Close Examination Essays

  • Hamartia in Oedipus the King

    974 Words  | 2 Pages

    the character. So it follows that in Oedipus the King, a Greek tragedy, the tragic hero Oedipus should have some sort of flaw. However, after close examination of the text, no distinguishable "flaw" is revealed. Although Oedipus appears to have many "flaws" on the surface, namely his poor temperament, carelessness, curiosity and pride, close examination of the text reveals that he has many seemingly flawed characteristics that are not only justifiable but in some cases to be expected. One might

  • Streetcar Named Desire

    1124 Words  | 3 Pages

    Named Desire wrote, “The authors perceptions remain subtle and delicate… The final impression left is, surprisingly enough not of sensationalism but of subtlety” (38.) As in many of Williams's plays deeper meanings are understood only through close examination of each scene. The reader must ask him or herself as they go whether or not something might lend more than what lies on the surface. The tone is set immediately in scene one when Blanche begins by telling Eunice, “They told me to take a street-car

  • A Deconstruction of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

    807 Words  | 2 Pages

    Secret Life of Walter Mitty,” we see the main character as a rejected misfit in society.  He is often unaware of the world around him and reacts in what others would call a negative way to those situations he actually responds to.  However, close examination of the text used by James Thurber to portray him prompts a need to deconstruct the character Walter Mitty.  In doing so, we find that, far from being a misfit, he is actually the one member of society that is truly sound. To determine that

  • With it’s tight structure, poetry can accommodate great passion. Do

    1105 Words  | 3 Pages

    With it’s tight structure, poetry can accommodate great passion. Do you agree with this statement? You should base your answer on a close examination of two or three poems covering at least two groups. ‘With it’s tight structure, poetry can accommodate great passion’. Do you agree with this statement? You should base your answer on a close examination of two or three poems covering at least two groups. Although it could be argued that poetry can accommodate great passion I disagree with

  • Themes In Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird

    1056 Words  | 3 Pages

    To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, may appear to be a simple story about childhood and life in a Southern town, but upon close examination it is a complex novel dealing with themes of education, moral courage, and tolerance. Through the eyes of Scout Finch, the young protagonist, novelist Harper Lee educates the reader about the importance of a moral education, as opposed to a formal education, the difference between traditional bravery and moral courage, and prejudice vs. tolerance. In the

  • Children's Story Puss in Boots

    1215 Words  | 3 Pages

    Children's Story Puss in Boots A close examination of the tale type 545-b (according to Aarne and Thompson) (1) reveals a well known, almost universal tale of man and animal helper. There are many consistencies between western tradition and Central Asian renditions. Several themes are parallel yet cultural influences vary some of the plot details. The political and social structures of the time in which these stories were told shape these details and lays the background for the story. The most

  • Edwin Arlington Robinson’s The Mill

    851 Words  | 2 Pages

    "The Mill," much of it concerned with whether the miller's wife did indeed drown herself after the miller had hanged himself. Another, even more provocative question has never been asked: did the Miller actually hang himself? Beebe suggests a close examination of the text suggests that both deaths may be imaginative constructs that exist only in the mind of the miller's wife. The critics, and most casual readers, have neglected to remember that nothing is a given in Robinson's work. The exegetical

  • Fort Pillow Attack

    1313 Words  | 3 Pages

    when General Nathan Bedford Forrest captured the fort with his 1,500 troops and claimed numerous Union lives in the process (Wyeth 250). It became an issue of propaganda for the Union, and as a result the facts were grossly distorted. After close examination it is clear that the ³Fort Pillow Massacre² (as it became known by abolitionists) was nothing of the sort. The 1,500 troops under the command of General Nathan Bedford Forrest acted as men and as soldiers in their capture of Fort Pillow.

  • Anasazi Great Houses of the Chaco Canyon Region

    1692 Words  | 4 Pages

    others, such as Anasazi great houses, were massive multi-purpose structures. Because great houses from Chaco Canyon are so well preserved, it is possible to have a decent understanding of the structure of Anasazi architecture for analysis. A close examination of the innovative Anasazi great house architecture of the Chaco Canyon region reveals its utilitarian value. Chaco Canyon, located in northwest New Mexico, is full of plateaus and canyons. Though the area may appear unsuitable for habitation

  • Roman Pantomime

    1919 Words  | 4 Pages

    In assessment of the origins and nature of pantomime in ancient Rome, one will clearly see that the latter two factors are wide and varied. This is due to the collaborative nature of the art as a whole. With a close examination of archaeological, textual and representational evidence one will gain a precise understanding of how the origins, nature and type of audience of the pantomime are interrelated. One will additionally gain inisight into the widespread popularity of pantomime despite a general

  • Use Of Love And Religious Devotion In William Blake's My Pretty Rose Tree

    898 Words  | 2 Pages

    tend her by day and by night. But my Rose turned away with jealousy,And her thorns were my only delight. Initially, William Blake’s “My Pretty Rose Tree” reads as uncomplicated verse, but in reality the poem operates on many levels. Close examination of Blake’s use of objects, familiar yet profoundly symbolic, thwarts expectations of light romance. Superficially the poem speaks of flowers, love, and jealousy but beneath the surface lurk deeper messages of rejection, resistance to change,

  • The War of the Sexes in The Taming Of The Shrew

    927 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Taming Of The Shrew is derived from the popular 'war of the sexes' theme in which males and females are pitted against one another for dominance. Although the play has been condemned for the blatant sexist attitude it has toward women, a close examination of the play reveals that it is not a story of how men should 'put women in their place'. The play is, in fact, a comedy about an assertive woman coping with how she is expected to act in society and of how one must obey the unwritten rules of

  • Pool Scenes in The Graduate

    921 Words  | 2 Pages

    Pool Scenes in The Graduate At first glance it may seem that the swimming pool in Ben?s backyard is no more than an insignificant setting-choice for the movie. After close examination, however, the pool fills a critical role as the symbol of the recent college-graduate?s internal struggle with decisions regarding his future. Key scenes involving the swimming pool and the related aquarium in Ben?s room chronicle the evolution of his transition from adolescents into adulthood. The opening scene

  • John Updike's A&P

    1347 Words  | 3 Pages

    as though he will be stuck working at the local “A&P” while life passes him by. This is until a chance encounter with three young female customers changes his course from mini vans and diapers to a welcomed new and uncertain future. After a close examination of the text, Sammy doesn’t quit his job because of the girls, he quits knowing that a dead end job is not what he is meant for. Sammy is a normal teenage boy in many aspects, loves girls, is kind of a dreamer with a very vivid imagination, and

  • Only a Girl in Boys and Girls by Alice Munro

    1814 Words  | 4 Pages

    Only a Girl in Boys and Girls Alice Munro's short story, "Boys and Girls," explores the different roles of men and women in society through a young girl's discovery of what it means to be a girl. A close examination of the elements of a short story as they are used in "Boys and Girls" helps us to understand the meaning of the story. The story is set in the 1940s, on a fox farm outside of Jubilee, a rural area only twenty miles away from the county jail. The farm is a place that reflects the

  • letter of confession

    1401 Words  | 3 Pages

    how to spell this one) that she performed was one of the most uncomfortable things I ever had to go through. It involves doing something, that makes you feel like you have bad period cramps without having your actual period. After doing this close examination, I did not hear anything again from this doctor until about a year later, which at that time, I considered them incompetent. Before I went away to college, I went to the city to visit my mother’s GYN for a regular pap smear. She then wrote to

  • An Analysis of Love in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream

    2433 Words  | 5 Pages

    A Midsummer Night's Dream is one of Shakespeare's most widely read comedies about love. This seems somewhat strange, however, in light of the fact that so few of its characters seem to display any kind of full or true love. A close examination of the actions and words of each of the players will reveal that only one of them, by the end of Act V, should be considered a "lover". For the purposes of this inquiry, we are defining "love" as "that which steadily desires and works to attain the benefit

  • Appearance Versus Reality in Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie

    3114 Words  | 7 Pages

    themselves are symbols of a deeper meaning; for example, Amanda Wingfield's name itself is revealing. Amanda contains the word man, and she has to play the role of the man and the woman of the house since the father deserted the family long ago. Close examination of the last name Wingfield gives the reader additional clues. The Wingfields are actually taking life as it comes to them, or, in... ... middle of paper ... ...orks Cited Demastes, William D. Realism and the American Dramatic Tradition

  • Dostoevsky’s Notes from Undergound - Reactions to an Overdeterministic Existence

    1997 Words  | 4 Pages

    presents his Notes from Undergound as the fragmented ramblings of an unnamed narrator. On the surface, the character’s narration appears disjointed and reaches no conclusive end ing until the author intercedes to end the book. However, a close examination of the underground man’s language reveals a progression in his collected ravings. After expressing dissatisfaction with the notion of determinism, the underground man perceives the irony of his ultra-deterministic reality. Through his narrative

  • Comparing Themes in Cat’s Cradle and Slaughterhouse Five

    1891 Words  | 4 Pages

    fiction to reveal glaring, disturbing and occasionally redemptive truths about human nature. On the surface, Cat’s Cradle and Slaughterhouse-Five are dramatically different novels, each with its own characters, symbols, and plot. However, a close examination reveals that both contain common themes and ideas. Examining and comparing the two novels and their presentation of different themes provides a unique insight into both the novels and the author – allowing the reader to gain a fuller understanding