It’s the middle of the night, and you’ve drifted off into a deep sleep. You’re dreaming of a magnificent summer day of relaxing on the beach or maybe hiking a mountain trail. Then your alarm goes off. You’re slapped back into reality. Your once-peaceful dream is now bordering on a nightmare. There are exactly 28 …
There are tons of scary stories—ones filled with ghosts or vampires or zombies. But in my opinion, there’s nothing scarier than the stories that show what the world could be like if left in the hands of the wrong people. One of the books that demonstrate this point the best is George Orwell’s 1984. And …
If literature isn’t your thing and you’ve been reading long, boring novels all semester, the chance to read and write about a short story might be just what you need to get interested in literature again. After all, everyone loves a good story, and a short one (especially when it comes to reading something you’re …
Back in the day—when you were in elementary school—you learned about past tense, present tense, and future tense. You’ve gotten along all this time knowing these three basic tenses. But now your prof has thrown out the term “literary present tense,” and it has put you into a slight tailspin. Don’t worry—it’s not a completely …
Ever watch one of those home decorating shows where the decorator asks, “What sort of theme do you want to go with?” The decorator is essentially asking about theme because he wants to know whether he should use elements of early modern, colonial, or maybe contemporary design to tie everything together to create that cozy, …
Great Depression-era novels typically have an element of… well… depression. To Kill a Mockingbird isn’t any different. What is different is the fact that [spoiler alert] it ends on a slightly uplifting note. The story is centered around Scout—the narrator—and her struggle to see the good past the bad. It’s a struggle each of the …
Do you love a good monster movie? Do you enjoy a gruesome fight between the hero of the story and the evil nemesis? If you do, I bet you’d love to read an epic poem translated from Old English about monsters and a hero, right? Okay, so epic poetry translated from Old English may not …
Beowulf is one of those stories that most teachers assign but few students really understand. It’s so old that no one even knows who wrote it. But within the verses lies a great, action-packed adventure filled with terrible monsters, a dashing hero, and terrible jealousy. The characters in this epic poem are really what make …
If you’re not familiar with the work of Edgar Allen Poe, you might think “The Tell-Tale Heart” is a love story or maybe even a story about a jilted lover. This is a clear case of why you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover (or a short story by its title). “The Tell-Tale Heart” …
I know what you’re thinking. Another Shakespeare play to analyze? I get it. Shakespeare can be hard to read. But here’s the thing… Shakespeare wrote some of the most well-known and most replicated plays. Ever. The themes he uses can be found throughout literature and film even today. So right now, we’re going to explore …
“All the world’s a stage, / And all the men and women merely players.” Don’t worry, you didn’t miss a line while you were reading. This particular quote is from one of Shakespeare’s other plays, As You Like It. However, it perfectly sums up The Taming of the Shrew. It can be argued that everyone …
Who says all good books have to be happy ones? The Grapes of Wrath certainly proves this is just not the case. It takes place during the Great Depression, so you know right away that it’s not going to be a particularly uplifting story. But just because the story has a lot of depressing elements …
Have you ever wondered what it might be like to just aimlessly wander the country, enjoying the journey instead of worrying about the destination? If so, Jack Kerouac’s On the Road might be the perfect book for you. Many people say that this is a book that changes their whole view on life. That’s because …
Shakespeare is one of those authors who is hard to escape if you’re in any English or literature program long enough. While Shakespeare wrote a lot of plays, they fall roughly into two categories: comedies and tragedies. And when he wrote tragedies, he went all out. Spoiler alert: Most, if not all, of the characters …
It’s the bottom of the ninth, a.k.a. you’re running out of time to start writing your Catcher in the Rye essay, but you still have a chance to make it amazing. The bases are loaded—you’ve read the book and annotated, highlighted, or taken notes about all the important parts. Plus, your coach (that’s me) is …
Have you ever read one of those DIY websites and tried to make the perfect flower arrangement or wooden tool box by reading only the directions? It seems almost impossible, doesn’t it? Why? Because you need a visual to guide you. You need to see each step and see a finished product before you can …
Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World is one of those books that has the power to really captivate readers. Even if you don’t like the promiscuity or John’s undoing, you have to admit that there’s something really enthralling about the whole thing. Unfortunately, being enthralled in a story doesn’t make you prepared to write an essay …
You’ve been reading Macbeth very closely and have gotten pulled into the drama of it all. And let’s face it—the fact that it’s Shakespeare’s shortest tragic play certainly doesn’t hurt. But just because it’s shorter than the rest doesn’t mean it’s not packed with betrayal, murder, symbolism, foreshadowing, and a lot of other goodies to …
RHETORICAL ANALYSIS ESSAY DUE NEXT WEEK! You cannot escape it any longer. Your essay is due a week from today. (Thank goodness for homework apps, or you would have completely forgotten about it!) Remembering that you have to write an essay is only half the battle, though. Now you have to figure out how to …
If you’re anything like me, you probably read through The Scarlet Letter the first time and wondered how on earth colonial Puritans could possibly be relevant to your life today. Well … that’s the beauty of literature. Even though a story may be set in a time period you cannot relate to, the idea behind …
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is one of those stories that could be made into a box-office hit. It has action, adventure, love, and seduction. Sir Gawain’s reputation precedes him in many instances, and he tries to live up to people’s expectations. While some students may have a hard time finding the entertainment and …