Essays on Imagines

Introduction

The notion of "nothing" is one of the most important and controversial concepts in the history of humankind. Its etymology is quite interesting for the consideration, as it can discover many different mysteries associated with the most important knowledge. In addition, the perception of this idea may be absolutely controversial, if one talks about it in the framework of religion and philosophy of the Western and the Eastern worlds. Nothing is everything, and at the same time, it is a lack of everything. This notion has a negative connotation; it denies everything to what it is opposed; moreover, it ...

Gustave Flaubert’s debut novel Madame Bovary is a work of literary realism in which Flaubert brings out the provincial life of the protagonists in a little french village. In the novel, Flaubert moves away from the romantic literary traditions of his time and writes a tale that is rooted in reality. In the novel, Emma’s romantic nature and actions become a stark contrast to the very normal existence of her husband Charles. Although the novel centers around Emma or Madame Bovary, the role her husband charles plays in her life cannot be underestimated. Emma grows up reading ...

The book "The Things They Carried" written by Tim O'Brien is about a historical story during the Vietnam War. This book published in the year 1990 is also called as meta-fiction and there is a confusion that whether it is fiction or reality. But if we deeply read the book it is about the real facts that occurred when author was a soldier in the Vietnam war. The author tells about the life of the soldiers in the war field including him and the incidents that happened during that time. Through his vision the author highlights the mental status ...

The poem, “To His Coy Mistress” by Andrew Marvell was found and published long after his death. The poem is written from the perspective of a young man who is speaking to a young lady. The poem was later rewritten by Peter De Vries. The two are from completely different societies which is evident in their writings. Marvell's poem is based on love and affection while Peter de Vries poem is a mockery of the theme in the poem. The two poets disagree on many levels but the two poems are written using great literary techniques. Peter De Vries ...

Zora Neale Hurston and Marita Bonner are often associated with Harlem Renaissance of 1920s. Their views on the race problem differ greatly from the views of male African American writers, and sometimes even contradict them, as the ideas of female writers of those times also incorporate the ideas of gender and being a colored woman. The movement for the rights of colored people and the rights of women has inspired the appearance of the whole range of works concerning the perspectives on the issue. The two essays, “How It Feels Like to Be a Colored Me” written by Zora ...

Discussion Questions

In what direction was Henry Hudson initially ordered to travel? What direction does he ultimately take? What does this say about Hudson’s personality? Hudson was initially ordered to travel for the northeast. In fact, it was strongly recommended for him to do so. However, the man disobeyed and decided to travel in a totally different direction. He was three thousand miles in the opposite direction as he was sailing towards the northwest. The fact that Hudson disobeyed and chose his own way shows that he was very ambitious, risk taking and persistent. He knew what he wanted and ...

The main theme of ‘To His Coy Mistress’ by Andrew Marvell is known by the Latin phrase ‘Carpe diem.’ This means ‘Seize the day’; in other words, live life to the full now, because life is short and tomorrow we may be dead. It was a very common theme for poets to write about in the 16th and 17th centuries, perhaps because life and death were more unpredictable, life expectancy was shorter and medical knowledge very primitive. Another notable feature of this poem is its syllogistic structure: it is a carefully constructed argument. The first verse paragraph presents one possible scenario; ...

In W.S. Merwin’s poem “Odysseus,” we hear about Odysseus’ point of view, as he journeys out into the sea and thinks of home. Odysseus is weary from his journeys, and feels like he is not getting anywhere “but older.” No matter where he goes, what he does, his situation remains the same, and so he opines on the futility of his life and journey. He also seemingly has a great deal of trouble remembering what happened in the past, as he does not know the difference anymore between the “one who wished on his departure / Perils that he ...