Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” Review

Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” demonstrates an ironic joy and sadness of a woman saved from a repressive marriage. The main female characters are portrayed in a way that draws upon many gender stereotypes. Mrs. Mallard is defined based on her marital status and emotional fragility, whereas Josephine...

Themes in “The Ransom of the Red Chief” by O. Henry

Introduction “The Ransom of the Red Chief” by O. Henry is a humorous tale centered around two kidnappers seeking to obtain a ransom by kidnapping a rich man’s son. In an interesting twist, the author shows how the expectations of Bill and Sam were overturned as the boy and his...

Themes of “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant

Introduction The society within Maupassant’s story The Necklace is focused on vanity and does not consider a person’s hard work, choosing to dwell on material issues. Mathilde is fascinated by expensive items that women in her class cannot afford. She sees herself as invisible and feels elated to become the...

The Play “A Raisin in the Sun” by Lorraine Hansberry

“A Raisin in the Sun” is a play by Lorraine Hansberry that tells the story of an African American family’s confrontation with the mercantile manifestations of life. The characters live in a wretched apartment and strive for a better life, but at the same time, they try to maintain honor...

The Novel “A Thousand Splendid Suns” by Khaled Hosseini

In the novel A Thousand Splendid Suns, Afghan society is portrayed at different points in history and governments, and in all of them, women are viewed as a secondary class of citizens. There is evident inequality for women, ranging from their access to education and healthcare to their rights as...

The Short Story “Cathedral” by Raymond Carver

A literary examination or analysis is a form of paper that expresses a viewpoint regarding a piece of literature, generally a manuscript or short story. A literature review makes a statement about a work of literature, then supports and reinforces it with evidence and arguments from the work’s literature components,...

Perspective on Heritage in “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker

Alice Walker uses her narrative perspective as a mother portraying her oldest daughter, Dee, as an arrogant, selfish, and superior-minded young woman who is focused on the idea of preserving her heritage. This judgment can be supported by her behavior throughout the narrative. According to her mother, “Dee wanted nice...

The Play “Death of a Salesman” by Arthur Miller

Miller’s Death of a Salesman is a play of a modern tragic hero’s attempt to survive in a capitalist society where success is measured by the amount of money one possesses. This play is a modern tragedy since it differs from the classic tragedy that portrays “a fall of a...

“Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order” by Huntington

Introduction Conducting an assessment of instructional materials is fundamental to achieving high standards of academic achievement. Reading followed by analysis allows one to summarize the knowledge gained and compare different sections of a book together and examine the literature critically. These statements are especially true of seminal works that have...

Sexual Harassment in “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl”

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs is one of the most important ex-slave narratives written by a woman is the memoir. The history of slavery in the United States was well documented as early as the 19th century, primarily in the writings of former slaves,...

“The Epic of Gilgamesh”: Themes and Concepts of the Poem

The “Epic of Gilgamesh” is arguably the oldest known and surviving literary piece of work in the world of literature. It is believed that the poem is based on real historical events and the life of a demi god-king of Uruk, famously known as Gilgamesh. “The Epic of Gilgamesh” portrays...

“Othello” by Shakespeare: Heroes Analysis

Introduction It should primarily be mentioned that the Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice by William Shakespeare is a an extremely popular art creation which is well-know all over the world. Even though the tragedy was written thousands of years ago, it is still discussed and performed in theatre...

“The Open Boat” Short Story by Stephen Crane

Stephen Crane’s “The Open Boat” is considered among the greatest short stories in American literature. Written in the late 19th century, it is an example of modern fiction and is different from traditional writing of the earlier periods. The story incorporates the sense of human despair in the face of...

Analysis of “The Souls of Black Folk” by Du Bois

In chapter I of his book The Souls of Black Folk, W. E. B. Du Bois writes about the “double-consciousness” of American blacks. The concept of “double-consciousness” refers to the constant self-perception of blacks as people who have a double essence. Because of the continuous racialized oppression, the Negro started...

Racism and Relationships in “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” by Twain

Introduction Mark Twain introduced his Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in 1884, two decades after the official abolishment of slavery. Exploring the theme of race and human identity, the author chooses two main characters, the representatives of different ethnic groups, and describes various situations. Huckleberry Finn or Huck is a “thirteen...

John Hoyer Updike: Biography and Literary Works

Introduction John Hoyer Updike is a famous American writer, author of novels and books: collections of short stories, poems, essays. He is the recipient of the Rea Award, a significant award for short story writers. Updike has written several collections of short stories that have become classics of American prose....

“A Clean, Well-Lighted Place” by Ernest Hemingway

Introduction Literary works like poems, short stories, novels, plays, and others provide us with a way of understanding the society we live in as well as true human nature. They usually act as magnifying glasses through which the ordinary man in the society can gain an insight into the complexities...

“A Doll’s House” by Henrik Ibsen

“A doll’s house” is a play written by a Norwegian author Henrik Ibsen in the year 1879; precisely one year after the author had written ‘the pillars of society’. However, it should be noted that the story became controversial at the time as it provided a sharply critical view towards...

A Review of Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass

The narrative of Fredrick Douglas is one of the most famous memoirs and narratives written by a former slave, especially those that served in the United States of America in the early 19th century. It is written by a former slave called Fredrick Douglas and it candidly describes the tough...

“The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson

The Lottery by Shirley Jackson shows the brutality in an ancient ritual carried out by a village. The villagers gather on the 27 of June every year for the lottery. This lottery is not the usual kind where a winner is rewarded with a large sum of money. The prize...

The Reflection of Hawthorne’s Life in “Young Goodman Brown”

“Young Goodman Brown” highlights Nathaniel Hawthorne’s displeasure with the Puritan society’s pretenses. He blames them for the assaults on innocent Christians and the burning of Indian villages. These acts punctuated the author’s life and had a significant impact on his writing. The Puritan phenomenon was a religious facade that impacted...

Peter Sis’ “The Conference of Birds”

The 2013 book, The Conference of Birds by Peter Sis, develops an understanding of human wisdom and the decisions which people make, following their experiences. The author creates different characters, including the Hoopoe, the Simorgh, and other birds. The characters symbolically make the audience comprehend and relate to the human...

“The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin

In Kate Chopin’s short piece, “The Story of an Hour”, the readers witness a particular situation play out. A woman hears about her husband’s death and is subsequently shocked to discover that he is, in fact, alive. Chopin’s work tells a nuanced story through a minimal number of words, using...

“The Scarlet Letter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Introduction The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne was written in the middle of the nineteenth century, and the book has been considered a masterpiece of American literature ever since. In his novel, the writer discussed many problems and questions that are still relevant in modern times. The main character of...

“Leaves of Grass” by Walt Whitman

Walter “Walt” Whitman is one of those prominent American writers who managed to leave a remarkable mark in the history of American literature. His work Leaves of Grass is well-known today by its frankness and valuable content that has undergone many changes throughout a century. Whitman dedicated his entire life...

Critical Analysis of Maya Angelou Poems

Introduction Maya Angelou is one of the few celebrated women in the literary world. As an American poet, she uses her creativity to explore the innate nature of social evils, racial concerns as well as his position in society. In her works, she reflects on diverse social African-American features that...

“A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings” by Marquez

The presence of a stranger in a place can attract different reactions from different people. While some will provide a warm welcome to him/her, others may fight back the person. However, since this continues to happen, some strangers have turned as blessings to the few who welcome them. The reverse...

Shakespeare’s Macbeth: Review of Tragedy

Literary figures and critics have recognized the truth that Shakespeare’s plays always communicate a philosophical knowledge of human behavior and it exposes the depictions of a variety of Characters. In the modern world, people like to reminiscence his characters, so most of them are representations of this modern anarchism. Macbeth...

“I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” by Maya Angelou

The book is an autobiography of Maya Angelou which tells of her hardships growing up as a black girl. Maya and her brother live a life of movement following their parents’ divorce until her mother finally marries a positive father figure. The book contains thirty-six chapters which are summarized as...

“Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost

The poem dramatizes the conflict between nature and the worldly activities, Frost places emphasis on natural things and reinforces his point that natural things are much better and beautiful than the worldly things. The poem is extremely well written and it is written in monosyllables throughout. Lines like “My little...

Life of Victor Frankenstein and That of His Creature

Introduction Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is based on a creation of a creature by Doctor Victor. He created, what he called, a “wretch” that looked very different from the rest of society. People thought this creature was ferocious, dangerous, and a threat to society. In this novel, the creature tells the...

Characteristic Penelopa, Odyssey Like a Serial

Introduction The character of Ulysses is very famous and it is mainly associated with two epics namely the Iliad and the Odyssey both these great epics were written by homer. Ulysses was a Greek king who discovered went on an expedition in the later parts of his life leaving his...

“A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner: Review

A Rose for Emily is a very good short story written by William Faulkner, this short story uses flash back techniques to draw the immediate attention of the readers. It starts with the funeral of Emily, the antagonist of the story. There is no protagonist in the story as the...

“Life of Pi” by Yann Martel

Part One “Life of Pi” is a notion infuriating book. The breach of the book tells us how the author is trying to relate fiction with reality and form a story out of it. This book is ageless, time less and context less. The book has many interpretations as it...

Role of Fate in Sophocles’ “Oedipus the King”

Many of us have at one time or the other wondered what really drives a man to do some things. At times, we have asked ourselves questions on if man is responsible for his actions. When something happens to our friends, do we pause and ask ourselves what really drove...

Hair as a Symbol in “The Rape of the Lock” by Alexander Pope

Introduction The Rape of the Lock is Alexander Pope’s mock-heroic poem which was published in 1712 and further expanded and republished in 1714. The poem tells a story of a beautiful woman Belinda whose rejected admirer makes up his mind to revenge the woman and cuts of a lock of...

Value of Life in “Moby-Dick” Novel by Melville

In the novel Moby-dick by Herman Melville, the characters of Ishmael and Captain Ahab are in stark contrast to each other. While Ishmael is a young lad on his first voyage on a whaling ship, Ahab is an old, battle worn, veteran whaler. At the start of the novel, Ishmael...

“Young Goodman Brown” by Nathanial Hawthorne

The author of the short story “Young Goodman Brown,” Nathanial Hawthorne, was heavily influenced by the still strong Puritan ideals of his ancestors in all of his writings. He recognized both the altruistic concepts of the religion as well as a deep hypocritical trend as was most famously evidenced in...

“Everyday Use” by Alice Walker

Analysis The short story “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker provides a strong comparison between two sisters during a single afternoon. The author doesn’t make it clear which of the sisters is the older, but there is a definite difference between them. One sister is Maggie who lives with her mother...

The First World War by John Keegan

Summary Inquiring the obscurity of how an evolution at the height of its accomplishment could have driven itself into such a disastrous conflict. In this book, the author details the happenings of the talks among Europe’s crowned ministers and heads of states, and their fated efforts to resolve the catastrophe....

“Nisa: The Life and Words of A! Kung Woman” by Marjorie Shostak

Culture refers to people’s way of life and is determined by their values, norms, attitudes, beliefs and cognitive mapping. We acquire culture through socialization. Once we acquire our people’s culture we become ethnocentric in the way we relate with people whose culture is different from us. Ethnocentrism basically refers to...

Discussion of the Elie Wiesel’s Novel Night

Introduction The Elie Wiesel’s novel night is a perfect example in which the narrative style clearly demonstrates the whole tragedy and torment the author has gone through. It is a book that shows the true nature of man that shows the holocaust as a product of this nature that showed...

Relationships in “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin

Introduction Kate Chopin’s short story “The Story of an Hour” doesn’t have a lot of action in it. But the story tells a lot about how people felt about each other during the time the story was written. The story is about a woman, named Louise Mallard, who is at...

“The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” by Alexie

Literature is a rather specific matter for analysis and critical writing. First of all, to compose a critical analysis of a literary work it is necessary to be aware of basic literary principles and ideas, as well as understand the background of that work, and the impacts it might have...

Identity in “Everyday Use” Story by Alice Walker

Introduction The main purpose behind the action in Alice Walker’s short story “Everyday Use” is to compare closely two sisters in relation to their sense of identity. The first sister introduced is Maggie who still lives with her mother in a poorly constructed home near the country. She’s planning on...

Literature. “Humanistic Tradition” by Gloria Fiero

Introduction The book ‘Humanistic Tradition’ written by Gloria Fiero, discloses the development of literature world under the influence of World War I pressure; the author managed to illustrate the changing nature of the epoch reflected through the poems and fiction of the period. The analysis of the principal works of...

Heart of Darkness and Apocalypse Now Movies Comparison

The stories of the past are still capable of reaching the modern-day audience, but many are being re-told through the media of the movies. Hollywood has faithfully reproduced classics like Hamlet and Oedipus Rex, but they have also ‘borrowed’ the plotlines from other classics as a means of creating new...

Chomsky’s Contribution to the Study of Syntax

In the theory of linguistics, Noam Chomsky introduced the concept of generative grammar in the latter half of the 1950s. This concept was also known as transformational grammar, however, Chomsky’s most recent theory is known as the Minimalist Program (Chomsky, 1995). Generative grammar is simply a specific approach to the...

Noam Chomsky Contribution to the Study of Syntax

Introduction Auram Noam Chomsky is considered in the linguistic circles as one of the greatest contributors to the development of syntax. He is an American linguistic author, political activist, and philosopher, and he is credited with one of the most significant developments of linguistic in the 20th Century. This contribution...

Attitudes and Motivation in Second-Language Learning

Introduction The discussion of second language necessitates the elucidation of the term ‘first language’ more popularly known as the ‘mother tongue’. The first language or mother tongue is the primary language which children acquire due to the social impact of their environment and their surroundings. This acquisition of the native...

Language Policy in the USA and the European Union

Introduction American English vocabulary is widely influenced by the language of Native Americans. This is due to the association of migrants with Native American in the North American mainland and the Caribbean. Though some native words continued to be used in the American English vocabulary some words faded away. The...

Raymond Carver’s Short Stories

Introduction Raymond Carver was a famous short story writer who is most known for his ability to capture concepts of American life. His writings are typically centered upon common daily occurrences within the lives of average people. One of the main themes that run through Raymond Carver’s short stories is...

National Identity in Catherine Carr

Short stories have a way of conveying sometimes very complex thoughts in very simple and understandable terms. Mary Wilkins Freeman, for instance, takes a complicated subject such as national identity, and makes it easy to grasp through the portrayal of her characters. National identity is a concept that has been...

Prospero’s Books and Shakespeare

William Shakespeare’s play “The Tempest” is, most probably, the last play he wrote entirely alone and has often been referred to as “Shakespeare’s Play” in that the character of Prospero seems to be orchestrating the actions upon the island in the same creative, artful way in which Shakespeare himself must...

Subjective Reality in Woolf’s “To the Lighthouse”

Introduction One of the major themes that can be traced through all of Virginia Woolf’s writings is the involvement of time in the outcome of her stories. Her fascination seems to center upon the concept that time is as subjective as experience. This idea is easily discovered in the different...

Language Socialization in Taiwan

The current essay deals with the problem of language socialization in the context of English education in Taiwan. The issues which are connected with bilingual education in Taiwan, institutional and educational difficulties tied with teaching language, and future perspectives for those proficient in English will be analyzed both from a...

The Story of an Hour: Emotions and Psychology of Women

The short story portrays emotions and psychology of women, their life grievances and joy. Chopin does not say much about the main character, Mrs. Mallard, but it is evident that she is not happy in her marriage life. From the very beginning, Chopin gives only some hints to readers to...

First-Language Acquisition in Pre-School Children

One of the primary and most important functions of language in humans, (children or adults), is effective communication and the establishment of social contact (Vygotsky, 1962). Very young children learn the use of language by virtue of their interactions with their caretakers and those around them, primarily their mothers. Language...

Explication of The White Boy Shuffle by Paul Beatty

In The White Boy Shuffle by Paul Beatty, the main character, Gunnar Kaufman, constantly changes his dialect, in an attempt to blend in with his surroundings. For instance, while living in the predominately white neighborhood of Santa Monica, Gunnar speaks improper English, with a major emphasis on extending words, to...

English as a Global Language From Siemens Perspective.

Introduction The main aim of writing this research paper was with a view to identifying the use of English as a corporate language at Siemens. In as much as Siemens is touted as a German company, it cannot be denied that with globalization, comes a need to use a universal...

A Familiar Voice: Robert Frost’s Poetry

Until I read biographical information about Robert Frost, I only knew him from his poetry. I always thought he was writing from a first-person viewpoint, but now I think he did much more teaching, writing, and lecturing than actually doing the things of his poems. It was a surprise to...

English Language Teaching

Introduction English language teaching is a challenging task. Instructors endeavor to teach the learners the target language and become proficient readers of the language. Even though many of the language users have a good vocabulary, most of them struggle with their pronunciations and fluency while reading. As such, the level...

Inflectional and Derivational Morphology

Introduction Morphology is the branch of linguistics that studies the arrangement of the words within and across- languages and tries to create rules that represent the knowledge of the speakers of those languages or it is the field in linguistics that studies the structure of words, internally. The main subject...

History of American Sign Language

Introduction American Sign Language was discovered and used by people long time before it was documented and officially acknowledged. After it was recognized, historians and educators worked hard to reconstruct its development with its root beginning in the eighteenth century. For centuries, people thought that it was not possible to...

Learning English in a English-Speaking Country

English is a language that originated from England. It is the native language for most individuals in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Ireland. English has also been adopted by many other countries in the world as a second language mostly in the commonwealth countries. It...

“On the Road” Novel by Jack Kerouac

Introduction Jack Kerouac, a great American poet, author and painter was born on March 12, 1922. He is regarded as the pioneer of ‘Beat Generation’, a group of writers who discarded the American values and often practiced the use drugs and alternate varieties of sexuality. His famous works include ‘The...

Comparison of Two Thriller Stories

The short stories under analysis, “Killings” by Andre Dubus and “All that you love will be carried away” by Stephen King are based on similar themes and motifs which help the author create a unique story conflict and appeal to readers’ emotions. in the fictions of Dubus and King there...

Impact of the Family Structure on Language Development

In order to elaborate further on the study we need to know the meaning of the terminologies used. Family structures may adversely have impacts on development of the language. In understanding what a family structure is and what language development is, we will tackle the impacts. A family structure is...