Author Archives: e.weiss

Throughout the course of the semester, I have definitely improved my writing skills and critical thinking skills. The weekly posts where we had to connect a work we read to a more abstract concept forced me to think more analytically; … Continue reading →

In Stephane Mallarme’s poem, “The Virginal, Vibrant, and Beautiful Dawn”, the author describes the setting as a “hard lake haunted beneath the ice”, establishing a rather gloomy and melancholy mood. The swan depicted in the poem seems to face the … Continue reading →

One of the key aspects of this work revolves around the fact that these individuals are stuck in their bunker, indefinitely. They are stuck with one another, stuck in the same routine because there is nowhere else to go, nothing … Continue reading →

In “The Judgment” by Franz Kafka, George’s father pulls his son from the shackles of ignorance and selfishness with which he has locked himself up in a false life. “So now you know what there was in the world outside … Continue reading →

How does the ability to choose play a role in the lives of the main characters in both Ihara Saikaku’s from Life of a Sensuous Woman and Herman Melville’s Bartleby, The Scrivener? To what extent are the Woman and Bartleby … Continue reading →

Borys: Since the beginning of the the short story by Herman Melville, Bartleby had been an enigma; never revealing his true thoughts or feelings which lead to his foreseeable collapse. He always just got by on what he needed and … Continue reading →

Monkey’s quest to find immortality reflects his view on the meaning of life. Sun Wukong, or Wake-to-Vacuity, Monkey’s given name, may be directly tied to his fear of an empty or meaningless life. However, Monkey realizes that not many people … Continue reading →

One commonality within the human struggle is the need to be better; better than oneself, better than others. People are constantly on the hunt for ways to improve their lives and to feel “complete.” Our drive for success itself is not a downfall. … Continue reading →