Raven

1.Introduction Thesis: Professor Robert F. Yeager generates interest in the poem Beowulf by describing the mystery that surrounds its origin, the way the story influenced others, and how the story connects people to their ancestors. 2. Mystery of Origin Written over one thousand years ago by two anonymous authors Original manuscript was small, w/o illumination (written by a journeyman) No one knows where it was for five hundred years after it was written Was saved from the dissolving of the…

Chaucer wrote of The Book Duchess as an eulogy for Blanche of Lancaster, the wife of his friend, patron and employer John of Gaunt. The poem is organized as a dream vision and as such is build in circles that are closed and interlinked with around each other. At the core of the poem is the Man in Black’s lament for his queen and on the most outer circle is the poet, tormented by a personal loss, that remains unexplained within the text. While the Knight is entirely overcome with his grief and…

A Town of Pretense Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in Salem, Massachusetts in 1804. His Puritan ancestors were some of the first to settle in Salem. After his father’s untimely death, Hawthorne grew up with his sisters, his mother and his extended family in the family’s home. It is here that Hawthorne became an avid reader while convalescing from an injury. Much of his readings included colonial histories which became significant sources for some of his most famous writings. One such work was…

Thirteen Ways to Kill a Blackbird is a poem by Wallace Stevens which explores and highlights the perceptions of humans to our surroundings and the multitude of ways in which these can be perceived. It does this by having each of the thirteen stanzas in the poem portray and examine a new way in which the blackbird is viewed by the speaker. This poem uses a haiku style, which Stevens was particularly interested in. Haiku poems traditionally have three lines with five, seven and five syllables…

Reliability of the Narrator’s Account in Poe’s ‘The Tale-tell Heart’ ‘The Tell-tale Heart’ is a short story written by the famous writer, Edgar Allan Poe. It was first published in 1843 and was revised to its present form in 1845 (Seghir, H.M., Djelloul, B., & Noureddine, B., 2013). The tell-tale Heart is a story of a murder, told by the murderer, himself. It tells about an old man who is seemingly under the care of a young person. The relationship of the characters in the story was not…

Lewis Carroll is a poet often known as ahead of his time, and his poems and books amazed the people of the 1800s. However, many things happened before Carroll became successful. Strange relationships with young girls and thoughts of “sin and guilt” surrounded Carroll’s reputation and his mind. Even his meeting with Alice Liddell (better known as the star in her book Alice in Wonderland) caused several whispers among critics and other writers. After making several relationships with small…

William Faulkner stands out as one of the remarkable authors in the contemporary society with a focus on short stories as well as novels. Some of his pieces that almost every English student likes is “A Rose of Emily” as well as the “Barn Burning.” The thematic aspect of these articles being the social life depicted by the southern people. Also, there is the struggle they undergo at different instances. The use of a dramatic context in the stories is vital in fostering empathy. The ability to…

Oscar Wilde is often regarded as the most notorious writers of the Victorian-era and one of the most famous writers of all time through his controversial works. His writing has inspired and influenced many through his commentary on his society and the shallow nature of people, while also being considered a martyr for the homosexual movement. His most notorious work, The Picture of Dorian Gray, is often regarded as a reflection of his life, homosexuality, and his religious upbringing. Wilde used…

Guy de Maupassant (1850-1893), French author of the naturalistic school who is generally considered the greatest French short story writer. Some would even say that he is the father of the modern short story. Though he didn't invent the short story genre, he perfected it, popularized it, and greatly expanded his audience's understanding of what could be done with it. It helped that he wrote some three hundred short stories, all mostly between 1880 and 1890. Maupassant was also famous for his…

“Her decease,” he said, with a bitterness which I can never forget,” would leave him (him the hopeless and the frail) the last of the ancient race of the Ushers.” This quote is from “The Fall of the House of Ushers” and it explains that the Usher siblings, Roderick and Madeline are the last ones in their family, and the fate of their family line lies on them. But what is not explained is that the siblings have a strong bond. In the short story “The Fall of the House of Usher,” Edgar Allan Poe…