Essays and Research Papers on (All) Literature

A 10 page research paper that investigates Stephen King's technique as a short story writer. This analysis looks at five of King's short stories from his Nightmares & Dreamscapes collection and also offers some basic biographical information. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

A 6 page essay that discusses what can be inferred about the position of women in Umuofian culture based on Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart. No additional sources cited.

This 5 page report discusses two of the most important event of the second half of the 20th century and the ways in which very different individuals responded to them. Using Anne Moody’s “Coming of Age in Mississippi” and Tim O’Brien’s “The Things They Carried” illustrates the ways in which individual people have their lives determined through their reactions ...

A 5 page paper which examines how Mark Twain’s personal attitudes about the issue of slavery may have been incorporated into his classic novel, considering specifically whether or not the conflict between Huck’s ambivalence about slavery and his affection for Jim reflected Twain’s own inner conflict. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

This 5 page report discusses two novels and the ways in which the characters react and interact with the natural world. James Welch presents a world in which all aspects of life are changed by the arrival of white men and their horses and guns. Alfredo Vea, Jr.’s “La Maravilla” presents a world that was once known and understood and ...

A 5 page paper which illustrates how Arthur C. Clarke's predictions, in "Childhood's End," have come to pass. Bibliography lists 2 additional sources.

A 7 page research paper that Rushdie's novel and the controversy that surrounded its publication. The writer outlines why the Islamic world found the book so offensive that it resulted in threats against Rushdie's life and also discusses its literary reception. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

A 5 page essay that examines August Wilson's play, The Piano Lesson. The writer argues that there are too fundamental perspectives – that of Berniece who wants to keep the piano, which is a 135-year-old family heirloom; or that of her brother Boy Willie – who wants to sell the piano so that he can ...

“ A five page paper which looks at some of the mothers in Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility, in terms of the way in which they relate to their children, manipulate their families for their own ends, and pursue self-interested and selfish personal agendas.

A 7 page essay that examines Franz Kafka's surrealistic novel Metamorphosis. The writer describes how the protagonist's sister, Grete, while she is sympathetic and takes care of him after his transformation, eventually becomes alienated, and this completes the dehumanizing process. No additional sources cited.

A 5 page paper which examines how the film was more successful at portraying the heroine as a strong female character in her world which is dominated by men. Bibliography lists 6 sources.

A 5 page paper which discusses how women were portrayed in Euripides' "Hippolytus" and Homer's "Odyssey." The paper focuses on the characters of Penelope in "Odyssey" and Phaedra in "Hippolytus," arguing that these women are portrayed as individuals who are strong, as well as tragic victims. Bibliography lists 2 additional sources.

The age of Enlightenment had as its heir the era of Romanticism. Voltaire was known as an author of the Enlightenment, however, he also utilized the basic premises of Romanticism. This 7 page paper argues that there are two major elements of Candide that define it as romantic adventure rather than classical hero: the use of satire for ...

This 5 page paper suggests that Chaucer was really afraid of death. Evidence comes from three Canterbury Tales that are The Pardoner's Tale, The Miller's Tale and the Nun's Priest Tale. The stories are analyzed for common thematic elements, but each story stands on its own. Bibliography lists 1 source.

A 5 page outline of the stories which unfold in these three books. The author utilizes a feminist approach to conclude that in comparison to the weaknesses of human nature, the scenarios which unfold in these books reveal the importance on relying on something stronger than humanity. We must look to our spirituality ...

This 5 page paper considers this apparent simple, yet understated character in this short story. Bill Miller is a bookkeeper and in looking at the character of this man we can see reflections of the way in which the exterior of anyone may be seen as concealing hidden depths and desires which may manifest as ...

A 6 page paper which illustrates the structure of Oedipus as it involves rising action, conflict, and climax. Bibliography lists 3 additional sources.

5 pages in length. Postwar activities inherently reflect the inevitable process of catch-up and convergence; while this process takes place, scores of people work diligently as a means by which to piece their lives back together. The social, political and economic chaos that ensued in the South after World War II illustrated the ...

This 7 page paper provides information on each work and compares and contrasts the two. The American Dream is discusses as a thematic element. Race as it pertains to both works is discussed. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

A 6 page paper which examines the play’s genre, its purpose, structural elements (plot, conflict, characterization, setting), the dialogue, the themes, what the movement reveals, other elements employed to enhance the structure, and the meaning of the title. Also considered are the significance the play has on the contemporary theatre, the play’s original production, ...

A 5 page paper which discusses the themes of love and death in two of William Faulkner's tales. The stories discussed are "A Rose for Emily" and "Barn Burning." No additional sources cited.

An 8 page essay that discusses the ways in which the character of Oedipus changes between Oedipus the King and Oedipus at Colonus. The writer argues that in these plays Sophocles delineated the evolution of a man's character as he evolved in response to incredibly hardship and pain over the course of his lifetime. No ...

A 5 page paper. This essay on this well-known story by Hemingway focuses on three topics of symbolism: religion, endurance and suffering loss. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

An 8 page essay that examines two works. Like Arthur Miller's famous play Death of a Salesman, Andre Dubus' novel House of Sand and Fog largely concerns the obtainment of the American Dream, and what this means in the life of the protagonist in each work. While these protagonists are extremely different, they are ...

A five page paper which compares short extracts from the three texts and looks at the ways in which they deal with specific themes concerning racism, the family and the role of women in the progression from slavery, through segregation, towards integration in the USA. Bibliography lists 3 sources