … Read more

The Creation of a Monster In the book Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, the creature created by Victor Frankenstein experiences that prejudgment immediately by both Victor and the rest of society around him. Why would a parent or, in the creatures case, a creator reject their own child just because of their appearance? Is the monster … Read more

Parvana, a novel by Deborah Ellis, tells a story about a young Afghanistan girl struggling to save her family and friends under very constricted Taliban rules. Parvana throughout the novel breaks the Taliban rules and laws and since those were illegal doings she has to dress up like a boy so that she can get … Read more