Narcissus

The presence of Nymphs in Greek literature and religion is everywhere; from whom people pray to, to the way they impact the stories of authors, and all the way to impacting how people speak like Socrates and Homer. Describing what a nymph is however, is a very difficult process. In Greek literature and religion, the main way of identifying a nymph is the formula “Daughter of Asopos” (Larson 4). Other common ways of identifying these divine beings are if they are the daughter of Zeus or other…

Why Blame is Your Fault When I was in tenth grade, I was cut from my school’s soccer team. It shocked and upset me. The coach spoke to each of us individually so that those who did not make it would not feel embarrassed. The trek to the car was one of the longest 50 meters I have ever walked. Telling my friends the results of the tryout was even less rewarding. I had every reason to believe I would make the team. I had played for the freshman soccer team the year before. I was one of the…

Bruccoli, Matthew J. "Introduction." New Essay on The Great Gatsby. New York: Cambridge UP, 1985. 1-14. Bruccoli consistently compliments Fitzgerald’s work in The Great Gatsby as an “intricately patterned” masterpiece. He discusses cultural themes including disillusionment, success, time, excess, and hedonism using the context of 1920’s culture that Fitzgerald was immersed in while crafting the novel. Bruccoli recognizes Fitzgerald’s legacy as an author and admires the immense revisions and…

The term Oedipal complex was initially used by Sigmund Freud as he developed a theory to explain the psychosexual stages of development. He attempted to describe the boy feelings of attraction to the mother with anger and envy towards the father (Fear, 2005). Basically, the boy may feel like he is competing with the father for the belonging and possession of the mother. The boy sees the father as a threat for her affections, desires, and attentions. In terms of the psychoanalytic theory, Oedipus…

In The Glass Menagerie, Amanda is associated with jonquils, a type of narcissus plant. While preparing Laura for her meeting with the Gentleman Caller, she recalls her past, “That was the spring I had the craze for jonquils” (Williams 54). It is at this point that Amanda is associated with the jonquils and the narcissistic…

What Mortals Want Gods and celebrities alike are held on a pedestal [untouchable] my mortal men. Some mortals even have shrines to commemorate these higher beings, but as stories and history has shown these higher beings have very human qualities and emotions… So what sets [them] apart? Clay Routledge, a social Psychologist researching how people view themselves has an impact on their lives, writes an article To Feel meaningful is to Feel Immortal. Scott Barry Kaufman, is a psychologist who’s…

Enter. look at mirror and touch your face and pull your skin. I have been looking at myself in this small silver mirror, so much that I think it is a part of me. I sit in front of it in the powder room every day, gazing into a blank expression. I stare and see this woman, this woman who once held beauty and eyes full of mystery and secrets. But every single day it is fading, the beauty is fading, the eyes, which were once so full of emotion, are fading. I am becoming dull and lifeless, day by…

When talking about the distinctive character traits in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s masterpiece The Great Gatsby it is hard not to talk about any mental illnesses they may have. Mental illnesses seem to run rampant through the cast from Tom and Daisy to the narrator Nick himself. It is hard not to notice that something might be wrong with each one of them. They all act and over react very strangely. Tom has control problems in many situations. Daisy is extremely over the top. Finally, Nick is…

The themes of classicism related to art, literature, and mythology are specifically woven around the persona of Aschenbach in Mann’s novella, Death in Venice. Artfully crafted, a reader easily identifies with the narrator’s condescending attitude, but also questions the true purpose of Mann’s allusions. Mann would have the reader closely identify with Aschenbach’s love of classical literature and beauty as justification for Aschenbach’s behavioral decline. However, the mood of this novella…

Over the centuries Demeter, also known as Ceres, has many myths and stories about her and her family. She also has some beautiful poetry and paintings that modern poets and artists have tried to portray her emotions from her myth across to the reader and viewer. While the myths of Demeter and the poems are about a mother losing her daughter, the Hymn to Demeter and Ceres are focused a little bit on Zeus, Jove, making a deal with his brother to kidnap his daughter and allow him to marry her…