The Yellow Wallpaper (1892) by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is a short story about a woman's descent into madness because her doctor husband downplays her mental illness. The story is also an ideal illustration of the 19th century society’s view of mental illness, and clear criticism of the rest cure that was often administered to patients… Continue reading Mental Health and Self-Agency: Themes In ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
In A Jury of Her Peers (1917) by Susan Glaspell, two women find crucial evidence that could convict a fellow woman for murder but choose to conceal it from the male authorities because they “understand” why she did it. This story is based on true events of the 1901 Hossack Murder Case which Glaspell covered… Continue reading “A Jury of her Peers” by Susan Glaspell Feminist Analysis
How do you tell your children about life and all its realities? How do you explain the fact that life is as evil as it is good? In Maggie Smith’s 2016 viral poem “Good Bones” the speaker resolves to keep the terrible part from her children and offer hope of making the world beautiful instead. The poem is a parent’s reflection of the real world and how they wish their children could perceive it. Taking a closer look, the poem is also the speaker’s effort to convince herself too that maybe the world could be beautiful; that she could make the world beautiful.
The 1825 Romantic era poem "Work Without Hope" by Samuel Taylor is a lamentation of a man who lacks an object to place his hope and thus, wonders aimlessly and directionless amid nature. While slightly unconventional for a sonnet, the poem begins with the speaker romanticizing nature and how it seems busy going on with… Continue reading “Work Without Hope” Poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge: Using Contrast to Emphasize Lack of Hope
Summary Kate Chopin’s (1850-1904) short story “The Story of an Hour” narrates events that happen within an hour. Louise Mallard is a young, calm, and frail woman who suffers from a heart disease. On this day, Louise learns from her sister Josephine and a family friend, Richards, that her husband, Brently Mallard, has died. She… Continue reading “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin Literary Analysis: Plot, Themes, Characters, Setting, and Symbolism
Thomas Hardy’s (1840-1928) poem The Man He Killed is a lyrical monologue of a soldier who has returned from war. He’s speaking about the war to his friends and native villagers in a pub. In its 1902 original publication in Harper's Weekly magazine, the poem’s setting is a scene inside the Foxx Inn pub. Hardy… Continue reading War and its Irrationality as Themes in Thomas Hardy’s Poem“The Man He Killed”
The effect that this mere form of communication has on the two characters’ relationship is what makes it hard to ignore the tapes as symbolism, and as a reflection of each character's traits in the story.
Nearly everyone who reads Shirley Jackson's short story The Lottery cannot even begin to fathom the true meaning of the lottery until it has already happened. The shock that we experience at the end on learning that the lottery's winner becomes a sacrificial lamb to fulfill a tradition that has long lost its meaning catches… Continue reading Hints of Evil: How Shirley Jackson Foreshadows the True Meaning of “The Lottery”
Solomon Northup's memoir 'Twelves Years a Slave' has received notable recognition in contemporary media. Among the many themes he explores when narrating accounts of his and other slaves' experiences in the hands of white slave owners, violence is central. While it is apparent that violence was part of slavery in America, most slaveholders tried to… Continue reading Violence During Slavery: “Twelves Years a Slave” Book by Solomon Northup
Numerous authors have opined Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story "Young Goodman Brown", each with a new perspective or an improvement of their former. While it is not a much explored topic, avid readers of Hawthorne can attest to the author's regular use of humor and satire to address human follies. Now, combining this kind of humor… Continue reading A Thin Veil of Satire- “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne
