Essays on Books

Free essays on books are academic papers that analyze various aspects of literature such as the plot, characters, themes, motifs, symbols, and literary devices used by authors to convey their messages. These essays can be found online and cover a wide range of literary genres including fiction, non-fiction, poetry, drama, and biographies. They offer insights into the literary techniques employed by authors, the cultural and historical contexts that inform their work, and the relevance of these texts to contemporary audiences. Students, researchers, and avid readers can use these essays as study materials, examples for their own writing, or sources of inspiration for their literary analysis.
Death in Chaucer’s Tales
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After reading the tales for today, the key themes to me seemed to be death and betrayal. In The Physician's Tale, The Pardoner's Tale, The Shipman's Tale, and The Prioress’Tale, one or both of these themes are present during the stories. To start with The Physician's Tale, death occurs with Virginia after her father "smote off her head.” She would rather “die a Maid” than to be shamed from losing her virginity. What I found stunning about her death is…...
The Pardoner'S Tale
Greed in Chaucer and Dante’s Works
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Positive Greed vs. Negative Greed Being aware of how greed can affect oneself can allow for both positive and negative outcomes. In Geoffrey Chaucer's The Pardoner's Tale, the Pardoner portrays the disastrous effects of greed. In Dante Alighieri's The Inferno, the author illustrates the punishments involved with greed throughout Dante's journey in Hell. One can define greed as the unreasonable desire to possess objects, wealth, or goods of excess value with the intention to keep it for one's self, far…...
The Pardoner'S Tale
A Analysis of the Pardoners Tale by Geoffrey Chaucer
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A Bond of Fatality Selfishness and greed are strong motivators; they plant seeds of determination that cannot be ignored. Even so, the consequences of selfish and greedy actions do not always prove to be positive. This is evident in both Macbeth by William Shakespeare and “The Pardoner's Tale” by Geoffrey Chaucer. Each story has a protagonist or a set of protagonists that break moral codes and risk everything in order to be victorious. Both Macbeth and "The Pardoner's Tale" depict…...
The Pardoner'S Tale
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Painting Of Art “Girl With A Pearl Earring”
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The art piece I selected for this assignment was Girl with a Pearl Earring by the Netherland native artist Johannes Vermeer. This artwork is one of his most well-known pieces. It is an oil painting on a ‎44.5 cm × 39 cm (17.5 in × 15 in) canvas, completed in 1665. It currently resides in the Mauritshuis Museum in the Hague. The painting shows a young woman wearing a golden and pastel blue turban, large pearl earrings, and an aged…...
ArtPaintingThe Pearl
Predominantly White Governments Remain a Problem
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A problem this world has is that In spite of the growing numbers of people of color globally, oppression by predominately white governments remains a problem. There have always been a few people who recognized their blight. One of those people was John Steinbeck. In his books, John Steinbeck was a voice for the underdog. He had seen as he was growing up, many poor migrant workers and wanted to be a voice for them and people like them. He…...
BooksJohn SteinbeckThe PearlVoice
Literary Unique On Works
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With a trip to the library, or a quick online search, it is possible to immediately find thousands of unique works of literature, a variety from articles to novels. All these works of literature were written by authors with a purpose in mind, whether it be to inform or persuade. These works always meet their purpose, whether the reader is aware of this or not. There are three significant forms of literature that can influence that will be covered in…...
LiteratureSocietyThe PearlWork
The Advancement of “Heroes” into Modern Day 
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What would someone say if they were asked to define what exactly a “hero” is? This would be a tough question to answer because there are essentially many different types of heroes that exist, the person being asked this question just may not know about each of them yet. Heroes are those that we know exist today from movies, news, social media, etc., but they are also those that we hear about from stories and passed down from tradition or…...
BeowulfBeowulf Hero
Definition of Evil in Beowulf’s Poem
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Humans come in all forms of good and evil. But Albert fish was all evil with an image of a good person. Albert Fish was a serial killer who delightfully enjoyed consuming the human flesh, or as we know a cannibal. Albert was undeniably alike to the monster Grendel, a fictional character from a poem named Beowulf. Although both Grendel and Albert didn’t have a happy ending, because they weren’t the prince charming of their story, they could’ve changed for…...
BeowulfBeowulf Hero
Grendel’s hard life in Beowulf
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Grendel, a novel written by John Gardner, alters the epic Beowulf, told in the perspective of a monsterous, underworld creature, Grendel. Lacking communication from his mother and the rest of the world, he is left to seek his questions alone, basing his philosophies of life in the hands of various archetypes he encounters. Grendel is compelled in finding the meaning of life from surrounding influences as he is broken and vulnerable from an absent parental figure in his adolescence; this…...
BeowulfBeowulf Hero
Beowulf Is a Strong and Cunning Hero
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“We are all just cogs in a machine, doing what we were always meant to do, with no actual volition.” – Baron d’Holbach. Oedipus following the oracles fate, Macbeth fulfilling the witches’ prophecy; these examples serve to show that there is no such concept as free will. In both Beowulf and Grendel, a lack of free will is shown to prove that no one truly has control of their own future. Grendel will always be seen as a monster. His…...
BeowulfBeowulf Hero
How to Train Your Dragon
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Dragons define ruthlessness, producing fear whenever and wherever they render themselves present. The imagery of a fire-breathing dragon in various works of literature is the epitome of a fear-mongering monster. In Beowulf, the dragon’s greed urges it to sweep through towns and villages, destroying everything in its path. Acting as the third and final obstacle for the namesake main character in Beowulf, its awakening and enragement begins through the actions of a petty thief who stole the hoard of treasure…...
BeowulfBeowulf Hero
Speaker’s Phoenix Transformation in Lady Lazarus
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The Female Phoenix During her last days, Sylvia Plath wrote in a non-stop frenzy. Her late poems often dealt with her personal issues concerning the men in her life. According to Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar in No Man's Land: The Place of the Woman Writer in the Twentieth Century, “[Plath] fantasizes vengeful victories won by female speakers who openly act themselves.” In the poem “Lady Lazarus," the speaker begins as a limited human but then sheds her form by…...
Lady Lazarus
An Analysis of Lady Lazarus by Sylvia Plath
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In Sylvia Plaths poem, Lady Lazarus, she horrifically describes the yearning for attention she has always wanted. By using the most expressive ways possible she entrances the audiences imaginative minds by unleashing this literary work. She uses symbolism, theme, and imagery throughout this poem to help see the true meaning of this piece. Lady Lazarus is a poem meant to open the audiences eyes to the world of evil and shame. Perhaps the significance of death in this poem is…...
Lady Lazarus
A Short Review of Lady Lazarus, a Poem by Sylvia Plath
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“Lady Lazarus”, written by Sylvia Plath in 1962, was a poem gathered posthumously through her collection Ariel published in 1965. The poem is about death or, more specifically, suicide. It is written to an unnamed "you" from the perspective of a suicidal woman who shares a significant amount of similarities with the poet. Sylvia Plath was born in 1932 in Boston, Massachusetts to Aurelia Schober and Otto Plath, the latter of whom died when Sylvia was eight. Despite deep depression…...
Lady Lazarus
A Description of Lady Lazarus By Sylvia Plath
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Lady Lazarus by Sylvia Plath is a well written autobiography of her life. She cleverly uses words to describe her innermost thoughts and revelations of how she perceives her life. In Protean Poetic, Broe states that Plath spoke of her later poems, I speak them to my self.and what ever lucidity they may have come from, the fact that I say them to myself, I say them out loud.(160) Writing to herself was a type of therapy, as was her…...
Lady Lazarus
Gender Roles in Beowulf and Leigh Sir Launfal
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According to J.R.R. Tolkien, ​Beowulf ​was most likely written by an 8th-century Anglo-Saxon poet shortly after England converted to Christianity. Many of its characters are historical figures from Scandanavian and Anglo-Saxon descent. A tightly woven tapestry of paganism and Christianity, the epic reveals much about social issues of the day. ​Beowulf provides insight into being a brother’s keeper and the steadfast courage required to do so. On the other hand, the lais of Marie de France point out flaws of…...
BeowulfBeowulf Hero
“Monomyth”: What Is It
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Heroes go on journeys and through obstacles that shape them in every possible way no matter the talents or skills that they have. Many stories such as Beowulf, The First Knight, and The Once and Future King all prove that the monomyth is correct. Joseph Campbell succeeded in making his argument that heroes develop in stages and coined the term “The Monomyth” because it is widely accepted by psychologist, followed by authors, and seen within several famous movies. Joseph Campbell’s…...
BeowulfBeowulf Hero
Revenge Is the Dominant Theme in Beowulf
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Vengeance has been a major theme in Beowulf and in John Milton’s Paradise Lost and it brings to question the real reason as to why these characters committed these acts of revenge. In Beowulf, revenge is principal to to the culture of warriors. Specifically, revenge was taken as a “blood-feud” which included fighting those who killed your kinsman, king, or lord. In Paradise Lost, Milton’s story is a revenge cataclysm. Satan tries to seek vengeance against God while Adam and…...
BeowulfBeowulf Hero
Beowulf Must Protect His People
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In chronological order, Beowulf’s most important plot points can be broken down into four crucial events: Beowulf’s weaponless battle with Grendel, Beowulf’s vindictive battle with Grendel’s mother, the stealing of the Dragon’s goblet, and ultimately, Beowulf’s fatal encounter with the Dragon. These four fundamental events in Beowulf contribute greatly in the shaping of an epic poem, as they typically consist of a valiant hero, some sort of contact or conflict with extraterrestrial or other-worldly beings, as well as references to…...
BeowulfBeowulf Hero
The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas Utilitarianism Analysis
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Every one of us have ask at some point of our life that what is the price of happiness and its value. Should it be achieved at the expense of others’ happiness? This type of question is called moral question and the study of moral is called moral theory. In this essay I’ll be mainly focusing on the sub part of moral theory called utilitarianism. As describe by John Stuart Mill utilitarianism is the view that dictates if an action…...
The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas
Speculative Fiction Definition And Examples
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 Speculative fiction explores not only the future but visions of life itself, expressing a warning of the the way human societies are headed. Yeats wrote the poem 'The Stolen Child' that combines mystery and irish mythology into the fantasy world of mythical creatures and a so called ‘better life’. The magical realism that the authors of speculative fiction try to project through narratives of things that can potentially happen in future taking things from the present reality and expanding on…...
The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas
Reflection On The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas Essay
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Paper Type:Reflective essays
Our deep-down happiness is an individual work, but some of the people believe that happiness depends on other’s actions and behavior. This belief is the reflection in the story “ The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas” by LeGuin. The author describes Omelas was a perfect and peaceful society, containing an evil within. When I read further, the scene that I reacted to was the child gets locked in the cellar. The child experienced the aspect of physical and mental.…...
The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas
‘The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas’ Analysis
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 The narrator in Ursula K. LeGuin’s “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” is communicating that happiness is possibly more complicated than suffering and is more worthy of continued analysis; The author also contrasts our own society and way of life to the society of Omelas, where happiness governs. The narrator disputes that in our society happiness is something that isn’t hugely valued and is deemed as something that is “stupid.” We consider such things like evil and pain as…...
The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas
Sarasota County Car Accidents
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Car Accident Attorney in Sarasota, Florida A couple of decades back nobody thought of chatting on the telephone while driving. Telephone lines just weren't sufficiently long enough. Quick forward to 2019 with the advances in innovation and different technologies and you've likely encountered a distracted driver. Have you at any point seen a driver applying cosmetics or having a Facetime discussion? Or then again, maybe you've seen a vehicle swerving from lane to lane or sitting at a green light?…...
A Jury Of Her PeersCar Accident
Power in War Photog & Ozymandias
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The War Photographer is written in the third person and the author is describing what is going on in the poem. The first line of the poem sets the scene for the poem. The phrase ‘he is finally alone' refers to how before the war photographer was taking photographs when he was in the war surrounded by soldiers and civilians but now he is alone in his house developing the pictures that he took that day. 'Spools' are what thread…...
Ozymandias
Egyptian Motives & Personal Glory in Ozymandias
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The beginning of the 1800's in England saw a spark of interest in all things Egyptian; from discovering new monuments to an influence on poetic style. The colossal bust of King Ramses II arrived at the British Museum in 1821, where it remains, and is said to be the subject of Percy Shelly's poem "Ozymandias". It was Ramses II who had declared, in words less rhythmical than Shelley made them, "Should any man seek to know how great I am…...
Ozymandias
Knowledge vs Instinct in To Build a Fire
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Knowledge Vs. Instinct In Jack London's "To Build a Fire” he tells a story that compares a dog's natural instinct versus a man's knowledge which acts as his instinct. The story is based upon a man and his four legged companion walking several hours crossing the storm ridden tundra, in goal of meeting a few of his friends by a fire. The man is warned by others in the beginning that no one has successfully traveled by foot in such…...
To Build A Fire
Life’s Harsh Realities
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Reality is one of the harsh struggles of life that humans have to deal with. The harsh reality of life is inescapable to mankind and there is no way to avoid it. Authors choose to manipulate this idea of a harsh reality in their writings to convey certain messages to readers. Many stories including "To Build a Fire," "Genesis of the Tenements,” and “Men in the Storm” are all stories that manipulate the use of realism in their own individual…...
To Build A Fire
The Elements of Naturalism in the Short Story To Build a Fire by Jack London
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"To Build a Fire” is a short story by author Jack London, and it relates to some admittedly dark subject matter. In said short story, a man and his dog become lost in the Alaskan wilderness, while they are trying to get back to a gold operation; the man does not follow the advice of a wizened older man he had met, who had provided advice on how to survive in the harsh nature of the wilderness. The man builds…...
To Build A Fire
Man Versus Nature in To Build a Fire, a Short Story by Jack London
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In "To Build a Fire", the author is against nature, and thinks he can overcome it without any outside help. He is traveling with a dog that he isn't close to and doesn't own, through the snowy mountains. He doesn't have supplies and didn't expect to be out there long, and thought he would be fine. What he didn't know was that the temperature was in the negatives, and without a fire and shelter, he would freeze to death. The…...
To Build A Fire
Men in To Build a Fire and Trap of Gold: Similarities and Differences
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Compare and Contrast “To Build a Fire” and “Trap of Gold”, two stories which tell of two men who have the odds of nature stacked against them, from which only one man makes it out alive. Both men are very alike but at the same time very different. They have different characteristics and intentions. “To Build a fire” by Jack London and “Trap of Gold” by Louis L'Amour have some similar qualities. The characters in them, the man in "To…...
To Build A Fire
An Analysis of Nature in To Build a Fire
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Nature The story "To Build a Fire" features two distinct characters: the man and the dog, and one character that is often overlooked. That character is Nature. This character is often not even listed as a character in the story "To Build a Fire". Even though it is often ignored, nature is the most important character in the book and is more important than any other character in any story we have studied this year. Nature is the most important…...
To Build A Fire
A Review of the Short Story To Build a Fire by Jack London
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The man acts upon his instinctive pride rather than his actual instincts. He would much rather prove something and nearly die attempting to cross the trail than wait a day and make it across the trail with ease. The dog acts on the second of his instincts instead of the first, “It knew that it was no time for travelling. Its instinct told it a truer tale than was told to the man by the man's judgement." His first instinct…...
To Build A Fire
Spirituality and Religion in Disney Movies 
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In the world of Disney, there is a common practice of including religion and spirituality into their films. the religions that are used in the films range from Christianity to Buddhism and Islam and Confucianism as well as polytheistic beliefs. the films that portray these religions and spiritualities include Mulan the lion king Moana Pocahontas Aladdin and snow white. The religion that is portrayed in the Disney film Mulan is Confucianism which is the system of philosophical and ethical teachings…...
Movie ReviewReligionSnow WhiteSpirituality
The Deep Reason For the Characters in Some Stories
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A character can simply be a person in a novel, play, or movie. However, there may be a deeper reason for characters in certain stories. The Grimm brothers translated the Grimm Tales to teach children that they can overcome any obstacle in life, if they only utilize their brain. Characters are strategically placed in the Grimm Tales stories as an embodiment of a specific human trait, such as evil, greed, or guidance. Ashputtel’s two stepsisters display greed and are a…...
ReasonSnow White
Teach Children And Adults That They Should Not Trust Everyone
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Snow White’s message may partly be to teach both children and adults that the world can be an ugly place, and that they should not trust everyone. Another message is about finding happiness without the aid of material things and that true happiness comes from within us. Maybe fairy tales were not created solely to teach children moral standards, but to feed their imaginations and introduce them to the way stories and life sometimes works. The use of strong character…...
AdultSnow WhiteTrust
Lord of The Flies By William Golding
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When people have contrasting priorities, it is not as easy to work together and get things done because of different opinions. In Lord of the Flies, by William Golding the two main characters Ralph and Jack have contrasting goals on how to survive on the island. Ralph wants to aid the other boys whereas Jack only thinks about himself by attempting to kill a pig to prove himself. Their differences on how to go about surviving on an island with…...
AmbitionLord Of The Flies
Victor Frankenstein: The Dangers of Ambition
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Prometheus and Victor Frankenstein may share one similarity, in that they both figuratively and quite literally steal fire from the gods, but that is where their similarities end. This paper will explore the character of Victor Frankenstein, pitting him up against the figure of Prometheus and explaining why the two share a stark difference in terms of character and motive for their actions. The differences they share, seen through the lens of the scientific revolution, will show why Victor’s actions…...
AmbitionFrankenstein
Failed Relations in Jhumpa Lahiri’s “Interpreter of Maladies”
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Jhumpa Lahiri is an American writer who is mainly famous for her short stories and essays in English. Her collection “Interpreter of Maladies” was launched in 1999. These collection of stories highlight the perplexity that exist in the lives of Indians and their households, with significant subject matters, such as marital distances and difficulties. Lahiri is able to portray all the characters in the various short stories in a way that directly connects them to the Indian culture. The characters…...
Interpreter Of MaladiesRelationship
The Path to Living Fully in Tuesdays with Morrie
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Making Life Worth Living It may be hard to face it, but someday we will cease to exist. One day our lungs will stop breathing, and our hearts will refuse to beat. The sun in the sky will lose its shine, and the moon its glow. And although we are often consumed by this lingering fear of death and termination, why do people continue to live life without full purpose? How can masses of indifferent individuals continue to thrive on…...
Tuesdays With Morrie
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FAQ about Books

How to Train Your Dragon
...The dragon represents much more than a plot development; rather, it symbolizes various elements of human nature and the repercussions of human desire. In both Beowulf and Grendel, the dragon is a powerful character that offers insight to other humanl...
“Monomyth”: What Is It
...Joseph Campbell succeeded in making his argument that heroes develop in stages and coined the term “The Monomyth” because it is widely accepted by psychologist, followed by authors, and seen within several famous movies. Many stories such as Beow...
The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas Utilitarianism Analysis
...At the end, though I gave all this example or more one can still argue that it is fine for one citizen of Omelas to suffer if all other people living there are having a good life or that Batman should have killed the J...
Reflection On The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas Essay
...The story modified my perception because they still have sympathy and morality. The child’s existence and being mistreated that affect the Omelas people.“ Sometimes also a man or a woman much older falls silent for a day or two, then leaves home�...
‘The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas’ Analysis
...The narrator is attempting to highlight the happiness of the people of Omelas through trying to predict our responses to it and contend that our own preference in our world for suffering and pain shouldn’t aid us in ...
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