Oliver Twist takes place in England during the 19th century, in a workhouse. Oliver Twist was born in this small institution. Oliver’s mother dies from starvation shortly after his birth. Oliver spent his first nine years in an adult workhouse, as he did not know who his father was. The parish beadle at the workhouse …

Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891) explores London at the turn of the century. Dorian Gray’s duality is a reflection of the division between east and west, as portrayed in poetry and novels. Wilde uses London’s decadence, hedonism sexual promiscuity to portray the duality in Dorian Gray. Dorian’s East End allows him to …

To His Coy virgins The popular poetic creed “seize each day” or carpe diam is the concept. Andrew Marvell’s and Robert Herrick’s carpe-diem admonish young virgins to avoid coyness, procrastination and other negative traits. Marvell’s “To his Coy Mistress” (to his coy mistress) and Herrick’s (“To the Virgins” or “To Make Much of Time”) are …

The Handmaid’s Tale is a dystopia of the future where all women’s power has been stripped away and left with a male dominant power structure. Throughout The Handmaid’s Tale, the theme of betrayal dominates the story. This is seen both in men betraying women, and also the reason for abandoning one’s sense of identity and …

The title of this poem is misleading. It is not a typical romantic love song. This poem shows the indecisive mind of J. Alfred Prufrock. “Love Song”, a poem by T.S. Eliot, is an exploration of Prufrock’s confused thinking processes and his less than optimistic mind. T.S. Eliot’s “Love Song” is a bleak, timeless tone …

Researchers have suspected for many decades that Shakespeare used his plays to comment upon the political climate in England at the moment. During the 16th-17th centuries, government persecution was not uncommon. Also, treason charges could be brought against anyone who spoke poorly of the royals. Shakespeare had to be careful to avoid these consequences when …

What is an allusion? Cinna was the stylist Katniss. It is likely that you missed out on the major allusion when you heard this name. Allusions are not about Katniss’s gem-covered dress, or the illusion of flames. It is a literary device that refers briefly and in an indirect manner to a historical figure, place, …

Hemingway writes that The Old Man and the Sea, a novella, “should seem simple and easy to read and yet contain all the dimensions and depths of the world visible and the human spirit,” in a Letter to Charles Scribner (738). Philip Young praises Santiago for his struggle and the “decency and dignity” he displayed. …