Genre Essays

Miss Brill & Miss Emily Emily Grierson from “A Rose for Emily” and Miss Brill from the story “Miss Brill” are two women that are trying to relive their past in the present time. In these stories, you are taken into the lives of two elderly women living very different lives, yet sharing many characteristics. […]

Introduction Nowadays in China, there are mainly two kinds of different opinions on translating classical Chinese poems. On one side, Xu Yuanzhong, as a representative,hold that classical Chinese poems should be translated in the form of poems(rhymed verse translation). Xu Yuanzhong put forward the Theory of Three Beauties and the Theory of Rivalry. On the […]

Poets traditionally draw inspiration for symbols and metaphors from nature and nature has traditionally offered fertile ground for poets searching for erotic figurative language. In traditional British and American poetry, erotically charged poetry has generally been written from the male perspective. In Sharon Old’s poem “Last Night” an erotic encounter, which is also an encounter […]

Textual Analysis of Poetry Question 1: Sketching a Thatcher with metaphors It is certainly true that one of the distinguishing features of poetic texts is the use of figurative or non-literal language – this essay highlights the fact that metaphors do contribute to the understanding of a poem. Ted Hughes’ poem, Sketching a Thatcher, is […]

Discuss the following poem in detail, considering ways in which Lowell presents the narrator’s state of mind Night sweat was written by Robert Lowell. Lowell was seen as the greatest American poet of his time. This poem is two Shakespearian sonnets. The subject of this poem is that Lowell is incapable to write due to […]

Some people, as history portrays, achieve great things in life, some do not. What we achieve or what we do not achieve in life is unimportant because eventually death reduces us all to the same level ” Death the Leveller” by James Shirley was written around the time of the English Civil War. The poem […]

As literary critics, Plato and Aristotle have different opinions on poetry and also it’s social effects. Plato’s Republic is a work which is not directly about literature; but his comments on poetry determine his position to it. He presents us a view of literature in a mainly negative way. Unlike Plato, Aristotle regards poetry as […]

Seven Seasons of Loneliness My dear Liverpool, we have witnessed the passing of seven emotional years. For seven years, we have endured six seasons of sorrow. It has been a long 26 years since Liverpool last won a major league title on April 28, 1990. The rules that were once set by you, you have […]

Langston Hughes is considered by many readers to be the most significant black poet of the twentieth century. He is described as …the beloved author of poems steeped in the richness of African American culture, poems that exude Hughess affection for black Americans across all divisions of region, class, and gender. (Rampersad 3) His writing […]

In heaven, Jack Kerouac wrote in a thriving post World War II America, expressing his deep love for his country through his literature. He viewed America as God’s Lit Brain and the Transcendent Eye of Wisdom, while mocking the ignorant Buddhists who called it Samsara. Despite his satire, Kerouac revered the Masters above and blessed […]

The poem The Raven is one of the classics of the American literary canon. Its author Edgar Allan Poe, the quintessential American poet and short story writer, brings rhythm, style and high metaphor to bear on this work. Published in the era preceding the American Civil War, the poem captures sentiments common during the time. […]

William Shakespeare and John Donne are early masters of the English verse. We see their textual dexterity, skilful turn of phrase and creative metaphor in their body of work. The two poems chosen for this essay are about love. But what makes them stand out from conventional love poetry is that they project praise of […]

The poem on the ASLS website emphasizes the importance of disregarding traditional literature and focusing on nurturing one’s soul. Only those who genuinely value literature and integrate its refined aesthetic into their being can comprehend the truth in this statement. Just as literary art profoundly impacts its supporters, renowned authors establish a personal bond with […]

Wu Jianren’s 1906 novella ‘Sea of Regret (originally titled Hen Bai) is a masterpiece of modern Chinese literature. The book is rich in themes of morality and the challenges of modernity and patriotism. Adopting a tone of sentimentality that is essential to the Chinese literary aesthetic the novella deals also with concepts such as chivalry […]

In her essay ‘The Possessive Individual and Social Death: The Complex Bind of National Subjectivity’, Grace Hong provides valuable insights into the historical social constructs. She delves into the evolution of American history since the Declaration of Independence, presenting a clear depiction of how the socio-polity hindered progressive changes. The book focuses on women of […]

William Blake, a prominent figure in poetry and visual arts during the Romantic Age, was considered an outcast due to his radical views on religion. Despite identifying as Christian, Blake’s family did not follow traditional Christianity or attend church services. In his youth, he claimed to have mystical experiences involving notable figures like the angel […]

Poetry is a form of communication which humans of all ages find soothing and even comforting. It goes far behind merely clever rhymes, with much of the great poetry having no rhyme at all. Poetry is generally meant to be read aloud, and it is the hypnotic effect of the sound that gives poetry its […]

Ginsberg poem reads like a spontaneous    monologue and the train of thought is occasionally interrupted from time to time. For example, at one moment he speaks of,  “America when will we end the human war? /Go fuck yourself with your atom bomb” and then he followed it with “I don’t feel good don’t bother me”. […]

The Author Percy Bysshe Shelley, the author of “Ode to the West Wind”, was a significant part of the English literary period we now refer to as the Romantic Age which ran from 1798 to 1832. The most prominent features of the Romantic period were the reflected effects of the American and French Revolutions, as […]

‘The Woodspurge’ by Dante Gabriel Rossetti and ‘Continuum’ by Allen Curnow are both poems that deal with a sense of detachment the poet experiences. In ‘Continuum’, Curnow illustrates his mental state of being uninspired and slightly abashed at his lack of poetic inspiration whereas in ‘The Woodspurge’, Rossetti describes his depressive condition, possibly due to […]

Whether you cannot be a pine tree on the hill or not, aim to be the best small scrub next to the stream. Even if you cannot be a tree, become a bush instead. If you can’t be a bush, then be a bit of grass and make some highway happier. If you can’t be […]

Hook Have you ever heard a baby that can talk and walk after birth ? This is an epic story about the life of lam-ang.Lam-ang was an extraordinary being, manifesting in his early years when he started to speak, thus enabling him to choose his own name. His adventure began when his father, Don Juan, […]