In Frankenstein, Mary Shelley uses the concept of nature dynamically, personifying it and using it to describe people and things. The concepts of nature and human nature are intertwined, and almost become interchangeable in their definition and subsequent usage in the novel. The main character, Victor, has a characteristic relationship with nature. Mary Shelley’s initial […]
Compost: Metaphor in Burial by Ross Gay
Ross Gay’s poem, Burial, juxtaposes the opposite qualities of life, death, and most importantly, enacts the different stages of the grieving process. Through the relatively simple act of planting plum trees, the speaker reflects upon the processes by which dead things decompose into nutrients that plants need, and chooses to fertilize the trees with some […]
Why Won’t They Come Back? A Self Reflection in Mrs. Caliban
The novel by Rachel Ingalls, Mrs. Caliban, focuses intently on the trauma of loving somebody and having to come to terms with their betrayal. It’s a tragedy of Shakespearian likeness, as evidenced by the title; “Caliban” is a character in The Tempest. He is a half-monster, and often is depicted as a fish man. Mrs. […]
The Yellow Wallpaper: Setting Study
Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper is a chilling tale about a woman’s slow decline into insanity caused by her postpartum depression and her husband’s subsequent mistreatment of it. The Yellow Wallpaper is Gilman’s attempt at warning other women of the dangers associated with allowing their lives to be controlled beyond themselves. The Yellow Wallpaper […]
In the Belly of the Sarlacc
In the desert of Tatooine, the audience sees the heroes at their worst. They’re enslaved, degraded, bound, and hovering above the belly of the beast. In Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, the Sarlacc pit scene uses specific film elements to portray one of the pinnacle parts of the Hero’s Journey. The scene opens with […]