Preview

What Does Great Literature Mean To You Essay

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
895 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
What Does Great Literature Mean To You Essay
What defines great literature? To me, great literature is a book that is well written, that has a fluid plot that keeps the book moving forward, and a clear moral that the story is trying to tell. Great literature greatly differs from romance novels or blood and gore action thrillers. The job of the thriller or romance novel, is to keep the reader entertained through the entire book and for them to buy the next one, and the books are filled with simple characters and simple plots. With great literature, the reader is put through an experience with complex characters, and an interesting plot that allows for in depth analysis and multiple reads. However, for one person, the action thrillers and romance novels could be their definition of great …show more content…
The three books that have stood out to me, are Breaking Through, To Kill a Mockingbird, and Romeo and Juliet. I believe that each one of these books are pieces of great literature. For Breaking Through, it is an extremely well written book with an excellent moral. The moral that no matter what situation you are in and no matter what life throws at you, if you work hard you will succeed really sticks to me. Second, for To Kill a Mockingbird , it is also extremely well written and provides complex characters and an in depth plotline. Harper Lee beautifully illustrates the town of Maycomb and its inhabitants. Furthermore, She eloquently describes each character's personality through their actions and words with Atticus Finch being a righteous man defending an African American fairly even though it had harmful reprocussions just because it was the right thing to do. Scout Finch seeing the world through rose colored glasses which influences how Lee writes the story is brilliant. Lastly, Romeo and Juliet contains beautifully eloquent language and great use of foreshadowing and metaphors. Shakespeare uses bird metaphors throughout the play to further his story telling and many other types of powerful figurative language. Romeo and Juliet definitely deserves to be considered great literature along with Breaking Through and To Kill a Mockingbird. In short, our class has
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Boy In The Striped Pajamas Research Paper
    • 892 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Boy In The Striped Pajamas Research Paper

    Harry Potter, for instance, is a series read by many hundreds of millions of people, and for most of those a hallmark of childhood. Whilst so many children each year begin reading and become obsessed with the universe, it is not life-changing. A brilliant story, yes, but it is not an experience that transforms how you see things. Of course, its status may change, but as of now, Harry Potter is not a great story. There are also books like The Fault In Our Stars, which has gathered immense popularity among people of all ages, though most notably teenagers. It too, unfortunately, is not considered a great work. It is a sorrowing tale that has broken millions of hearts but it will not live on in one’s mind forever. It does not qualify among the ranks of the superb, but that is not to say it does not make a wonderful book. There can, sometimes, be a fine line between the good and the…

    • 892 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Night Research Paper Essay Example
    • 1423 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Night Research Paper Essay Example

    A good piece of literature is one that contains a deeper meaning behind the text, and by the language and literary terms that the author develops.…

    • 1423 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Similarities Between To Kill A Mockingbird And The Chosen
    • 473 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Similarities Between To Kill A Mockingbird And The Chosen

    A great book is difficult to define. Some books contain endless action an exciting plot while others are more theological, but both make excellent reads. The Chosen by Chaim Potok, and Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird display this elegantly. Lee’s book starts with a trial and ends with a murder, but The Chosen, though less dramatic still possess the qualities of a great book. Both books deal with complex problems such as religion, race, justice, and friendship. In my opinion, The Chosen was a greater book because of its superior theme, plot, and connection between the reader and the characters.…

    • 473 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Why Is The Crucible Still Relevant
    • 103 Words
    • 1 Page

    Why Is The Crucible Still Relevant

    Although there are many well done pieces of literature, the best by far is the Crucible. It has a lesson that everyone can apply to their life. It shows that people must adapt and consider new ideas and the impact of words, no matter the age. It is applicable to people of every generation. It is truly a story that also engages many audiences, including history, fantasy, and political. It does this by having multiple layers to the story going back to 1692 to the Salem witch trials and, 1950 to McCarthyism. The story is relevant to each person, no matter the…

    • 103 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    To Kill A Mockingbird Should Be Banned Research Paper
    • 1368 Words
    • 6 Pages

    To Kill A Mockingbird Should Be Banned Research Paper

    Three major reasons why is that it gives a glance of history that occurred in the past, it teaches very fundamental lessons of life, and serves to students around the world as a popular masterpiece of writing in literature. These reasons alone help To Kill a Mockingbird stand out in the world of Literature. Students now and beyond will keep reading no matter what, and they should and always will have the right to read whatever they want. To Kill a Mockingbird should always have a place on the shelf, and always be a part of the English…

    • 1368 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Atticus Finch Classic
    • 797 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Atticus Finch Classic

    To Kill a Mockingbird is a classic, as it has been a since it first came out in 1960. Almost instantly, the novel won a Pulitzer prize and was adapted into a movie. Part of the book’s success is in its strong main characters, like Scout’s father, Atticus Finch. Atticus is revealed as an insightful, determined, and independent individual throughout the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee through his and other character’s speech.…

    • 797 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Theme Of Prejudice In Harper Lee's 'To Kill A Mockingbird'
    • 1159 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Theme Of Prejudice In Harper Lee's 'To Kill A Mockingbird'

    A classic novel is one that relates to and questions aspects central to our lives, and can be related to for generations to come. To kill a mockingbird (Harper Lee, 1960) elevates itself to become a timeless classic through its portrayal of profound themes and narrative messages that impact readers across all demographics. It is a compassionate story that not only educates and thrills the reader, but also ultimately inspires them to re-evaluate their presuppositions, and learn to denote an emotional understanding of someone else’s feelings or problems by walking around in their shoes. Themes concerning injustice of racial prejudice and the value of courage and bravery are traversed in great depth through the main characters, Atticus…

    • 1159 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Essay On Sexism In To Kill A Mockingbird
    • 693 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Essay On Sexism In To Kill A Mockingbird

    To Kill a Mockingbird, it portrayed how life was back in the 1930’s along with a story. The story was based on the author's own life. Her own experiences as a tomboyish girl in a time where everyone is sexist and views women in a certain way. Men were thought as the ones who worked for the family I.E. they got money. Women slaved away in the kitchen making food for everyone and took care of whatever kids you…

    • 693 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    How Is Bravery Shown In To Kill A Mockingbird
    • 963 Words
    • 4 Pages

    How Is Bravery Shown In To Kill A Mockingbird

    To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a novel which consists of a number of positive and negative themes. Lee has utilised the way of life and the attitude towards ‘Negros' in the 1930's to create a intriguing novel which has enlightened the wider community on the matters of racism and prejudice in America in the 1930's. Even though the novel has a dark plot line there are a number of positive themes presented to the reader throughout the story, e.g. education, bravery and growing up.…

    • 963 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Boo Radley Courage
    • 665 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Boo Radley Courage

    To Kill A Mockingbird is a priceless and classic piece of American literature because it emphasizes symbolic changes that we as a country went through. Even though Atticus, Miss Maudie, Jem, Scout and Boo all grew up in a world full of hatred and racism, they overcame it by being respectful, influential, and courageous. It reminds us of how far we’ve come from the harsh past and helps us appreciate our freedom more.…

    • 665 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    What Is The Loss Of Innocence In To Kill A Mockingbird
    • 743 Words
    • 3 Pages

    What Is The Loss Of Innocence In To Kill A Mockingbird

    To Kill a Mockingbird is a popular story written by Harper Lee and is considered, “of rare excellence...a novel of strong and contemporary national significance,” (Chicago Tribune). The book tells a story from the view of a young girl who…

    • 743 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Scopes Trial Essay
    • 1167 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Scopes Trial Essay

    The twentieth century Scopes trial may have started out as a simple debate between evolutionists and creationists, but quickly escalated to a debate of historic proportions. The 1920s were times of change in the United States, from women getting the right to vote to prohibition to changes in education, such as the Butler Act, which created unease and animosity throughout the country. The Butler Act of 1925 prohibited the teaching of evolution and any other theories that deny the story of the divine creation of man as taught in the Bible in all Universities and public schools in Tennessee. John Scopes, a high-school biology teacher in Dayton, Tennessee decided to test this law. He was found guilty of teaching evolution to his high-school students despite the Butler Act, resulting in a court trial that brought strong personalities of both the North and South into one courtroom. These conflicting personalities brought to light the real reasons behind the intensity of the trial. Fear played a big part in the trial because creationists and traditionalists truly feared the rejection of God, the Divine Creation of man and the Bible because they feared for the morality of civilization. As the times changed there was more pressure for Americans to modernize their ideas but traditionalists believed these changes caused people to stray from the word of God and the Bible and had no desire to change their God-fearing ways. Antipathy was also growing stronger between the North and the South resulting in biased opinions on many subjects. The Scopes trial controversy was more complicated than a simple debate between evolutionists and creationists because of the fear and bias generated in a time of advancement from traditionalism to modernism.…

    • 1167 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Literature Effect On Society Essay
    • 727 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Literature Effect On Society Essay

    Human rights activist and Nation of Islam leader Malcom X once said “The media's the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that's power. Because they control the minds of the masses (Malcom X 1963). This claim invokes me to think about the extraordinary effect literature has had on shaping our society. I find it especially intriguing that entire countries can be ruled by the media, such as North Korea. In the communism-spread country, the media brainwashed society into thinking Kim Jong-un is a supernatural figure. Perhaps literature bridges the gap between law and morality, since it can be used to dictate what one can…

    • 727 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    To Kill A Mockingbird Impact On American Culture
    • 908 Words
    • 4 Pages

    To Kill A Mockingbird Impact On American Culture

    Few novels have had the sustained impact on American culture of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. One of the most widely read works of American fiction, and perhaps one of the most beloved, it reached the 50th anniversary of its publication this summer. The novel has sold over 30 million copies in at least 40 languages, and between 50 and 70 percent of U.S. school systems continue to require students to read it.…

    • 908 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    What Makes Literature "Good?"
    • 1113 Words
    • 5 Pages

    What Makes Literature "Good?"

    Literature can be written in numerous ways; some people prefer novels and some may prefer comics. The question is, what makes that piece of literature good? The answer to this question is entirely subjective. Think about some of your favorite books and why you love them so much. By comparing your favorite books, there may be some similarities coming up again and again as you think about what you loved about them. These similarities involve realism; no matter if you are reading fantasy or paranormal, there should be some elements of reality to make the story believable. The characters of the book make a connection that makes you stand behind the characters decisions. The plot is the “make-up” ideal in all stories to construct the story that you love so much. With the three major works we have studied this semester (Hamlet, Sarahs’ Key, and Fifth Business), Fifth Business is the overall best piece of literature because it consist of realism, likable characters and a plot full of mystery that forms the complete journey.…

    • 1113 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More

Related Topics