Essays and Research Papers on (All) Literature

A 5 page paper looking at Octavia E. Butler’s 1993 science fiction novel in terms of the questions it raises about the future of our society, and the solutions it posits, particularly in terms of a new view of religion. Butler’s message is that we must look out for the poor, or they will destroy ...

A 3 page paper examining the challenges of growing up black in America, as reflected in the poetry of Gwendolyn Brooks. Three of her poems are discussed: “We Real Cool,” “The Ballad of Chocolate Mabbie,” and “Children of the Poor.” No additional sources.

A 5 page look at this pivotal chapter immediately following the murder of Injun Joe. The paper illustrates the tension between imagery of fear and death and the boyhood world Tom normally inhabits. No additional sources.

A 5 page paper examining the issues Goethe raises in Faust and determining the extent to which they are relevant to our own time. The paper concludes that Faust is redeemed through not only an acknowledgment of his mistakes but an understanding of them; he is also redeemed through an increased knowledge of the importance ...

A 15 page paper analyzing the issues raised by Anne Middleton Wagner’s Three Artists (Three Women) : Modernism and the Art of Hesse, Krasner, and O’Keeffe. The paper shows how Wagner, through a comparison of the lives of Eva Hesse, Lee Krasner, and Georgia O’Keeffe, convincingly presents the female artist’s plight in forging an artistic ...

A 4 page paper looking at Flaubert’s classic book in terms of the protagonist’s struggle for meaning in her life. The paper argues that Emma Bovary is the result of what happens when a society gives women nothing to do but dream, nothing to care about but themselves, and nothing to look forward to except ...

A 5 page look at these two characters from Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman and F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. The paper shows how both characters illustrate the falseness of the belief that charisma means more than ability; appearance means more than reality; ruthlessness means more than ethics; and success is everything. No ...

A 9 page paper analyzing the extent to which the events of Lorraine Hansberry’s play “Raisin in the Sun” parallel both her own life and the social climate of the 1950s. The play argues that the play cuts across economic lines to bind all black people together in recognition of the complex ramifications of ...

A 5 page paper analyzing the fifth section of Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s short story in terms of the way this section relates to the story as a whole. The paper shows that the woman in the wallpaper is a projection of herself. No additional sources.

In 5 pages the author discusses 'Common Sense' by Thomas Paine, and how this work reflects the ideals of the Enlightenment in both form and context. Bibliography lists one source.

A 2 page paper which examines the academic theme of Julian Barnes' book, 'Flaubert's Parrot,' and also the reason for the sue of the 'Examination Paper' which was implemented in the end. Like many novels, the author of this book clearly intended much of the message to be clear. The message being that the main ...

A 7 page paper detailing the furor which has surrounded J.D. Salinger’s classic novel ever since its publication. The paper concludes that Salinger’s accurate portrayal of teenage life brings his adolescent readers into his story, and from there he can give them his real message -- that growing up is anything but idyllic, but that ...

A five page paper looking at the way nineteenth century Spanish novelist Benito Perez Galdos depicted the dual societies of middle-class and poor in these two novels. The paper argues that Galdos presents a self-absorbed middle class entirely wrapped up in their own mundane disasters and desires; he contrasts this with a lower class who ...

A 6 page paper looking at this classic story by James Joyce in terms of its complex use of imagery to connote death, life, and death-in-life. The paper argues that Joyce’s story depicts the clash of the Dionysian (passionate) and Apollonian (intellectual) ways of life. Bibliography lists 8 sources.

A 5 page paper analyzing Washington Irving’s use of humor in this short story. The paper argues that within this story, Irving first uses humor to depict a character we can laugh at from a distance; he then uses fear to create a strong reader identification with that character, so that we come to realize ...

A 10 page paper examining the role of the Romantic writer Victor Hugo in the French people’s re-evaluation of their national character during the post-revolutionary period. The paper looks particularly at his novels Les Miserables and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Bibliography lists 8 sources.

A five page paper analyzing the symbolism of the narrator’s floppy hat, which he gives to the stowaway Leggatt in Joseph Conrad’s novella. The paper concludes that after the hat falls in the water it represents Leggatt himself, because he has served as the directional marker by which the captain charts his course. No ...

A 5 page paper analyzing one of St. Bernard of Clairvaux’s sermons, variously known as “The Kiss of the Lord’s Feet, Hands, and Mouth” and “The Three Kisses.” The paper argues that in stressing the lowness of the human compared to Christ, St. Bernard echoes the ascetic philosophy reflected in his monastic rule. No additional ...

A 5 page paper looking at Henry David Thoreau’s essay “Walking,” plus three of his other works, in terms of the author’s ideas about independence, spiritual fulfillment, and their relationship to Nature. Works discussed are “Walking,” “Walden,” “On Civil Disobedience,” and the journal entry “Minott, the Poetical Farmer.” No additional sources.

A 5 page paper looking at Emily Bronte’s famous novel in terms of whether its basic motivation is love or revenge. The paper proves that it is a story of vengeance; Heathcliff’s love for Catherine is dangerous and destructive, and when he is thwarted, Heathcliff shows a vicious side which contributed to the death of ...

A 3.5 page analysis of Toni Morrison's novel, The Bluest Eye. In this novel, a little black girl, Pecola Breedlove, longs to have blue eyes because everyone she has ever met, and everything in her environment, either consciously or unconsciously, has consistently upheld an ideal of beauty in front of her, and that ideal is ...

The first passage from Night, by Eli Wiesel and the last passage from The Plague by Albert Camus present the soul and meaning of the works by these artists. Both books are written with the atrocities of World War II as the foundation. Wiesel's rendition is direct, telling the story of a survivor ...

A 5 page research paper that examines the characters of Daisy Buchanan, from the Great Gatsby, and Amanda Wingfield, from The Glass Menagiery. The writer argues that Amanda was heroic while Daisy was merely selfish. No additional sources cited.

A 5 page analysis of Charles Derber's book, The Wilding of America. 'Wilding' is defined by Derber as an epidemic of self-centeredness, competitiveness, and greed that has effects on urban and suburban environments as well as corporate boardrooms and even Congress. Derber shows how this is corrupting the nation's character and his conclusions are discussed. ...

A 5 page paper in which the writer examines the influence of the transcendental belief system of Sophia Peabody upon the work of her husband Nathaniel Hawthorne. The Scarlet Letter , The Wives of the Dead, and The Blithedale Romance are examples used. Bibliography lists 4 sources.