Humans, animals, objects: any one of these topics, along with anything else that something might see, hear, or smell, suit a compare and contrast argument. Compare and contrasts identify how ideas, people, or things share likenesses and differences. In Charles Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities, one of the main characters, Charles Darnay, attempts to escape his life as a French nobleman during the eighteenth century French Revolution. Darnay’s heritage as a French aristocrat puts his life, as well as others’, in danger throughout the book. Darnay slips away from his death numerous times in this story, but he seems to not have any luck the third trial. Just hours before la guillotine puts an end to Darnay’s life, a hero emerges out of a man named…
families having complete hatred for one another. In William Shakespeare's story Romeo and Juliet, the characters of Tybalt, Lord Capulet and Friar Lawrence contribute to the tragedy of the play because of their instigation, obedience and unjustified hope. In the play, Tybalt’s identity presents an instigative personality. His character throughout the play reveals an instigated feel based off his actions. He kept urging on Romeo through words and situations…
Nguyen’s The Sympathizer is the story of a nameless communist spy who is disturbed by his own political beliefs. He is a half French and half Vietnamese communist agent, who is conflicted about his own views on events. In the beginning of the novel, the narrator explains that he is being held as a prisoner and is being forced to write a letter of confession for the edict. A clash of thoughts, a sequence of dualities. Born and raised in Vietnam, he is a Vietnamese spy in South Vietnam serving…
Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay Tatiana de Rosnay is a French journalist, writer and screenwriter. Tatiana is of French and Russian descent and was born into a family of royalty. Her background consist of a lineage of relatively famous people ranging from a scientist, painter, actress, the niece of a historian, the great great granddaughter of a British engineer and last but not least Ms. De Rosnay’s mother is noted for being the daughter of a diplomatic figure. Tatiana was raised…
All of Shakespeare’s characters have their own story. Many writers base their work off of Shakespeare’s famous plays and characters, from using the same archetypes and themes for their characters in films and novels (as well as plays). For example, the ‘forbidden love’ theme (Romeo & Juliet) is used all over the world to make films, television shows, books and plays. ‘The comedic sidekick’ is featured in a vast majority of television shows, these character roles all stemming from the works…
Unveiling the History of Mohicans In the novel, The Last of Mohicans, and many other famous fictions, Cooper mainly focuses on the past to evaluate the present and future. The title, The Last of Mohicans, itself represents a metaphor for the fate of Native. In this title, Cooper is more worried regarding Indians in general. His fiction provided factual transparency by organizing Indians into distinct groups: neutral speakers (i.e. Delaware and Mohicans) and pro French speakers (i.e. Huron and…
Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein written in 1818 is a novel about scientist Victor Frankenstein who brings a creature to life, and the journey of the two from the monsters creation to their demise. Many interpretations and readings have been attributed to this novel, all of which apply a different understanding to the meaning of the text, the themes and the characters. The notion of the monster and the pursuit of knowledge in a slowly globalising world is prevalent throughout the novel and will…
In spite of Jane Eyre being one of the most engaging novels of its time due to its brilliant plot and peculiar characters, it also has an abundance of historical importance as well. Firstly, Charlotte Bronte’s “Jane Eyre was one of the first modernist literature to be published. “‘Modernist Literature’ is [just] a hefty phrase that basically refers to literature written between 1899 and 1945, and involving experimentation with the traditional novel format” (Shmoop Editorial Team).…
of the part three works, one being The Outsider which was written by Albert Camus, translated by Joseph Laredo and published by Penguin Books in 1983, I was introduced to the theme of absurdism which dominates throughout the book. Camus invents a character or martyr whose simply does not conform to the normality of the society and will not pretend (“afterword”, The Outsider). Absurdism is one of the elements that is classified under a movement that was termed the theatre of the absurd by Martin…
Schama, nor Jackson J. Spielvogel’s methodologies create a perfect history of the French Revolution, all provide essential insight into understanding the era. Each of these three historians write extensive volumes investigating the Revolution, yet they contain their own specific flaws and strengths. Literature shapes our historical understanding. A competent and tenacious author writes his history to his audience. Understanding his reader allows him to make his work not only informative, but…