Essays on Short Story

Introduction to Business and Society-Persuasive Essay

Introduction In his book titled The Short Story of Progress, Ronald Wright analyzes civilizations that have witnessed rapid growth and supremacy. He also elucidates the fatal fall of many such civilizations and enjoins that over-exploiting the environment can lead to ecological catastrophe. By finding answers to questions relating to human origins, reasons for existence and destination of the progress pursuit, Wright warns the society from traversing through progress traps, created by humans themselves, blinded by a short term urge to modernize. “We can go to understand the reckless aspects of human nature and circumvent the danger of arrogant self-destruction, ...

Sea Oak is a short story that depicts several characters living in poverty-stricken areas across the United States. Some of the characters explicitly express their desire to have a better life. One of the important aspects of the story is the fact that a character dies and resurrects temporarily. The author George Sauder’s has combined fiction with reality so as to demonstrate the extent to which individuals will go in a bid to escape poverty and suffering. By contrasting fiction and reality, the author has demonstrated that suffering is part of life and, therefore, inevitable. Even with assistance ...

Even if Macbeth and the Tell-Tale Heart, penned by Shakespeare and Edgar Allan Poe respectively, were written centuries apart, it’s the common theme of guilt expressed so well in the latter that helps us imagine Lady Macbeth’s state of mind (Deighton). In particular, it is the pangs of guilt that she suffers from throughout the play after coercing her husband to commit regicide - to kill King Duncan - who consider Macbeth to be an ally and friend. In the Tell-Tale Heart, the killer suffers from delusions after committing the deed in killing the old man and ...

“Araby” by James Joyce and “Death in the woods” by Sherwood Anderson are short stories that are written by different writers. However, there are some common and different features that are applicable to both works. Both of the works are similar in their genre and focus on the female character, but on the other hand, they are very different from each other in themes. Short stories “Araby” and “Death in the woods” are very similar in the way they are structured. Both authors are using a male narrator for their stories. The stories are told from the first person ...

Introduction

The story that had impressed me in my recent readings is ‘Heal,’ written by Ankit Raj Bachchan on a short story website, because of its simple, concise, direct and clear narrative. The story was selected as story of the month in July 2012 and had been listed as the Editor’s pick. The theme as the name suggests is about healing. The story is about the narrator, a lady, whose name is not specified, bereaving the loss of Adi, her husband. The story opens with her standing at a seaside home, with coffee in her hand. It is then ...

Fairy tales and folklores are nothing but the reflections of the society. Authors and artists depict the world through their lens to highlight social elements. The Company of Wolves by Angela Carter is a fairy tale built on the theme of the Little Red Riding Hood. In a very subtle way it depicts the patriarchal structure of the society and what it means to be a liberated woman. In an interesting way she has shown what a feminist means, as it brings harmony and order into an otherwise sexist and chaotic society. Carter’s Company of Wolves might not ...

Literature

Edgar Allan Poe and his most predominant themes Edgar Allan Poe was an American poet, writer, and editor. He is also known for literary critics. He is one of the most important literary figures in Romanticism from 1840 to 1849. Poe’s work was of such dynamic nature that it has resulted in “massive impact” (3). He has also associated nature with good. Poe’s well-known fiction works are Gothic, and "Metzengerstein" was his first published Gothic tale. Some of his works were also satiric and comic such as “A Tale of Jerusalem”, “The Duc de L’Omelette” (humorous ...

Edgar Allan Poe, the celebrated American writer, critic and editor, holds a prominent place among the literary circle. He is famous for his excellent short stories and poems, surrounded by an aura of anonymity and obscurity. He can rightly be termed as a Romantic who is often recognized as the forerunner of the detective fiction and science fiction. His personal life endured many ups and downs. The tremors of love and feelings find persuasive expression in most of his works. The Cask of Amontillado, The Tell- Tale Heart, The Black Cat, The Masque of the Red Death are some ...

Introduction

There are periods in life when it seems that it is impossible to go on, rise from ashes, or simply continue a journey. This time may be characterized as a dark hour, a gloomy dream, or a “the light vanished from our golden sun” (Wilde 25). It is challenging to encounter with the most difficult circumstances and to have strength to overcome them. Not everyone has an inner will and power to overcome the barriers and find a guiding threat again. However, literature presents the readers with the invaluable gift of experience, inspiration, and guidance, which helps to continue ...

HILLS LIKE ELEPHANTS. THE MAIN IDEA OF THE STORY AND ITS CONFLICTS.

Introduction:

background on both authors and texts

Summary of the text

Thesis statement: Jig and Paul being characters of different stories by different authors revolt against norms of the American patriarchal society in the first half of the 20th century.

The topic of homosexuality and alienation of the main character in “Paul’s Case”

Examples and explanations Summary of the issues discussed in the story and conclusion Difficulties of communication Examples and explanations summary of gender roles in the story

Symbols used in the story and their explanation

Examples and discussion Summary of use of form and content of the story Issues discussed in the story Discussion of the issues Summary of discussed issues ...

HILLS LIKE ELEPHANTS. THE MAIN IDEA OF THE STORY AND ITS CONFLICTS.

Introduction:

background on author and text

Summary of the text

Thesis statement: In his short story, Hemingway discusses such issues as gender role, drugs and alcohol and so forth. Difficulties of communication Examples and explanations summary of gender roles in the story

Symbols used in the story and their explanation

Examples and discussion Summary of use of form and content of the story Issues discussed in the story Discussion of the issues Summary of discussed issues Conclusion. Hills Like Elephants. The main idea of the story and its conflicts. "Hills Like White Elephants" written by Ernest Hemingway was first published ...

American Literature

One of the most charming and striking characteristics of the American literature of the nineteenth century is its naïveté. The protagonists regardless of being positive or negative heroes have a unique trust to the world and people surrounding them. This naïveté adds to the romantic and sincere nature of the poem or short story. It usually enhances the idea mentioned in the story and is intended to emphasize the meaning of it. To a certain degree, it may be taken as a symbol of American literature of the nineteenth century as naïve ideals and naïveté ...

The short story, “Everyday Use,” written by Alice Walker and first published in 1973, deals with the inherent conflict between racial heritage and modernism. This conflict is best observed in the characters of Maggie and her mother, and Dee or Wangero. In this respect, the plot revolves around the Johnson family in the rural South where Dee pays a visit after spending a number of years in urban America. Here, differences are expressed whereby Maggie and her mother are shocked by the changes that Dee has undergone, both physical and attitude, while away from home. Hence, the said story ...

The short story is the first person narration. It renders the viewpoint of Lyman, who is one of the protagonists. The author uses this technique to provide readers with more background information. Moreover, Lyman’s intuition throws light on Henry’s – his elder brother – emotional state, his feelings hidden beneath a so-called mask that he puts on upon his return from the war. Lyman proved to be an especially sensitive young man, thus he can be considered a reliable narrator. He felt exited speaking about the convertible he had purchased together with his brother and shared for several years. ...

Module: module number

Women’s Role in the Early 20th Century. How Does Gender Influence the Narration in Dorothy Parker’s The Waltz? Matriculation number The semester you are currently in Dorothy Parker is an American poet and fiction writer, who is well known for her humorous and satiric literary works. The Waltz is one of her short stories, which depicts social and gender problems in the society of the 1920s. By means of the first person narration and a specific word use, the writer manages to fully express the feelings and self-esteem of a woman at the beginning of the XX ...

Aesthetics refers to the philosophical comprehension of taste and beauty, especially in relation to the perception and interpretation of appearance. In most instances, people look critically at the appearance of others to judge them, and it affects more than the persons in question. Since time immemorial, women have always put their best feet forward to look beautiful and achieve somehow a “perfect look”. All the same, the concept of beauty has always been misconstrued and many times people tend to look at the outward appearance of clothing, and physical appearance to rate the beauty of a person rather than ...

The short story “The Storm” by Chopin describes the events that happen during a storm, and, consequently, brings out the characters of those involved in the story. Among the characters in the story is Calixta, who plays the role of a homemaker and has several character traits as shown in the story. Chopin describes the character of Calixta through her interactions with numerous other characters, some of whom belong to her family as well as others who are not part of her family. Kate Chopin’s “The Storm” is an interesting take as shown by the theme and the ...

Memory is easily one of the most precious facets of any individual’s life. Memory is the culmination of life experiences, both the good and the bad and is unique to every individual alive. For many people there are memories that they would be happy to forget, while there are others who wish they had different memories, or better ones. However, for the average person that concept eliminating bad memories or creating better ones is a matter of wishful thinking and the popular concept of modern science fiction. One such story is "We Can Remember It For You Wholesale” ...

“Good Country People”, the 1955 short story written by Flannery O’Connor, delves on the lives of Mrs. Hopewell and her daughter, Joy or Hulga, their maidservant Mrs. Freeman, and the Bible salesman, Manley Pointer. What is especially observable in this story is the use of irony and conflict to convey O’Connor’s thematic appeals, which center on deception, rebellion and sexual manipulation. As such, despite of Hulga’s high educational background she still seems naïve to life’s harsh realities, in that Manley is able to deceive her using his manly charms to eventually steal Hulga’ ...

True Love Unites: The Final Romantic Word in Carver’s “What We Talk about When We Talk about Love.”

Raymond Carver is one of the authors who have explored one of the perspectives on love. In the short story “What We Talk about When We Talk about Love”, Carver explores the ideas of different people when they talk about love. There is a need to focus on certain elements as they are crucial to the understanding of the short story. One such element is the elusiveness of love. The fact that people have different definitions of love, or will find fault in one other’s definition of love is testament of this characteristic. This is evident in the ...

Annotated Bibliography

Snodgrass, Mary Ellen. Encyclopedia of Feminist Literature. InfoBase Publishing, 2006 Snodgrass provides a review of a variety of genres explored over the years by various feminists on topics and issues that affect women. The book provides a broad range of non- fiction and fiction authors who have written various literary pieces on feminist themes that signal the evolution of feminism. The book deals with a wide range of themes, from abortion to male- female violence to rape. Snodgrass merely reviews fiction and non- fiction on feminist issues. She gives an account of the feminist themes explored in these books ...

Love is arguably one of the most discussed topics in the social realms. Love is not just a preserve for the social circles. Scholars in the academic realm have explored various dimensions of the subject. Carver is one of the authors who have explored one of the perspective of love. In the short story, What We Talk about When We Talk about Love, Carver explores the ideas of different people when they talk about love. There is a need to focus on certain elements as they are crucial to the understanding of the short story. One such element is ...

Abstract

“Bartleby the Scrivener” is a marvelous short story of the American nineteen century that has been discussed greatly from various disciplinary perspectives over the last century. Bartleby has been seen as a revolutionary figure who intentionally disrupts the capitalist system and has been traced to numerous real people, including Thoreau, Emerson, and even Melville himself. Critics have attached numerous equivalences to the protagonist; therefore, it is important to study the historical, political, and cultural context to choose the proper one. “Bartleby the Scrivener” demonstrated not only allusion to specific people and conflicts in New York but also showed class ...

What is Disobedience? Analyzing Ursula K. Le Guin’s Short Story

The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas There are various ways disobedience can be defined. In the article of Erich Fromm, entitled “Disobedience as a Psychological and Moral Problem”, he mentioned that there are varieties of obedience, wherein others are life affirming and others, destructive. Fromm proves that there are psychological and moral problems attached to obedience. From this comes the question: what exactly does disobedience mean? This article analyzes the short story written by Ursula K. Le Guin, entitled “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas”, using the essay of Erich Fromm. It appears that there are three ...

Interpreting a text is a process in which one must take into account many details that the author provides or leaves out. Even though many believe that what the text actually says is what is most important, what one cannot actually find there is sometimes more important than what one does actually encounter. It is through this lens that Raymond Carver’s “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love” should be read, not through what is directly talked about, but what is not said. As its title states, a significant portion of the short story is dedicated ...

Abstract

This paper deals with notion of truth and how it should be presented. By analyzing short story By the Waters of Babylon composed by Stephen Vincent Benét one may see that truth should be given out in small portions in order to reduce undesirable aftermath that may bear distrustful character. It discusses benefits of this way of presenting new information. Everyone craves to live in truth and have healthy relations build on absence of lies and misconceptions. This desire is not limited by family or friends relations on the contrary it touches all human domains. Utter craving to ...

A Good Man is Hard to Find

Among American writers of the twentieth century, Flannery O’Connor holds a special place and has solid reputation as a representative of the unique American fiction subgenre – southern gothic. Despite being rather short, most of her stories convey important moral, cultural and philosophical messages while her peculiar techniques and choices reflect her own background. Indeed, Flannery O’Connor is among the writers whose literary legacy is closely intertwined with her biography, her family background, beliefs, experiences and challenges she was burdened with in the course of her rather brief life. The complex set of environmental factors which shaped her ...

Book review: Mother of 1084

The short story titled Mother of 1084 is written by Mahasweta Devi, a prolific writer who mainly writes stories regarding women and their position within the Indian society, as most of the characters are women living in poverty. However, the short story regarding Mother of 1084 is seen to be quite different from the other stories by Devi considering that she concentrates on a woman of middle class. Mother of 1084 is a story of Sujata who hails from an affluent family as she is given permission to pursue her B.A., after which she got married and bore four ...

Raymond Carver is an American poet and short story writer famous for his realistic style. This outstanding writer is well-known for the short story collections, one of which is called What We Talk About When We Talk About Love. Why Don’t You Dance? belongs to this collection and is considered to be one of the most outstanding and unusual short stories created by the writer because of its non-traditional structure and plot. In Why Don’t You Dance? Carver uses such literary devices as symbolism, binary opposition, sad and depressed tone in order to convey the themes of ...

The science-fiction authors are interested in writing about the robots which develop the ability to behave or think like the human being. Isaac Asimov and Brian Aldiss are two of these authors. These authors exaggerate the influence of the robotic contribution to the human life. Even, they try to develop the idea of replacing humans with the robots as relatives more than being a part of productions humans need. I will compare and contrast the two authors’ stories in this paper. The main subject I will discuss is the idea of robots can play an essential role in human ...

Our modern world is full of implacable disparities. All living beings are classified into different categories. The animals, for example, will often be categorized into those who can run, feel coming danger and be able to escape it. The biggest diversity ever is probably that of the gender difference and gender stereotypes. No matter how much time passes, there will always exist that inevitable opposition between two sexes. Though stereotypical views of men and women have highly reduced in recent years, many people still believe that some of the gender-role stereotypes retained till the present day. The two genders ...

Many people assume that our world is full of enigmas or supernatural things which cannot be measured or tested, they are far from human’s understanding. The standard way of thinking about the following concept opens up with the idea that human’s thoughts are controlled by some negative strengths, which have a huge impact on individual’s perception and actions. Many prominent authors of past times had tried to depict and revel the supernatural issues to their readers but the most brilliant among them was considered to be David Herbert Lawrence and his amazing piece of art, the ...

The text “Here We Aren’t, So Quickly” was written by Jonathan Safran Foer and the text “Communication Styles” was written by Deborah Tannen. “Here We Aren’t, So Quickly” is a short story written in a stream of consciousness mode while “Communication Styles” is a text written in an explanatory way. There are more differences than similarities between these two texts. “Here We Aren’t, So Quickly” is written in a completely different way than “Communication Styles” and the audience and purpose are different, although the tone of both texts is similar. “Here We Aren’t, So Quickly” ...

For several centuries writers have been trying to prophesize future of mankind. The more the world is exposed to the influence of industrial and technological progress, the more spectacular prophecies are. For instance, in 1909 E.M. Forster wrote a short story The Machine Stops in which he predicted collapse of civilization due to extreme reliance on technology. At the beginning of twentieth century societies were developing very fast because of rapid industrialization. Telephones and cars, which were quick to assemble, were probably the greatest inventions that influenced society the most. A hundred years later, people continue to introduce state-of-the-art ...

(Student’s Full Name)

A General Framework I have always been interested in the role of women in different regions of the world, especially in the Middle East and Asian regions. I was always fascinated by the ways in which women were treated in these parts of the world. This is because women have been known to be discriminated against. This discrimination is seen when women are placed in servile positions rather than in positions of authority. I have always wondered what was the prevailing mindset that governed the way women were treated in these parts of the world. ...

It needs to be reckoned that one of the main aspects of a fictional literary work is the characterization that goes on to bind the entire text together accentuating its affective appeal to the readers. Literary artists too have come to exude their aesthetic and literary quintessence when it comes to the question of penning characters in their respective stories. For the purpose of proper comprehension of the matter in context, one can take into reckoning three very popular short stories that have come to gain the accolades of the literary critics as well as the avid readers all ...

Technology exists as a creation of people, produced through the various ideas to help make the lives of people easier and more productive. However, technology has become too deeply integrated in people’s lives that they start being overly dependent on it, even to the point of stating that they are not able to live without it. Such an idea, significantly evident in today’s society is the thematic background of E.M Forster’s The Machine Stops, serving as a prescient warning of its implications. The isolation and shunning of human nature and a worship of technology will eventually ...

Stories written based on writer`s experience have always been of great demand. To satisfy the readers with an interesting plot and breathtaking scenes, some people use the literary technique, even if primordial aim of the story was to inform readers about some events. The eagerness to make their life-stories popular clouds their minds and they begin think over fiction events or adventures to diversify the plot. This paper is to analyze the ways used by Stephen Crane in his “The Open Boat” to blend journalistic and literary techniques in the story and in his daily newspaper account. The ...

The book My Name is Aram is a semi-fictional autobiography of William Saroyan. This creative book presents recollections of his character from his early days in Fresno, California. Being a first generation Armenian, Aram presents his adventures from his youth, all in good humor, while at the same time addresses serious topics such as the challenges of immigrants in new environments, discrimination, amongst others, in a subtle sense. In order to understand the themes that emerge from this text, it is important to consider the background from which Aram’s character originated from as well as the prevailing issues ...

“The Birthmark” is a short story written by Nathaniel Hawthorne in 1843 and “The Yellow Wallpaper” is a short story written by Charlotte Perkins-Gilman published in 1892. “The Birthmark” deals with a husband’s determination to make his wife look perfect while “The Yellow Wallpaper” deals with the subordination of a woman to her husband which drives her crazy. Both Georgiana and the wife from “The Yellow Wallpaper” are trapped in a marriage in which their husbands are dominant and who determine their fate. The similarities between “The Birthmark” and “The Yellow Wallpaper” are related to the fact that ...

There can be no denial of the fact that literature is the true mirror of the society of the world. Indeed, there are innumerous examples of seminal literary works penned by various literary artists that have come to reflect the picture of the individual and the society with utmost perfection and artistic skill. As such, one can take into reckoning the short story A Good Man Is Hard to Find, by Flannery O’Connor that can very well be taken to be an exploration of the degeneration of the individual self and the moral values of life in the ...

Nathaniel Hawthorne is sometimes remembered for his landmark text The Scarlet Letter, but he was also a master of the short story. “Young Goodman Brown” is a short story set in the Puritan hamlet of Salem, approximately during the era in which the Salem Witch Trials were occurring (Eberwin 23). The text is an allegorical discussion of human nature, and examines the deepest nature of the human heart: Hawthorne gazes deeply into the human soul in this text, and finds human nature, as a whole, lacking integrity and goodness. “Young Goodman Brown” is a tale that sees the darkest ...

Raymond Carver lived between 1958 and 1988. In most cases, his contemporaries considered him as one of the forces that led to the revitalization of the American Short Story genre. He wrote the short story, Cathedral, which was published in 1993 (Peterson 167). Specifically, Cathedral examines and narrates the impact of a blind man in the lives of his friend and her husband. Superficially, Cathedral is a story about a disgruntled man whose meeting with his friend’s blind wife enables him to discover new ways of seeing. This paper examines and discusses the beliefs and values of the ...

Introduction

It was a unique time in history; slavery had been abolished, Jim Crow las were in effect but the civil rights movement had not yet begun. Voices like Langston Hughes spoke out against the racial oppression. Hughes himself wrote many short stories, poems and plays in his time. One of the themes that repeats itself in the works of Hughes is the word “mulatto”. “Mulatto”, a word used to describe a person of mixed black and white heritage, elicits a negative feeling or response from most people given the prejudiced nature of the word. Due to the negative nature ...

The short story of Franz Kafka “A Hunger Artist” is a vibrant masterpiece of classic literature. It penetrates deeply into the readers’ minds and sets a challenge to recognize a unique grandeur and understand a great mission of this text. In his “confession” story, Franz Kafka touches upon complex and serious themes of art, death, isolation, asceticism, spiritual desolation and disharmony of human and the world. Therefore, it triggers an exceptional interest on how the readers treat and interpret the text, what thoughts, feelings and emotions come into their mind, how they perceive the main character and what they ...

“Girl” is a critically acclaimed short story by the Caribbean-American writer Jamaica Kincaid. It was first published in 1978 in The New Yorker magazine. The story revolves around the stream of consciousness interaction between two women, a mother and a daughter. The mother is giving wisdom to the daughter in the form of short, declarative sentences and commands. The conversation ranges from advice about domestic chores to advice about sexual chores, indicating that both housekeeping and sexuality are a part of a woman's domestic labor. The mother dominates the conversation, as the daughter only seems to speak twice, although ...

Composed by Kate Chopin a short story Désirée’s Baby presents passage from life of a girl without a name who finds her love and her bitter end. Désirée was found by Valmondé a wealthy and aristocratic family from the antebellum South who adopts her despite that fact that Monsieur and Madame Valmondé do not know girl`s origin. She is loved and admired not only by her new parents but also by Armand Aubigny a representative of another influential and wealthy Creole family in Louisiana. It seems that Désirée is surrounded by ...

The Guest is a short story written by Albert Camus and first published as a part of the collection Exile and the Kingdom in 1957. The main character of the story is a teacher in a remote school Daru. The man was alone because of the snowfall, until gendarme Balducci with the apprehended Arabic person appeared. Daru was asked to take prisoner to a nearby town Tinguit where he would be tried for relative’s murder. The teacher did not want to take part in these events, but Balducci still left Arab in the school. Daru did not treat ...

“A Rose for Emily,” published in 1930, is one of the classic short stories written by renowned author, William Faulkner. It is a story that has left many questions by readers in terms of the meaning or symbolism behind Emily Grierson’s character and the events that take place surrounding her life and death. The story has a macabre feel to it, as it is examines the possibly insanity of the main character and the strange decisions she has made in regard to the dead body of her father, and then Homer, the man she was hoping to marry. ...

Marquez’ worldwide reputation of a prolific and outstanding author is undeniable. His international recognition reached its peak in 1982 when he got the Nobel Prize in Literature. Because of the poverty of Colombia, Marquez experienced and witnessed economic and social inequity that was one of the most dramatic on the Latin American continent. Marquez employs national history to produce plots that surprise readers because of the writer’s ability to combine techniques of the fantastic and realism. To be more exact, Marquez was the master of a style, which is known as magic realism. It helped the author to ...

The movie shows the arrival of Laura Dern, who is superb actress. Under the direction of Joyce Chopra Ms. Laura showed that she could undertake the role of Connie, who is a rebellious teenager, who faces the cruelty of life in extremely challenging ways. The movie is closely linked to the short story “where have you been and where are you going” by Joyce Carol. Like Calif house the Wyats live in, Connie is not well kept, almost empty as well as isolated with the weedy landscape as surroundings. She takes massive time in washing her hair as well ...

Are most relationships nothing more than mere momentary impulses that fade with time? In everyday life, relationships are complex interactions that require nurturing, protection and consistency. In this respect, they are so much more than just about fiery first encounters. The literary work discussed for this paper was Katherine Mansfield’s short story entitled “Something Childish but Very Natural,” a literary piece published in 1914 about two characters, Henry and Edna, who meet each other randomly in a train station. In telling this story, Mansfield utilizes a lot figurative language and symbolism to tell the story of Henry and ...

A Rose for Emily is a famous short story written by William Faulkner – an outstanding American writer. In the literary field there exist a great variety of interpretations of this story with an unusual ending. In my paper I will analyze how the oppression, domination and discrimination of women reflected in the short story. First of all, the perverse attitude towards the main character Miss Emily is seen in the authors writing style and depiction of the protagonist. The description of Emily’s appearance causes nothing but disgust: “small, fat woman in black, with a thin gold chain descending ...

[Class Title]

Introduction Technology is often portrayed in popular media and literature as something that conflicts with man’s safety and well-being. Themes of apprehension regarding technology can be observed even in short stories, which aim to promote awareness towards the negative impact of technology to society. The American author, Ray Bradbury, is one of the many authors that express their activism towards the negative impact of technology. Two of his works, ‘The Veldt’ and ‘The Pedestrian,’ have themes that make people think about the underlying drawbacks of technology. In general, ‘The Veldt’ and ‘The Pedestrian,’ creates awareness about ...

Mark Twain’s short story, “How I Edited an Agricultural Paper”, is a humorous criticism of journalistic standards during Twain’s time. Twain was concerned with the lack of truth telling in journalism especially the way reporters and editors conducted themselves. The use of humor as a device was employed by Twain to mask his misgivings against the journalistic conduct of the day. Mark Twain’s concern was that sensationalism coupled with the lack of editorial competence was eroding the power of journalism. Using Booth’s ideas on the function of rhetoric in fiction, this paper seeks to analyze ...

Literature has the capacity to delve into varied themes and portraitures as per the perspective and vision of the literary artists. Thus, literary works can differ from one another in content and presentation only to enhance the scope and appeal of the field of art in general. As such, one can take into reckoning the short story, The Metamorphosis, penned by the stalwart literary artist, Franz Kafka that delves into the thematic content of existentialism. Again, the famous poem I wandered lonely as a Cloud (Daffodils) penned by the famous Romantic poet, William Wordsworth can be taken to be ...

“The Hunger Artist” is a short story that was written by Franz Kafka that was initially published in 1922. The main character of the story is a hunger artist who remains faithful to his craft and who fears that the people who watch him completely misunderstand him. There is the insight that crowds used to appreciate this kind of “performance”, but that during this time, people refuse to believe in such anymore. One might say that the main idea of this short story is the alienation of many artists from society. The artist has a very troubled relationship with ...

The story, The Cask of Amontillado, is surely one of the finest works of literature even penned by a creative artist. This literary work by the stalwart author, Edgar Allan Poe, goes on to engage the avid readers and stirs them to the very core with the portrayal of sheer horror that marks the end of the story. This story is about the theme of revenge and shows the male protagonist who is also the narrator of the story trap another character named Fortunato. ““The Cask of Amontillado” remains one of Poe’s most popular short stories and a ...

First, I learned that uneducated, ill-mannered, wild creatures like Mirabella can be more human and sympathetic than her ‘civilized’ sisters. Her example taught me that process of civilization and becoming human-like should not exclude abandoning one`s values and ability to support and sympathize. True human characteristics are already embedded in almost all creatures and the only thing one should do is control and tame all negative and primitive instincts; therefore letting kindness flourish and develop. In fact, I saw that notion and term ‘civilization’ is used as a tool in killing all good and human that are implemented ...

Literature is the perfect mirror of the world society as the creative artists take resort to their works of art to portray the society and culture. A close scrutiny of the literary works of various authors ranging across time in the history of literature would be helpful in bringing an introspective perspective about the state of women in the society. For the purpose of the scrutiny, one can take into reckoning the short story The Story of an Hour penned by Kate Chopin, the short story, The Chrysanthemums by John Steinbeck, the seminal article by feminist film critic, Laura ...