There are many underlying themes beneath William Shakespeare’s King Richard II. One of the most significant themes is that of the continuous cycle of the rise and fall of nobility. Shakespeare emphasizes this theme throughout the play by following the falling monarch, Richard II, the rising monarch, Henry IV, and each individual involved in the chiastic…
The Purpose of Pain: An Exploration of Joban Philosophy through Five Centuries of Western Literature
Mankind, as a whole, has contemplated and faced the problem of suffering and pain throughout every age of uncovered history; a problem which has shown itself so potent, so vast, and so obscure that philosophers, scholars, and artists over centuries and innumerous cultures have devoted their lives and work to uncovering its roots, and seeking…
Chrysanthemum
“What you see is not the real world,” she told me through a cough or perhaps some excess smoke caught in her lungs. A pile of abused cigarettes heaped by her clean, white chimney steamed slow pillars of grey air. The choke invalidated what she was trying to say, leaving me with a sense of…
Quicksand
“I killed the king of Moab; punctured his balloon stomach with my knife; the rolls of skin-covered lard ate the blade, the hilt and my stiff hand with it. It was warm inside his flesh. Warm and wet; I felt dense objects slip against my knuckles. A moment passed before I realized what was happening,…
Candide: The Path to Contentment
What is the meaning of life? Can mankind find genuine serenity or contentment on Earth? Voltaire’s work begs these questions at every point in the story of Candide. Through the extensive and outlandish life story of the protagonist, Voltaire addresses many eighteenth-century ideas, including optimism, rationalism, and general skepticism. While it is difficult to extract Voltaire’s…