Essays and Research Papers on World Literature

A 9 page paper which examines strengthened King and Malcolm’s resolve to liberate themselves and their race from oppression while the character of Eliezer (Elie) remained imprisoned even after his release from a Nazi camp in Buchenwald, Germany in April of 1945. No additional sources are used.

A 7 page paper which provides a biography of Morris West, a synopsis of his novel “The Devil’s Advocate,” and a discussion of the novel’s genre. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

A 5 page exploration of the religious philosophy of author Shusaku Endo as portrayed in this story of the individual pilgrimages of his key characters. On the surface Shusaku Endo's “Deep River” is a story of personal and cultural clash which unfolds among a group of Japanese tourist touring alongside the Ganges River in ...

A 10 page paper which examines communication in Amitav Ghosh’s novel Sea of Poppies. The paper focuses on communication as it pertains to the Indian culture. Bibliography lists 6 sources.

This 5 page report discusses Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) and his quote -- “He who cannot draw on three thousand years is living from hand to mouth.” “Sophie’s World,” the recent novel by Jostein Gaarder (which begins with the quotation from Goethe) demonstrates the ways in which modern humanity must be aware of its own history and the ways ...

This 10 page paper looks at four Chinese works dealing with different issues concerning Chinese history, culture, class struggle and inequality. The works; The Story of the Stone by Cao Xuegin (Tsao Hsueh-chin), The True Story of Ah Q by Lu Hsun, Diary of a Madman by Lu Xun and Raise the Red Lantern by ...

5 pages in length. One can reasonably assert that there existed a sequence of social change as a means by which to describe the impact of the intrusive European culture upon the indigenous culture of Umuofia. Having viewed Umuofia's culture as tending to be relatively stationary as well as harboring unstable equilibrium, one ...

This 7 page report discusses Chinua Achebe’s 1958 novel about a village in pre-colonial Nigeria. The concept of things falling apart in “Things Fall Apart” comes from the many ways in which the life of the main character, Okonkwo, changes in ways he is powerless to understand. “Things” are simply not the way Okonkwo believes they should be ...

This 5 page report discusses Hermann Hesse’s Siddhartha, first published in 1922 and translated to English in 1951. The river serves as an important teacher in Siddhartha’s life lessons and awarenesses. The single theme of the novel is Siddhartha’s search for unity, which is identical with his search for the true nature of the self. Siddhartha realizes that ...

A 5 page paper which examines the position of men in the primitive Ibo society, and considers whether it is similar or different to their position and/or role in modern society. No additional sources are used.

This 3-page paper discusses and analyzes Buchi Emecheta's book Second Class Citizen.

This 3 page paper discusses Martinson's book of essays, "Views from a Tuft of Grass." Bibliography lists 5 sources

This five page paper looks at a piece of autobiographical writing by Ariel Dorfman about his love for Angelica and his time in Chile. Analysing this piece of writing, which was supplied by the student, we can see how style can dictate feelings and determine the passage of time in literary terms.

This 8 page paper reflects upon the theme, characters, language, and plot development (the main dramatic elements) in Ibsen's play 'Ghosts.' Specifically, this paper considers the character of Mrs. Alving, the role of her husband, and the themes of communication, confession and reconciliation that are expressed through the character development and plot structure of ...

This 3 page paper briefly revisits ideas of what novels are about; and then decides on 3 novels that will endure: “The Things They Carried,” “Maus,” and “Haroun and the Sea of Stories.”

An 8 page paper. Palace Walk, written by Naguib Mahfouz is compared and contrasted to The Guests of the Sheik: An Ethnography of an Iraqi Village, written by Elizabeth Warnock Fernea. Mahfouz places a fictitious family against the backdrop of the reality of Egypt's struggle for freedom from British rule. Fernea writes about her ...

This 12-page paper discusses Rhinton Mistry's collection of short stories, "Tales from Firozsha Baag" and why, in writing about India he has also written about the immigrant experience in Canada. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

The Yugoslavian writer, Ivo Andric wrote The Bridge On The Drina in 1945. It was later translated from Serbo-Croatian into English and was the basis for his winning the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1961. This 5 page paper explores the historical and political references within the text. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

This 5 page report is written as a letter from Jyoti/Jasmine/Jane to her now-adult daughter. Her daughter has asked her why she left Bud (the daughter’s biological father) and what the various aspects of her mother’s heritage, experience, and attitudes led her to make the decisions she made. Bibliography lists one source.

5 pages in length. Tradition and progress have long at opposite ends of the cultural spectrum, an ongoing struggle that divides entire communities into two distinct groups: those who welcome the changing social and political landscape of cultural advancement and those who see it only as an intruder to a life steeped in tradition. ...

This 5 page report discusses the 1991 novel by Norwegian writer Jostein Gaarder and offers specific examples of some of the philosophical frameworks to which 14-year-old Sophie Amundsen is exposed. Initially, Sophie receives anonymous notes in the mail asking questions such as “who are you?” From that point on, Sophie (and the reader) are introduced to the world of Western philosophy ...

A 3 page paper which examines the elements of class and gender in August Strindberg’s “Miss Julie.” Bibliography lists 2 sources.

This 6 page paper argues that gender structures Salman Rushdie's novel's narrative in terms of the way in which men and women are shown as opposites, not only because of their gender, but because of the symbolic way Rushdie uses them. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

This 4-page paper discusses the concept of ambiguity in Iran as outlined in Roy Mottahedeh's book, The Mantle of the Profit. Discussions center around ambiguity in Iranian history, as well as continued ambiguity today. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

This 3 page paper looks at Sophie who is the protagonist in Sophie's World, a book about the history of philosophy. Sophie is discussed in terms of her intellectual, emotional and physical characteristics. No additional sources cited.