Literary theory

Literary devices are perhaps one of the most important elements used in writing. The journey of Suyuan in the historical fiction novel, The Joy Luck Club, by Amy Tan, is characterized through the use of style, plot and motif by establishing tone, emphasizing motivation and characterizing relationships throughout the novel. Tan’s use of style is one of, if not the most, prevalent literary elements used in the selected passage. Style used in the given excerpt of, The Joy Luck Club, helps Tan to…

Mutability and Permanance: An Analytical Exploration of Epigrams 4-6 in Spenser’s Translations of Theatre for Worldlings Reading literature by Edmund Spenser requires a keen eye and a willingness to investigate beyond the text. You are not simply able to read Spenser and somehow acquire what each line means as a first-time reader of his works. Reading Spenser peaks ones’ interest to explore common themes, similarities, imagery, and the allusions which bring forward the meaning behind the text.…

Some people say that ignorance is bliss. In some cases, however, that may not be true. In Sophocles’ tragic play Oedipus Rex, the author uses a motif of sight and blindness through foreshadowing, in conjunction with Oedipus, and through irony to convey the idea that when someone thinks they know what is right but are actually ignorant to the truth, that will most likely cause their downfall. Sophocles foreshadows Oedipus’ future using the motif of sight and blindness through prophecies and…

Fiction reflects the thoughts, aspirations, and struggles of its author. Through literary works, one can come to understand a cultural consciousness previously unbeknownst to them. With this in mind, historians have learned to use rather than ignore literature as an aid in their studies. Vernacular and modern tales of the Congo region capture both the fantastical and factual elements. Epics, like The Mwindo Epic, echo the foundation of Congolese culture form which thereafter conflict has arisen…

After our class discussion with Dr. Greenberg—regarding William Blake’s background and the societal context that influenced his poetry—I began to form various connections between Blake’s Introduction to the Songs of Innocence and Jean-François Lyotard’s The Postmodern Condition: A Report on Knowledge. With regard to The Postmodern Condition, I was intrigued by Lyotard’s argument that examined the method by which individuals acquire knowledge through their own societal perspectives. Lyotard’s…

Lamb to the Slaughter by Roald Dahl is a short story that creates a wave of emotion to the reader. Mary, the protagonist, is a complex character and seems to be a different person as the story progresses. The story’s involvement with a murder scene, a gruesome story would be expected, but instead Dahl puts a twist to the story which makes it not horrifying. The story begins with Mary shown as a devoted and loving wife. This and the constant reminder that Mary is pregnant makes me feel as…

his life and take the throne back. In act 5, scene 5, Macbeth is starting to realize that the end of his life is about to come. Shakespeare uses a Soliloquy to explain some of the final thought of Macbeth. ”Soliloquy, the speech by a character in a literary composition, usually a play, delivered while the speaker is either alone addressing…

Taran Bedi Mr. Curnett English 9 Feb 17th The Correlation of Ignorance, Sight and Truth in Oedipus Rex Sophocles’ play Oedipus Rex was written over 2,500 years ago. Although this play may seem ancient and irrelevant to today’s society, its themes and actions are relevant to modern society. Sophocles’ play Oedipus revealed many ideas that are now used in western drama. Sophocles’ use of dramatic irony became a new method for artists who wanted to create tension in the plots of their work.…

Jessie Pope. These literary pieces had some key differences. Although Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front, Sassoon’s “The Poet as Hero”, and Pope’s “Who’s for the Game” all shared their opinions on how soldiers should view the war, the views of All Quiet on the Western Front and “The Poet as Hero”s about the morals of the conflict were far more cynical and better conveyed than “Who’s for the Game”s as they featured a soldier’s point of view and included numerous literary devices while the…

society expects of a young girl (and older women as well). It is an unrealistic standard and an unachievable goal, which becomes obvious when the young girl in the poem cannot live to the standard and takes her own life. Finally, the imagery (another literary device) of the poem is that which appeals to the senses. Describing the cutting, for example, is a visual, physical (touch), and olfactory (smell) image. There are plenty of others to be found, including the visual image of "fat nose and…