Essays and Research Papers on (All) Literature

A 5 page paper which discusses, and compares, "Novel Without a Name" by Duong Thu Huong with "Someone Else's War" by Howard R. Simpson. Both books are novels regarding some aspect of the Vietnam War. they are, on the surface, very different books, but yet each maintains a position of examination where the main character studies why there are ...

The 'voice' of Isabel Allende has been classified as being of the Latin cultural genre of magical realism and has been deemed a voice that speaks for women in a feminist tone. This 25 page paper argues that the 'voice' that is most often heard, however, is her own as she weaves the tapestry of her life into ...

A 5 page paper discussing the one who would have for her epitaph, 'Excuse My Dust.' The quick wit and quicker tongue won Dorothy Parker (1893 - 1967) a place on New York's most outrageous list. She was in her stride in the roaring 20s when social taboos dropped with regularity, money flowed ...

In this 4 page paper, the novel Pride and Prejudice is used to define the domestic and social, real and perceived roles of women in the 19th century when marriage was often the only recourse to "success." Bibliography lists 4 sources.

This 5 page paper considers the nature of irony presented in Bharati Mukherjee's story A Father. Specifically, this paper looks at the dream of Mr. Bhowmick and the reasoning behind placing the dream setting in a Club Med vacation. In addition, this paper also looks at correlated thematic elements, including why Kali's tongue is represented ...

A five page paper looking at these two works, by Stephen Crane and William Dean Howells, respectively, in terms of their anti-war statements. The paper concludes that both authors are trying to shock us into realizing the implications of our enthusiasm for death. No additional sources.

A three page essay on Joyce Carol Oates' nonfiction work, explaining her analogy between boxing and life. The essay argues that the person who ultimately comes out of the ring a victor is the one who is psychologically the best-prepared -- who sees the fight as something more than a fight, who sees himself as ...

A 6 page paper which examines two opposing critical interpretations of the protagonist Bigger Thomas in Richard Wright's novel, "Native Son," to determine whether or not Bigger is a positive or negative African-American character. Bibliography lists 6 sources.

Richard Wright's short story, The Man Who Was Almost A Man, is centered on the protagonist's transition to manhood and his misunderstanding of what 'being a man' means. This 4 page paper argues that the young man, Dave, views his masculinity as outside of himself - in the ability to own and shoot a gun. Wright shows that ...

A 5 page paper which discusses the husband and the wife of John Steinbeck's novel, "Chrysanthemums." The two are incredibly different, with the wife struggling to find her place in a world of definite gender roles, and the man is obviously very simple and content with who he is and where he fits in, questioning nothing it seems. ...

Jean Toomer's Cane is a collection of 'writings' that often resemble short stories but also include fables, folktales, lyrics and poetry. Fern is but one section of the book. Octavia Butler's Kindred is a novel that has hints of the science fiction genre for which she was to later earn her reputation. This 5 page paper asserts ...

This six page paper present a critique of Jeanette Winterson's "Written on the Body": . The use of food as a replacement for sex is discussed along with some of Freud's sex theories. Bibliography lists three sources.

A 5 page paper which compares and contrasts how two of Langston Hughes' short stories ("Feet Live Their Own Life" and "The Blues I'm Playing") and two of James Baldwin's short stories ("Sonny's Blues" and "Going to Meet the Man") celebrate the African-American experience. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

This 30 page paper considers the notion that societal defects are traceable to human nature and human nature has essential flaws and defects within itself. This paper outlines the premise as it relates to the text of Golding's Lord of the Flies, especially noting the fact that humans have the capacity for distinct evil. Golding uses a number ...

A 5 page paper that examines Anthony Lewis' 1964 best-selling non-fiction work entitled Gideon's Trumpet and the importance of the events it documented. These events include the trial without representation conviction and imprisonment of Clarence Gideon in 1961 and the resultant landmark court case and Supreme Court ruling. These events are briefly discussed, but ...

An eight page paper looking at these issues as presented in Mary Shelley's 'Frankenstein,' Joseph Conrad's 'Heart of Darkness,' and Tadeusz Borowski's 'This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen.' Tracing these themes from the Enlightenment to the mid-twentieth century, the paper argues that in order to secure human rights for all, we need to ...

A five page thematic comparison of these two works, by Daniel Keyes and Langston Hughes respectively. The paper argues that both works deal with the difficulty of "double-consciousness" -- the sense of not being at home in one's own self. Bibliography lists three sources.

5 pages in length. In the play Antigone by Sophocles, the reader is shown a difference between the attitudes of the males and the females in Greek society. In fact, these views make us suspect that Sophocles was a feminist in his portrayal of the female in Greek society. This opinion is easily ...

Bell Hooks is a contemporary writer of critical essays, at least that's how she sees herself and what she best likes to do. From the eyes of the American public, however, she is a black feminist, sociologist and noted Black studies scholar. This 5 page paper examines her ideas, theories and contributions to current sociological thought. Bibliography ...

5 pages. This well-known novelist and playwright had a distinctive talent when it came to writing about the variety of subject matter for which he was so well known. James Michener educated untold millions of people throughout the world, entertaining them with his epic journeys. This paper explores the author's life and ...

John Steinbeck's Grapes Of Wrath has a great many symbols and allegories embedded within it, not least of which is the religious symbols that are portrayed through the characters of Rosasharn (Rose of Sharon), Tom and, especially, Jim Casy, the preacher. This 6 page paper examines the role of religious symbols and explores Steinbeck's portrayal of Casy as a representation ...

This five-page-paper presents a discussion on the tragic heroes seen in the play Romeo and Juliet. Why they are tragic heroes and what traits re needed in any setting to qualify as a tragic hero. Bibliography lists one source.

A 5 page paper which illustrates the paradox of dramatic character in a passage from "Oedipus the King" by Sophocles. There are many ways in which the Oedipus presents himself as a paradox. The plot of the story itself is a great paradox. But, the primary paradox discussed is that of Oedipus presenting himself as a king for ...

Dr. Faustus, the play by Christopher Marlowe, was written in the late sixteenth century and rewritten in the early seventeenth. This 8 page paper argues that the portrayal of women Dr. Faustus, is relegated to the level of pornography and that may have as its closest modern parallel in 'cybersex' or 'virtual reality'. Bibliography lists 9 sources.

This 5 page report discusses who is the stronger character in Strindberg’s play “The Stronger.” “The Stronger” is a three-character one-act in which the central character never appears, and one of the two female rivals for his love says nothing. The entire action of the play takes place over only a 15-minute period. Bibliography lists 5 sources. ...