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

27201 total results

A Literary Analysis of Robinson Crusoe,a Novel by Daniel Defoe (2612 words, 8 pages)

Arguably, the main struggle of a fiction writer is the conflict between originality and believability, to create a living, breathing character that carries the authors message forward. Daniel Defoes Robinson Crusoe is not immune to this struggle as the marooned hero slowly converts himself alone on his island. Michael McKeon ... Read More

A Critique of the Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer in the Theme of Religious Pilgrimage in the Canterbury Tales by Esther Quinn (1067 words, 3 pages)

Chaucers Canterbury Tales were written in an age of supreme religious dominance. Religion was as prevalent in the characters society as government is in todays society. Esther C. Quinn gives a literary analysis, The Theme of Religious Pilgrimage in The Canterbury Tales, of the Canterbury tales exploiting the religious dominance ... Read More

A Comprehensive Analysis of Book ViII in Paradise Lost, a Poem by John Milton (625 words, 2 pages)

Going Beyond the Knowledge Known An Analysis of Paradise Lost Book VIIIIn Paradise Lost Book VII Milton begins by asking for wisdom and clarity, as he does not want to be like the lesser authors of epics who get caught up in unimportant details. He moves forward to the tragedy ... Read More

An Analysis of Control in 1984, a Novel by George Orwell (1475 words, 5 pages)

In George Orwells 1949 novel, 1984, he demonstrates his opinion of what would ensue if a free nation were to adopt a completely totalitarian government. This issue was very relevant to Orwell at a time when Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, as forms of totalitarian governments, had recently impacted ... Read More

Character Analysis of Hindley Earnshaw in Wuthering Heights, a Novel by Emily Bronte (462 words, 2 pages)

Horrible HindleyIn Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bront, Hindley Earnshaw, the brother of Catherine Earnshaw, is a vengeful, repulsive human being, but his horrifying personality is what makes him such a compelling character. What can also be seen about Hindley is that he is the archetypal inflated ego, except he never ... Read More

The Act of Forgiveness in the Book The Grace that Keeps This World by Tom Bailey (1196 words, 4 pages)

Faith and ForgivenessOf the crimes in The Grace that Keeps this World, many of them are unforgivable. And yet, the characters are faced with the task of forgiveness or, at the very least, living with the transgressions that have been committed. The feud between Gary Hazen and Lamey Pearson is ... Read More

The Use of Character Parallelism in Animal Farm, a Novel by George Orwell (1038 words, 3 pages)

Animal Farm is a novel conceived of and written by George Orwell. The story itself does an exceptional job of pointing out equivalences between the conditions that led up to the Russian Revolution which took place in 1917. Animal Farm is a satirical narrative that uses its main characters to ... Read More

The Definition of Joy in the Life and Works of C.S. Lewis (1466 words, 5 pages)

What is joy? The Meriam-Webster dictionary defines joy as a feeling of great happiness, the emotion evoked by well-being, success, good fortune, or by the prospect of possessing what one desires. When one defines joy, a variety of different things may come to mind. Many people may cite examples of ... Read More

A Summary and Analysis of 1984, a Novel by George Orwell (723 words, 3 pages)

1984Amidst a world that seemed to be in a never-ending series of wars, George Orwell wrote his dystopian novel 1984 to provide a glimpse into the future where totalitarian governments were left unchecked. Orwell lived through World War I, witnessed the Spanish Civil War, and then lived through World War ... Read More

The Story of Fatherhood in the Book The Grace that Keeps This World by Tom Bailey (1711 words, 5 pages)

The Grace that Keeps this World is a book about fatherhood just as much as it is a book about being fathered and about growing up and, as all sons must do, replace their fathers. It is tempered by the horrible responsibility that is inheritance, crippled by the human desire ... Read More

The Significance of Brutus in the Tragedy of Julius Caesar, a Play by William Shakespeare (822 words, 4 pages)

An Unintentional TragedyExhibited innumerable times in Shakespeare's notorious melodrama, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, the sincerest intentions of dignified people can consequently end in tragedy. It is evident that Brutus, a genuine individual, is the key component to this concept. Brutus hesitates to commit himself completely to Julius Caesar as ... Read More

The Quality of Gentillesse of the Clerk in Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales (1924 words, 6 pages)

The Clerks Tale and GentillesseThere are many concepts contained within Chaucers Canterbury Tales that apply to nearly every major character in terms of analyzing the quality of their personality. These qualities and the value placed on them reflect not only the author who penned the tale but the fictional narrators, ... Read More

A Personal Critique of a Streetcar Named Desire, a Play by William Shakespeare (725 words, 2 pages)

A Streetcar Named DesireThough not my favorite show this term, the production value and quality of this show was fantastic. I wished this was my first interaction with the story because I liked the movie more, but the show made more sense to me. If I had seen the play ... Read More

The Love Story of Francesca and Paolo in Canto V of Dante’s Inferno (2788 words, 11 pages)

Love, Lust, and Eternal Suffering in HellIn Canto V of Dante Alighieris Inferno, Dante and Virgil encounter Francesca and Paolo, two lovers who suffer an eternal punishment in the second circle of hell for their adulterous affair on earth. When Francesca explains to Dante how love was the cause of ... Read More

The Tyranny of Power in Animal Farm, a Novel by George Orwell (480 words, 2 pages)

In George Orwells Animal Farm, he cautioned emphatically about the tyranny of those in power and the fact that power ultimately ends up corrupting people even despite their best intentions. History shows that the utopia most people envision with the coming of a new political era, will never come to ... Read More

A Review of Never Let Me Go, a Novel by Kazuo Ishiguro (320 words, 1 pages)

Upon opening Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, you may embark on a deep journey through friendship, love, and a science-driven society where some question their own humanity. Masterfully written, Ishiguros novel brings a new light to the world of dystopian novels as we follow Kathys description of her ... Read More

A Summary of The Scarlet Ibis, a Short Story by James Hurst (852 words, 2 pages)

The Scarlet IbisThe Scarlet Ibis centers on the lives of two brothers, one named William Armstrong and the older brother, unnamed throughout the story.The big brother of a child named William Armstrong sits in a cold parlor one day, the season beginning to near autumn. He thinks for a while, ... Read More

An Analysis of Life’s Value in Out, Out by Robert Frost and Macbeth by William Shakespeare (606 words, 2 pages)

Macbeth and His Candle- An Analysis on the Dangers of Fire and How to Improve Fire SafetyWhen confronted with death, humans reevaluate the worth of and fulfillment achieved in their lifetimes and many are left unsatisfied with the state of their existence. The living can learn from these mistakes and ... Read More

The Dangers of Too Much Knowledge in 1984, a Novel by George Orwell (1684 words, 5 pages)

1984 by George OrwellKnowledge is power. Having the ability to control peoples knowledge makes you the most powerful. In the past, there have been people who have put this theory to the test the Soviet Union and the Nazis being the main two. Through these two societies, we can infer ... Read More

An Analysis of the Ambition of the Characters in Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and The Tempest by William Shakespeare (791 words, 3 pages)

The ambition of a man can bring about the downfall or the absolute success of his desires. Businessmen praise it, Buddhists damn it. Whether or not it is a positive trait is a matter of opinion, those who achieved greatness through ambition scorn others, and blame their failure on lack ... Read More

The Moral Decline of Othello in Othello, a Play by William Shakespeare (1312 words, 5 pages)

The Pursuit of Happiness An Analysis of Othellos UnhappinessThe Renaissance and emergence of humanism required the bravery of a select few to change an entire worldview. The printing press and translated Bibles allowed everyone to read and interpret the Bible for themselves instead of relying on the Roman Catholic Churchs ... Read More

Character Analysis of Edgar in King Lear, a Play by William Shakespeare (991 words, 4 pages)

EdgarWhen we our betters see bearing our woes,We scarcely think our miseries our foesWho alone suffers suffers most i th mind,Leaving free things and happy shows behind.But then the mind much sufferance doth oerskipWhen grief hath mates and bearing fellowship.How light and portable my pain seems nowWhen that which makes ... Read More

The Element of Narcissism in Doctor Faustus, a Novel by Christopher Marlowe (1983 words, 7 pages)

Christopher Marlowe was one of the most influential and gutsy playwrights of the Elizabethan Era, and much of that is due to one of his most influential plays, Doctor Faustus. Many argue that Edward II or Tamburlaine are actually his best, but Faustus is the most celebrated, and most often ... Read More

The Mother as the Capitalist and the So as the Common Worker in The Rocking Horse Winner by D. H. Lawrence (1119 words, 4 pages)

In his story The Rocking Horse Winner D.H. Lawrence creates a parable (Baker) in which the capitalist exploits the common worker for monetary gains. Lawrence creates a mother and son in the story however, the mother represents the capitalist and her son, Paul represents the common worker.While growing up the ... Read More

The Transformation of an Individual Caused by the Misuse of Power in Animal Farm, a Novel by George Orwell (1053 words, 4 pages)

Transforming PowerFables always teach a moral lesson, and this is represented in the Orwells fable named Animal Farm because this fable is based in the progression of a revolution that becomes totalitarianism, that specifically represents the evolution of the Russian Revolution. Accordingly, one of the moral lessons of Animal Farm ... Read More

The Demonstration of Human Nature as a Response to Hobbe’s Leviathan in John Milton’s Paradise Lost (1719 words, 5 pages)

Miltons State of Nature Tames the LeviathanPhilosophers reveal their opinions on human nature in their descriptions of the state of nature. Hobbes saw human life as solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short and recommended an all-powerful sovereign to reduce suffering as much as possible. At first, it appears that Milton ... Read More

Squealer’s Lies in the Novel Animal Farm by George Orwell (965 words, 3 pages)

Squealers lies and Animal FarmPattern recognition lies within all animals, especially humans. But this fact contradicts many events that have happened in history, mainly the ones including propaganda. The communism under the rule of Stalin after the Russian Revolution of 1917 is an example. The common people believed in the ... Read More

Virginia Woolf Failed to Predict That Both Men and Women Would Face the Same Obstacles That Would Impede Their Progress (849 words, 3 pages)

How would you feel if you lived back in the early 20th century. Back in those days, women were not seen as equal to men. Many people believed that women should stay in the house and they still had to do everything their husband told them to do. Men were ... Read More

A Literary Analysis of Midnight in Peking, a Book by Paul French (1350 words, 5 pages)

Midnight in PekingA story without characters consists of little more than a recollection of events that could be of natural causes and include no conscious beings, or instead include something as simple as a mouse but as only a trigger point for further events to progress. Characters in a story ... Read More

Milton’s Paradise Lost Walks the Line of Acceptable Christian Poetry (530 words, 3 pages)

Threading the NeedleAll it takes is a trip to a Renaissance art museum to see how important of a role religion played in the works of many classic artists. In classical painting, music and poetry, odes to religious figures are common throughout many European cultures. In that regard, John Miltons ... Read More

English Literature Essay Examples