Essays on Poems

875

The Symbolism of Gawain's Shield in Sir Gawain and The Green Knight

2 pages / 806 words

“Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” can be followed for entertainment value, but one passage in particular calls for deeper analysis. Before Sir Gawain begins to undertake his quest for the Green Chapel and dons his armor, the plot has been moving at a steady...

Sir Gawain and The Green Knight

876

The Meaning Behind The Girdle in "Sir Gawain and The Green Knight"

2 pages / 955 words

In the Pearl Poet’s Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, after two failed attempts at seducing Gawain, Lady Bertilak grants the knight a gift in response to his disinterest and inability to give her a keepsake of any sort. As Gawain refuses the gift of...

Sir Gawain and The Green Knight

877

Beowulf and Sir Gawain and The Green Knight: The Concepts of Chivalry and Reputation

3 pages / 1511 words

In the Old English poem Beowulf, the warrior culture is centered upon the heroic codes. Those who are members of Hrothgar’s court are ranked based upon the identities and reputations of their ancestors. It can be said that the armor of these warriors, as it...

Beowulf Sir Gawain and The Green Knight

878

Chivalry and Basic Human Instincts in Sir Gawain and The Green Knight

3 pages / 1657 words

As is the case with almost every example of romantic epics, and certainly every story concerning King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, the characters carefully observe a strict code of ethics, or chivalry. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Sir Gawain...

Sir Gawain and The Green Knight

879

The Use of Imagery to Parallel an Inner Conflict in Sir Gawain and The Green Knight

2 pages / 1109 words

The idea that humans succumb to natural urges is a literary topic that has been written on for hundreds of years. Authors have often pitted human urges against a higher code, like the knightly code from the days of King Arthur. Sir Gawain and the...

Sir Gawain and The Green Knight

880

The Role of Courtesy and Chivalry in Sir Gawain and The Green Knight

5 pages / 2479 words

Although it could be contended that chivalry and courtesy are essentially aspects of the same code of restraint and responsibility, the romance of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight presents a distinction between the domestic test of the Gawain’s chastity and the fantastic challenge of...

Sir Gawain and The Green Knight

881

Theme of Death in Lycidas and Paradise Lost

9 pages / 4079 words

Introduction John Milton’s initial encounter with death left a profound impact, inducing a sense of disorientation and introspection that found expression in his renowned poem, Lycidas. This poignant work reflects the young Milton’s stark realization of his own mortality and prompts contemplation regarding his life’s...

Lycidas Paradise Lost

882

From "On The Road" to "Easy Rider": America's Evolving Road Idealism"

3 pages / 1231 words

One of the first American ideals was that of the rugged individualist: the explorer-hero, in the tradition of Lewis and Clark and Davy Crockett, as well as the cowboy. America, especially the western part, was a new, exciting frontier yearning to be explored. However, once...

On The Road

883

Sal Paradise: Fusion of The Real and Fictional in "On The Road"

4 pages / 1949 words

The character of Sal Paradise, in Jack Kerouac’s novel On the Road, is a complex fusion of the fictional and the real. Kerouac created Sal in his own image and used him as a tool to shine light on the state of America in the...

On The Road

884

The Specific Style of Writing in "On The Road"

2 pages / 996 words

Jack Kerouac’s novel On the Road is a hallmark story of the Beat Generation, a movement defined by its rejection of conformity in favor of a search for deeper meaning. It is this search that serves as a catalyst for the majority of the action...

On The Road

885

"On The Road": The Role of Cities in The Construction of Sal's Identity

3 pages / 1475 words

Jack Kerouac’s novel On the Road follows Sal Paradise on journeys through America. Sal spends most of his time traveling by foot or car; however, the novel focuses on his time spent in three American cities: New York City, Denver, and San Francisco. Kerouac elaborates...

On The Road

886

The Specific Features of Narration in once Upon a Time

2 pages / 1014 words

Introduction Throughout Nadine Gordimer’s short stories published in 1989, titled Jump and Other Stories, the South African author constantly combats the status quo with her controversially poignant content. In one of the short stories, “Once Upon a Time,” the narrator tells herself a bedtime story...

Once Upon a Time

887

Human Nature and Motivation in "On The Road"

7 pages / 3109 words

Author Jack Kerouac once said, “My fault, my failure, is not in the passions I have, but in my lack of control of them.” Kerouac believed his fate consisted of much more than bad luck and poor decision making and attributed it to the naturally...

On The Road

888

"On The Road" as Allegorical Escapade

6 pages / 2630 words

In Jack Kerouac’s On the Road, the introduction of Dean Moriarty and the paradoxical themes of the Eastern and Western “road” to the character Sal Paradise incur dissension in Sal’s evolution. Sal ultimately chooses to return to the East and its standard of living, establishing...

On The Road

889

Discussion on The Harlem Renaissance and Black Poetry

4 pages / 1740 words

Poets of the Harlem Renaissance faced a challenge above and beyond that of their modern contemporaries. The two groups were unified in their struggle to make sense of a chaotic reality. But Black poets writing in Harlem confronted a compounded predicament because their race further...

Black Poetry Harlem Renaissance

890

Death Be not Proud: Deconstruction of The Concept of Death

2 pages / 1115 words

The critic Joe Nutt writes that ‘it takes a bold man to taunt death’[1]. This observation was made in reference to John Donne’s Holy Sonnet X, ‘Death be not proud’, and accurately portrays both the tone and subject of the poem. Throughout the sonnet, Donne...

Death Be Not Proud John Donne

891

Comparison of The Rime of The Ancient Mariner and Heart of Darkness

10 pages / 4485 words

Two orphaned boys grow up to be politically-concerned authors, one a poet and one a novelist, who use their maritime literature to speak out against the prevailing ills of European society, specifically the wrongful treatment of African people. These are only a few of the...

Heart of Darkness The Rime of The Ancient Mariner

892

The Transformation and Translation of History as Seen in Beowulf’s Eyes

3 pages / 1378 words

Culture and language have always been, by their very nature, intertwined. Neither can exist without the other. As the world shifts perspectives and culture evolves, so must language evolve with it. Old tales become wordy and dated, hardly seeming relevant in modern society. In a...

Beowulf

893

Symbols of Faith and Traditions in Beowulf

5 pages / 2306 words

Beowulf is an important text in the history of British literature as it is the first notable work to be written in the English language. Yet, it is significant beyond its chronological status. Containing both Christian and pagan elements, Beowulf reflects the historical-relgious context in...

Beowulf