Essays on Literary Genre

What if irony didn’t exist? If it didn’t, even at a minimal level, The Scarlet Letter wouldn’t be able to function in its complete and published form. Its frame and substructure of distinctly morose themes scrutinizing sin, knowledge, and the human condition would not exist …

The poetic of Kafka consists in endowing the absurd with coherence. The metamorphosis of the protagonist in an insect can be understood as the dehumanization and the alienation of the human being in a Capitalist society. Gregor feels strange and misunderstood in a hostile and …

One of the most moving and emotional of Heaney’s works is his collection of sonnets called ‘Clearances’. These sonnets were written in dedication and memoriam to his mother Margaret Kathleen Heaney, who died in 1984. The eight sonnets are filled with lively, detailed and vivid …

In most stories, the authors like to use reality versus illusion, also know as magical realism. Magical realism can seem so real but seem like fantasy at the same time. The author incorporates a lot of different features of strange elements in the story where …

Julian Figueroa (#30973127) 1 An Allegory of Advertisements How does Plato’s allegory influence the way we consume art today? Every minute of every day, millions of people are exposed to advertisements. They plague televisions, streets, radio waves, and all means of communication. These advertisements employ …

Moya, Jon Enc1102 February 27, 2013 Midterm Essay The story I will be analyzing is ‘Cat in The Rain’ By Earnest Hemingway. The story tells a story of an American couple staying at a hotel, presumably in Italy because of the mentioning of Italians and …

A literary technique is a device employed in literature to add depth to a writer’s work. These techniques can be obvious, such as the technique of rhyme in a poem, or subtle, such as juxtaposition, which can go unnoticed by the reader. In The Things …

Henry James uses, Lavinia Penniman predominantly for the comic relief derived from her unrealistic romantic scheme, her extensive hyperbole, and deceitfulness. Mrs Penniman is seen as a caricature, a caricature is a humorous illustration that exaggerates or distorts the features of a person to form …

Satire and irony are the main literary tools used by Jonathan Swift in A Modest Proposal and Gulliver’s Travels. The author has used irony to create satire in making the audience see the deeper truths within the prevailing social, moral and political circumstances prevailing during …

Irony of kingship One way to discuss the “irony of kingship” in Christopher Marlowe’s play Edward II is to focus on the ways in which Edward himself falls short of Renaissance ideals of a good king. Edward, in other words, has inherited the title of …

Creating Suspense In the short story, “Three Skeleton Key” by George Outdoes, imagery and foreshadowing are important literary devices used in this story. Outdoes use s these two devices to help create suspense in the acts of the three lighthouse workers being data eked by …

Reading Franz Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis”, one is inclined to think that perhaps the writer had Darwin in mind when he wrote the story. The story centers on the transformation of its protagonist, Gregor Samsa, and his family’s journey of survival through it. At the heart …

Situational Irony in The Pardoner’s Story In The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer the Pardoner’s actions of dishonesty and greed are prime examples of situational irony. Situational irony is when something or someone does the opposite of what is expected. ‘In church he was a …

Irony in ‘A Gospel according to Mark’ How would you feel accepting somebody into your family and allowing them to preach to you when they are not a religious believer themselves? As we learn more in Jorge Luis Borges story ‘The Gospel according to Mark’ …

Aristotelian Tragedy: Macbeth Aristotle is known widely for developing his ideas on tragedy. He recorded these ideas in his Poetics in which he comments on the plot, purpose, and effect that a true tragedy must have. The structure of these tragedies has been an example …

Devin Westfall Professor Peter Faziani English 151 October 15, 2012 Hemingway’s Nick Adams “Three Shots” and “Indian Camp” In Hemingway’s Nick Adams “Three Shots” and “Indian Camp” Nick goes through some changes in his life. He goes from being scared that someday he must die …

The Canterville Ghost is not Just a short story by Oscar Wilde about a haunted mansion with a ghost; it is also a comedy and a parody of British aristocracy. In this story, the author makes fun of American pride and love of wealth by …

Historic playwrights such as Sophocles, Euripides, Aeschylus, and Seneca were described as prolific philosophers and geniuses of their times. These men actively participated in the politics surrounding them, and were respected and revered in their society. Each had their own individual style and portrayed their …

Historic playwrights such as Sophocles, Euripides, Aeschylus, and Seneca were described as prolific philosophers and geniuses of their times. These men actively participated in the politics surrounding them, and were respected and revered in their society. Each had their own individual style and portrayed their …

Explication of “A Summer’s Day” Shakespeare establishes his theme by shifting procreational beauty to the idea of immortalized beauty. Shakespeare’s use of personification, literal meanings, and metaphors enables him to illustrate his compassion in the idea of immortality. In Sonnet 18 Shakespeare uses personification heavily …

Common type of story is the fable, which presents a moral, or lesson about human behavior. Fables usually feature animals behaving and speaking as humans. Among the most widely known are those from the ancient Sanskrit Pancatantra (Five Chapters), which was first written down in …

After reading: Fear, drink driving, family relationships, friendship, conflict, grief and loss are all important themes of this book. Choose two themes and describe/discuss how they are portrayed in the book. (We will work through an example answer in class) THEMES How is the theme …

LEXICAL STYLISTIC DEVICES Metaphor Genuine metaphors Trite(dead) metaphors Metonymy Metonymy Metonymy is the substitution of one word for another with which it is associated: ‘The White House said…’ (the American government) ; the press (newspapers and magazines); the cradle(infancy, place of origin);the grave(death); The hall …

If Caesar had been more astute and willing to accept his own vulnerability, he might have recognized warnings around him which foreshadowed his assassination. One of the warnings, which was very important, was Artemidorus’ letter which contained names of all conspirators. This takes place in …

Allegories in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde The novel The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde has many allegories within. An allegory is a symbol with a deeper meaning. In The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, …

H. G. Wells is the True “Father of Science Fiction” At the very end of the Victorian Era, there emerged a man of literature the likes of which the world had never before seen. Some know him best as an English novelist, though most of …

I dreamt a dream! What can it mean? And that I was a maiden Queen Guarded by an Angel mild: Witless woe was inner beguiled! And I wept both night and day, And he wiped my tears away; And I wept both day and night, …

“There’s no place like home, there’s no place like home, there’s no place like home”, repeated Dorothy. A young girl trying to go back home to Kansas after a cyclone lands her and her dog, Toto, in the Land of Oz. There Dorothy meets the …

Though a non-linear narrative, Faulkner’s A Rose for Emily fits well into the dramatic structure outlined in Freytag’s Pyramid.  Exposition is centered around the death of the eponymous character, Emily Grierson, and details her history in the town of Jefferson. (more…)

“There’s no place like home, there’s no place like home, there’s no place like home”, repeated Dorothy. A young girl trying to go back home to Kansas after a cyclone lands her and her dog, Toto, in the Land of Oz. There Dorothy meets the …