Literature Essay Samples Page 651

Mysticism according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is defined as a, “belief in the possibility of union with or absorption into God by means of contemplation and self-surrender; belief in or devotion to the spiritual apprehension of truths inaccessible to the intellect”. When worshiping a higher power, many different cultures experience the notion of self-surrender…

Abtract Anger can be destructive. When unleashed without due consideration for others, it can be disparaging. The negative outcome is usually irreversible. Anger may stem from different reasons which may be seen as justifiable, as in the case of being abused and the offended party gives vent to rage over the transgression; or uncalled-for, like…

In The Great Gatsby, the Valley of Ashes prominently displays the color gray, symbolizing despair in this desolate location. Fitzgerald describes it as a peculiar farm where ashes grow like wheat, shaping ridges, hills, and strange gardens. The ash-gray men tirelessly swarm with heavy shovels, forming an impenetrable cloud. The Valley of Ashes is inhabited…

I, living in the 21st century, would be inclined to agree with the above statement, but a 17th century audience might be more likely to disagree due to an increased belief in the supernatural – therefore I believe that the question that needs to be asked is, to what extent is Macbeth responsible for his…

“The freak show was all I could think about that night. I tried forgetting it but I couldn’t, not even when I was watching my favorite TV shows. It sounded so weird: a snake-boy, a wolf-man, a performing spider. I was especially excited by the spider…. ,” –Darren Shan. In the book Cirque du Freak…

After they meet at the ball, Romeo makes the choice to trespass on Caplet property to see Juliet again. Shortly after they agree to go and be married. Juliet, who was supposed to marry County Paris but is now secretly married to Romeo, makes the decision to pretend to die so she will not have…

During the dissenter period, youths often become self-centered and argumentative, rebelling against authority and feeling vulnerable. However, as they enter the leader phase, they begin to develop a sense of security, confidence, and capability. In Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, love, embodied by Romeo, acts as the guiding force that leads Juliet through the stages of…

There are people that believe that happy endings and easy love are not possible. Two classic authors portray this belief by creating sly antagonists that destroy the possible happy endings of the people around them. F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway create strong female characters in The Great Gatsby and The Sun Also Rises that…

Cultural influences have always had an impact on the present times societal structure & gender roles, throughout history. The 1900’s was a time of both American accomplishments and failures. In the 1940’s the demand for theater acts and movie role playing for entertainment started to take root in the hearts and minds of locals. In…

Langston Hughes was an African American poet and author who joined other black artists to break literary barriers during the civil rights movement. The poem entitled Theme for English B was written thirty years or so after the birth of the Harlem Renaissance, but still embodies why the Renaissance had originated in the first place….