Free essays on literature refer to the writing pieces that are available to everyone online without any charges. These essays can cover a wide range of literary topics, such as the analysis of a character or a theme in a novel, a review of a poem or a play, or an interpretation of a literary movement. They can be written by students, scholars, or literary enthusiasts, and can offer diverse perspectives and insights into the world of literature. Free essays on literature can be useful for those interested in learning more about a specific literary work or genre or for those seeking inspiration for their own writing.
The Theme of Naturalism in The Open Boat by Stephen Crane
In Stephen Crane‘s short story The Open Boat, the crew of a tragically small dinghy attempt to maintain their humanity and assert the significance of their existence as they are subjected to the cruel indifference of the sea that threatens their lives Crane’s poem above, titled A Man Said to the Universe, expresses the very human fear that nature and fate have no regard for human life, a concept that Crane presents likewise in his short story through the use…...
EmpathyMindPhilosophyThe Open Boat
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
The Personal Experiences of Stephen Crane in the Book, The Open Boat
The Open Boat is a very raw and vivid story based on Stephen Crane’s personal experience of which is believed to be very similar. Perhaps this is why it is written so well, because this is something from his heart, something that he knows first-hand One of the labels that coins this work is the term naturalism; and with good reason as naturalism is used to describe an accurate depiction of reality Most believe that the Open Boat is just…...
ExperiencePhilosophyPsychologyThe Open Boat
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A Glimpse of the Power of Nature in Stephen Crane’s The Open Boat
Nature is known to play significant roles in Stephen Crane’s “The Open Boat”; it leaves a major impact on the lives and survival of the four main characters. Throughout the story, the characters’ lives are threatened after a shipwreck and seem to attribute their horrible experiences to nature. The author also uses language to suggest that nature can be a fifth character in the story meant to lead the group to their failure. The characters have a pessimistic view of…...
ExperienceNatureThe Open Boat
Stories “The Open Boat” by Stephen Crane and “The Secret Sharer” by Joseph Conrad
The compelling sea stories “The Open Boat" by Stephen Crane, and “The Secret Sharer” by Joseph Conrad, are about men on the open water experiencing a journey they are not properly equipped fort. The captain in “The Secret Sharer” is a very different character than the captain in “The Open Boat.” The captain of “The Secret Sharer” has characteristics more closely related to those of the correspondent than he does to the captain of “The Open Boats” He is out…...
FictionLonelinessThe Open BoatUniverse
Forces Beyond Our Control: Comparing and Contrasting “The Lottery” and “The Open Boat”
For most humans there is always a struggle about one'5 personal fate and their own mortality; especially with extremely random circumstances, camaraderie between individual participants experiencing the same thing, and the human quality of trying to understand a reason why things happen. In The Open Boat by Stephen Crane and Shirley Jackson's The Lottery, the reader can see each character individually and collectively struggle with their mortality and the concept of fate. Although The Open Boat character’s fate has mostly…...
DestinyThe LotteryThe Open BoatThought
A Comparative Analysis of The Interlopers by Saki and The Third Day of the Wolf by Edwin Morgan
The story The lnterlopers, is about two men fighting over a strip of land, Ulrich von Gradwitz was the owner of the land. Georg Znaeym was the intruder. For many years these two families have never gotten along. By the end of the story, both men realize the they were both fighting over petty things. They really didnt have a good reason to hate each other, So, as they were both forgive each other for the many years of hatred,…...
FictionLiteratureThe Interlopers
A Discussion on the A Jury Of Her Peers Sensationalism in the Media Being a Blessing in Disguise
American news media only focused on broad global issues and important international news, the news would be boring, and ratings would plummet. To the dismay of news purists, TV news media often report on human interest stories or more exciting and shocking news in order to keep ratings up. But critics of news media should not be so upset when ratings are put before pure news because so-called “sensationalism” in media is a blessing in disguise, Stories that boost ratings…...
A Jury Of Her PeersCriminal LawJury
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 Theme A Jury Of Her Peers of Law in Triffles, a Play by Susan Glaspell
Trifles is a play that revolves around the law, Written by Susan Glaspell, a prominent leader of the American feminist movement, it highlights the gender biases within the law and the need for a fair jury in any case. A subsequent short story of Glaspell’s was published in 1917; it was based on Trifles and was appropriately entitled, A Jury of Her Peers. The term, “trifles”, has an important role in law, referenced to in the phrase, de minimis non…...
A Jury Of Her PeersGender EqualityJusticeSocial Issues
Susan Glaspell Story A Jury of Her Peers
In Susan Glaspell short story, "AJury of Her Peers," the role of men and women is distinctly realized. In the time period Susan Glaspell wrote this short story, 1917, the roles of men and women were defined. Kitchen and household work was woman's work and field work and working outside of the home was a man's job. In this time period. also. women were not encouraged to educate themselves, they were thought of as weak and unable to handle the…...
A Jury Of Her PeersFictionLiteratureLoneliness
A Report on the Story of A Jury of Her Peers by Susan Glaspell
As Mr. Peters stated, the murder of Mr. Wright is "queer” in "AJury of Her Peers" by Susan Glaspell. Mr. Wright is found strangled in his own bed by his own rope. Mrs. Wright claimed she is asleep beside him but never woke. "I sleep sound," she says. There were no signs of forced entry into the Wright home. The motive for the murder is uncertain creating a deeper investigation. Afound motive would condemn Mrs. Wright, creating lustice for the…...
A Jury Of Her PeersJuryPsychology
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
The Character of Abner in the Short Story “Barn Burning”
Have you ever read a story with a character who is just so obviously flat and see through, there is no other way the character can possibly be round? This is not one of those cases, which might be odd. Abner from the short story Barn Burning, no doubt is hard-headed, angry, and very unmannered... People may think. But what if really he isn't anything at all what is first thought of him. Abner just really wants his family to…...
Barn BurningLiteracyPhilosophy
An Analysis of Sarty in Barn Burning by William Faulkner
William Faulkner's "Barn Burning" is a short story whose main character is an uneducated boy who can't read named Sarty. The opening paragraph of the work provides us with an insight into the at first seemingly uncomplicated consciousness of Sarty, but through the use of signs via the food that Sarty sees, we come to understand the true complexity of Sarty's consciousness as we realize that the hunger he has for the sealed food in the store symbolizes the same…...
Barn BurningPhilosophySymbol
A Discussion About the Theme of Realism in My Antonia
My Antonia is a book about realism of the late 19th and early 20th century. The Webster's Dictionary defines Realism as "Picturing and seeing people and things as they really are." That is what this book does; it shows "people as they really are." It does not glamorize what pioneer life was like. It tells us the hardships that these people dealt with, and gives us the sense of the meaning of family and friendship they had. Because without friends…...
FictionLiteratureMy Antonia
An Analysis of Willa Cather’s My Antonia
In everybody's life, there is always someone that has a greater influence on him or her more than anyone else would. In Willa Catheri's My Antonia, Antonia Shimerda is that person in Jim Burden's life. I'd have liked to have you for a sweetheart, or a wife, or my mother or my sister-anything that a woman can be to a man. The idea of you is a part of my mind; you influence my likes and dislikes, all my tastes,…...
FictionLiteratureMy Antonia
An Analysis of My Antonia by Willa Cather
My Ántonia, by Willa Cather, illustrates pioneer life narrated through the eyes of Jim Burden. Throughout the novel he continually places Ántonia, his dearest childhood companion, at the center of his prospective memory. A combination of Ántonia's company with majestic descriptions of the Nebraska prairie forms the basis of Jim's nostalgic recollection that comprises My Ántonia. Just as history tends to repeat itself, certain patterns also emerge in Jim's memory, events parallel to one another that define his experience and…...
My AntoniaPhilosophyPsychology
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
An Analysis of the Concept of Escape in The House on Mango Street
In the book, The House on Mango Street, each individual character has to face the concept of escape. Whether the characters escape from simple things, such as a controlling relationship to things that are more complicated, such as how to escape a lifestyle. Although all of these conflicts are very important, I believe that one of the biggest people to mention would be Esperanza, who simply needs to escape from Mango Street. In my opinion, Mango Street is not just…...
FictionLiteratureThe House On Mango Street
The Gender Barriers Faced by Women in Society in “The House on Mango Street”
What does it mean to be a female? The definition can change depending on time, place and wealth. Women in all societies face gender barriers, whether at home, work, or school. These barriers range from unequal wages to sexual harassment. For the women who live on Mango Street, their gender barriers are built on an overwhelming dependence on men. In The House on Mango Street, by Sandra Cisneros, the women are both financially and emotionally dependent on the men or…...
GenderSocial IssuesThe House On Mango Street
The House on Mango Street and Esperanza’s Experiences With Gender Inequality
To many, their first sex experience was the fulfillment of lust, satisfaction, and pleasure, but to some, it was pain, deprive of innocence and inequality. In "The House on Mango Street," by Sandra Cisneros, Esperanza grows up in a street where men are the takers and women are providers, this place is full of inequality and discrimination of women. When Esperanza goes to the Carnival, she experiences rape, but the rapist did not experience the punishment of justice. The rape…...
EthicsPhilosophyThe House On Mango Street
The Different Methods of Coping with the War in “The Things They Carried”
While the soldiers all have different methods of coping with the war, each method is crucial to allowing them to recover from the emotional stress that the war builds upon them. Rat Kiley, the medic of the troop, copes with the emotional burdens by carrying lighthearted items such as candy and comic books to distract himself from the actuality of the horror in the war. However, as these distractions are too trivial of a method of coping, Rat Kiley eventually…...
Mental HealthPsychologyThe Things They Carried
The Emotional Feelings Carried by the Soldiers in “The Things They Carried”
In the story, "The Things They Carried," Tim O'Brien tells the story of a company in Vietnam. With his own experiences, O'Brien conveys the hardships and fear that characterizes the soldiers lives and the weight of the war. Everything the soldiers of the company carried had a physical and mental impact on them causing them to emotionally or physically break down in one way or another. Pain, loss, and fear were probably the most challenging emotional, and psychological feelings for…...
FictionPsychologyThe Things They Carried
An Opinion That Revenge is Not the Answer in The Things They Carried
People mistake punishment for revenge. When you think of getting revenge on someone for them doing something bad to you or a loved one, the first thing some people think of is a way to get back at them and hurt them the way they hurt you. When someone you think someone has lied or cheated on you talk to them because getting revenge isn't the first thing you should do. People tend to act on something before thinking about…...
PsychologyRevengeThe Things They Carried
The Tragic Time of the 1960’s in Tim O’Brien’s “The Things They Carried”
The short story "On The Rainy River" is a great example which represents a tuff time in 1968. This time was where many men were drafted into war with the mentality that both the men and the society were forced to be afraid to show fear or emotion. It made them all feel ashamed of being "softer", which then forces them to sexist ideals towards the level of women. Tom O'Brien, a 21-year-old man who graduated from Macalester College in…...
PhilosophyPsychologyThe Things They Carried
Making Choices in “On the Rainy River” from “The Things They Carried”
In the chapter "On The Rainy River" in the novel, The Things They Carried, the narra- tor Tim O'Brien delineates himself as a smart, promising man who has big dreams. But O'Brien's dreams are crushed when he receives a draft notice to Vietnam; he finds himself plotting an escape plan from the Vietnam War. O'Brien uses repetition of the phrase "I remember", to not only prove his feelings and consequences of his coura- geous acts, but also the phrase "I…...
FictionLiteratureThe Things They Carried
Analyzing Soldiers’ Personal Belongings in “The Things They Carried”
"The Things They Carried” is a touching story about soldiers and the items that they deem important enough to carry with them throughout the war. Tim O'Brien explores the effects of how personal items give soldiers hope and security. The readers experience this sense of hope, and security when the main character Lieutenant Jimmy Cross relies on letters and pictures during his time in the war. Cross often spends his days fanaticizing about a college aged girl named Martha instead…...
PhilosophyPsychologyThe Things They Carried
A Focus on the Character Peyton in Ambrose Bierce’s “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”
In the story An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge written by Ambrose Bierce the main character is Peyton Farquhar. Farquhar is a wealthy plantation owner and a confederate supporter, who was incapable of joining the army. He is a husband and a father, the story does not incorporate how many children he has. At the beginning of the story the scne of Farquhar entwined in a noose, standing on wooden planks, and dangling over a raging river. During this scene…...
An Occurrence At Owl Creek BridgeFictionLiterature
An Analysis of An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce
The plot is about a man who has been wrongly accused and is now being hanged by an organised military group. The man gradually is deprived of oxygen as the noose is tightened. He then begins hallucinating and the reader is lead astray to thinking that the man is escaping, when in reality he is simply distorted due to the rope is structured in a very manipulative way. The story begins at a point which is just before the end…...
An Occurrence At Owl Creek BridgeExperienceThought
A Comparison of “An Occurance at Owl Creek Bridge” and “The Snows of Kilimanjaro”
Death is an intriguing thing. From time immemorial we have feared it, used it, pondered it. Frequently, stories allow the reader into the minds of those immediately surrounding the one who will die; but all of us "will die." Our morbid interest is in dying, the going, that threshold between death and life. What happens there? There are similarities and differences in how death appears to the protagonist, written by Ambrose Bierce in An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, and…...
An Occurrence At Owl Creek BridgeFictionMind
An Analysis of “Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” and “Young Goodman Brown”
For an author, time is a tool manipulated for specific purposes. In the story "Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" by Ambrose Bierce, time is condensed and shifted in accordance with the changes of the main character's reality. In "Young Goodman Brown" by Nathaniel Hawthorne it is not time that is altered but Goodman's dreaming mind. Both time and the subconscious mind affect reality in varying ways. How does time-manipulation or dreams affect a character's reality, and how does this affect…...
An Occurrence At Owl Creek BridgePhilosophyPsychology
An Examination of the Author’s Point of View in An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge
Being my second time reading this macabre tale, I had not expected it to have the same effect as it did when I was a high-school junior. However, as I knew how the events played out, I was able to note several things I missed on my first read-through. Ambrose Bierce is quite an illustrative and descriptive writer, almost tiringly so; however, I had not considered that by intentionally neglecting a second dialogue, he was weaving another side to the…...
An Occurrence At Owl Creek BridgePhilosophyPsychology
Realism and Prisoners of War in “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”
Ambrose Bierce's "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” demonstrates realism for prisoners of war. The story takes place during the American Civil War. The main character is Peyton Farquhar, a farmer and family man in his 30's. Farquhar lives' in northern Alabama, he is also a slave owner devoted to the southern cause. In the first section of " An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" Peyton Farquhar is standing on railroad bridge surrounded by his executioners. Ambrose uses great detail…...
An Occurrence At Owl Creek BridgeConflictFiction
An Analysis of We Real Cool by Gwendolyn Brooks
According to Gwendolyn Brooks the poem We Real Cool was written about the attitude and thoughts of a group of young men who skipped school to play pool at a local pool hall. This was an actual occurrence witnessed by the author and she was curious as to what went on in their heads, sparking her to write the poem. In the line We sing sin I think she is referring to their character, meaning they are enthusiastically, without shame,…...
FictionLiteratureWe Real Cool
The Making of Our Video of the Poem, We Real Cool by Gwendolyn Brooks
When we first were given this assignment, I was genuinely excited because I love making iMovies and taking pictures. I did not realize the level of difficulty this project was going to entail. This multimedia project was enjoyable but it was also stressful and difficult. When we were given the list of poems I started to analyze them and search for the one I would want to use to explain a cultural problem. The first time I read, We Real…...
EntertainmentFictionWe Real Cool
The African American Oppression in Their Eyes Were Watching God
Upon its release in 1937, long overdue from the age of African American expressionism that materialized during what we now know as the Harlem Renaissance, Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God drew widespread criticism from many prominent and contemporary writers for Hurston's failure to take on racial tensions and racial discrimination. Perhaps the most trenchant of criticism came from Richard Wright, a fellow contemporary author and civil rights activist who typically used his writing as a means of…...
PoliticsSocial IssuesTheir Eyes Were Watching God
The Journey of Janie to Find Herself in Their Eyes Were Watching God
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston is a world renowned novel about a woman's journey to find self revelation. Along this journey Janie, the protagonist of the novel, encounters many gender stereotypes. As if being a woman isn't tough enough, Janie is also black making it even harder for her to persevere. Though the odds are against her she manages to pre- vail. When reading the novel, one could conclude that Janie is a feminist yet others…...
FeminismSocial IssuesTheir Eyes Were Watching God
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
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