Encyclopedia of Themes in Literature

is truly poetry of inclusion, stressing both his spirit and body; by commemorating, rather than debasing his physicality, Whitma ...

tradition Although most people today might think that the word tradition is a reference to things from the past that are fixed a ...

of intertextuality, does. The question Virgil raises for the characters within the story is whether their virtue will be enough ...

Aristophanes: FroGs, the; Browning, Robert: “My Last Duchess”; Dickens, Charles: christ- Mas caroL, a; Dreiser, Theodore: aMeric ...

positive. Drawing on notions of power developed by the French philosopher Michel Foucault, Newton Garver’s essay “What Violence ...

(1952) and sLauGhterhouse-Five (1969), which portray the violent decay of the modern world. Racial violence is apparent in novel ...

work The concept of work is notoriously difficult to define. The payment of wages cannot be the sole criterion in determining wh ...

herds, stable hands, miners, factory workers, and so on). One cause for the foregrounding of work is a change in attitude toward ...

that result from collective values and individual resilience. And without overlooking the profound damage done by Willy Loman’s ...

123 ` part ii Authors and Works A–E ACHEBE, CHINUA Anthills of the Savannah^ (1987) The Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe’s first no ...

through Sam’s derisive and indulgent quip, “Afri- can Chiefs are always polygamists.... Polygamy is for Africa what monotony is ...

impatient aggression marks someone who will allow no contradictions and tolerate no alternatives, nor accept any conditions that ...

Ikem conveys his recognition of the dispar- ity between social classes during a speech at the university that he entitles “ ‘The ...

with the entrance of Mr. Brown, Reverend Smith, and the other white characters. As Christianity begins to spread through the cla ...

of the white man and his religion. This view eventu- ally results in Okonkwo’s separation from the tribe when he kills a court m ...

to his tragic death. The novel’s conclusion, therefore, represents an ironic truth concerning Okonkwo’s existence: Though he die ...

rather than face the changes his clan will inevitably undergo. Therefore, his obstinate devotion to tradi- tion leads to his sha ...

seeks out new heroes from whom he can learn. As secretary to his father, ambassador to Great Britain (1861–68), Adams finds litt ...

In his youth, however, Adams hates the rote memorization and formalities of school. He would rather go to see Washington than re ...

ing symbolism of money inherent in capitalism. However, the symbolism of science and technology remains the greatest influence f ...