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Mavis Gallant's My Heart is Broken follows the conversation between Jeannie and Mrs. Thompson regarding Jeannie's rape. Sadly, but not surprisingly, the aftermath of rape has not changed much since 1964. Mrs. Thompson implies that Jeannie is also responsible for the rape occurring. With words like "If you'd listened to me, none of this would have happened" or "I told you it would make trouble, all that being cute and dancing around" Mrs. Thompson blames Jeannie for what happened. The rapist is nonexistent in this conversation, Mrs. Thompson refusing to find out who he is. Jeannie is considered the main reason of the rape as Mrs. Thompson believes it could have been prevented if Jeannie acted differently. Mr. Sherman goes even further, arguing "no man by his own self can rape a girl, so there was either two men or else she's invented the whole story". This leads to a social atmosphere at the camp prevents Jeannie and her husband Vern fro...

            James Joyce is a beloved Irish writer famous for books like Ulysses and Dubliners. It is also a well-known fact that James Joyce was, well, a pervert. The love letters sent between James Joyce and his wife, Nora Barnacle are filled with graphic details of their intimacy. Although the letters from Nora to Joyce aren’t recovered, the language in Joyce’s letters are shocking even to the modern eye. They are filled with depictions of their sexual relationship, even talking about his love of farts. James Joyce was a man who was fascinated with sexual and sensual love. This fascination can also be found in one of his short stories,  Araby.              Araby is the story of a boy and his first love. What is interesting to note is that we don’t know much about Mangan’s sister, the subject of his love, other than her appearance and body. We don’t even know her name and she is defin...

I have never had the fortune of being in love. Of course, I had my fair share of childish crushes but I have never actually felt love. But after reading  The Lady with the Dog  by Anton Chekhov and   The Trick: Notes toward a Theory of Plot  by Marilyn Abilskov, I got a glimpse at what being crazy in love is. In both stories, the characters find meaning in their otherwise meaningless lives with their love. Both Dmitri and Anna were never in love before meeting each other. Dmitri is married to a wife that he is secretly afraid of and doesn’t care if he is unfaithful to her. “He had never once loved …. And only now when his head was grey he had fallen properly, really in love –for the first time in his life.” To Dmitri, meeting new women was a search for excitement and life. And his search ended when he found Anna. Anna became the center of his universe, unable to live his life without thinking about her, her existence haunting his mind. “In the evenings she peep...

*This essay was written in 2018 for my English Literature class with the topic: how does the following quote add to your examination of Jane Eyre's character and personal journey? "He is not to them what he is to me", I thought: "he is not of their kind. I believe he is mine;-I am sure he is,-I feel akin to him..." (175) The love between Jane Eyre and Edward Rochester from Charlotte Brontë’s  Jane Eyre is one between two soulmates. It is strong enough to overcome the various obstacles life has thrown in their path, from merely unpleasant appearances to a crazy, blood-thirsty wife. One reason their love is so strong is how fit they are for each other. “’He is not to them what he is to me’ [Jane] thought. ‘he is not of their kind. I believe he is of mine,’” (175) shows how Jane felt for Mr. Rochester. After their earlier conversations and experiences, Jane believes they are similar. Jane “had a keen delight in receiving the new ideas he offered” (146) while L...

*This is a short in-class essay I wrote in my British literature class in 2018 on Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Both Victor Frankenstein and his monster made bad choices, endured endless suffering and met a tragic end. However, one can only find their heart leaning towards the monster after reading Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. After reading about the monster, it is hard to fear it. Rather, thinking of its experience, it seems like a poor creature that never had the privilege of felling loved. From birth, the monster was met with pain, hatred, and fear. Even before he showed wrong actions, he never received any love or care. His kind actions brought violent, hate ridden reactions. After saving a girl, it got shot and after continuously helping a family out, it got a beating. The monster always dreamt of love, longed for a touch of care but was continuously shunned and attacked. Of course, it is portrayed as a villain and has committed many unforgivable crimes. However, one ...

**This essay was written on November 26, 2018 for Ms. Seuk's British literature class The preface of  The Picture of Dorian Gray  by Oscar Wilde is one of the most iconic prefaces of all time, ending with the famous line “All art is quite useless” (4). It acts as an excellent introduction of the novel that revolves around a piece of art, the picture of the titular protagonist Dorian Gray. The views on art and beauty introduced in the preface are explored throughout the story. Dorian’s corruption is warned in the preface. “Those who find ugly meanings in beautiful things are corrupt without being charming. This is a fault” (3). The start of Dorian’s corruption can be seen as when he talks to Lord Henry and says “[he] would give [his] soul for [beauty]” (25). This occurs after he sees the painting of himself created by Basil and does not focus on the beauty of the painting but rather becomes devastated, repeating “How sad it is” (25) and saying “I am jealous of the portrait...

***This essay was written on September 20, 2018 for Ms/ Seuk's British Literature class From a neglected, detested burden to an educated governess loved by a respected, wealthy man, the titular protagonist from Charlotte Brontë’s  Jane Eyre  shows great development and growth as she becomes older. Lowood Institution, a boarding school for girls who “have lost either one or both parents” (50), is where Jane is at during ages 10 to 18. Subsequently, it is also the place where Jane shows the most drastic development. Entering as a scared and weak orphan who nobody cared for and exiting as a curious, intellectual teacher who strives to gain liberty, Jane transitions from a child to a young adult in Lowood.             Miss Temple, one of the teachers at Lowood Institution, helps Jane blossom. For Jane, Miss Temple is the first person that showed unconditional kindness and love. Miss Temple’s kind and loving nature ca...

*This was written as a creative writing assignment on June 18, 2018 for Ms. Seuk's British literature class. While attempting to imitate Mary Shelley's voice as closely as possible, I wrote what would have happened if Frankenstein actually created the mate for his monster instead of destroying it. I sat at my desk, blindly staring at the violent storm ripping at the windows. The thunder was roaring and the wind was howling as if to chastise me. Rain pelted the windows, ready to break in. A crack of lightening illuminated the room, only to be followed by impenetrable darkness seconds later. The lightening brought back memories I was trying to avoid. The lightening was not unlike the one that struck earlier in the night. With that crack of lightening, another filthy fiend opened its eyes. As promised, the monster took its female away out of my sight. It was now over. The monster and its partner were going to go far away, unable to harm anyone anymore. But disgust and agony s...

***This essay was written on April 2, 2018 for Ms. Seuk's British Literature class Lady Macbeth is the character who shows the most drastic change in the play  Macbeth .From a devious criminal mastermind to a sleepwalking suicide victim, she is the epitome of a guilt-ridden character. Although she is only the wife of the main character in his namesake play , Lady Macbeth and her evolution throughout the play plays a significant role in Macbeth . In the beginning of the play, she is full of greed and would do anything to satisfy her desires. Immediately after reading the letter that alerts her of the prophecy, she says  “Yet do I fear fthy nature, It is too full o’th’milk of human kindness To catch the nearest way…Hie thee hither, That I may pour my spirits in thine ear and chatise with the valour of my toungue All that impedes thee from the golden round” (1.5.15-27) Lady Macbeth starts to plan how to make Macbeth king, immediately jumping to the conclusion that ...