Reading Lolita in Tehran Essay by J.H.

The Liberating Power of Fiction

In Azar Nafisi’s Reading Lolita in Tehran, Nafisi accomplishes, in a non fiction book, what she explains only fiction can do: make the reader feel empathy towards the characters. As the reader gets to know the characters, sympathizing with them and eventually empathizing with them, it is hard to decide where to put the blame for all the women’s problems. Nafisi makes it clear to the reader that many of the women’s issues are directly and indirectly caused by the Islamic Republic of Iran. When Nafisi confronts her magician with this mentality, he argues that she can not blame everything on the regime and she must forget about the politics and read literature. It is almost impossible for the reader to agree with the magician as we see the harsh rules of Sharia law and how they affect Nafisi and her girls. As the book continues and the women develop further, it is obvious that while the women read their literature, it is important for them to address the politics around them-influential factors in their life-in order to fully gain the epiphanies of truths Nafisi describes. As Nafisi exposes these women to literature, she is also allowing them to grasp the world around them-filled with such hatred for women­ and find themselves. Azar Nafisi’s Reading Lolita in Tehran exposes an Islamic Republic of Iran where women fall victim to a Sharia that not only sexually suppresses them physically and mentally, but also further dehumanizes them, denying them the basic elements of life. Simultaneously, these women are exposed to Western literature by Nafisi, leading them to take control of their own identities.

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Reading Lolita in Tehran Essay by JH

Ivan Ilyich Essay by I.C.

Industrialization and the Conformist Man

The arrival of industrialization was without a doubt a clear turning point for mankind, in terms of technological development and in terms of the way mass society subsequently leads everyday life. For Tolstoy, industrialization in Russia came not as an advancement, but a danger to mankind. In The Death of lvan Ilyich, Tolstoy argues through numerous literary devices that modem society lacks an individuality and compassion it once had. The “everyman” character and superficial bourgeois highlighted by Tolstoy’s dispassionate writing style reflect his discontentment with materialistic, post-Industrial Revolution society and the threat it poses to individuality and true sentiment.

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Ivan Ilyich Essay by IC

Slaughterhouse Five Essay by L.A.

Slaughterhouse Five​: A Cycle of Self­-Destruction

Kurt Vonnegut’s ​Slaughterhouse Five ​is an anti­war novel that reveals the glorification of war and its effects. In this account of the bombing of Dresden, Vonnegut exposes the American war paradigm through supporting characters, such as Edgar Derby, Kilgore Trout, and the Tralfamadorians. Edgar Derby, a very normal and poor high school teacher, gives his life meaning by fighting bravely in the war. Kilgore Trout is an odd science fiction writer who communicates his beliefs through novel. The tralfamadorians are small green creatures who Vonnegut uses to ironically communicate his beliefs, such as free will. Together with these characters, Vonnegut uses Campbell’s monograph, an essay about the American war paradigm written by an American traitor, to more literally portray his message. Through this paradigm, Vonnegut reveals the cycle which makes poor Americans hate themselves, purposefully benefiting the rich; a cycle created by patriotism and the dependence on money for self­worth. In ​Slaughterhouse Five,​ Vonnegut uses supporting characters Edgar Derby, Kilgore Trout, and the tralfamadorians in partnership with Campbell’s monograph to develop the American war paradigm, revealing the emotionally self­destructive cycle created by patriotism and financial self­worth which deliberately preserves the unhappiness of the poor to benefit the American elite. [Read more…]

Slaughterhouse Five Essay by C.P.

Slaughterhouse-Five: The Systematic Manipulation Of The Masses

In Slaughterhouse-Five, Vonnegut uses Campbell’s monograph, the motif of humans as machines, along with the symbolism of Trout’s novels to reveal the inner workings of American society, in which patriotism and capitalism allow for the growth of the system and the glorification of war, while ultimately depleting human morals. Campbell, an American traitor who allied himself with the Nazis during World War II, wrote a monograph in which he criticized American society’s faults, in which people are systematically taught to hate themselves if they do not become successful. Kilgore Trout, a science-fiction writer, wrote the novels The Money Tree and The Gutless Wonder, which symbolically depict how the capitalism and patriotism of American society allow for the act of war. As a result, the system consistently devalues human morals making people into machines to be used as tools for the system’s benefit. [Read more…]

The Death of Ivan Ilyich Essay by J.B.

Russian industrialization greatly affected Leo Tolstoy’s views on modern society, causing him to reject the society to which he once belonged. This blatant rejection of bourgeois society is illustrated throughout The Death Of Ivan Ilyich through Tolstoy’s skillful use of devices. The devices are utilized to make the superficiality of this society evident. The devices consist of narrative, theme, and juxtaposition which all contribute to Tolstoy’s existential disdain. The juxtaposition of Gerasim to the Russian bourgeois society, the unenthused narrative, and the focus on materialistic pursuits, all illuminate Tolstoy’s disdain for mass-man’s loss of humanity in an emotionally detached society. [Read more…]