Fall of Saigon

Chinua Achebe did not initially set out to write a novel that emphasized the triumphs of African culture. Nor did Achebe embark on a campaign of denigrating slander towards European attitudes. Achebe’s contentious novel Things Fall Apart situates itself post-colonially and, having been written in 1958, the novel came at a time of racially charged civil rights movements. Chinua Achebe remarked upon the injustice of Eurocentric African literature prior to writing his infamous novel. For example,…

When it comes to the pioneers of American Romanticism, Edgar Allan Poe is considered to be one of the most important authors because of his unique gothic style of writing which perfectly encompasses melancholy, horror, passion, thrill and mystery. In his beginnings as a writer, Poe was nowhere as successful as he is today. Although he published his first literary work, which was a book of poetry, in 1827 at the age of eighteen, his real and greatest success came but in 1845 with the publication…

In the beginning was pain. Or perhaps it was end that was suffused with pain, its distinctive indigo tint. Color of old bruises, color of broken pottery, of crumpled maps in evening light. But, no, not like them, ultimately. For although men have tried for thousands of years to find the right simile- and women too- ultimately pain is only like itself. (VD 3) So begins Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s novel The Vine of Desire. Divakaruni textures the experiences of Calcutta born and raised sisters,…

“Feminism isn’t about making women stronger. Women are already strong. It’s about changing the way the world perceives that strength.” - G.D. Anderson Many years ago, one common practice in many countries was to deny women’s rights. Women were being oppressed and considered inferior to men. They did not have the right to vote because they were considered to have inferior minds. They were only required to stay at home to do house chores and to take care of the children while the male was…

Although the feelings towards women’s rights were rapidly changing during the late twentieth century, not many women were able to have an opportunity to participate in the workplace. Olga Broumas’ “Cinderella” uses the contrast between a women’s want of a perfect fairytale ending and the struggle to make their own way in society to get across the underlying meaning of the women’s movement. Throughout the poem Broumas uses examples of how the women of that day were often shunned from these types…

The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World, and A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings are two short stories by Gabriel Garcia Marquez that are both very similar, yet very different. Marquez was a popular author of short stories from the 1950s to 1970s, he had a very noticeable aesthetic where he created very unusual, and unrealistic situations, but somehow shows human faults. This makes it to where if readers truly read the book, and realize what Marquez is trying to do, they can look at their own…

of a culture is to unite the people some fall sort and still have separation between the people. In the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, A Nigerian village named the Ibo village is described very well but Achebe does not shy away from showing the reader how the villages culture and traditions divide the people more than unite them. Some of the villages ideas only separates the people rather than unite them which cause the culture to ultimately fall in the end. The need for masculinity…

Thematic Analysis of Oedipus the King Introduction Oedipus the king is a story that uncovers a murder mystery that is politically connected. It creates a tension between individual actions and the fate of an individual. Oedipus is the main character in the play. His urge to pursue knowledge of his identity leads him to devastating events of his life. The story is formed by different themes. The themes include fate and free will, determination, and power. Thematic Analysis Fate and Free Will…

confident in their writing, especially if they're good at it, so they use as an outlet for an easier way to share their feelings. In this specific poem he happens to be talking about his life long feeling of being a black male and how Smith wonders if he falls under the stereotype. He uses this poem to express is uncertain feeling of how others petrey him and his race/gender. He unknowingly uses the poem to symbolize that he needs help to understand why does it have to be like this? Why are does…

Richard E. Miller, the author of “The Dark Night of the Soul,” is asking us a very interesting and inspiring question that can be pretty complex. That question is, “What might the literate arts be said to be good for? (439)” This is a complex question, in for what he said that this question is to “animate the meditations that follow. (439)” He is asking us to do an essay about this question, how we can forge it, and how we can explain it. This all bases into “The Literate Arts” essay that he’s…