Essays and Research Papers on (All) Literature

5 pages in length. The premise of Homer’s "The Iliad" is that of a petty quarrel Achilles allows to get out of hand, nearly destroying all opportunity for the Greeks to defeat the Trojans, as well as arrive back home safely after the battle. This childish action puts to question whether Achilles was truly ...

A 5 page paper discussing classic works by these German authors. Both Heine and Grass portray a dark and nearly hopeless Germany in their works. Heine's Deutschland, a Winter's Tale is older than Grass' The Tin Drum by more than 100 years, a century in which Germany rose to command world attention twice. Grass portrays a ...

This 5 page paper examines this fifteenth century play. The author's intent is contemplated. A synopsis of the plot is included. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

A 5 page paper. Sula is the story of two girls who grow up in a poor community but it is more than that. It is a story about independence, alienation and community. In this essay, the writer emphasizes the effects of Shadrack and Sula on the community. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

A 5 page paper which analyzes how the theme of feminism is expressed in Geoffrey Chaucer's "The Wife of Bath's Tale," by considering the literary devices of language, tone and symbolism used to convey this message. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

This 5 page report discusses Raymond Carver’s very short story of “My Father’s Life.” Carver makes very little judgment about either his actions or those of his father. Instead, he leaves it up to the individual reader to make a generalization based on the clues he offers. What the reader ends up seeing is the life of a ...

A 5 page paper which discusses the aspects of racism and sexism in the book "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison. The aspects, or influences, of sexism and racism are examined in the perspective that they stem from institutional concepts, created in society, and that such aspects have clearly affected the growth and existence of the characters in the ...

A 5 page paper which examines the issue of authority, and whether or not it can ever be entirely justified, by specifically considering the divine authority of kings in William Shakespeare's "Henry IV," the authority of God (and man) in John Milton's "Paradise Lost," the secret wish of female authority in Geoffrey Chaucer's "The Wife ...

A 5 page analysis that compares and contrasts John Irving's The World According to Garp and David Michael Kaplan's "Love, Your Only Mother." The writer argues that both narratives are similar in the way that picture absentee parents. No additional sources cited.

This 5 page paper compares Jean Baudrillard's 1993 book, The Transparency of Evil: Essays on Extreme Phenomena and Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash, written in 1992. No additional sources are listed.

6 pages in length. In Chapters XVI and XVII of "Brave New World", Mustapha Mond and John the Savage debate the meaning of life. Mond asserts that Ford did a great deal to shift the emphasis from the truth and beauty to comfort and happiness. John the Savage prefers truth and beauty. ...

This 5 page report discusses William Golding’s 1954 novel “Lord of the Flies.” The timeframe in which Golding wrote the book is important because it offers an added dimension of insight to the reality from which the boys surviving on the island came. Lost and helpless as they were, the boys had no choice but to rely on the structures ...

A 6 page paper which examines how science was viewed and perceived in Mary Shelley's 1818 novel masterpiece, "Frankenstein." Bibliography lists 3 sources.

This 12 page report discusses Jane Austen’s novel “Mansfield Park” (1814). Jane Austen presents her late 18th and early 19th century world to readers of the 21st century with such clarity and distinction that it becomes impossible to not apply the universal truths of her time to the contemporary age. In “Mansfield Park” she presents the reader with a ...

This 5 page paper compares Arthur Miller's Death Of A Salesman and Lorraine Hansbury's A Raison In The Sun in terms of the relationships between men and women. No additional sources are listed.

This 5 page report discusses the Paul Fussell’s book, “The Great War and Modern Memory” (winner of the National Book Award), is its discussion of the effects of World War I on the human consciousness and attitudes. He shows how it permeated virtually all aspects of “modern memory.” His analysis of the literature, poetry, theater, and other aspects of popular culture ...

A 5 page paper which illustrates how the relationship between McMurphy and Nurse Ratchet, Ken Kesey's "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," is symbolic of larger scale power conflicts within society. No additional sources cited.

An 8 page paper which discusses various cultural aspects of the books "Colored People" by Henry L. Gates Jr., and "Rain of Gold" by Victor Villasenor, as they involve Mexicans and African Americans. Bibliography lists 4 additional sources.

This 5 page paper explores the comic tradition of parody and satire as well as the intertextuality of the novel, Carpe Jugulum by Terry Pratchett. Bibliography lists 11 sources.

This 5 page report discusses two of the Western world’s great story tellers -- Charles Perrault and Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (aka Lewis Carroll). “At the time it all seemed quite natural,” Lewis Carroll wrote in the scene in which the White Rabbit first appears to Alice. Likewise, Cinderella does not seemed amazed when her godmother, who also happened to be ...

A 5 page paper which discusses many psychological problems and conditions in the character of Savannah Wingo, and others, in the novel and movie "Prince of Tides." Bibliography lists 4 additional sources.

A 5 page paper which discusses "Wuthering Heights" by Emily Bronte, and the characters of Heathcliff and Cathy in relationship to their tragic flaws. They both suffer greatly from dissatisfaction with self. They are uncertain about who they are, and in their loneliness and dissatisfaction with self they seek happiness and are unable to find it due to their ...

A 3 page paper which compares and contrasts the protagonists' stories in Thomas Hardy's "The Mayor of Casterbridge" and Joseph Conrad's "Lord Jim." No additional sources are used.

A 5 page paper which examines the theme of Canadian author Guy Vanderhaeghe's short story, "Dancing Bear." No additional sources are used.

This 5 page report discusses the actual character of Nat Turner in “The Confessions of Nat Turner” (1967) by William Styron. Three key features of his personality are addressed. In the second half of the report, the issue of personal identity is discussed. How does a person view himself in comparison to how he is viewed by others ...