The Next One

“It's the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting.” (Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist). In The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, a shepherd boy named Santiago is on a mission to find his personal legend. In this book, there are two themes that mainly stand out, personal legend and Faith/positive thinking. In The Alchemist, Santiago follows his personal legend. It starts with a dream that keeps recurring every night. This then leads to a curiosity to find out what it means. He…

Cassandra Clare once pointed out the importance of reading and comparing literature when she said, “Only the very weak-minded refuse to be influenced by literature and poetry.” The similarities between “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin and “Richard Cory” by Edwin Arlington Robinson are striking, and they deserve thorough examination. In “The Story of an Hour,” Mrs. Mallard thought that her husband died, but when she found out that he was actually still alive, she died of shock. In “Richard…

Jackson uses these literary devices to emphasize the idea that people will follow traditions blindly if that was how they were raised. “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson is a short story about a strange tradition. Once a year, the town gathers together and one member from each household’s name is put into a drawing. When a person’s name is drawn, their entire family has to come forward to draw a slip of paper from the black box. The family member that gets the paper with the black dot becomes the…

Thousand and One Nights is not thought of as influential literary piece. The revolutionary ideas this story conveys, considering that The Thousand and One Nights was written in the thirteenth century, is simply astounding. Alf Layla Wa-Layla’s The Thousand and One Nights had a resounding impact upon women’s rights and literature throughout the years to this day. In The…

After continuing a story for 1,001 nights, during this time bearing three sons, she finishes with a plea. She addresses the King as “O King of the time and unique one of the age and the tide,” flattering him while then putting herself in a humble and uniquely female position of “thine handmaid.” Before she pleads her case, she continues onto ask “May I then make bold to crave a boon of Thy Highness?” (Burton, 249)…

A Rose for Emily “A Rose for Emily” is centered on an old and lonely lady who gets stuck in her timeframe. Her extremely controlling father died several years ago leaving her confused. Her house has transformed to be one of the most hideous looking homes located on the once most prestigious street within the city. Previously, the house used to be elegant and white complete with scrolled balconies. This paper will look at the literary analysis for “A Rose for Emily.” The story takes place in a…

human nature to create and obey rules and laws, rather they exist solely as the boundary that restrains modern societies from descending into chaos. Firstly, one of the most prominent themes in the novel is order and chaos. Golding uses a number of techniques to convey the constant battle between the two, serving as a reflection of society. One…

give it up, I shall lose my soul.’ ” This shows that Kino wants the pearl so much that he will die with the pearl; he must have it. “... ‘I will fight this thing. I will win over it. We will have our chance. His fist pounded the sleeping mat. No one shall take our good fortune from us’ …” is another example. It shows that he is so obsessed with the pearl that he would do anything to keep the pearl and its fortune. This literary device supports the theme by showing the people are so obsessed…

It is not about the treasure – it never was. In Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist, Santiago completes a journey of self-discovery in search of treasure buried at the Pyramids (Coelho, 3-167), but that does not mean his core wish is a materialistic objective. In any story, the want is the goal a protagonist is pursuing, and this goal “gives the plot direction” (Cowgill, 39). However, a character’s need, which is not necessarily the same as his want, is “an unconscious, inner force that compels a…

character as a representation of all people. Because the man has no real name, the readers find themselves able imagine themselves in a similar situation and making the same mistakes. “The man” refers to or symbolizes human ignorance as a whole; not just one person. In doing so, the author is…