Literary Analysis
The following works showcase examples of comparative literature analysis. Comparative literature allows for the opportunity to showcase different works of literature side-by-side and highlight the similarities as well as the differences. While the focus of each essay is unique, the works overall demonstrate literary analysis of key arguments and rhetorical devices utilized by each author.
Husbandry_The Modern Impact of American Captivity.docxOf Husbandry and Heritage: The Captivity of Womanhood and Wifedom
The captivity narratives of American women demonstrate the psychological impact of captivity by illustrating how the nature of confinement transcends the physical body and transforms confinement into an inescapable mental and emotional state of being. Through examination of the husbands and men in positions of power reflected in the works of Mary Rowlandson, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and Octavia E. Butler, I will reveal how cultural and societal pressures subjugate women throughout American history, yet how these same women resist confinement by intellectual means rather than physical to overcome this domination.
The Unwomanly Face of the Nobel Prize-1.docxThe Unwomanly Face of the
Nobel Prize
Nobel Prize
Censorship and propaganda played a big part in World War II. Two Nobel Laureates, Mo Yan of China and Svetlana Alexievich of Ukraine, delivered accounts of WWII that countered the censored facades and altered histories their respective governments touted to the public. Both authors centered women in war situations in acknowledgement of women’s invaluable contributions to the fight. However, even though Mo Yan’s magical realist works defy traditional Chinese narratives, Yan's female characters act as mere foils compared to their male counterparts. Meanwhile, Svetlana Alexievich's oral histories allow women the unrestricted license to convey their fight in WWII against not only enemy soldiers but also sexism, censorship, and society.
A Truly Global War.docxA Truly Global War: Rediscovering WWII beyond the Western Perspective
Growing up in America some half a century removed from World War II, I learned a very reductive, Western-centric story of the war. By examining WWII through the eyes of the Nobel Laureates who wrote extensively about WWII, I gained a richer comprehension of this global event beyond the battles, blood, and body counts. Each Laureate, through their own unique mastery of language, illuminated previously unconsidered parts of the war. These works focused on the physical and financial aspect of fighting and examined the emotional and mental toll such devastation wrought. Examining the work of Nobel Laureates studying WWII helps highlight the implications that past events still hold today.