The Modern Prometheus in the Modern Age (Frankenstein)

At a time when the romantic ideals of nature seemed to be giving way to the early industrialization and expansion of urban centers, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley created a masterpiece of horror and gothic romance that has spanned the ages. Frankenstein, since its publication in 1818, has managed to remain fresh even to the 21st Century,…

Samuel Taylor Coleridge in Contrast to William Wordsworth

Samuel Taylor Coleridge is often discussed in association with his peer, William Wordsworth. This is due in part to their friendship and joint ventures on works such as Lyrical Ballads. Although he is often “paired” with his counterpart Wordsworth, there are several differences in Coleridge’s poetic style and philosophical views. Coleridge’s poetry differs from that of…

Applying Jim Collins’ Good to Great to Human Service Organizations

I found Jim Collins’ bestseller Good to Great to be an interesting, surprisingly-applicable book for social workers. I began reading the book with a slightly cynical attitude, which I admittedly struggle with when reading about or discussing information related to Big Business. My pessimistic attitude was unwarranted, though, and in this book I found helpful…

Historicized Usurpations

William Shakespeare’s King Richard III and Macbeth carry out analogous deeds of treachery and endure comparable fates in their rises by sin to the throne.  However, their personalities differ such that Richard III is innately willing to execute anything and anyone to satisfy his quest for the crown, while Macbeth must be spurred by his…

Anti-Feminism in Middle Ages English Literature

There is a strong anti-feminist movement in much of Middle Ages English Literature. It could be supposed that since most of Western Europe at the time was very strongly biased towards patriarchal society models, there simply were not enough female writers to have any distinctly feminine point of view writings survive the period. From Beowulf…

The Alchemist & The Impressionist – Compare and Contrast

President Eleanor Roosevelt once wrote, “The purpose of life, after all, is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experiences.” Life is tied with the very essence of nature. It is natural for life to blossom fully and go through a delicate…

The Demise of the 1920s American Dream in The Great Gatsby

Outwardly, The Great Gatsby may appear to merely be a novel about the failed relationship between Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan. However, the major theme of the novel has much less to do with love than with the culture of the 1920s as a whole. In this article, the various cultural elements reflected in The…

Gender Roles in Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

“Exploding Enforced Gender Roles via Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” Though usually viewed as a violent play about turbulent marriages, Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? should be regarded as an early feminist text. Bonnie Finkelstein writes that the 1962 play portrays and analyzes the damaging effects of traditional, stereotypical gender roles,…

Much Ado About Nothing: The Meaning of True Love and Romantic Couples

Like many of his comedies, William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing involves young couples getting together, or trying to get together, and ends with the happy lovers getting married.  On the surface this appears to be a rather fairy-tale like ending, and both sets of lovers in this play, Claudio with Hero and Beatrice with…

“The Cask of Amontillado”: Montresor’s Revenge

Introduction The nature of Montresor’s revenge in Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” is controversial; critics disagree upon several applicable questions. Is Montresor’s revenge a success or a failure? Is Montresor remorseful about murdering Fortunato? What is Fortunato’s insult and Montresor’s murder motive? The ambiguity of Montresor’s revenge has prompted numerous conflicting responses to…