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The concept of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, as emphasized by Martin Luther King Jr., is a significant topic in the novel ‘The Great Gatsby’ by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The character of Jay Gatsby embodies the American dream in particular. During the study of literature, we often seek out an exceptional character. One […]

Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby is set in post-war America and portrays a multitude of important themes surrounding the American Dream, which is personified by Gatsby himself. The novel investigates the validity of the American Dream “in the pursuit of happiness” (1). Fitzgerald creates a world in which society places an immeasurable importance on […]

Scott Fitzgerald has created a social satire of America in the 1920’s in which he exposes the American Dream as being inherently flawed and merely an illusion produced by idealism.This American Dream has been traditionally associated with the pursuit of freedom and equality. It can be traced back to the original settlers and the hope […]

“Gatsby is said to be not quite credible for Gatsby, divided between power and dream, comes to inevitability to stand for America itself.” This statement is true, but only from the viewpoint that its basic premise is correct. Gatsby isn’t credible as a character if he comes to stand “for America itself”, true, but I […]

The Great Gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald illustrates many themes, however the most significant one relates to the American Dream and the corruption of this. Throughout this novel we see how the dream has been corrupted by the greedy pursuit of wealth. The American dream is great motivation for accomplishing goals and producing achievements, however when […]

Daisy Miller is a young woman from Schenectady, USA, where she was always surrounded by society. “Last winter, I had seventeen diners given me; and three of them were by gentlemen” (p. 18). Daisy Miller likes to attract attention, especially from gentlemen. “I have always had a great deal of gentlemen’s society”(p. 18). Her craving […]

Superstition is arguably the main diving force behind the events of ‘Blood Brothers’.Russel shows how supersitious belief drives Mrs Johnstone’s powerlessness, Mrs Lyons’ decent into madness and, though the women’s actions, the deaths of the twins. Throughout the play, Russell uses the Narrator as a dramatic device to remind the audience of the invented superstitious […]

Comparing Half Caste and No Problem   In the poem “half cast” John Agard explores the theme of racism through vernacular dialect in the repeated refrain “explain yuself” the word “yuself” uses Caribbean dialect to demonstrate Agard’s origins, the use of Caribbean dialect portrays Agard being proud of his mother country. The effect of this […]

The Minoans and Mycenaeans thrived in different times in Ancient history however they actually had quite a lot of similarities which I will explain below.The Mycenaeans and the Minoans both reigned and traded in and around the Aegean Sea. Although they thrived in different parts of Greece, the Aegean Sea was both of their trading […]

The three poems explored in this essay each different explore ideas and views towards identity. In ‘Half Caste,’ John Agard writes as a representative for biracial people and addresses the problem of racism. In ‘Search for My Tongue,’ Sujata Bhatt explores who she has become after moving countries and questions her ethnicity while Grace Nichols’ […]

In Blood Brothers the narrator is a ubiquitous and enigmatic character whose function is to act as a dramatic device to continue the story, foreshadow events and allow the audience to see a projection of the consciousness of some of the characters, particularly Mrs Johnstone and Mrs Lyons. He is only present during sad and […]

A Christmas Carol which is a bildungsroman written by Charles Dickens in the 1800’s, an undermining social diatribe possibly accusing the political injustice. As a Unitarian he was passionate about morality and ethics and abhorred the poverty inflicted on the underclass by the obnoxious upper-class. The poor were merely pledged to a life working for […]

Penelope’s charisma has such an influence on Odysseus to the point which makes Odysseus reject goddesses in his presence. What makes Odysseus and Penelope’s love so strong that their relationship still persists after 20 years of separation? They both show remarkable loyalty to each other. Dignity, patience, intelligence, and alluring physical qualities are the common […]

“Dulce et Decorum Est”, describes the soldiers’ horrific trauma in World War1 with a bitter tone. The background of this poem is during World War 1 when the British soldiers were attacked by chlorine gas. In this poetry, one soldier was unable to get his mask on time and after suffering from the torturing gas, […]

Owen generates sympathy for the soldier in the poem by portraying him as a young, disabled character, which induces a sense of vulnerability in the reader. The title itself “Disabled” labels the soldier as merely handicapped, implying he has lost his identity as a man. The poem begins with an anonymous pronoun “He sat in […]

Juliet’s interactions with other characters in Act 3 Scene 5 are varied as she adapts and interacts with everyone differently. Juliet is a keen lover when she is with Romeo, however the love overpowers her. Juliet is quite cunning with her mother as she makes her mother believe she is upset for Tybalt when she […]

Love, hatred, and lies are prevalent emotions in Romeo and Juliet, The Hero, and The Soldier. This analysis explores the presentation of emotions by writers and their relation to the context of their works. Love, a commonly portrayed negative emotion in texts, is depicted as causing pain and negative feelings among characters by the writers […]

The themes of “the horrors of war” are effectively conveyed in both “Dulce et Decorum est” and “The Sentry,” two poems by Wilfred Owen. Owen strategically employs the setting of the battlefield to reveal this theme, particularly in “Dulce et Decorum est.” Owen effectively portrays the overwhelming exhaustion of soldiers, stating they are “bent double […]

In ‘Romeo and Juliet’ and ‘To his Coy Mistress’ and ‘A Valediction Forbidding Mourning’, the strength of love is presented in many different ways. In ‘To his coy mistress’, we can tell that the strength of love present is relatively weak, and seems lustful and more physical. ‘A valediction forbidding mourning’ seems opposite to this […]

Although “Romeo and Juliet” is a Tragic Romance it also explores the ever changing relationship between Juliet and her father. There are many factors as to how and why Romeo and Juliet died. The major contributor to the downfall of these lovers was Capulet, Juliet’s own father. He brought upon the death of Juliet by […]

Romeo appears to be experiencing sadness and depression, exhibiting behavior that is unlike his usual self. At the age of 15, it is unusual for a teenager to be up very early and isolating himself in his bedroom throughout the day, shedding tears and blocking out daylight by closing the curtains. Romeo was walking alone […]

Act 2 Scene 4 is a significant scene because it is the comic climax in the play where witty banter takes place, which is the first but also the last collision of the two humorous characters, Romeo and Mercutio, before the play descends into tragedy. Here Mercutio meets the climax of his bawdy style and […]