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.
Janie’s Feelings About Joe in Their Eyes Were Watching God
In the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, author Zora Neale Hurston uses metaphor and imagery to express Janie's feelings about Joe and her marriage, which was characterized by neglect, misogyny, control, and labor. When Joe assaults her after a disappointing meal, she finally articulates to herself the lie of her marriage, that she felt "no more blossomy openings dusting pollen over her man, neither any glistening fruits where the petals used to be" (Hurston 68). Throughout the novel, Hurston…...
EthicsSexualityTheir Eyes Were Watching God
Identity and Self-Actualization in Their Eyes Were Watching God
In the novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, written by Zora Neale Hurston, the concept of identity and self-actualization is prominent throughout the life of the protagonist Janie Crawford. The novel depicts the trials, tribulations, and triumphs that Janie experiences in life and love in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Hurston depicts Janie's life as a mixed-race woman living in a time when women were kept cleaning and cooking in the home, however, Janie goes through life wanting…...
PoliticsSocial IssuesTheir 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
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The Lifestyle of the Teens in the 1960’s in Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been
The story "where are you going where have you been" is showing us the teenagers life style in 1960s: movie theaters, shopping malls, drive-in restaurants, ranch-style homes. The author is talking specifically about a girl named Connie. But there is many weird stuff in the story like the creepy guy named Arnold Friend, and the way he showed up suddenly. What was all these things? The author is considering Connie as the credulous girl, and Arnold as the malign person…...
BibleLiteratureWhere 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
A Character Analysis of Arnold Friend within the Work of Joyce Carol Oates
With the world being full of people who portray themselves as someone or something they are not, people hide their identity to obtain things they desire. In Joyce Carol Oates's, "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been," Arnold Friend is an example of someone trying to trick another individual into believing he is someone he is not. Arnold Friend is a mystery to the readers and scholars because it was not stated whether he is a boy, a man,…...
DreamPhilosophyWhere Are You Going Where Have You Been
Poverty and Forgotten Issues in “Nickels and Dimes”
Dr. Barbara Ehrenreich was a journalist, however she was formally educated and held a Ph.D. in cellular biology. She wrote Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America, after coming up with the idea to investigate what it is like to live in poverty in America. She argued that the government does not distribute aid properly and doesn't ensure that welfare recipients are able to find jobs, and that living on minimum wage is not possible. Ida B. Wells-Barnett…...
Nickel And DimedPovertySocial Issues
The Social Experiment in Nickel and Dimed, a Book by Barbara Ehrenreich
The book Nickel and Dimed was created by a journalist who wanted to make her own news. Barbara Ehrenreich, a social change writer with a Ph.D. in Biology, did this by putting herself in shoes many people don't want to be in. In her book, Ehrenreich reflects in her social experiment of stripping away her comfortable life style and survive as a low-wage working class citizen. She would work various low-wage jobs and live off those paychecks. Her paychecks would…...
EmploymentNickel And DimedSocial Issues
An Overview of the Sociological Theories in “Nickel and Dimed”
All Sociological theories can be discussed through Barbara Ehrenreich's Nickel and Dimed and much can be demonstrated. The length of this paper will have brief overviews of Nickel and Dimed while going over sociological concepts presented by sociologist such as Marx, Weber, and Wright. The author's opinion, while present in writing, will be compared to Ehrenreich's experiences as well. Barbara Ehrenreich is a journalist who focuses on socio- political issues and holds a Ph.D. in Biology. The novel Nickel and…...
EmploymentNickel And DimedSocial Issues
The Lives of the Working in “Nickel and Dimed”
In the year of 1776, with a total population of roughly 2.5 million people, the United States of America was founded on the moral premise that, "by working hard, you would have a good life." And yet 237 years later, with a staggering population of roughly 314 million people, does that premise still hold true? This highly debated question was answered in the novel Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America by Barbara Ehrenreich. Here, she explores the…...
EmploymentNickel And DimedSocial Issues
A Comparison Between “Grapes of Wrath” and “Nickel and Dimed”
After World War II, compensation has increased while discrimination, members of unions, and workers with benefits decreased. Themes of rich versus poor and corporate greed from Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck and Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich portray the low wage working class during the Great Depression and in 2001, respectively. Minimum wage jobs and its compensation, discriminations, unions, and benefits have all changed, drastically or slight, throughout the years since the Great Depression. The Great Depression of…...
Minimum WageNickel And DimedUnemployment
Summary of Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich
In the book, Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America, the author Barbara Ehrenreich investigates the impact the 1996 welfare reform act had on the working poor in America from the perspective of an undercover journalist. On August 22, 1996 then President Bill Clinton signed "The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996" or the 1996 welfare act which replaced the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program with the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families…...
EmploymentNickel And DimedPoverty
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
An Analysis of Commercialism in Richard Cory by Edwin Arlington Robinson
In a society generally shaped by its commercialism, many people will fall into the unfortunate trap of trying to exceed someone elsels standards. The catalyst for this maddening condition exists all around us: in car commercials, on bumper stickers (He who dies with the most toys wins!), in stores peddling expensive passing fashions, and on billboards flaunting houses of ridiculous size and cost. Children are conditioned to covet a brass ring that is impossible to attain, and will either spend…...
Edwin Arlington RobinsonPoetryPoverty
A Shocking Irony in Edwin Robinson’s Poem Richard Cory
In the poem, Richard Cory, Robinson describes the character, Richard Cory, as being wealthy, generous, handsome, and courteous. Regardless of his social status, Richard Cory, greets the townspeople, who thought that he was perfect. At the end of the poem, Robinson surprise the reader by stating that Richard Cory had shot and killed himself. The people of the town were blind to see that Richard Cory was unhappy. Richard Cory was generous and kind to all the townspeople because he…...
Edwin Arlington RobinsonFictionLove
An Analysis of the Topic of Edwin Arlington Robinson’s Richard Cory
Growing up as a child, what did you picture your life as an adult? Did you picture think of yourself having your dream job and marrying the person of your dreams? Do you picture yourself living in a town that you absolutely love with your spouse and children? Would not this be the perfect life to have? Imagine not having a life anything you dream of as a child. In "Richard Cory" by Edwin Arlington Robinson, Richard Cory did not…...
Edwin Arlington RobinsonExperiencePoetry
An Interpretation of Richard Cory, a Poem by Edwin Arlington Robinson
The poem "Richard Cory" explores the disconnection between outward appearance and inner feelings. It also addresses what does not really make people happy and role models. In the poem, Richard Cory is a gentleman who everyone looked up to. He was handsome, rich, and well educated. Everyone in town wanted to be like Richard Cory but then one summer night Richard killed himself. Richard's suicide shows the disconnection between his outward appearance and his inner felling. He talked normally to…...
Edwin Arlington RobinsonFictionHappiness
A Comprehensive Analysis of Miniver Cheevy, a Poem by Edwin Arlington Robinson
Edwin Arlington's Robinson's "Miniver Cheevy" contrasts the discontented frustrated live of Miniver Cheevy. When Miniver was born, there was some joy in his family, what I mean by this is that he was not happy at all because he was born late and was different from them. But, as the poem starts to telling us his goals and wants, we start noticing that he is not going in the right direction, and that he is wasting his time thinking about…...
Edwin Arlington RobinsonLiteraturePoetry
The Differences Between Death and Love in Luke Havergal by Edwin Robinson
Luke Havergal by Edwin Robison showcases the use of diction to highlight the key components of the poem. Luke Havergal is about a man being tempted into the western gates of death from the words of a past lover who arrives from the grave. The poem creates a very clear subject through the use of two personas, a seductive woman and a man (Luke Havergal) who is being trapped into committing suicide in the name of love. The audience can…...
Edwin Arlington RobinsonLovePoetry
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
Analysis of “Superman and Me” and “The One Who Walks Away From Omelas”
The benefit of narratives is gaining perspectives from a good short story. Some writers use narrative to tell the audience a story or reflect on past events. It can be motivational, educational, or solely for entertainment. In writing a good narratives, the fundamental purpose is to captivate the audience and keep them engaged as the story is told. Narrative writing can provide a therapeutic outlet for the author, allowing you to relive an event and gain clarity or peace about…...
EthicsExperienceSuperman And Me
A Life of Crisis and Hardships in the Jilting of Granny Weatherall
The Jilting of Granny Weatherall is a story of self-realization, regret, and irony. On her deathbed, a memory of sixty years ago, Granny (Ellen) Weatherall could no longer repress the day she was jilted by her husband-to-be. Voices and visions, imagined and real, linger and emerge throughout the story as this bold woman lives out her final moments. The name Weatherall is a suitable name for Granny as she has weathered many crises and hardships. In the beginning of the…...
FictionLiteratureThe Jilting Of Granny Weatherall
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 Killer Angels by Michael Shaara
Michael Shaara was an American writer of historical fiction, science fiction, and sports fiction. He has written five novels and four short stories. Of them all, The Killer Angels being one of his more well known and earning him a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. It is also a national best seller among other things. He received his viewpoints and information behind the Killer Angels from his family. Shaara was born in Jersey City, New Jersey to Michael Joseph Sr., an…...
ConflictMilitaryThe Killer Angels
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 Minister’s Black Veil, a Story by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Nathaniel Hawthornes, The Ministers Black Veil is a story of willful sacrifice towards an eternal cause. Father Hooper, the main character of the story, appears one day with a black veil covering his visage. Questions arise as to what is the reason to this peculiar practice. (And it remains a mystery throughout the story, one can only hypothesize on its meaning.) Below, we will discuss some of the possible reasons for wearing that veil. There are several instances, where Hawthorne…...
ReligionThe Minister'S Black VeilTheology
An Analysis of The Minister’s Black Veil, a Story by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Do you really know what the classic story "The Wizard of Oz" is about? I'll give you a hint, it's notabout some girl flying over a rainbow, playing with living scarecrows, and battling witches. Eachcharacter in the story symbolizes something much deeper. It was a metaphor of a young girl leaving herhome facing the harshness of life on her own. The moral of the story is that no matter how wonderful aplace may be, there is no place like home.…...
AllegoryFictionThe Minister'S Black Veil
Thanatopsis and other Literary Works of William Cullen Bryant
William Cullen Bryant was an exceptional writer that helped make New York a center for the rising tide of American literature. As a poet, editor, journalist, and critic, Bryant became a leading citizen of New York City and had a great influence in the literary world. His involvement with the Knickerbocker group, as well as the New York Evening Post, greatly contributed to his rise as a literary influence. His recognition enabled him to use his writings to address issues…...
LiteratureRomanticismThanatopsis
A Review of William Cullen Bryant’s Early 19th Century Poem, Thanatopsis
In William Cullen Bryants early nineteenth century poem Thanatopsis, a collage of imagery and ideas surround a central theme of the cycle of life. Within this poem lies a story of great wonder and hope. The story is that of the afterlife in which Bryant conveys a lot of the same ideas of a majestic and heavenly paradise that are present in the Christian Bible. Since Bryant was schooled heavily in theology, is Thanatopsis based on the ideas that the…...
AfterlifeReligionThanatopsis
The Transformation of the Earth Throughout Poem Thanatopsis
William Cullen Bryant was taught a harsh Calvinistic religion, which sets the stage for his views of nature reflected in the poem, . Nature speaks through many ways in his poems. He used metaphors to demonstrate melancholy and disintegration. Throughout the poem, William Cullen Bryant shows a transformation of the earth! In the following line, To him who in the love of Nature holds Communion with her visible forms, she speaks; a various language; for his grayer hours, She has…...
MetaphorPoetryThanatopsis
The Description of Death Through the Use of Metaphors in Thanatopsis
The poetry piece "Because I could not stop for Death" by Emily Dickinson and "Thanatopsis" by William Bryant both use metaphors with houses to describe death. Bryant writes, "And breathless darkness, and the narrow house, / Make thee to shudder, and grow sick at heart:" to give a metaphor that the dark narrow house is a coffin. Bryant makes the house narrow like a coffin, breathless like a dead body in a coffin, and the haunting feeling of death. The…...
PoemsPoetryThanatopsis
The Issue of Slavery in The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
When Frederick Douglass wrote this story in 1845, he wrote it is as an autobiography, beginning at the time he was born into slavery towards his escape into the north to find freedom. Throughout the 1840s and the 1850s countless ex-slaves wrote narratives regarding their lives and journeys to freedom. Fredrick Douglass's Narrative stands apart because it addresses deeper philosophical issues. This narrative is an effective argument against slavery because instead of debating the legal status and politics of slavery,…...
Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick DouglassPhilosophySlavery
The Masters of Frederick Douglass in Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
It's easy to see that the cruel institution of slavery is very corrupt indeed. This is shown especially through the life of Frederick Douglass, who recounts in Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass the many different masters he had to deal with. Although at first glance, some of them seem to be more sympathetic and understanding, in the end Douglass is forced to acknowledge that simply being a single part in the grand scheme of slavery will induce moral…...
Human RightsNarrative Of The Life Of Frederick DouglassSlavery
The Importance of Knowledge in Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
In this book, Frederick Douglass describes both his journey of slavery and significance or importance of knowledge versus ignorance. Frederick Douglass, a born slave, tells not only his life events and experiences in this book but also takes his readers into the mind of a child who is trying to understand what it means to be a slave. The response of critics was in words like "vivid" and "shocking" for the book, 'Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass.' It…...
Human RightsNarrative Of The Life Of Frederick DouglassSlavery
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