James Joyce

“Araby”, by James Joyce, is a story of the struggle of obtaining love. A young boy experiences the treacherous journey one must face at some point in their life. He thrives on love, but is blinded by lust; (keeping him vulnerable to heartache). This boy has the ultimate struggle for this time period. He’s losing his love and possibly himself. Too young to witness the actual turmoil going on in his head; however, not young enough for his innocence to free him. This boy has a natural drive for…

Women in the 19th century were seldom independent as gender equality was absent. Independence can be defined as the unwillingness to adhere to the husband’s desire. In Henrik Ibsen’s play A Doll’s House, Ibsen delves into Nora’s journey toward independence as a result from the inconveniences of her seemingly carefree relationship with Torvald. Torvald’s inconsiderate and hurtful criticism toward Nora acts as a stepping-stone toward her independence. Additionally, the revelation of Torvald’s…

Henrik Ibsen’s play “A Doll’s House” features complex characters who are different than they appear. Nora and Torvald each undergo a transformation of their character from the start of the play until the finish. Torvald begins the play appearing very strong and confident, but by the end he is broken down to a scared and unhappy man who is holding onto an image of himself to receive respect from all he encounters. Additionally, Nora experiences a similar transformation of moving from a wife who…

Irish author, Charles Handy, once said, “Change is only another word for growth, another synonym for learning” (“Charles” 2017. Par 7). Handy attempted to convey that growth is prompted by change. This assertion is a lesson that I learned first hand when I moved from Tennessee to Michigan at the age of ten. The move pushed me into adolescence, and I transformed into an entirely different person that year. Later down the road when I saw myself headed down the wrong path because of my lack of…

As the speaker begins to doubt his feelings and understand where they have truly come from, the story takes on a more depressing tone in order to show the impact the revelation had on the main character. Joyce uses imagery to manifest the character’s changing feelings as the discovery hits. The speaker looks at a shop’s merchandise and sees “great jars that stood like eastern guards.” The imagery this conjures up is helpful in foreshadowing the oncoming…

Ismaeel Olukoga Professor Baker ENGL-1302-50261 Assignment 1 “A & P:” Short Story Analysis John Updike short story “A&P” portrays the mind of a young cashier, Sammy, working in an A&P store while admiring and analyzing customers, but especially the three girls walking around the store in bathing suits. Ultimately their defiance of standards of the community affects Sammy strongly. Updike uses action, dialogue and…

1. Would you agree that Beckett’s Waiting for Godot perfectly encapsulates all the uncertainties of modernity? Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot belongs to the Theatre of the Absurd. The absence of a meaningful plot, of objective dialogues and of absolute certainty is the state of absurdity. Beckett utilizes absurdity to play around with the concept of existential nullity which saw man trapped in a hostile world. Human life is meaningless and this created a sense of alienation, despair and…

Lessons In Love You should really get to know your crush before you act like someone you’re not, because it may come back to haunt you in the future. According to “The Bass, The River, and Sheila Mant”, a country boy has grown a slight crush on the city girl next door, yet with him being a few years younger, he can’t help but to eye her from afar and gape at her beauty. In comparison with the other by the name of “Lessons of Love”, a girl has fallen for a boy who she thought would never notice…

The story of Araby introduces us to a young boy who is infatuated by a young woman. He lives in Ireland in the early 1900's and pursues his interest in a very traditional manner. He admires her from afar due to the fact the she is the older sister of a good friend. She is described as a beautiful woman who can do no wrong. Everything about her is perfect and this only drives him to pursue her further. He essentially worships her every move and desires the idea of the two of them to be together.…

A Fabricated Identity: Nora’s Static Character, and the Efforts made to Sustain a constructed Facade One of the most challenging aspects of living in large communities is enduring the pressuring demands of society, an unquestionable truth, even in the nineteenth century. Differing reactions to those compelling demands is a centrally discussed theme in the modern play A Doll’s House. In This play, Henrik Ibsen constructs a fabricated identity for his character by hiding her behind a facade that…