African literature

In 1847, Charlotte Brontë published Jane Eyre, which exemplifies how literature can convey a certain message and ignite a social reformation for women. Over 100 years later, Ralph Ellison published Invisible Man, which utilizes that same literary technique to help emphasize the societal pressures set upon blacks in American society in the 1930s and 1940s. Both literary works remain reputable novels currently as both follow a similar narrative and writing structure, utilize similar motifs, convey…

When you meet him you don't lift your ht but your skirt’.Oyono represents this instance through the character of Sophie.Sophie’s relationship with the agricultural engineer,Sophie represents the powerlessness of African women however her relationship with the engineer breaks the barriers between white and black and disproves colonial beliefs regarding ‘natives’ as primitive and the white superiority.A ‘relationship’ with a white man was a technique of protection…

The Hero’s Journey The hero’s journey is a topic that we covered a lot over the course of this semester. We applied it in some shape or way to almost every book we have read. In this paper I am going to talk about the similarities and differences of the hero’s journey and other things in Colson Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad and in Denis Johnson’s Jesus’ Son. Both of these books tell the story of a journey of one specific character and how that one character evolves over time and adapts…

Fiction reflects the thoughts, aspirations, and struggles of its author. Through literary works, one can come to understand a cultural consciousness previously unbeknownst to them. With this in mind, historians have learned to use rather than ignore literature as an aid in their studies. Vernacular and modern tales of the Congo region capture both the fantastical and factual elements. Epics, like The Mwindo Epic, echo the foundation of Congolese culture form which thereafter conflict has arisen…

The writings of Abigail Adams and Phillis Wheatley touched the lives and hearts of many Americans in the Puritan era. Both these authors experienced influences which shaped their writing styles. They were able to create wonderfully crafted works which resonated with society. Many people felt connected to these women because of their truth and vigor. Through their differing influences, Phillis Wheatley and Abigail Adams created writings that are similar and different from one another based on…

Adichie’s novel Half of a Yellow Sun is told with true brilliance through her use of pendulum narration, moving from one character narration to the other. The three key narrators of her novel are divergent in every sense – adding to the richness of the books storytelling as their lives interweave through the use of an extradiegetic narration. Ugwu takes us through the life and experiences of an adolescent houseboy coming of age. Olanna shows us the world of a well-educated and privileged woman…

Comparison Research Paper We all experience different situations and circumstances throughout our daily lives. Often in literature the reader learns inadvertently about the author’s viewpoint, and beliefs. For example, A Yellow Raft in Blue Water by Michael Dorris, and The Education of Little Tree, by Forrest Carter, readers form a viewpoint about the author’s beliefs. On the other hand Ignatia Broker author of Night Flying Woman is an open book about the story of her Great Great…

In the world of Literature and Poetry there is the writer and the poet and then there is the speaker. The speaker is the persona that communicates for the writer or poet. The speaker sets the tone for the poem and helps the reader to better understand the message or theme that the poet wishes to convey through their lines and stanzas. Poets may create and utilize a speaker when they wish to have their poem expressed from a different view point than their own personal perspective. The speaker in…

“The Universe is composed of Nature and the Soul. Spirit is present everywhere.” This new voice led American Romanticism to a new and mature period, the period of New England Transcendentalism. This was the most significant development of American literature in the mid-19th century. Development The Concord club was the first and most famous of a series of forums that served during the next few decades as social gathering points. It became the movement's magnetic center. They advocated their…

Mainstream and critical literary judgments rarely intersect. Paradoxically, scholars often regard a novel’s popularity as indicative of its ‘unliterariness’, prompting fervent backlash. Likewise, ‘high’ literature is commonly viewed as inaccessible to the general populous. Nevertheless, Douglas Adams’ acclaimed 1979 novel The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is an anomalous example wherein critical consensus reflects mainstream judgments. Although academic and popular critics assess the novel…