Antihero

The anti hero is a figure who has featured in multiple works across the centuries. In every novel and story, the figure of the anti-hero straddles an interesting middle ground between the hero and the villain. The anti hero can be recognized by their unique characteristics, which are somewhere between good and evil. This paper will set out the definition for the anti hero through the Metamorphosis and Paradise Lost, and then use this definition to justify classifying characters from Watchmen as…

The Delineation of Heroes in Literature Prevalent in this culture, much of humankind has indisputably become increasingly favorable to one another whether it is of concern within a smaller collection of individuals or in a bigger societal sense, with this deriving from not only a moral obligation but also the evident presence of physiological empathy, ultimately emphasizing the rise of heroism. For the purposes of elucidation, one must first explore the concept of a hero. There are three…

When the main character of the feature film “The Visitor” (2007, Groundswell) Walter Vale, unlocks his apartment in New York City, visiting from Connecticut to present an academic paper, he is surprised by two “visitors.” Tarek and Zainab, young undocumented immigrants from Syria and Senegal, respectively, are living in his house. They are the visitors to Walter’s otherwise humdrum life. They are also “visitors” to the United States, and as far as the government is concerned, unwelcome…

In two classic examples of Victorian era literature, Wuthering Heights and North and South, the theme of isolation has been particularly prevalent. Not only are the settings of each novel physically secluded, but the characters themselves have been inwardly isolated. In North & South, Margaret Hale’s father’s sudden decision to leave the Church prompted her move to the industrial North, making Margaret alone in her opinions and her way of living. Wuthering Heights, on the other hand, has an…

The idea of education through self-cultivation (Bildung) belongs to the era of modernity and of the self-realizing individual (Castle 665). The newly-formed individual returns from his journey as a master rhetorician, reconciling with his fractured self when he realizes his internalization of “fractured discourse in the world” (Castle 666). Wilde explores a world in which the protagonist reaches his ultimate goal effortlessly under the influence of others, effectively avoiding the arduous…

LITERARY TERMS Word: motif Definition: A recurring image, word, phrase, action, idea, object, or situation used throughout a work, unifying the work by tying the current situation to previous ones, or new ideas to the theme. Quote: “I live in New York, and I was thinking about the lagoon in Central Park, down near Central Park South. I was wondering if it would be frozen over when I got home, and if it was, where did the ducks go? I was wondering where the ducks went when the lagoon got all…

answers - breakdown of traditional values Characteristics of modern literature subject matter: strong sense of loss, alienation, loneliness, rootlessness, fragmentation, anxiety, obscurity, absurdity; internal consciousness / unconsciousness, antihero Stylistic innovations—disruption of traditional syntax and form Techniques: stream-of-consciousness, juxtaposition of fragmentation, ambiguity, uncertainty Modern Poetry Chicago poets: Carl Sandburg (1878-1967), Hart Crane (1899-1932)…