Literature Essays

The Pursuit of the American Dream in The Great Gatsby
Example essay. Last modified: 10th Jul 2023
Introduction: The Great Gatsby is a tragic love story on the outside but is most commonly understood as a skeptical judge of the American Dream. In the novel, Jay Gatsby overcomes his poor past to gain a substantial amount of money in the 1920s NYC, as he fulfills his eventful life impacted by characters in the big city...

Social Class in Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby
Example essay. Last modified: 23rd Jun 2023
Introduction: To conclude, the author makes various connections between the central idea of social class in the novel and the various settings discussed. Fitzgerald illustrated the different behaviours and attitudes from the different social classes presented in the novel – East Egg, West Egg and The Valley of Ashes to describe how people were seen in the Roaring Twenties based on their social class....

Utopian Thinking and Entitlement in Huon De Bordeaux
Example essay. Last modified: 17th Dec 2021
Introduction: This essay will begin by examining the utopian elements of the Huon de Bordeaux narrative, including their significance within the text and the broader socio-political context, then it will seek to demonstrate that these elements are intrinsically linked and inherently dependent on a Western Crusade....

Making San Francisco American: Cultural Frontiers in the Urban West, 1846-1906
Example essay. Last modified: 14th Dec 2021
Introduction: A review of 'Making San Francisco American: Cultural Frontiers in the Urban West, 1846-1906' by Barbara Berglund which distinctly describes San Francisco's expeditious evolution....

Social Conflicts in American Literature: Hester Prynne and Huckleberry Finn
Example essay. Last modified: 16th Nov 2021
Introduction: The social conflicts faced by two great characters of American literature - Hester Prynne of The Scarlet Letter and the titular character of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn....

How does Apollonius' Argonautica rewrite Homeric epic?
Example essay. Last modified: 18th Oct 2021
Introduction: This essay will demonstrate how the book's characters are more reminiscent of the Homeric epic. I demonstrate this by comparing the characters to one another and drawing out similarities between them, proving that Argonautic was a Homeric epic rewrite....

Research Project on Edith Wharton's Roman Fever
Example essay. Last modified: 12th Oct 2021
Introduction: This is one of the many reasons why we thought Wharton would make a great person to research. Wharton is known for her two most famous stories, ...

Evaluation of the Genre of Toni Morrison's Novel 'Beloved'
Example essay. Last modified: 27th Sep 2021
Introduction: Genre is a set of conventional constraints on the production and interpretation of meaning; providing a set of characteristics and conventions for authors to use as guidelines when writing their texts. Toni Morrison’s novel, Beloved written in 1987 can be seen as a form of magical realism in terms of genre....

Reflective Statement on Rabindranath Tagore's 'Red Oleanders'
Example essay. Last modified: 23rd Sep 2021
Introduction: This reflective statement will look at Rabindranath Tagore's 'Red Oleanders' and discuss the cultural and contextual considerations of Red Oleanders. The statement will considered how this work was influenced by the author’s perspectives and the socio-political and economic events leading up to and including the time period wherein it was written in....

An Analysis of J.D. Salinger's 'The Catcher in the Rye'
Example essay. Last modified: 21st Sep 2021
Introduction: “The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger is known to be one of the greatest and most controversial novels ever written.  Throughout the novel, Holden Caulfield’s negativity stops him from trying to fit in society, because he is too narrow minded to the world around him. By the end of the novel he learns to take charge of his life and to accept others too....

The Growth of Esperanza in Sandra Cisneros' 'The House on Mango Street'
Example essay. Last modified: 8th Sep 2021
Introduction: Friends can help guide you through tough situations. But sometimes making decisions on your own can be better than what any friend can tell you. Throughout Esperanza’s growth during her year in The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, Esperanza experiences many tough situations and gains realizations on what life is like in Mango Street from Lucy, Sally, and Nenny....

Contrast and Opposition in 'Spies' and 'Wide Sargasso Sea'
Example essay. Last modified: 1st Sep 2021
Introduction: In summary, cultural opposition is relevant in the novels ‘WSS and ‘Spies’, this has been shown through examining opposing cultures’ understandings’ on race, ethnicity, religion and gender. Theories of postcolonialism, feminism, ecocriticism and psychoanalysis support the argument that the authors make about being an outsider in an opposing culture, this is done through structure, narrative voice, place and characterisation....

The Portrayal of Black Men and Racial Hierarchy in Oscar Micheaux’s 'Within Our Gates'
Example essay. Last modified: 23rd Aug 2021
Introduction: Even though Within Our Gates was a counterreaction to The Birth of a Nation’s portrayal of the black race, Oscar Micheaux’s characters represent both the educated and the controversial black men. The portrayal of the educated and criminally driven black men shows how the racial hierarchy influences the standpoint of blacks in the early 1900s....

Themes of Guilt and Sexuality in James Baldwin's 'Giovanni's Room'
Example essay. Last modified: 20th Aug 2021
Introduction: James Baldwin’s main concentrate for the novel is Homosexuality. David, the narrator, has a hard time accepting the fact he is gay, leading to his burdensome self-acceptance and self-loathing. David never embraces it....

Muriel Spark’s 'The Driver’s Seat' and it’s Influence on Second-Wave Feminism
Example essay. Last modified: 9th Aug 2021
Introduction: Muriel Spark’s The Driver’s Seat largely impacted Second-Wave Feminism in the late 20th Century, whether or not that was Spark’s intention...

Mother and Daughter Relations in Jamaica Kincaid's 'Young Lady'
Example essay. Last modified: 9th Aug 2021
Introduction: All through time mother/daughter connections have been worn out as women’s freedom has occurred. Numerous moms have the “old fashioned” sentiment about what a lady ought to be...

Themes of Racism in 'Blazing Saddles' & 'The Sellout:'
Example essay. Last modified: 5th Aug 2021
Introduction: Similar techniques can be noted between Blazing Saddles, a satirical comedy Western film directed by Mel Brooks in 1974, and The Sellout, a satirical novel written by Paul Beatty in 2015....

Analysis of Fuller’s Don’t Let’s Go To The Dogs Tonight
Example essay. Last modified: 30th Jul 2021
Introduction: Don’t Let’s Go To The Dogs Tonight by Alexandria Fuller recounts the struggles of her war-torn childhood stories and major events in her life....

Comparison of Literary Techniques in Victorian Literature: After London & My Lady Ludlow
Example essay. Last modified: 30th Jul 2021
Introduction: The object of this essay is to compare the literary techniques at work in two extracts from Richard Jefferies’ After London and Elizabeth Gaskell’s My Lady Ludlow....

Othello as a Tragic Hero and His Downfall
Example essay. Last modified: 27th Jul 2021
Introduction: Othello is seen as a tragic hero since he not only was doomed from the start because of his race, which eventually lead him to do something bad as the result of his very poor judgment. As stated by Aristotle, a tragic hero is a person who is doomed from the start, and clearly is imperfect but has noble nature, a person whose judgment causes the tragedy....

'Wings of Fire' Book Review and Summary
Example essay. Last modified: 22nd Jul 2021
Introduction: Written by Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam, honorable President of India. ‘Wings of Fire’ is an autobiography capable of inspiring even a common man into becoming a technologist. A well composed novel which revolves around the life of Mr. Kalam a renowned scientist as he shares his experiences and the minutest of details of his life....

Literary Analysis of 'The Things They Carried' by Tim O’Brien
Example essay. Last modified: 21st Jul 2021
Introduction: ​​​​​​​The Things They Carried, by Tim O’Brien, is a story that reflects on not only the emotional, but the physical weight of combat, and the devastating effects of the Vietnam War.   The book tells the story of O’Brien and his platoon soldiers’ experiences before, during, and after the war. ...

The Loss of Identity in Atwood's 'The Handmaid's Tale'
Example essay. Last modified: 21st Jul 2021
Introduction: The dominance of men in The Republic of Gilead causes female characters to struggle in obtaining their true identity. As Gilead arises, all women lose control, giving all men the ability to thrive. Males obtain power and dominance to construct a society that destroys women....

Analysis of 'The Body' by Stephen King
Example essay. Last modified: 21st Jul 2021
Introduction: The Body by Stephen King is a novella published in 1982 alongside three other novellas under the title Different Seasons. Narrated through the words of Gordie Lachance. The four main characters Chris, Gordie, Vern, and Teddy embark on a journey to discover the body of Roy Bower, a young boy near their age who had been reported missing a few weeks before....

Analysis of the Novel 'The Hate U Give'
Example essay. Last modified: 21st Jul 2021
Introduction: The Hate U Give is a novel by Angie Thomas. It is told from the perspective of a sixteen-year-old girl named Starr. The story centralizes around a police shooting of a young black man and the resulting struggles that Starr goes through from being a witness to the event. ...