Form

These pieces discuss in some way how the form of the work affects the story being told.

What’s in a Speaker?

That brings me to the topic of this essay, what are the opening lines of three epics, The Iliad, The Aeneid, and The Divine Comedy, and what can they tell us about the work and the historical context behind their creators.

What’s in an Image?

But what is the relationship between the two, the written and the visual? Could the visual object itself tell a story, or is it merely an additional layer to the written text?

Frankenstein; or, The Modern Genesis

Every religion has its own creation myth. It is easily one of the biggest questions that a civilization would have to answer for themselves; how have we come to be? This paper will aim to draw connections between Genesis and Frankenstein.

Hypocrisy

For a while, I was interested in hypocrisy as a theme both within the work itself, as well as from the society that created the work.

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl

“Incidents in the life of a Slave Girl” (from now on shortened to “Incidents…”) is a harrowing first-person account of the life of a slave in America published in 1861. Some themes such as that of family, food/industry and sisterhood among a few others are prominent throughout the work. However, they can also be seen in a single passage that deals with the sale of a slave, Aunt Marthy which this paper will focus on.

Hypocrisy in Frankenstein

A common minor flaw that can be seen in Frankenstein is that of hypocrisy, Victor, the Monster, and even the society that Mary Shelly lived having varying levels of hypocrisy.

Analysis

These works represent a more “traditional” approach of analysis not based solely on theme of form.

A Ravishing Look at John Donne’s Holy Sonnet 14

John Donne’s poem “Batter my Heart” or “Holy Sonnet 14” is a tour de force spiritual quest. In it, the speaker, who appears to be Donne himself instead of a persona, is torn between his love and God and questioning his own faith.

A Feminist Analysis of The Queen’s Gambit

There are countless media that aims to show how women try to fit into a strongly patriarchal society/establishment. The Queen’s Gambit, a show about a female chess player in the 1950’s/60’s, is no different, but what, if anything, sets it apart from the rest?

The Haunting of Failed Expectations

This paper will attempt to analyze Mike Flanagan’s 2020 Netflix series “The Haunting of Bly Manor” through the lens of rhetorical analysis. Rhetorical analysis and related terms as well as genre will be defined before the analysis of the series. These terms will then be applied to the series and comparing it to Frankenstein to better evaluate the genre. The author of this paper assumes that what will be found is that failed expectations resulted in a misunderstanding of Bly Manor’s genre.

How Does Shakespeare Present Power?

Looking to Titus Andronicus as well as Coriolanus it is easy to see an image in which officials are ruthless and the public is indecisive will be revealed.