Literature essays

I have never enjoyed plays, but have never looked at them as ethical texts elucidating the most significant themes of Australia’s colonial past. In The Secret River, the author Andrew Bovell has designed the play, which symbolize different perspectives on Australia’s past. Stylistic features have been employed dominating the play. Emulating our notorious past, Andrew … Read more

It is no wonder that Christopher Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus, with its A-Text published in 1604, documents the fall of a man who succumbs to dark art as this play takes place during a period of great political and religious upheaval. In the early 1600s, England was subject to the monarchy’s vacillations from Catholicism to Protestantism, … Read more

The essay “How Immigrants Become ‘Other’” by Marcelo and Carola Suarez-Orozco illustrates the issue of immigrants never truly being accepted by natural born citizens of America. In the essay, it is discussed that immigrants are and have been treated differently. The different ways immigrants are treated differently is almost an unintelligent question to ask. Instead … Read more

Sweetness and Power is a book that takes on the task of exploring the economic, societal, and political forces that shaped the history of different parts of the world (with a specific focus on Britain) from the lens of a rather prosaic modern commodity— sugar. It delves into the nuances of the economic systems that … Read more

The Women’s Rights Movement, occurring in the late eighteen hundreds, challenged the ideology of the “perfect” woman. Women’s voices and actions were disregarded and unheard. The movement embodied a principle derived from Ralph Waldo Emerson, “The idea of thinking of oneself without the rules of society inspires free thought (Emerson “Self Reliance”),” a transcendentalist who … Read more

A dystopian society is often used in fictional stories in which the author creates the worst-case scenario when it comes to some kind of disorder in the government or society. What makes up a dystopian society ranges differently in the author’s style of writing. For example, a dystopian society often contains elements like totalitarian government, … Read more

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the term “liberal” is defined as “archaic : of or befitting a man of free birth” or “marked by generosity.” In the eyes of most people, the term “liberal” is synonymous with “tolerant” and “open-minded.” However, in “The Concept of a Liberal Society,” Louis Hartz — an influential political scientist … Read more

A good book is a great way to unwind yourself and rejuvenate your mind. Several genres of novels have gained popularity over the years but nothing is as satisfying to the senses as the feeling of completing a good mystery novel.  The several twists and turns in the plot and unravelling mysteries are bound to … Read more

By looking at examples from different points in his career, we can see that Stephen Sondheim’s treatment of female characters becomes increasingly more complex and interesting. At the beginning of Sondheim’s career, when he wrote the lyrics to West Side Story (1957), a collaboration with Leonard Bernstein and Arthur Laurents, the females could be considered … Read more

Throughout history, literary works have shared many common themes and plots despite many hundreds of years between dates of publication. In William Shakespeare’s King Lear and Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex, similar plots of character development maintain their presence, echoing throughout history. To begin, there is a common theme of madness throughout the texts, symbolizing the fall … Read more

William Shakespeare is famous for his use of tragedy as a style in most of his plays. This is also seen in his play “Julius Caesar” which involves a tragic hero who ends up facing a tragic event as the play comes to an end. Caesar is killed by Brutus, who is also a character … Read more