Joseph Conrad

Comparing Individuality and Conformity in Fahrenheit 451 Individuality is celebrated in modern day society, but during the Cold War, the world seemed as though there was little hope for self-expression to live another day. In the novel, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, there is a prominent theme of conformity found various times throughout the dystopian society. Conformity was a common theme in the real world during the Cold War, when this novel was written. In this society, books have all been…

There is usually a fine line between humor and seriousness in most literature that Joseph Heller breaks in his novel Catch-22. Heller blends together comedy with frightening truths and criticisms about the military during World War II. Although there are many elements that contribute to the overall quality of the satire, the characters are the main focus and represent different elements of the military process. In particular, the absurdly named Major Major Major Major, who will be referred to as…

The book “Animal Farm” by George Orwell revolves around the concept of socialism and communism. However, in this book, it takes form in something called Animalism, a code of conduct set in place by the animals in Manor Farm after driving off Mr. Jones. Mr. Jones was the farm owner who was negligent of their needs. It is because of this that the animals rise up and revolutionize the place, claiming the farm as theirs and stating their independence. As you may have guessed by now, Animalism fails…

Sherlock Holmes is a detective hero of all times, a fictional character who is more famous than his creator Arthur Conan Doyle. The Scottish author Doyle wrote one of his well-known novel “The Sing of Four starring” the unique and detailed character Sherlock Holmes. Although Doyle has never been a colonist nor his character Holmes, the novel presents the idea of the British empire and its power along with the danger of colonized India and its people through Victorian perspective. I shall start…

example, in Animal Farm Napoleon seems the most like Joseph Stalin and Snowball from Animal Farm seems the most like Leon Trotsky. In Animal Farm Snowball was trusted by everyone after Old Major passed away, he took in account of everyone’s ideas and reasons behind those ideas, and was most like Old Major overall; just like Leon Trotsky in the Russian Revolution everyone trusted him after Emperor Nicholas II had been disowned by the country,…

The Crucible, a play written by Arthur Miller, is set in the 1600s, dramatizing the witch trials hysteria in Salem, Massachusetts. In the play, Arthur Miller has demonstrated the role of women in that society through a number of techniques. The actions of women in the play were shown to have outside influences rather than reflect their true nature. Arthur Miller presented the idea that beliefs, expectations and stereotypes had an effect on the behaviour of women. Religion played an important…

Fnu Suolongfu ENGL3061 May 3rd 2015 University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Bel Canto: Purification of human nature in between good and evil Two weeks ago, we studied and read Ann Patchett’s novel Bel Canto in the class, the beautiful name of this book, Bel Canto, comes from the Italian word el canto which is an operatic term meaning “beautiful singing”. The term has come to refer to a special type of Italian opera, which is very popular in the early nineteenth century. The style is known for its…

Dehumanization is a process that the Cambridge Dictionary defines as the deprivation of a person from their independent thought, the ability to be sympathetic, and the ability to exercise their natural rights (Cambridge English Dictionary). Within 1984, George Orwell uses the state of the country Oceania as a juxtaposition to reveal the devastating effects of authoritarian rules of government such as the totarialistic state of the Soviet Union in the 1900s under the reign of Stalin. Under the…

In author Arthur Miller’s article, “Are You Now or Were You Ever?”, the traumatic anti-communist trials of the 1950’s that took place in American society are thoroughly described. Miller’s purpose is to provide a clear picture of events and behaviors that emerged during this turbulent time period. He adopts a contemplative and didactic tone in order to make his audience reflect on the effects of their actions in order to not permit history to repeat itself. Miller presents his argument that…

Whiplash: A Path of Self-Destruction Whiplash directed by Damien Chazelle, perfectly entails the journey of one’s self-destructive path to greatness. Set in a modern day music school, Andrew Niemen, an ambitious jazz drummer wanting to become “One of the greats” is met with an opportunity to join studio band with a well-known teacher Fletcher. A psychological mind warfare ensues between the two with Fletcher pushing Andrew to his limits ultimately setting him on his path of self-destruction.…