Herman Melville

Ragnar Lordbrok scoured the lands of France and England during the 9th century. Little is known of his history, yet those who know of him are intrigued. Legend has it that King Ragnar converted from a pagan to a Christian during his time as king. Along his travels he had met a monk who befriended him and taught him the ways of the Lord. This is controversial since there are no other accounts like this. Unless historians have all mistaken a common Old English poem, the “Seafarer,” as having two…

The Hidden Meaning in Everything Written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the story of “Young Goodman Brown” is a dark tale written in the form of an allegory. To understand this short story, one must assume everything has a hidden meaning. On the surface, this story is about a man who ventures into the woods outside his village where he encounters a pagan ritual. Upon close reading, one discovers the story has a deeper purpose—its examination of religious beliefs. “Young Goodman Brown” symbolizes…

Many authors use symbolism to portray themes throughout a novel. This occurred in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s book, The Scarlet Letter. The book took place during the Puritan time period which lasted from the sixteenth to seventeenth centuries. The Scarlet Letter is about the main character, Hester Prynne, who commited the crime of adultery. She was publicly shame punished by the community for the felony which she was involved in. The symbols used in this novel were crucial in reinforcing the central…

The introduction of The Big Lebowski is set up in such a way so we get an idea of the lead characters, specifically The Dude. One way mise-en-scène is utilized in a beneficial manner is costume design. For instance, when The Dude is first introduced in The Big Lebowski he’s seen wearing an outlandish bathroom robe. Along with this robe comes a beaten-up pair of shorts and a plain white t-shirt. He’s then shown wear a similar outfit the following day. From this alone, the audience can get a…

George and Lennie: A Tragedy George and Lennie have a very complex relationship, which is most simply explained as that of a caregiver and dependent. George doesn’t really love Lennie in the way that people are supposed to love other people. In fact, the ‘love’ George has for Lennie is probably closest to the way the love an owner has for their shelter puppy. George feeds Lennie, provides for him, defends him and so on. Rather than simply abandoning Lennie, George brings him along and…

The Joseph Long Papers incorporates one letter composed by Joseph Taper, living in Canada, to his previous proprietor Joseph Long. In this November 11, 1840 letter, Taper clarifies he was constrained away, however has no second thoughts since he and his family can bring home the bacon and go to class. Thecrease depicts what is conceded to "each shaded man" who needs to settle in Canada. This letter gives a few subtle elements of his encounters of getting to Canada. Fuhermore, Joseph Taper was a…

The writer of the story, a lawyer with wealthy customers hires Bartleby as a helper. This indicates that Bartleby must have had some good enough reputation to be able to get a job in the law firm. There is no family mention in the story, there are no friends mentioned either; which call attention to think the storyteller hired Bartleby based on trust of his persona. As an attorney the writer maybe saw Bartleby in the judicial buildings in more than one occasion and to alleviate his work load he…

It’s just like Charles Darwin and Herman Melville's way of describing nature, you tend to see the way the two men think alike but through it all they give you the best and the worst of a beautiful place. Throughout the passages Charles Darwin projects his astonishment about the Galapagos Islands by describing the enigmatic plant life while, Herman Melville described the Galapagos Islands through melancholic yet magical sentiments that they each bring. Herman Melville evokes the setting of the…

which a country’s trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit, rather than by the state itself (Oxford English Dictionary, 2017). Capitalism is extremely present in the work “Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street” by Herman Melville. Capitalism is present in sense that the story takes place on Wall Street. The take away of Wall Street and capitalism is that hard work reaps benefits in the form of monetary and respect. In laymen terms wall street and capitalism is all…

Herman Melville alludes to the Romantic theme that the corruption of man is always conquered by the power of nature, therefore in the realization of his inevitable death by foolishly challenging nature, Stubb wishes to divulge in one last sexual act, as represented by his exclamation of cherries. In order to fully comprehend the significance behind cherries one must first analyze the events leading up to Stubb's delirious exclamation. In this scene, the men are in pursuit of the great white…