Writers Page 318

Baroness Orczy’s novel, The Scarlet Pimpernel, took place during the gruesome French Revolution, as French aristocrats were being relentlessly brought to death. When several started strangely disappearing, it was said that the Scarlet Pimpernel, a notorious, devious hero, aided them in their escape. Inevitably, the fate of this elusive stranger became entangled with an admired,…

Poet Walt Whitman was born in Westhills, Long Island on May 31, 1819. Despite a difficult and dull childhood in Brooklyn, Whitman completed his education at the age of eleven and took up various jobs for extra income. As a poet, he fearlessly tackled subjects and individuals in his works. In poems like “O Captain!…

To what extent is Desdemona presented as a tragic victim in the play ‘Othello’? Desdemona, the daughter of Venetian senator Brabantio, is captivated by Othello’s fables of bravery as a warrior and she falls in love with him. In view of the fact that Desdemona is a “fair” woman and Othello is “an old black…

The theme of sacrifice plays a large part in William Shakespeare’s play, Romeo and Juliet. Romeo and Juliet is a story of “star cross’d lovers” entangled in a love story destined in tragedy. Set in the Italian city of Verona, the streets are ablaze with conflict and terror. Right from the beginning we are shown…

Robert E. Howard was an avid reader of Weird Tales, the famous fantasy pulp magazine that was launched in the spring of 1923. He may have seen the first issue of the magazine while studying in Brownwood. The issues of Weird Tales usually appeared a month earlier than their cover date would suggest. Howard’s first known mention…

Despite the intended purpose of justice to be impartial and equitable, Arthur Miller’s film The Crucible reveals the inherent flaws in achieving this, as various instances highlight the presence of unjust forces. The film convincingly depicts how reason, emotion, and character expose injustice within the challenging social circumstances of a Puritan community. Justice emerges as…

The scene in the graveyard symbolizes the evolution of Hamlet’s mental state throughout the play. Here, he reflects on the various conflicts he has faced and comes to a new understanding of life and death. He compares the corruption of death to the corruption that occurred in Act 1, when his father died. He also…

Ebony and Crystal: Poems in Verse and Prose (1922, The Auburn Journal) was Clark Ashton Smith’s third volume of poetry, following The Star-Treader and Other Poems (1912, Robertson) and Odes and Sonnets (1918, The Book Club of California). Smith had conceived the volume as early as 1916, and by late 1920 had a manuscript which…

Alienation Many characters during the Victorian to early Modern literature era were alienated. Causes of alienation during this time period included familial separation, social class or gender restrictions, and self-isolation from society. These characters may display the common causes of alienation, but ared still connected to their families and society. Some characters may alienate themselves,…

The Tempest is a play with many themes and motifs which guide the story of the play through out. One of the main and most important themes In the entire play would be the theme of Revenge. The concept of revenge is the main object fuelling the story and the reason behind Prosperous strange actions….