Essays and Research Papers on (All) Literature

This 5 page paper provides a first person analysis of the protagonist. The book is discussed in terms of Chance's relationship with plants and television as well as other things. No additional sources cited.

A 4 1/2 page paper which discusses "The Fountainhead" by Ayn Rand and examines the theme as it relates to individualism within man's soul as it involves the characters of Roark, Keating, and Toohey. No additional sources cited.

5 pages in length. Interpretation is everything in Kurt Vonnegut's "Cat's Cradle." How the author writes, how the characters are portrayed, how the reader deciphers the meaning -- it is all intertwined within interpretation. How does Vonnegut compel his readers to journey forth into his world so prone to distortion? Indeed, ...

A 5 page paper which examines the life of Alice Walker, and how it influenced the theme of violence within the African-American patriarchal society in her most famous novel, "The Color Purple." Specifically considered are how the female members of the African-American community must form a collective sisterhood, if there is any hope of changing this ...

5 pages in length. William Congreve's "The Way Of The World" addresses the issue of marriage in a number of different ways. While play speaks about the bonds of matrimony in one way or another, it is not actually the marriage, in and of itself, upon which the tale focuses. Rather, the ...

5 pages in length. Eighteenth century philosophy especially tended to pride itself on having developed to the highest degree the renaissance faith in reason as the distinctive quality of man. Author Jonathan Swift's attitude to his era's view of reason as the sole criterion of value is what ultimately transpired in Book IV ...

This 5 page paper considers the way in which language can add to the illusion in a science fiction destroy. The paper starts with consideration to what the term 'science fiction' actually means and then looks at the way this is portrayed by the use of language in the book The Time Machine. The bibliography ...

Harriet Jacobs wrote the story of her life of enslavement, mistreatment, confinement and eventual freedom shortly after the end of the Civil War. This 5 page paper argues that Incidents in the Life of A Slave Girl was intended to be read as a slave narrative and, as such to provide a historical documentation of what the reality of ...

A 5 page paper that discusses two of Marlowe's plays: Massacre at Paris and the Jew of Malta. The first is based on the history of the French Revolution and the massacre of St. Bartholomew's. The second is fiction. Marlowe's opinions on religion as well as on the monarchy are both evidenced in these plays. ...

A 5 page overview of Book VI of Virgil's Aeneid. Discusses the symbolic significance of the book and its relation to mankind's salvation and redemption. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

Fairy tales are more than just stories: they are stories that reflect the social norms and expectations of the culture, provide moral guidance and acquaint children with the important aspects of the social system. They consistently offer a moral dimension that is pertinent to both social and political aspects of the social structure. This 5 page paper argues ...

A 5 page analysis of the conclusion of George Eliot's nineteenth century novel 'The Mill on the Floss.' The writer argues that the conclusion was inevitable based on the importance that Eliot placed throughout the novel on the relationship of Maggie and Tom and due to consideration for contemporary moral standards. No additional sources cited.

A 5 page analysis of Tim O'Brien's novel of the Vietnam War—"The Things They Carried." The writer argues that the unusual structure of this novel blurs the line between fiction and reality in order to demonstrate how the war experience affected the soldiers involved. No additional sources cited.

This well written five-page-paper explores what Steven Crane, author of : "The Red Badge of Courage", did to use the protagonist's fear to motivate him to react in different manners. Bibliography lists six sources.

James Baldwin has become, in the eyes of many readers, an icon of African American Literature. His work has been the leading edge of Civil Rights fervor and Black rhetoric for many years. This 5 page paper argues that Evidence of Things Not Seen does not appear to be in the same class as some of his ...

This 5 page paper discusses Crito's claims for the right of Socrates to escape from prison, rather than drink the hemlock for the sake of what is right and just. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

5 pages in length. In Black Man's Burden, author Basil Davidson argues that the nation-state has proved a curse for the African independent nation. When we examine the works of several different authors it is easy to discover that Davidson speaks the truth: that the nation-state has indeed proved to be a curse ...

Every decision has multiple levels of information to be considered: from what to make for breakfast to dropping the first atomic bomb. The problem, according to Dennis Wainstock, in The Decision To Drop The Bomb, is that political decisions of the magnitude of dropping the bomb also have the added weight of historical review. This 5 page paper ...

5 pages in length. When comparing Joyce Marshall's "The Enemy" with "The Window" by Ethel Wilson we find there are more similarities than first meets the eye. In both of these insightful short stories we find a main character that seemingly is well off financially. While Joyce Marshall's character is female and ...

Short stories about families abound and excellently wrought ones are fairly hard to come across, especially if the story is concerned with the realities of living in the modern world. Separating by John Updike and A Small Good Thing by Raymond Carver are both excellent examples of this particular genre. This 7 page paper compares and contrasts the ...

Langston Hughes is a name long associated with poetry of what was known as the Harlem Renaissance. He is revered as one of the best of the African-American writers. His work includes several novels, the first of which was Not Without Laughter, written in 1930. This 10 page paper asserts that Hughes' tale of Not Without Laughter ...

This four-page paper provides an in-depth discussion on the evil underpinnings and apathy that Sula and Nell deal with in Toni Morrison's award winning novel, Sula. Bibliography lists four sources.

This 5 page paper provides an overview of the character development of Shen Teh and the way in which the creation of the character Shui Ta can be viewed as a kind of 'split personality.' This paper outlines one of the central themes in Brecht's play. No additional sources cited.

This 4 page paper looks at the book by Millard Meiss and contends the book proves the connection between society and art; with the fashionable art forms reflecting the events and perceptions of the time. The bibliography cites 4 sources.

An eight page paper looking at this short story by Raymond Carver in terms of the symbolic meaning of blindness. The paper shows that there are more ways of being blind than simply the lack of visual acuity. One can be blind to other's feelings; one can be blind to the beauty of the world ...