Newest Literature Essays

Adam Smith, an 18th century economist, coined the term “Invisible Hand” as a metaphor for the unseen forces that move the free market economy. In Mr. Smith’s opinion, it is beneficial for individuals to pursue their own interests, as he believes...

Since the start of the 21st century, the paradigm of fighting a war has been turned completed on its head by a technology capable of obliterating anything at the flip of a switch by an operator thousands of miles away and by someone who has never...

Beast-bridegroom stories have been around for centuries. They can be traced back to the story of Psyche and Cupid, written in the second century as a side story of The Golden Ass by Lucius Apuleius. In these stories, a young maiden falls in love...

Maria Irene Fornes was a renowned director, playwright, and a painter whose works have been a powerful influence in the development of Hispanic theater, among an ensemble of writers such as Luis Valdez. Furthermore, her creations have been an...

Adolescence alone, as a transitional period from child to adult, marks a challenging time in an individual’s life. Often times, factors outside the mind and body seem to exist solely to aggravate this tremulous, question-filled period. Poet X’s...

Jackie Kay once wrote in an article for ‘The Guardian’ newspaper that ‘being adopted is like having a double life. Being a writer is like having a double life. You live in two worlds at once…when you’re adopted and you trace your original parents,...

Though it spans back centuries, nonconvention is often regarded by people as a trait belonging solely to the present day. Famous playwright William Shakespeare’s works exemplify this truth. In particular, Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice...

What a worthwhile life entails remains unknown, but not undebated. For instance, Leo Tolstoy’s 19th century novella The Death of Ivan Ilyich features Ivan Ilyich, a Russian man devoted to living his life in accordance with the wills of his...

Let who says

‘The soul's a clean white paper,’ rather say,

A palimpsest, a prophets holograph

Defiled, erased and covered by a monk's,—

The apocalypse, by a Longus! poring on

Which obscene text, we may discern perhaps

Some fair, fine trace of what...

In every system of cultural meaning-making, there occur certain words and names which are connotatively "loaded," which have an "emotional valence" in excess of their denotations. Such was the word "Salome" in late nineteenth-century western...

Peter Pan was originally written by James Barrie, in play form. Later on, he converted it into the children’s book that is popular today. There have been many adaptations of this book, including a movie of the same title made in 2003 by P.J....

Belonging is an essential part of life, without belonging we experience a lack of understanding which evolves into the establishment of separation and alienation from our communities. Our connections between people around us and our communities...

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is an American fairytale written by L. Frank Baum.The original story was adapted by director Victor Flemming in 1939 and created into a film. While there are many details from the original story that have been changed,...

As a psychological dramatist who himself had suffered from the cruel ageing process, Williams delves into human nature’s Achilles’ heel: the impact of the passage of time. Through a complex portrayal of the dramatis personae and various elements...

Belonging to fabula palliatae, the argument of originality and contribution has arised in Plautine plays in many phases. Romanising Greek plays, Plautus didn’t merely just copy them, making slight changes here and there. In fact, he redefined...

George Orwell’s novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, (1949), and Caryl Churchill’s play Far Away, (2000), explore the harsh truths of the human experience through dystopian concepts. Acting as political statements these texts juxtapose their respective...

James Baldwin’s “On Being ‘White’ and Other Lies” provides a radical interpretation of the term “white” as a completely voluntary identity, formed solely because of the need to suppress Blackness when our nation first gained its footing. Written...

Those in poverty often find themselves frustrated by the lack of opportunity in their lives. In Edith Wharton’s Ethan Frome, a failing farmer named Ethan and his sick, estranged wife Zeena navigate personal and moral boundaries as life throws many...

In the play A Man for All Seasons by Robert Bolt, one of the principal characters is “the Common Man.” The Common Man plays various roles, such as the Mores’ steward, his jailer, and his executioner. As the Common Man is meant to represent...

Although sometimes minute details are as they appear, in the short stories “Seven People Dancing” by Langston Hughes and “A Perfect Day for Bananafish” by J. D. Salinger the minute details paint a larger picture of social alienation. Through the...

Tricksters are a common staple in Indigenous lore, appearing as various animals, such as coyotes and ravens. They teach how to treat others and general mistakes to avoid. The book Motorcycles and Sweetgrass by Drew Hayden Taylor follows an...

Breaking away from the collective human experience can be difficult but transformative. Anomalies, paradoxes and inconsistencies of the human experience entice viewers to confront their personal assumptions and challenges their already ingrained...

“Immediately she saw him Janey thought he must be a fine man.”

This quote is from The 42nd parallel written by John Dos Passos in 1930. It is the first volume of the U.S.A trilogy which also includes 1919 and The Big Money. John Dos Passos is an...