Tale Argumentative Essays Samples For Students

The Canterbury Tales is one of the greatest pieces of literature because of Chaucer’s story-telling techniques. He weaves together various stories and characters to create this memorable tale that continues to be studied and examined throughout the ages. However, some of the pilgrim’s tales are more engaging to the readers than other ones. For instance, the Knight’s Tale is filled with courtly love, jousting and war scenes, as well as the time honored knight’s code. It can be considered a tale of courtly love as well as an epic due to its writing style. Despite ...

Margaret Atwood is the promising Canadian author who has written a number of famous poems and novels. She is mainly known as a great novelist and champion of the cause of Canadian literature. Atwood focuses on the binarity of existential experience in Canada. Land and mind, wilderness and civilization, alienation and identity are the opposing elements in Canadian life and she has immensely tried to create a sense of existential experience in her works. She “spent much of her early life in the northern Ontario and Quebec bush country” (Oxford Companion 31). Atwood’s famous dystopian fiction, The Handmaid's ...

A Midwife’s Tale is a detailed biography of Martha Ballard, a midwife in the late period of the 1700s to the early 1800s who wrote a diary of her daily operation’s ranging from 1st January 1785 to 8th May 1812. Ballard’s everyday life can be categorized as being a very extraordinary woman that lived an ordinary lifestyle in the community of Puritan. Ballard’s life represented many women in America in the late 18th century who had less power and minimal rights compared to men. The book continues to illustrate the daily chores of Martha Ballard, ...

Gothic Literature
Gothic novel originated in England, in the last quarter of the XVIII century. It opens up a world, freed from the everyday plausibility. This world is fantastic, with a gloomy color and plot, covered with historical and geographical romance and sinister atmosphere. Gothic novel is more than two hundred years; it has changed, has become modern, but have not lost its essential characteristics – pleasant horror, tension and excitement.

British Gothic Novel

Gothic novel in England has been very popular since the XVIII century. The “father” of this genre of literature is considered to be Horace Walpole, with the novel The ...

The majority of the narrator’s in Edgar Allan Poe’s stories have at least a little bit wrong with them. Even in “Pit and the Pendulum,” while the narrator appears to be an innocent victim of the Spanish Inquisition, his time below ground has certainly pushed his perspective toward the breaking point. In “The Tell-Tale Heart,” the narrator is convinced that he is not insane, and he is bent on convincing the reader that he is not insane. However, the fact that he waits until his murder victim’s eyes are open at night (and that the correct eye ...

Introduction

This argumentative essay utilizes the mechanism of intertextuality to analyze three different English classics namely: Louisa May Alcott, Little Women (1868-69); R. L. Stevenson, Treasure Island (1883) and Beatrix Potter, The Tale of Peter Rabbit (1902). Intertextuality establishes the relationships between different texts, here ‘The Tale of Peter Rabbit’, compared how the reader was influenced by the depiction of pictures as an additional methodology. Little Women and Treasure Island targeted specific genders and age groups. This essay seeks to establish connections or influence between these different books.

Discussion

Intertextuality enables the establishment of relationships between texts. Such can ...

Antoine Fuqua’s King Arthur (2004) Versus the Lancelyn Green’s King Arthur (1953)

In this paper, it will be shown that the 2004 film version of King Arthur is not an historical retelling, nor does it capture the real belief systems of a Sixth Century king. Clive Owens stars as King Arthur in the 2004 Hollywood version directed by Antoine Fuqua. In this version, the film states in the beginning intertitles that the story of King Arthur, while written down in the 15th century, is based on “a real hero who lived thousand years earlier in a period often called ...

And Chan-Wook Park

Given the increasing globalization of the film industry, Hollywood directors have begun to pull increasingly from international sources for their creative output. Looking into the small-but-potent international film markets, often directors from other countries are given the opportunity to cross-over into Hollywood. This is certainly the case with Asian cinema; many Asian film directors who have achieved success in Japan and Hong Kong have been given the chance to make films in America in order to provide a rapidly-consuming film market with the variety and quality it desires. In the 1980s and 1990s, two Asian directors in particular crossed over ...

It is a well-known fact that Mary Shelley’s family relationships were beset by difficulties, and she somehow ended up reflecting on them in her novel, Frankenstein. There are quite a few essays that prove the point that Mary Shelly expressed her own life into her fictional novel. However, an underlying subject in the novel has somehow evaded the critical eyes of critics, until Susan Coulter wrote about it in her essay “‘Frankenstein’ – a cautionary tale of bad parenting,” which is posted on Mary Shelley’s website. Through her essay, Frankenstein’ – a cautionary tale of bad parenting” and despite the use of limited ...

The River Between is a book authored by Ngugi Wa Thiong’o, a Kenyan writer highlighting the plight of Kenya and its citizens during the early white settlement era. The book shows how colonialists spelled radical changes for the two communities residing in opposing edges of a river. Colonialism pioneered a new understanding of the world for the Kenyan tribes. An example of one such tribe is the Kikuyu community, whose perception about the world changed with colonialism; the members of this community experienced new revelations about the world in which they lived. These communities had a choice to make; they were confronted with a ...

‘The Tell-Tale Heart’ is one of Edgar Allan Poe’s most famous short stories. The story goes on to describe the murder of an old man by a man driven by his extreme insanity. Poe’s characters stand out and leave an ever-lasting mark on the minds of the innumerable readers.
The narrator of the short story, ‘The Tell-Tale Heart’, recollects how he had killed an old man. He goes on to describe the story in first person narrative. How much of his description is true cannot be said and that makes him an unreliable narrator. He goes on ...

Is a Picture Really Worth a Thousand Words

In Art Speigelman’s graphic novel Maus I and II we get many actions illustrated in pictures instead of words. The novel portrays his father holocaust survival story and relationship with Vladeks. The comic book style pages show a powerful message through symbolism and the mimics. The novel begins with generalizing the Jews, the Polish, and the Germans with different animal characters. The Jews as mice, the Germans as cats, and the Polish as pigs. His novel depicts cat and mouse gaming struggles. The Jews were suffering, when were closed in this circle being sent into concentrations camps by the ...

Many of the stories in Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales are bawdy or tragic tales of love in some form; characters are always falling in love, getting married, being tricked into getting married, sleeping with married people, and many other permutations of that central theme. In The Canterbury Tales the storytellers seem to focus on love and marriage but their perception of love and marriage seems to be different. For the most part, while love is the domain of men (n terms of the pursuit of amorous or courtly love), marriage is the domain of women (as they use ...

The purpose why I would campaign against the banning of the Handmaid novel is due to its themes which has major implication on the current societies worldwide. (Atwood, p7) The main themes in this novel involve Feminism, the place of the individual in society, sexuality and power, the power of language, gender conflict and moral relativism. It is due to these themes which has hierarchical condemnation that drives those at authority feel sliced and thus intrigue the Bunning of this novel. My aim is to campaign against banning of this novel since it has consideration of individuals who are ...

Famed basketball player Chris Herren endured a great deal of controversy and criticism over the course of his career – infamous for his drug addiction and abuse, his surprising candor about these issues make him unique among professional sports players. Chris Herren’s heroin and painkiller addictions made his journey an incredibly tragic one; despite his successes, notoriety and incredible heights with the Boston Celtics, his American Dream turned into a tragedy. The tale of Chris Herren is one of a young, talented upstart who was unable to handle the amorality of the professional sports world – as his fame increased, the temptation to ...

The story of young Francis Tarwater is as old as the tale of Jacob from the Book of Genesis, struggling with God to find his own identity; it is as timeless as Young Goodman Brown’s exploration of his own darker sides. It is the story of the collision between the spiritual forces of good and evil and their own resolution in the tale of each of us. Just like many of us, Francis Tarwater has to make his own decisions about his spiritual future, and the influence he receives from his various father figures in the story is ...

The following paper highlights the role of words or language in the life of the major character Liesel. The introduction shows that general background of the paper and the overall setting of the novel. Zusak integrates his voice in the novel as he use Liesel to show the difference that word make in the lives of individuals. The paper also compares the way that Hitler uses words to manipulate the German people against how Liesel uses language to ease the burden of the characters she interacts with. In addition, there are the influential factors that play an integral role ...

The word hero is usually applied to the individuals who are dedicated to make difference in their life, community and the world. Therefore, committing heroism through being a hero is viewed as a comprehensively valued characteristic. However, heroism is frequently viewed as a rare and inherent characteristic, and hence does not exhibit in many individuals. This heroism train is portrayed by the in A Separate Road and Paul’s Case. A Separate Road is an autobiography that represents the life of Richard Wright. The book explains the Richard Wright’s journey from innocence to experienced life, where he overcomes the insidious effect ...

It cannot be denied that the medium of graphic novel has become one of the most quintessential vehicles of modern thought. What once were considered books aimed at children and teenagers, with highly sexualized content and appealing to the prurient and childish tastes of its consumers, comics have evolved into a legitimate art form studied in university classrooms and lecture halls around the world. Alan Moore’s Watchmen (1987), for example, provided a post-modern commentary on the nature of superheroes, the evils of capitalism, and the futility of the war in Vietnam. The Dark Knight Returns (1986), written by Frank Miller, ...

One of the traits that is commonly associated with the writing of Southern storyteller Flannery O’Connor is the use of shocking violence in order to advance her rhetorical arguments. One of the more ironic uses of violence occurs when she chooses to use it for the representation of salvation, frequently through the use of characters who are physically and/or spiritually grotesque in nature. “A Good Man is Hard to Find” is one of O’Connor’s most popular stories, and it demonstrates this principle. The Misfit is a murderer who shocks a Pharisaically pious grandmother into authentic spiritual awareness even ...

This essay discusses the short story “Sonny’s Blues” – a story of two brothers – Sonny, the principal character, and his (unnamed) brother who narrates the story. As a short story, this one is actually quite long, running to some 27 pages (122-148) in the version sourced from the website of the Southwest Career and Technical Academy (SWCTA). Most critics consider James Baldwin as one of America’s great writers and cite “Sonny’s Blues” as a straightforward account of two brothers, endeavouring to live a right and proper life in an era and environment rich in a climate characterized by “hatred and oppression” (Zimmerman, ...

Khaled Hosseini’s seminal literary work, The Kite Runner, has been able to reach out to the readers and critics alike owing to its quintessence. Set in the backdrop of a tumultuous Afghanistan where humanity and love is hard to find in the milieu of violence and extremism, the novel delves deep into the life of this individual, Amir. The book documents an emotional tale of his self-discovery and how his life transforms with age.
The story meanders through the journey of life of the protagonist and raises philosophical questions of conscience along with the choice and consequence of ...

Introduction

Murasaki Shikibu’s Tale of Genji tells the story of the Emperor’s son Genji. The novel, set during the Heian period, highlighted the romantic exploits of Genji and highlighted the adoration of people around him. It also reflected Genji’s dealings with the aristocracy and presented notable characteristics unique to the era. Alongside the prominence of Genji’s noble features throughout the novel comes the colorful selection of characters, all of which played significant roles that connected well to the events in which he featured.
Chapter Four of the novel, entitled “Yugao” or “The Twilight Beauty”, is ...

1) Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde's many poems, plays and novels poke subtle fun at the Victorian mainstream, addressing the faults and the problems inherent within that society. Many of his works deal with the decadence and beauty of the Victorian upper class, as well as how empty and duplicitous that society is. By painting detailed portraits of flawed and overly vain characters, he shows the Victorian aristocrat as someone nearly inhuman, and far from sympathetic. In many ways, it transcends the nature of the Victorian mainstream by holding a mirror up to it and pointing out its flaws, whether ...

What is love? Explain Chaucer? s attitude toward love. Although we have read only a few of his works so far, we have read several substantial pieces, enough to take a stab at this important and that you may now tackle this central and recurring theme in Chaucer’ s works. You’ll want to look at The Parlement of Foules, of course, and compare it to the treatment of love in The Canterbury Tales we have read so far, bearing in mind Chaucer’ s love for irony (which may appear in any of his works) and the possible interference that Chaucer’ ...

The dystopian novel is a unique category in literature, with its own unique sets ot stylistic rules. With dystopia, you also get a particular type of reader, and a particular type of writer. One would not expect, for example, dystopia out of F. Scott Fitzgerald or Ernest Hemingway. These authors, while having their own demons, take humanity’s flaws and portray them on a realistic stage. Dystopia takes the flaws of humanity and makes them normative for everyone. This is the world of writers like Vonnegut, Margaret Atwood (The Handmaid’s Tale) and George Orwell. These writers draw readers who have, like them, ...

On reading Herman Melville’s novella Billy Budd it becomes obvious that the story’s implications reach greatly beyond that of a simple tale of a mutiny and hanging at sea. The story is provocatively double layered, heavy in its symbolism and meaning, in which the author’s interest rests, among other things, on a clash of conscience and law, on a never ending war between the individual and the society, the vulnerability of innocence and the final question of whether the readers are to condemn captain Vere for his decision or to respect him. This idea is closely intertwined with the question ...