Literature Essays

Epic poem “Beowulf” is the only survived one of the “barbarian” peoples of Europe. Its main backbone was formed before the adoption of Christianity. The poem glorifies pagan virtues such as fearlessness in battle, loyalty to the tribe and leader, ruthless revenge on the enemies. The world described in “Beowulf” …

In every story, characters are the ones who give life, and add spice. The way a character is portrayed greatly adds to the development of a story. This is seen in Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart,” and Anton Chekhov’s “Misery.” The protagonists in each story hold different perspectives in …

The angle of the lighting casts a shadow across him however; it is clear from his demeanour that he is a man of importance. As he emerges from the silhouettes his attire is a contrast to the shabby backdrop. His name is Mr Alfieri and his character is vital in …

Often, the perception is that Fitzgerald has certain hostility towards the ‘New’ post-war women of the 1920s. To some extent this is reflected within his novel, where he focuses on the symbolic significance of the young, American woman who represents a new philosophy of romantic individualism, rebellion, and liberation. The …

Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” was first published in1603, a time when women were very much seen to be second class citizens and inferior to men in almost everyway. She is possibly one of Shakespeare’s most confusing characters throughout his plays. More questions are raised throughout the play about her than are answered. …

The First World War began in 1914 when the archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria was assassinated by Serbians. This outraged Hungary causing major uproar, when they retaliated they sparked the beginning of a war that would drag on for 4 years. Britain became involved on the 4th of August 1914 …

One decision can change your whole life. In the play “Romeo & Juliet”, the character Friar Lawrence makes this wrong decision and finally results in the death of two “star-crossed” lovers. He is not the only one to blame for though, the nurse who spoils Juliet and allows her to …

Williams portrays desire as being constructive and destructive in the play. The constructive nature of desire is shown between Stella and Stanley, who have a violent desire driven relationship, where Stanley’s brutish nature drives them apart but the animal like desire they have for one another brings them together. This …

Tennyson and Sassoon both had different approaches to war. By studying their poems we discovered that Tennyson had never experienced war and was a normal poet. This maybe the reason why he had different views on war, and what actually happened during a war battle. Sassoon was an official war …

The two novels, The Wars by Timothy Findley and All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque, have a few similarities. The two books are about the same war, but they tell the story of two very different people. Although one book is about a Canadian officer, and …