Free essays on culture are academic essays that explore the unique characteristics, beliefs, and practices of different cultural groups. These essays may cover a wide range of topics, including the history of a particular culture, cultural diversity and social norms, the impact of culture on society and personal identity, and the intersection of culture with other fields such as art, literature, and religion. These essays are often used as resources for students, researchers, and educators seeking to gain a deeper understanding of different cultures and their significance in the world today.
The Troubled Relationship Between Kingston and Brave Orchid in The Woman Warrior, a Memoir by Maxine Hong Kingston
In Maxine Hong Kingston‘s memoir, The Woman Warrior, the author Kingston has a troubled relationship with her mother Brave Orchid. The memoir takes place during the Vietnam War when Chinese Americans are being discriminated against in America. Kingston, a California born Chinese American, is trying to fit in with the rest of the boys and girls her age. However, Kingston’s mother, A Chinese immigrant, believes it‘s important to incorporate traditional Chinese traditions to the American lifestyle Kingston and Brave Orchid…...
CultureMotherSocial PsychologyThe Woman Warrior
The Conflict of Good and Evil in Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Nathaniel Hawthorne draws on his puritanical upbringing in the story Young Goodman Brown. His familiarity with Puritans and the Salem Witch Trials probably inspired the underlying religious theme of the story. Although the story can be construed as the descent of man from Christian purity to evil as reflected by Goodman Brown being seduced by the devil, one may feel that much of the story revolves around the idea of the conflict between good and evil. In this story there…...
ChristianityCultureReligionYoung Goodman Brown
Hell in Young Goodman Brown and That Feeling You Can Only Say What It Is in French
American Gothic literature has an affinity for the dark side of human nature, but in over two centuries of writing, the vices discussed vary, reflecting the experiences of the era and beliefs of the era, A classic example of this dichotomy can be found when comparing Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown,” published in 1835, and Stephen King’s “That Feeling You Can Only Say What It is in French,” written in 1998i In their writing, Hawthorne and King explore different forms…...
CultureReligionYoung Goodman Brown
Save time and effort. Get incredible results with the help of our writers.
Hire a Pro to Write You a 100% Plagiarism-Free Paper.
Get My
Paper
Dark Storylines in Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Nathaniel Hawthorne presents many dark themes in his short stories and novels In his work “Young Goodman Brown" -- dark spirits, visions, imagery, afterlife, and character names are utilized to support the story’s theme Nathaniel Hawthorne contradicts the names of characters in the tale, Without the use of these names, the chain of events would not be as suspenseful and influential, Hawthorne uses names, such as Faith, to connect belief in God to Goodman Brown, If this allegory were not…...
CulturePhilosophyReligionYoung Goodman Brown
A View on The Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Young Goodman Brown" is presented as an allegory of the peril innate of one’s decisions not following his heart and the cause and effect of Young Goodman Brown’s decision to take the wrong road. Hawthorne’s use of symbolism is obvious throughout this story. Perfect examples of symbolism begin with Hawthorne’s use of Goodman’s wife Faith representing his religion, use of scenery to symbolize the mood setting and, sunset, light, the darkness of the woods, Young Goodman Brown…...
CultureFaithReligionYoung Goodman Brown
Annotated Bibliography of Zora Neale Hurston How It Feels To Be Colored Me
For my research paper I plan to focus on Zora Neale Hurston‘s essay How it Feels to be Colored me and Langston Hughes‘ essay Bop to look closer into African American lives during the Harlem Renaissance With using these two authors, I plan to address the issues of cultural identity, and if Hurston or Hughes had any bias in writing the essays that they did. I plan to answer the research question, “What was it like to be black in…...
CultureHarlem RenaissanceHow It Feels To Be Colored Me
Realizing Reality in How It Feels to Be Coloured Me by Zora Neal Hurston
At what moment in our childhood do we realize the real from the fantasy? Now a day the differences aren't as harsh as they were in the earlier times but they are still evident. For a simple example, once a child turns about 5 they realize that Santa Claus does not exist. Back in the day it was harsher like you realize that because your skin is darker, you won't be afforded simple things like education. How much does your…...
CultureEducationHow It Feels To Be Colored Me
An Examination of Zora Hurston’s How It Feels to Be Colored Me
Perhaps one of the most profound pieces of African American short story literature is Zora Hurstons' How It Feels to Be Colored Me. In the conclusion of her short story, Hurston depicts her own life experiences through the personification of a brown bag and its contents. To detail my life through the mere contents of a paper bag is a difficult task, however. I am a Simple man among many, trying not to drown in an ocean of complexity more…...
CultureHow It Feels To Be Colored MeOppression
Racial Identity in How It Feels To Be Colored Me by Zora Neale Hurston
Zora Neale Hurston’s autobiographical short story, “How It Feels To Be Colored Me" is a piece that uncovers the complexity of racial identity through the eyes of an African American woman in the 1920’s Hurston rejected the perceived idea that blacks were disadvantaged and refused to be part of “the sobbing school of Negrohood”. Instead, Hurston celebrates her cultural identity and uniqueness with an unwavering enthusiasm for life and the understanding that all races are cut from the same cloth…...
CultureHarlem RenaissanceHow It Feels To Be Colored MeMusic
A Comparison of Song of Myself by Walt Whitman and The Open Boat by Stephen Crane
One of the most common ideas explored in literature is man‘s connection to the universe. Both Walt Whitman’s Song ofMyseIfand Stephen Crane’s The Open Boat examine how man is connected to nature and the universe, but they take different stances on this subject. While Song of Myself is largely concerned with the idea that all people have some sort of deep connection to the universe, The Open Boat expresses the opposite opinion; The Open Boat is about man‘s insignificance in…...
CulturePhilosophyPsychologyThe Open Boat
A Subordination of Women in A Jury Of Her Peers the 19th and 20th Century Literature
In both The Yellow Wallpaper by Gilman and A Jury of Her Peers by Susan Glaspell, the main characters, women, are considered almost second-class. “‘Martha!’ now came her husband's impatient voice. ‘Don't keep folks waiting out here in the cold,” (Glaspell) Martha’s husband is demanding of her and does not give her any choice in the matter of whether or not she gets to clean up the house before she is rushed out. Her husband had made the decision to…...
A Jury Of Her PeersCultureSocial Psychology
The Inequality of Female Characters in the Poem A Jury of Her Peers by Susan Glaspell
In Susan Glaspell’s “A Jury of Her Peers," the female characters face inequality in a male-dominated society. Because of the deep rooted stereotypes held on by the men in this story, they cannot step into Minnie Wright’s shoes in order to solve the crime, They unsuspectingly are bested by the women because of their blind eyes and inability to connect and relate with Minnie. The men, the county attorney, Mr, Hale, and Sheriff Peters only view their wives, the women,…...
A Jury Of Her PeersCultureFictionMarriage
Jim Burden’s Unsuccessful Growth as an Individual in “My Antonia”
Characters in novels often experience an epiphany that occurs during their evolution throughout the novel. However, the epiphany takes time or may not even occur at all. This slow process is evident in the novel, My Antonia. Jim Burden, the main protagonist in the story has a difficult time growing as an individual. At the beginning of the novel, he is unsure of himself and passive whereas his friend, Antonia shows a bright, passionate energy. As Jim grows in age,…...
CultureMy AntoniaPsychology
A Question on the True Path and the Moral Ambiguity
Moral ambiguity is a decision making problem between two possible moral imperatives, neither of which is unambiguously acceptable or preferable. In other words, it is when there is insufficient information on whether something is correct or incorrect. Their Eyes Were Watching God, written by Zora Neale Hurston, is a book set during the early 1900s. Hurston has a character named Janie Crawford who goes through tough relationships. Many questions were raised when Janie acted a certain way in her relationships.…...
CulturePsychologyTheir Eyes Were Watching God
Sensory Language, Idealism and Realism in Their Eyes Were Watching God
Zora Neale Hurston enriches our sense of her childhood world by using sensory language and manipulating the reader's view by articulating the contrast between her mother's idealism and her father's realism. Hurston's diction and syntax come together to create a vivid image of the beautiful Garden of Eden that held all her needs. Hurston's first steps into the city are identifiable by the "fleshy, white, fragrant blooms," that were too common to charge for in the countryside, but were a…...
CultureExperienceTheir Eyes Were Watching God
Character Analysis of Connie in Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been
In the short story "Where are you going? Where have you been?" written by Joyce Carol Oates, the main character and protagonist Connie is expressed throughout. In the highly sexualized society in which she is surrounded by, she follows the stereotypical role of the American teenager. She fits this role by showing her vanity, lacking a sense of independence and being ignorant in her encounter with the antagonist Arnold Friend. Her personality and view of herself shift throughout the story…...
CultureExperienceWhere Are You Going Where Have You Been
The Important Role of Irony in Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been
"My sweet little blue-eyed girl," he said, in a half-sung voice that had nothing to do with her brown eyes..." (Joyce Carol Oates 466) Irony has a funny way of expressing itself. It could be conveyed as comical or it could be elucidate as enraging. Either way, irony plays an important role in the success of Joyce Carlos Oates "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been." In a way, Connie herself is ironic. Some may say that she is…...
CultureFictionWhere Are You Going Where Have You Been
The Major Use of Motifs and Symbolism in Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been
In the short story "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been" there is are an extensive use of symbolism and motifs. The story is significant with topical criticalness and symbolism. In her article "Existential Allegory: Joyce Carol Oates 'Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" Marie Mitchell Olesen Urbanski argues, "few have acknowledged the allegorical nature of her work. Veiling the intent of "Where Are You Going ..." in realistic detail, Oates sets up the framework of a…...
AllegoryCultureWhere Are You Going Where Have You Been
The Symbolism and Imagery in Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?
Analyzing the Symbolism and Imagery in "Where Are You Going Where Have You Been?” Evil nature and/or spirits can come in many different forms, just as Joyce Carol Oates has proven in her short story "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?". The story is said to be "a chilling modern fable that uncovers the bleakness and emptiness of contemporary life and values." (Werlock). Oates utilizes skillful symbols to help add visuals and significance to her stories. In the…...
CulturePsychologyWhere Are You Going Where Have You Been
The Story of the Mirbal Sisters in “In the Time of the Butterflies”
The story of four sisters fighting against a brutal regime in their country would be interesting whether told in a book or made into a movie. In the situation where there is both a book and a movie of a certain story, many people wonder whether they should watch the movie or read the book and then if they do both they always wonder which one is better and more effective. A movie provides a visual experience that is quick…...
CultureIn The Time Of The ButterfliesLiterature
Life Under the Rule of Rafael Trujillo in “In Time of the Butterflies”
"Voz del pueblo voz del cielo" (Alvarez 199), meaning "Talk of the people, voice of God". The novel, In the Time of the Butterflies, portrays what life was like under Rafael Trujillo's regimen from 1930 to nearly 1961. His rigorous laws are brought out through many situations each Mirabal sister faces. Citizen's of the Dominican Republic come together amongst the revolution to spread their opinions, and develop an awareness of whom they're living under. Throughout In the Time of the…...
CultureIn The Time Of The ButterfliesReligion
The Lives of the Mirabel Sisters in the Novel In the Time of the Butterflies
Julia Alvarez painted a beautiful illustration of a peaceful family living in the Dominican Republican, "sitting in the cool darkness under the anacahuita tree in the front yard, in the rockers, telling stories, drinking guanabana juice” (Alvarez 8) but, who would have known that "only one [would be] left to tell their story" (Alvarez 10). Alvarez reincarnated the Mirabel sisters through her vivid imagination in this historical fiction account of their lives under Trujillo's thirty-one year regime. In her novel,…...
CultureIn The Time Of The ButterfliesLiterature
Information About the Mirabal Sisters “In the Time of Butterflies”
In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez was a great book and an inspiration to any kind of age. To break the book down and to understand the book more Charlotte Rich wrote a literary criticism on the book called Talking back to El Jefe: polyphony, and dialogic resistance in Julia Alvarez's In the Time of the Butterflies. This source argues how In the Time of the Butterflies correspond to the Russian philosopher's discussions of dialogues of the…...
CultureIn The Time Of The ButterfliesLiterature
The Importance of Reading and Writing in Superman and Me by Sherman Alexie
Superman and Me is a memoir written by Sherman Alexie, published originally in the Los Angeles Times. Alexie is a young Native American who narrates how, in spite of having grown up on a Spokane Indian Reservation, he learned to read at an early age by looking through Superman comics. He tells how he continued learning even more over the years until it turned him into a writer. Alexie's Superman and me is addressed to the children on Native American…...
CultureReadingSuperman And Me
An Introduction to the Jilting of Granny Weatherall by Katherine Anne Porter
Voices and visions, imagined and real, mingle and merge throughout Katherine Porter s short story The Jilting of Granny Weatherall as this hardy woman, one who has weathered so much, lives out her final moments. It is better to read the story and then watch the film because you are able to see the atmosphere the writer created turn into real life, not the opposite. At first, the video was confusing. That is, until after I had read the story…...
CultureFictionThe Jilting Of Granny Weatherall
An Overview of The Talented Tenth and Locke in the Essay Enter the New Negro
While Alain Locke and W.E.B. Dubois certainly differ in their views, they do agree in their essays that there is a social stigma attached to the black man and there is a way to fix it. W.E.B. talks about this in his article "The Talented Tenth" and Locke in his essay "Enter the New Negro". Dubois cites the problem as "Talented Tenth" and it "is the problem of developing the Best of this race that they may guide the Mass…...
CultureEducationThe New Negro
An Analysis of the Theme of Alienation in the Story the Ministers Black Veil
"The Ministers Black Veil" by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a story about one clergymans alienation due to his outward dressing. Reverend Hooper was a well-respected preacher who got along well with the townspeople until one day when he appeared wearing a black veil over his face that consisted "of two folds of crape, which entirely concealed his features, except the mouth and chin" (Hawthorne 253). From that day onward, he was alienated both socially and physically from his community and from…...
ChristianityCultureThe Minister'S Black Veil
The Conflicts Which Santiago Faces in The Alchemist, a Novel by Paulo Coelho
In The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho, the main character Santiago often referred to as “the boy” runs into many conflicts throughout the novel. He often faces challenging obstacles that are later resolved at the end of the novel an example of a conflict that the boy faces, is when he runs out of money during his travels and is forced to sell his shop. Another major conflict in the novel is when the boy loses his tour guide and has…...
CultureFictionLiteratureThe Alchemist
The Book The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
In The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, the author uses magical realism to show that you can ask for help from what’s around you by just believing in yourself and god’s inside you, it’ll be possible in the book “Alchemist”, Santiago is captured by the tribes on the opposite side of where he had traveled from. The alchemists said to the Chief of the tribe that he was just a traveler and Santiago was an alchemist who can transform himself into…...
CultureLoveReligionThe Alchemist
Mother Night and Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
In Mother Night and SlaughterhouserFive by Kurt Vonnegut. the use of being "unstuck" in time. Having no time restraints, allows the author to foreshadow important events and create links between events separated In time. Billy Pilgrim, the main character In SlaughterhouserFive, travels back and forth In time to events that are significant In his life. Just as Pilgrim travels In time, so does Howard W. Campbell, Jr. from Mother Night. There are significant differences In the way that each character…...
CultureFictionPhilosophySlaughterhouse Five
Slaughterhouse-Five, a Novel by Kurt Vonnegut
Slaughterhouse » Five. by Kurt Vonnegut, is a novel about the senselessness of war, told through the protagonist, Billy Pilgrim. Slaughterhouse, Five is a satire, which is a work that makes fun of something serious. In this case it is war the plot of this novel is very scattered, and skips around a great deal. It goes from Billys experience of World war II as a soldier and POW, to Tralfamadore, the alien planet to which Billy was abducted, to…...
ClothingCultureLiteratureSlaughterhouse Five
Different Tones in Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut
In his novel, Slaughterhouse-Five, Kurt Vonnegut uses various tones to emotionally affect his audience, By touching the feelings of his readers, the author suggests that a deeper meaning exists in his language rather than what appears in plain sight on the page This secondary understanding of diction allows Vonnegut to achieve his aim of creating an anti-war novel, which as described in the opening chapter, is his purpose. While Vonnegut uses numerous tones at different locations in the novel, the…...
CultureIronyLiteratureSlaughterhouse Five
Chaucer’s Approval of Wife of Bath as Minority Advocate?
In The Mfe of Bath, Chaucer approves of The Wife of Bath not just because he likes that she is a liberated woman, but because she represents all disadvantaged groups of people, who Chaucer believes are being unjustly subordinated. To start out with, The Wife of Bath represents many groups at once. Not only is she a woman, but she is old, seemingly uneducated, and not very wealthy; she defies tradition and social norms, and at some point was a…...
CultureEthicsPhilosophyWife Of Bath
Canterbury Tales: Chaucer’s Approval for the Wife of Bath
In Chaucer‘s The Wife ofBath and its prologue, the implied author clearly approves of the eponymous Wife of Bath. The implied Chaucer’s depiction of the Wife shows the audience clearly not only her shrewdness but also her incredible ability to form both shallow and deep connections meant to appeal to both the uneducated and educated people of her time. The “dirty” sexual jokes of the Wife, while crude and simplistic at first glance, reveal an incredible level of intelligence and…...
ChristianityCultureTheologyWife Of Bath
The Canterbury Tales: The Implied Chaucer’s Approval for the Wife of Bath
In The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer creates a very complex character in The Wife of Bath. Equally complex is the implied Chaucer‘s opinion of The Wife Some people, such as Sanjna Amin, argue that Chaucer disapproves of The Wife, her actions, and all that she symbolizes. Contrarily, other people, such as myself, argue quite the opposite: Chaucer supports The Wife and her actions because she challenges social norms he believes to be wholly unjust, The Wife is simultaneously both sympathetic and…...
CultureMarriageRapeWife Of Bath
Chaucer’s Approval of the Wife of Bath
In Chaucer‘s The Canterbury Tales, The Wife of Bath is portrayed as an incredibly intelligent woman with both a comprehensive grasp of a vast array of subjects and a clear insight into the faults prevalent throughout her society While Mimi Tomei claims the implied. Chaucer clearly questions the moral character and strength of judgment of The Wife, it is obvious the implied author actually approves of The Wife and her actions because of how she is so clearly able to…...
CultureEthicsPhilosophyWife Of Bath
The Novels The Scarlet Letter and Minister’s Black Veil
Literature helps people recognize more about who they are and how they could make better of themselves. Great literature teaches us about the qualities of mankind; both good and bad. In a quote from Oedipus Rex, Tieresias says “Think: all men make mistakes, but a good man yields when he knows his course is wrong and repairs the evil, The only crime is pride.” This quote means that everybody commits errors and it is a natural trait of mankind to…...
ChristianityCultureReligionThe Minister'S Black Veil
Hawthorne’s Ribbons and Veils
Nathaniel Hawthorne has a brilliant method of connecting his works. When closely examining the stories, Young Goodman Brown and The Ministers Black Veil. one can see these similarities. Hawthorne uses colors, secret sins, and gloomy deaths to carefully tie a bow with the ribbons of these stories. The first similarity between Young Goodman Brown, and The Ministers Black Veil is the obvious color usage. Hawthorne uses the color's symbolic meaning to convey subliminal ideas or thoughts toward objects and characters…...
CultureReligionThe Minister'S Black VeilTheology
A Literary Analysis of the Ministers Black Veil
Typically, a story whether short or long does not reveal its total focus or even hint at its theme until, usually, at least midway through its disclosure. To do so would distract the reader from focusing on the story as a whole and, Instead, refocus the reader on single-mindedly tracking the theme, which is not necessarily a bad thing. When using parables the intention to refocus the reader is usually very clear, becoming evident Within the title itself and even…...
CultureLiteraturePsychologyThe Minister'S Black Veil
Hawthorne on Human Evil: Black Veil and Brown
In society, people are criticized, punished, and despised for their indiVIdual chmces and flaws. In "The Minister‘s Black Veil" and “Young Goodman Brown". Hawthorne portrays sins as an unavoidable part of human nature. What is sm? In the bible, sm is regarded as any transgression of, or any lack of conformity to the holy Will and nature of God. There is still evil that lurks in everyone‘s souls and human nature is bound to be flawed and imperfect. The portrayal…...
ChristianityCultureReligionThe Minister'S Black Veil
We've found 2298 essay examples
on Culture
24/7 Support