This paper provides an African-American and ethnic literaryanalysis of the Novel 'Oroonoko: or The Royal Slave' by Aphra Behn and the Essay "How it Feels to be Colored Me" by Zora Neale Hurston.
Abstract This article discusses two works containing either African or African-American themes, Aphra Behn's novel 'Oroonoko: or The Royal Slave' (1633) and Zora Neale Hurston's essay "How It Feels to be Colored Me" (1928). The writer notes that when compared against one another, they reveal considerable differences in the perspectives of their authors: In the first case, a 17th century white Englishwoman; and in the second, a late 19th and early 20th century African-American woman folklorist descended from slaves. In this essay, using African American and ethnic literaryanalysis of both works, the writer explores and analyzes similarities and distinctions in the ways that both authors deal with the subjects of American or African-American identity and black-white relationships, within their respective literary works.
From the Paper "Other key characters in the novel, again drawn from an obviously white European narrative perspective, include Oroonoko's treacherous grandfather the King of the tribe, who also lusts after his grandson's love interest Imoinda, thereby reinforcing two familiar African stereotypes: overweening lust and inter-tribal rivalry and treachery, even against one's own flesh and blood. Within Aphra Behn's portrait of the African environment inhabited at first by Oroonoko and Imoinda, then, family ties are brittle, and being sold into slavery is, by implication, less heart-rending than it might be for those with stronger family ties."
The writer of this paper presents a literaryanalysis, from a personal point a view, of both Thomas Pynchon's "Entropy" and Raymond Carver's "Cathedral."
983 words (approx. 3.9 pages), 0 sources, 2006, $ 34.95
Abstract The writer of this paper discusses the valuable experiences that were obtained by finding the deep literary meanings in both "Entropy" and "Cathedral," that the authors were striving to reveal. The writer explains why the plot of both these short stories are secondary in importance to the subtext. The writer also details the personal significances of each work of writing, such as the scientific theory of entropy, which is clearly illustrated by the author, Thomas Pynchon.
From the Paper "The things I learned in each story were personally significant to me, as well. I was not aware of the scientific theory of entropy before I read Pynchon's story, which illustrated the concept perfectly. And, in "Cathedral," the thought of what it would be like to describe something I take for granted to a person whom has never seen anything also affected me, and led me to new levels of thinking. Gaining these levels of thinking can only be considered valuable. Finally, the whole experience of responding to "Entropy" and "Cathedral" was valuable because it will better prepare me for future literary readings. Looking back at the questions asked, I can direct those questions toward future readings and hopefully get similar results. The responses taught me new ways of thinking about stories, which will carry over to all future readings."
Abstract This paper applauds the author's use of current day language. The author notes that the novel is written in first-person narrative and takes place in an ordinary middle-America town in the '90s. The author states that the novel is an amalgamation of Tom Sawyer and Holden Caulfield.
Table of Contents
About the Author
About the Book
Analysis of the Book
Conclusion
Works Cited
From the Paper "The author Russell Bank writes in the manner that infused his stories with a sadistic honesty and moral goodness that his characters strive to live up to. He writes in striking and most often sad tones about the drama of daily life (Anderson, eye net). Furthermore, his themes of failure, of weakness, of the complexity of living an honest life were often desolating, but all his stories does contain a positive wisdom to them along with a sense of optimism found in the details that he carefully draws out of his characters' routine and everyday realities. (Anderson, eye net)"
Abstract This paper is a literaryanalysis of this rich and complex novel, "Chronicle of a Death Foretold" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It provides a biography of the writer and a brief summary of the book's plot developments. Finally, the paper examines "Chronicle of a Death Foretold" critically through a Marxist and feminist literary approach, which examines the socio-economic and gender-based conflicts portrayed in the novel.
Table of Contents:
Biography
Brief Summary
LiteraryAnalysis Works Cited
From the Paper "Chronicle of a Death Foretold details the murder of Santiago Nasar, a young man accused of having sexual relations with Angela Vicario. The disgraced Angela is returned to her family after her husband finds she is a virgin. After a beating, Angela identifies Santiago Nasar as her lover. Her brothers Pedro and Pablo Vicario then set out to kill Santiago and restore their family's honor.
The story, however, is told in a non-linear manner. Chronicle of a Death Foretold also tells the stories of a host of secondary characters, some of who try to save Santiago and some of who contribute to his death."
Abstract John Updike's "A&P" and James Joyce's "Araby" reflect many of the same literary traits. This paper explains that the plot, theme and point of view are three of the most resembling aspects of the two stories. It shows, however, that they diverge several times on certain other important literary qualities - setting, characterization and diction. It concludes that although each story conveys the author's purpose, together they leave the reader with an even greater understanding.
From the Paper "The main plot of the two stories relates in many ways. On the first glance a reader might believe the stories focus is primarily on a young man, whose life is monotonous, and lives instead in a fantasy romance state through his interest in a girl. Joyce's character "wished to annihilate the tedious intervening days" because they were boring compared to Mangan's sister (Joyce 83). In the end "I look around for my girls, but they're gone, of course" both characters are left alone without the girls (Updike 30). At a closer look the reader realizes the two stories describe a young man who, through an attraction to a girl, learns the difference between youthful idealism in romance and reality. Sammy and the boy in "Araby" take the reader through their myopic thoughts of the girls they desire which eventually leaves them with their painful realizations of how hard life can be."
Abstract In this paper, the character analysis of these sixteen dramatic and literary figures present a fictional account of how they would be seated and how they would interact at a dinner party. It looks at how the dinner is presented and how these fictional characters would most likely behave under the circumstances.
From the Paper "The aim of this literary study will be examine a fictional account of a formal dinner party with sixteen famous literary and dramatic figures. By examining these characters within the dinner party environment, one can realize how they compare and contrast each other in their dialogue and behaviors. In essence, the hero of the party would be Holden from the novel Catcher in the Rye, since he has such an in depth perspective on life and how people interact with one another during the night's festivities. The formal dinner will have a sixteen person seating arrangement that will suit the similar behaviors and mannerisms associated with each character."
Abstract This is a literary but critical analysis of Shakespeare's "Hamlet". The author examines a variety of interpretations of the play and argues that majority of them are too basic and fail.
From the Paper "Shakespeare's Hamlet is taken as a versatile text that can be approached in a number of ways and is open to any number of interpretations. These interpretations based on literary theories help the reader develop a constrained idea of the character of the protagonist who is otherwise elusive in personality. Hamlet can be seen as a victim of fate or a victim of his own character. Tragic though his life was the reader is unsure of the underlying dynamics that rule the actions of Shakespeare's hero. This in turn suggests that the story can be a series of dilemmas. Hamlet can be taken into a number of genres but is usually accepted as being tragic as it is analyzed on the basis of Aristotle's definition of tragedy in the Poetics and the notes from Samuel Johnson's interpretation of Shakespeare."
Abstract A literaryanalysis of "All Quiet on the Western Front". The author discusses the writer's examination of the horrors of World War I through the eyes of the soldiers involved in the war, as well as the effects of war on society at large.
From the paper:
"All Quiet on the Western Front, by Erich Maria Remarque, is a book that explores the true horrors of World War I through the eyes of a German solider. The author uses the character of Paul to tell a realistic story of what the average WWI solider had to endure. This book raises the issue of how destructive war can be not only to a country, but also to a generation of a nation. One of the major themes in the story is that of the lost generation. An entire generation of men fighting for their country was lost in World War I."
Tags: all, analysis, english, erich, front, literary, maria, novel, quiet, remarque, western
Abstract A literaryanalysis of Ghassan Khanafani's "Men in the Sun" (Rijal fii a-Shams) with reference to the social and political realities of modern-day Palestine and the criticism of Siddiq and Kilpatrick. The paper shows that the definitions given in the book are open to some considerable interpretation, whether they are seen to complement, contradict or, as I will argue, overlap with each other.
From the Paper "Ghassan Kanafani's death in 1972 was, like much of the author's own life, motivated almost entirely by politics. Although a prolific and highly successful writer, Kanafani's priority had always been, and remained until his death, the political amelioration of Palestine's situation. It is tempting to view his death and indeed his literary oeuvre purely in terms of the political message that Kanafani was trying to convey and to see his murder at the hands of the Israeli Mossad as the assassination of a political opponent of Israel, the ultimate reflection of the "resistance literature" to which Kanafani had devoted his life."
Abstract This paper is a critical analysis of Tennessee Williams "A Streetcar Named Desire", focusing on the character Blanche and what she symbolizes.
From the Paper "In A Street Car Named Desire, Tennessee Williams displays the character Blanche having many issues. She tells fibs to protect herself from being looked upon disapprovingly. But her secrets are unveiled when Stanley, Blanche's brother-in-law, bumps into a couple of Blanche's acquaintances. Blanche symbolizes all beautiful women who are insecure because they have something they cannot let go or hide from."
Abstract This paper applies several descriptions of tragic heroes to different literary characters throughout Western literature. The author first presents Aristotle's list of traits necessary for a tragic hero. Other views of a tragic hero are also presented and analyzed from within the context of the works in which they appear. Several writers views of tragic heroes are compared and contrasted.
From the Paper "Arthur Miller was certainly aware of the nature of Greek tragedy and made a deliberate decision to use the structure of Greek drama as a basis for his play A View from the Bridge, as he had previously done for All My Sons. The central character, Eddie Carbone, fits well with the central figure in All My Sons and Death of a Salesman, being a family patriarch who has also been a complete failure as a father. He has no children of his own, so he looks after his wife's young niece. Over time, he has developed unconscious sexual feelings toward her, affecting everyone around him. Eddie is an ordinary man living among other ordinary men. The high-born nature of the traditional tragic hero is gone now, though Carbone can be seen as a middle-class version of a high-born hero because he is respected in his community and the head of his household. He is no closer to the gods than anyone else, however, though members of the Italian community have a religious background that colors much of their thinking about life."
Literaryanalysis and criticism of the movie "Fight Club" and a comparison of the leading character to the character of Zarathustra in Friedrich Nietzsche's "Thus Spoke Zarathustra".
1,270 words (approx. 5.1 pages), 1 source, 2001, $ 43.95
Abstract A literaryanalysis and criticism of the movie "Fight Club". The author compares the leading character, Jack to the leading character in Friedrich Nietzsche's "Thus Spoke Zarathustra", Zarathustra. The author discusses their similarities how they both overcome themselves, they both develop a following, and how they both progress through the metamorphoses of the spirit. "Jack" is the modern day embodiment of the Zarathustria.
From the Paper "In Friedrich Nietzsche's Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Zarathustra is presented as a wise prophet, a knowledgeable philosopher, and a man who continually overcomes himself. He abandons popular beliefs and dogmas and makes no apologies about doing so. He is his own person, not the person that the "herd" wants him to be. In David Fincher's Fight Club, "Jack" embodies Zarathustra's progression from a member of the herd to an independent, confident, individual. Like Zarathustra, Jack evolves into the person that he wants to be, not the person he should be according to society."
Abstract This paper is an in-depth literaryanalysis of the Arthurian poem, Lanval by Marie de France. While analyzing the lay, the author also relates the material to the time period-the Middle Ages, and places the story in context.
From the Paper "Marie de France's Lay, Lanval, is a romantic Arthurian Poem laced with the supernatural and political undertones. It seems to show a new side of King Arthur that we do not see in other Arthurian tales of the period and points out the flawed judicial system in place as well as the corruptibility of the court. Marie also portrays her female characters in an unusual way and shows us more than one side to the feminine face in literature."
Abstract This paper is an analysis of the poem "Inferno" by Dante Alighieri. The author discusses the comedy in 'Inferno" and the importance of its style of writing and use of language for the times it was written in.
From the paper:
"When a man steps up to construct a work of art, they do it for a plethora of ideas. These can be either to change viewpoints, express personal ideas, or insure their name in the years to come. Yet the creator cannot simply be the only one to make a work of art one of importance. It must include the passion of the times and the eagerness for something new and vivacious. To break traditions from the past is to set traditions for the future. Dante Alighieri created a poem in the 1200's that Florentines and the world had never conceived up."
Tags: alighieri, dante, florence, italy, literature
Abstract The author states the late Victorian period in England was a unique time in that country's literary history. Both literature and the political culture supported one another by different notions of England's future. Matthew Arnold addressed directly issues of the purpose of English culture and the English nation.
From the Paper "Matthew Arnold was a conservative writer in the sense that he was not egalitarian. He feared an intrusion of "vulgarity" into the culture and of ?Philistine populism.? (Wilson xvii; xvii) But his ideas were more complex than that. Arnold did believe that the essential thrust of English development should not be so much to expand its physical boundaries, but to create a culture of, as he termed it, ?Sweetness and Light.? "
