“Floating Bridge” and the Picaresque Tale: An Unlikely Feat of Character Development

Munro achieves this character development by employing satire and profanity to highlight the sacred; by instilling symbolism in the locations visited by Jinny throughout the day, and by according her with rascally tendencies once the process has begun. These are all characteristics of this type of episodic recounting of adventures on the road.

“I was removed from all the wickedness of the world”: The Building of Identity in Solitude, in Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe

Crusoe’s shaky boundaries between his psyche and the world outside place him simultaneously as a god-like demonic figure, a ruler, and a subject to his own Self, made concrete in the form of the island and his interactions with it.

Dorian (Morally) Gray: Self-Determinism and The Influence of Art

I would suggest instead that it serves to alleviate moral responsibility from the artwork; after all, a book can’t make you wicked, but if you are predisposed to wickedness, it may reflect your own influence back unto you.

Talking Pretty Today: The Challenges of Learning a New Language

David Sedaris’ masterful use of narrative and stylistic techniques such as diction, rising and falling action, and foils provide the reader with a multitude of opportunities to understand the story’s main theme from many different angles.

Transformation Beyond the Shire: Thresholds and Liminal Spaces in The Fellowship of the Ring

As Frodo crosses various thresholds, J.R.R. Tolkien demonstrates not only how each one brings Frodo farther on his journey, but also how they mark stages of his personal growth and reflect the types of transformation that take place.

Sacraments and Trinity: an Analysis of Catherine Tufariello’s “In Glass”

“In Glass”, a sonnet by Catherine Tufariello, paints a picture of a couple burdened by their infertility finding hope and beauty through in vitro fertilization … The poet uses imagery, diction, and the structure of the poem itself to her advantage in order to orient the reader towards an understanding of the couple’s perspective on their journey towards parenthood.

“Look to her for directions”: The Woman’s Role in Persuasion and Tess of the d’Urbervilles

While Anne and Tess may wish to pursue one course of action, they are influenced by those around them to do what is best for others; the women do not make decisions with their own personal interests in mind. Both Austen and Hardy’s novels demonstrate that a woman’s role in society is to improve the lives of those around her, regardless of what she would like to do.