Literature

CONTENTS Characters and Analysis Willy Loman The protagonist of the play, Willy is characterized by insecurities and general illusions about life. While he seems to believe in the dream of a rise to success in business and the wealth which comes with that, these things have alluded him. He is also profoundly disappointed in his sons who have not lived up to...

From: Literature Guides

Characters and Analysis Alice A girl of seven, she is the protagonist of the story. She is a rational girl who sees the world as stable and orderly. Her adventures in Wonderland frustrate her but they also open her eyes to the magic around her. The White Rabbit A worried and frantic creature, the White Rabbit is crucial since he...

From: Literature Guides

Characters and Analysis Faustus: Doctor Faustus is the leading character. He is a brilliant scholar in sixteenth century Germany. He has a thirst for knowledge, fame and fortune that runs so deep that he is willing to trade his mortal soul to Lucifer in return for cosmic powers. Faustus’s tragic grandeur is diminished by the fact that he never does...

From: Literature Guides

Maya Angelou, an American poet, memoirist, actress, and an important figure in the American Civil Rights Movement, wrote many beautiful and thought-provoking poems. One such poem is “Touched by an Angel.” In this poem, Angelou describes how people are before they fall in love, the ups and downs of love, and how love changes us. She died in 2014. Touched...

From: Poem Examples

Lord Alfred Tennyson wrote “The Charge of the Light Brigade” by hand in December 1854. The poem is about the attack of the Light Brigade on the Russians and the Battle of Balaclava, which took place in 1854. The battle was fought between Russia, Britain, Turkey and France because Russia wanted to gain control of the Dardanelles, an important British...

From: Poem Examples

CONTENTS Important Themes The American Dream Willy emphatically believes in the American myth of the rise of the individual in society. The notion that anyone can be achieve economic and social success through hard work is one of Willy’s central beliefs. He takes this in an almost childish sense. He believes that being well-liked and being attractive are all that...

From: Literature Guides

CONTENTS The book uses a mockingbird as a symbol of innocence. Atticus Finch forbids his children to kill mockingbirds, declaring it a sin. Another symbol is a mad (rabid) dog that Atticus has to shoot to defend himself and other people. This dog symbolizes racism, prejudice and lack of humanity prevailing in the town that Atticus has to fight. If...

From: Literature Guides

New historicism theory – an explanation As described, the new historicism theory evaluates literature through a comprehensive analysis of the social and cultural events that surround the event being described and so much more how these socio-cultural events help to build the event. In essence, new historicism aims at understanding intellectual history through literature and literature through the cultural context surrounding...

From: Literary Movements

The poem has a vivid use of imagination and a controversial use of Holocaust as metaphors by Sylvia Plath. The poem, which was written on October 12, 1962 shortly before Plath’s death is considered as one of the most anthologized poems in American Literature, which portrays a complex relationship between Plath and her father. Daddy BY SYLVIA PLATH You do...

From: Poem Examples

The hypocrisy of imperialism: Heart of darkness focuses on the issues that surround imperialism in very complex ways. While marlow ventures from the outer station to the central station, and eventually up the river to the inner station, he stares in the face of torture, cruelty and slavery. At its root, the novel paints a dark picture of colonial enterprise. The...

From: Literature Guides