Crafting a Compelling Essay: Structure and Examples
Introduction
The introduction presents the topic or question to the reader and puts it in context. It introduces the main points you are going to discuss and creates interest and anticipation.
Example: In recent years, public funding for local facilities has become more problematic for many towns. This has become more obvious to me after listening to a panel on the financial needs of several different local facilities, like sports centers and public parks. As these places battle for funds, the main
Read MoreNeoclassical and Romantic Theater: From Moratín to Lorca
The Neoclassical Theater
Primary Function: To find forms of human behavior that are fairly straightforward. It reflects the current figure: having to accept everything that has happened for some reason, everything I do has to pass by reason, but we need to make things happen. Do not believe in fate, or letters, or chance, it must act reasonably.
Key Features of Neoclassical Theater
- Plausible: It is close to reality; it must reflect reality in environments close to the author or viewer.
- Separation of
Themes and Characteristics in ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’
Main Themes in ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’
Tennessee Williams’s A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) was published during the flourishing years of Broadway Theater (1945-1960), the Golden Age of American theater that emerged after WWII. This literary movement combined experimental techniques from Modernist theater of the 1920s with the tendency towards Domestic Realism (1930s and 1945s). The play was a success, depicting taboo themes that captivated audiences. It is also autobiographical, portraying some
Read MoreMercè Rodoreda: Symbolism, Characters, and Literary Evolution
Mercè Rodoreda: A Deep Dive into Her Literary World
Mercè Rodoreda is considered a pivotal contemporary writer in the Catalan language. Her work, primarily novels and short stories, evolved significantly throughout her life.
Key Themes and Style
Features: Rodoreda explores the often irreconcilable relationships between men and women, highlighting the subjugation of women and the traumatic sexuality that often underlies these dynamics. She moved away from the omniscient narrator, allowing characters
Read MoreMiguel de Cervantes, Homer, and Science Fiction: A Literary Analysis
Miguel de Cervantes
Miguel de Cervantes was a Spanish soldier, novelist, poet, and playwright. He was supposedly born on September 29, 1547, in Alcalá de Henares and died on April 22, 1616, in Madrid, though he was buried on April 23, which is popularly known as the date of his death. He is considered the greatest figure of Spanish literature. He is universally known, especially for writing The Ingenious Hidalgo Don Quixote de la Mancha, which many critics have described as the first modern novel
Read MoreThe Sisters: Themes of Paralysis, Corruption, and Death
The Sisters
Summary
It is 1895 in Dublin, Ireland, when an unnamed boy comes down to supper one evening. Family friend Old Cotter is telling the boy’s aunt and uncle that the boy’s mentor, Father James Flynn, has passed away after a third stroke. The two men share the opinion that spending time with Father Flynn was unhealthy for the boy, who should have been playing “with young lads of his own age.” In bed later, the boy tries to understand why Old Cotter and his uncle would not want him
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