Essays and Research Papers on (All) Literature

This 5 page report discusses the various changes in the status of women and women's roles in Africa through pre-colonial, colonial and post-colonial times. The entire issue of gender and gender roles serves as just one more example of the depth of complexity of any issue related to Africa, whether in terms of history or ...

A 6 page research paper that looks at the history of the Teutonic Knights, a military-religious order similar to the better known Templar or Hospitaller Orders of the middle ages. The Teutonic Knights were responsible for bringing Christianity to Eastern Europe through numerous crusades that lasted through to the fifteenth century. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

A 7 page paper looking at this rather surprising theme in Aeschylus' tragedy. The paper suggests that in the conflict between Agamemnon and Clytemnestra over the sacrifice of their daughter, Aeschylus captured a significant moment in Greek religious history -- the point when the value of human life began to supersede the rights of the ...

A 5 page paper comparing the significance of the gods' intervention in human affairs in the works of these two Greek authors. Specific works discussed are the 'Odyssey,' the 'Iliad,' 'Oedipus Rex,' with one additional passage from Thucydides' 'History.' No additional sources.

A 5 page research paper that compares the use of irony in Shakespeare's 'Othello' and Sophocles' 'Oedipus Rex.' Both Othello and Oedipus, two of history's greatest tragedies, have irony as a key ingredient to their make-up. In each case, pride overcomes other human emotions and this quality, even more then jealousy in the case of ...

A 6 page research paper that examines the history behind the formation of the first union for farm workers and the oppression of the bracero farm workers that led to its formation, focusing on the career of Cesar Chavez. Bibliography lists 7 sources.

A 14 page paper that utilizes the literature of the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries to represent common perspectives about the themes of human happiness, love, passion, and the human condition during varying times in European history. Descartes, Hegel, Hume, Keats, & Marx are among the many authors discussed. Bibliography lists 16 sources.

In his autobiography, Up From Slavery, Booker T. Washington relates what he knows of history: 'in context' and from his personal point of view. Mark Twain uses parody and fiction to express his views in Huckleberry Finn. Both criticize American society. Both held strong opinions concerning race, poverty and illiteracy. This is ...

A 10 page paper showing this critical issue as demonstrated in the works of Aristophanes, Plato, Dante, Shakespeare, Tolstoy, and Cather (Lysistrata, The Apology, The Inferno, The Tempest, The Death of Ivan Ilyich, and The Professor’s House, respectively). The paper shows that throughout history, women’s role has been largely seen as procreative, and completely under ...

A 6 page analysis of this turn-of-the-century novel. The writer argues that the early-twentieth century novelist Frank Norris created a work of literature‹a work of art‹that also reflected the actual history of the state of California. Reflective of the school of naturalistic writing that was predominant at that time, Norris was intent on presenting a ...

A seven page paper looking at Toni Morrison’s “Beloved,” Don DeLillo’s “Libra,” and Bobbie Ann Mason’s “In Country” in terms of the authors’ reinterpretations of history. The paper shows how unresolved conflicts and traumas of the past do not go away; they simply re-surface in some other form, forcing us to either creatively integrate them ...

A 9 page paper examining the presence of proto-fascism and its antithesis, humanism, in Joyce's first novel. The paper asserts that while it is not technically correct to search for examples of fascism in the book since the term did not exist at the time the novel was written, examples of this type of mentality ...

A 10 page paper the demonstrates Thomas Malory's distinct use of language in his work "Morte D'arthur". Malory developed his work using very simple language skills, making "Morte D'arthur" one of the most accessible prose pieces to come out of 15th century England. Bibliography lists 8 sources.

A five page paper analyzing how Kurtz, the enigmatic central figure in Joseph Conrad’s novel, represents the failure of Western civilization. The paper asserts that society has a light side and a dark side, and by constantly harping on the optimism of rationalism and progress and denying the existence of any dark side at all, ...

4 pages in length. The objective of Pearl S. Buck in her enthralling book entitled The Good Earth is to demonstrate the inherent strength of women despite the fact that a patriarchal society has perpetually kept them oppressed. Clearly defined in the author's portrayal is that of a common bond shared between and ...

A 5 page paper looking at Jane Austen’s novel in terms of a pivotal scene in Chapter 43 (sometimes known as Volume 3, Chapter 1), where Elizabeth learns of Darcy’s generosity toward the servants and the poor. This paper analyzes Darcy’s motivation and Elizabeth’s change of heart. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

An eight page paper looking at Chinua Achebe’s novel in terms of the author’s attitude toward the cultural clash between the British and the indigenous culture. The paper asserts that the protagonist Okonkwo symbolizes the aspects of African culture that cannot survive -- not because they are inferior, but because they inflexible and resistant to change. ...

A 9 page overview and summary of key elements O’Connor’s classic work. The writer is particularly concerned with the way this novel inverts a racist symbol into an emblem of antiracist redemption. Bibliography cited 5 sources.

This creative essay is a follow up to the ending of Achebe's novel, Things Fall Apart. The example is given from the woman's point of view and how instead of things falling apart for them, things 'fell open' and they were afforded opportunities which they would not have enjoyed had he lived. Quotes and examples ...

A 13 page paper which examines how the authors’ cultural backgrounds are reflected in the personal essays “The Execution of Tropman,” “This Too is Life,” “Death,” In Praise of Shadows,” “Pleasure Boat Studio,” “Meatless Days,” “In the Middle of the Journey,” “Criteria of Negro Art,” and “The Formation of the Intellectuals.” Bibliography lists 9 ...

A 3 page division essay on Kate Chopin’s short story Desiree’s Baby. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

A five page paper looking at the relationship of this book by Gabriel Garcia Marquez to actual Latin American history. The paper points out that while it is a mistake to make precise correlations, the book evocatively conveys the spirit of the period of the times. Bibliography lists six sources.

A five page paper looking at the influence of Eliza Fowler Haywood and Mary Delariviere Manley, two eighteenth-century women writers, in the history of popular literature. The paper argues that there was actually a great deal of feminist social criticism contained in their admittedly popular works. No sources.

A five page paper discussing Douglass' 'Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass' in terms of whether the very fact that Frederick Douglass was literate in an era when almost no American blacks were, destroys his credibility as a spokesperson for black experience. The paper concludes that it is impossible to write a truly objective ...

A five page paper looking at the degree to which Walter Scott's novel actually provides an accurate chronicle of Scottish history during the Jacobite uprising. The paper suggests that Scott's work is highly colored by his Romanticism and his Tory sympathies. Bibliography lists six sources.