Comparative Literature Essays Examples For College & High School Students in PDF

1605 total results

The Concept of Conformity in Cornpone Opinions by Mark Twain and Life without Principle by Henry David Thoreau (1315 words, 4 pages)

To Conform or Not Conform... In both Mark Twain's, Cornpone Opinions, and Henry David Thoreau's,Life Without Principle, humanity is questioned by acknowledging that self-approval comes from making your thoughts conform with the majority's beliefsystem. Mark Twain has always been a keen observer of human nature. Forexample, he wrote about those ... Read More

An Analysis of the Rhetoric in the Speeches of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X (1446 words, 5 pages)

On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered a speech that has continued to inspire for generations. His I Have a Dream speech is iconic and has been featured in films like Remember the Titans (2000) and referenced by influential figures of our own time, such as President Obama. ... Read More

A Comparison of The Little Mermaid Versions by Walt Disney and Hans Christian Andersen (1825 words, 6 pages)

The Little Mermaid Tale TypeThe beautifully disturbing story of The Little Mermaid was written by Hans Christian Andersen and published in 1837, and like many other tales, had a Disney film adapted to it in 1989. This animated film took the dark story and gave it a happier vibe, to ... Read More

A Comparison of Rikki-Tikki-Tavi by Rudyard Kipling and Charles by Shirley Jackson (1212 words, 2 pages)

In the short story "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi" by Rudyard Kipling, a mongooselives with a family of people, and fights the snakes Nag and his wifeNagaina to save his family. In the short story "Charles" by ShirleyJackson, a boy named Laurie goes to kindergarten and makes up a fake childto keep himself from ... Read More

Comparing the Similarities and Differences in the Emotional Journey of the Main Character in the Novel and Film Adaptation of It’s Kind of a Funny Story (1108 words, 3 pages)

Its Kind of a Funny Story - A Film - Novel ComparisonIts Kind of A Funny Story was written by Ned Vizzini in 2006 and it was adapted into a movie in 2010. While there were a number of differences between the novel and the film adaptation, the film captured ... Read More

The Relationships Between Literature and History as Reciprocal Enterprises According to the Works of T.S. Eliot and W.K. Wmsatt (2692 words, 8 pages)

T.S. Eliot and W.K. Wimsatt, Jr. believe that the relationships between literature and history are reciprocal enterprises, although this reciprocity manifests in different regions of the nature of literature for each theorist, respectively. To Eliot, literary canons are as much shaped by innovation and addition to the old as new ... Read More

The Modern Family Myth in Looking for Work and An Indian Story (1354 words, 4 pages)

The myth of the model family has been around since the 1950s. According to our editors, the traditional vision of the ideal family consist of Dad, mom, a couple of kids, maybe a dog, and a spacious suburban home (19). But what if the idea of the model family was ... Read More

A Comparison of the Similarities and Differences Between the Characters Winston Smith and Guy Montag in the Novels 1984 and Fahrenheit 451 (1258 words, 5 pages)

Character Comparison in Orwells 1984 and Bradburys Fahrenheit 451Although very different, George Orwell and Ray Bradbury both utilized similar characterization in their dystopian novels published in the late 1940s early 1950s. Eric Arthur Blair, who used the pen name George Orwell, focused many of his works on social justice, dystopian ... Read More

The Formation of a National Identity in Oloudah Equiano’s Narrative of the Life of Oloudah Equiano and Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1400 words, 7 pages)

Slavery and National IdentityOloudah Equianos Narrative of the Life and Harriett Beecher Stowes Uncle Toms Cabin demonstrate the formation of a national identity in which minorities must justify their rights reasonably and quietly, while white citizens can defend their own rights or causes as outspokenly as they desire. This, at ... Read More

The Discovery of the Unknown in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The Obligation to Endure, and Medicine in the Modern World (1371 words, 6 pages)

Science and the UnknownScience is continually evolving. For all of human history, people have been taking part in scientific experiments and learning and observing different aspects of life. These may not have always been predetermined experiments per se, but the scientific process is the same used for discovering the world ... Read More

Prejudice Against the Gender and Racial Discrimination of the Characters in Caleb’s Crossing by Geraldine Brooks (2593 words, 9 pages)

The characters in Caleb's Crossing deal with issues of prejudiceagainst their gender and racial discrimination. The character Bethia, aPuritan minister's daughter, deals with lack of control in her own life dueto her gender. Though the novel does take place in the 1600s, where awoman's independence was quite unheard of and ... Read More

The Idea of Reality in The Allegory of the Cave and The Truman Show (1936 words, 6 pages)

Essay4 Allegory of the Cave and The Truman ShowHave you ever heard a crunch in the woods that turns out to be a harmless rabbit? Have you ever seen a shadow in your room late at night that appears to be an evil witch, but is actually just a shirt ... Read More

The Use of Characterization and Conflict to Portray the Struggles of Willy Loman and Flashbacks and Symbolism to Show the Challenges of Gatsby (918 words, 3 pages)

Cicero once said ...the greater the difficulty, the greater the glory. The more of a struggle something is, the bigger the reward will be. This is a false statement because the more challenging something is, the more you have to suffer through it. This doesnt mean that the end result ... Read More

The Nature of Love in Andrew Marvell’s To His Coy Mistress and Percy Shelley’s Love’s Philosophy (1363 words, 5 pages)

The Many Ways We LoveLove is an idea that many are familiar with - a term used to characterize ones deep affection for someone. Love is unique in the ways that it is manifested and presented. Sometimes love is portrayed as genuine devotion to another, while other times it is ... Read More

The Ethical and Religious Meanings in The Arabian Nights and Inferno by Dante Alighieri (871 words, 3 pages)

The Arabian Nights and Dantes Inferno are loaded with profound ethical and religious meanings. Although the two works pertain to very different cultures and are nurtured by different religious beliefs, the essence of the moral lesson they teach is similar. Interestingly, both of these majestic and extremely ambitious works of ... Read More

Racial Identity and Female Friendship in Nella Larsen’s Passing and Toni Morrison’s Recitatif (2803 words, 8 pages)

Nella Larsens Passing and Toni Morrisons Recitatif portray female friendship as a contract that binds two individuals together based on their struggle to establish a racial identity. In both novels, racial identity raises tensions in the relationship through the difficulties the women experience in trying to reconcile their independent desires ... Read More

A Comparison of the Tragedy Used in Hamlet and the Tragedy in Greek Literature (1153 words, 4 pages)

Tragedy is one of the oldest and most revered branches of drama in the world. It is universally believed by scholars that tragedy had its beginnings among the Dorians in the Peloponnesus region of Greece and that it originated in ritualistic worship of Dionysus (Ridgeway 2). Aristotle in particular is ... Read More

A Comparison of By the Bog of Cats by Marina Carr and Hedda Gabler by Henrick Ibsen (757 words, 3 pages)

What a Tragedy for WomanThough written about a hundred years apart, By the Bog of Cats by Marina Carr and Hedda Gabler by Henrick Ibsen are very similar in that they both end on the death of a main character. In By the Bog of Cats, Hester kills her daughter ... Read More

A Comparison of What You Pawn I Will Redeem by Sherman Alexie and Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson (571 words, 3 pages)

Lucilles Quest to End LonelinessIn Sherman Alexies short story What You Pawn I Will Redeem, the main character Jackson Jackson goes on a quest to gather one hundred dollars in order to buy his grandmother's pow wow regalia--which was stolen many years prior-- from a pawn shop owner. Though he ... Read More

The Themes of Mortality, Life, and Death in Grendel by John Gardner and Power by Adrienne Rich (359 words, 2 pages)

Mortality, Life, and Death in Grendel and PowerThe scene from John Gardners Grendel in which Grendel listens to the dragon has some similarities to Adrienne Richs poem Power in terms of diction and images. The character Grendel has similarities to the Marie Curies research of an element in the poem. ... Read More

A Review of The Things They Carried and The Vietnam in Me, Two Works by Tim O’Brien (601 words, 2 pages)

Having read The Things They Carried by Tim OBrien and this nonfiction (memoir) essay about the same experience, how might you counter or support V.S. Naipauls assertion that only nonfiction could capture the complexities of todays world?What characteristics do those two pieces of writing share?How are they different (language-diction, literary ... Read More

Love and Family in The Duchess of Malfi by John Webster and Antigone by Sophocles (686 words, 3 pages)

Family KillsInspiration can come from anything, but one of the most frequently used sources is the past. Pulling successful aspects of previous creations allows for the new artist to mold their own unique version. This is especially true for writers and playwrights. During the renaissance period playwrights primarily took influences ... Read More

Strong Female Characters in the Books Body of Evidence by Patricia Cornwell, If I Should Die by Grace Edwards, and Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear (1873 words, 6 pages)

This class has really made me appreciate reading again. My favorite part is with each story, as I read its almost like watching a movie. This round of books I enjoyed more than the last. These novels entranced me with their talented, smart, brave women leading the way. Patricia Cornwell, ... Read More

Comparing the Similarities and Differences in the Book and Movie Version of The Shining (1804 words, 7 pages)

The Shining King VS. KubrickRenowned director Stanley Kubrick was a master of his time, an auteur if you will, who drew his inspiration from various literary works. He approached controversial and timely topics with his own unique spin, which became a signature element of his films. Said films are considered ... Read More

A Comparison of the Similarities and Differences in Character Choice, Theme, and Storyline Between The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Frankenstein (498 words, 2 pages)

The Correlations Between Frankenstein and The Rime of the Ancient MarinerAs a child, Mary Shelley stayed up late listening to Samuel Taylor Coleridges horrific poem, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. This may be why Shelleys Frankenstein parallels Coleridges poem in character choice, theme, and storyline. Victor and The Mariner ... Read More

Sexual Exploitation in Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs and Property by Valerie Martin (1868 words, 6 pages)

Though a keystone in the development of American history and culture, the American slave trade was extremely detrimental to both the physical and mental well being of African American slaves. The system tended to be particularly brutal and demeaning for enslaved women, often depriving them of the ability to refuse ... Read More

Shinji’s Symptms of Love Sickness in The Sound of Waves by Yukio Mishima (1047 words, 4 pages)

The willingness to die for someone else because life wouldnt be worth living without that individual is one of the many ways to describe love. Dr.Seuss made love seem magical when he said, You know youre in love when you cant fall asleep because reality is finally better than your ... Read More

The Work of Fiction in The Revenge of the Shadow King by Derek Benz and J. S. Lewis (822 words, 3 pages)

The purpose of reading stories that arent true is educational, whether or not it is intended. It is impossible to read a book and learn absolutely nothing from it. The books teachings dont have to be facts or morals books have the ability to create an entirely new world. In ... Read More

Comparing the Similarities and Differences in the Roles of Women and Americans in A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen and Daisy Miller Henry James (723 words, 3 pages)

In Henrik Ibsens play A Dolls House and Henry James novella Daisy Miller, the main characters embody two controversial topics. The roles of the female and an American were quite different in the time period that these pieces of literature were written in then in the present. These controversies have ... Read More

The Theme of Identity Crisis in Morrison’s The Bluest Eye and Alvarez’s I Want to Be Miss America (847 words, 3 pages)

Identity crisis defined as a period of uncertainty and confusion in which a person's sense of identity becomes insecure, typically due to a change in their expected aims or role in society. The Identity crisis influences the way woman of color view beauty by making them act differently and trying ... Read More

Comparative Literature Essay Examples