The Yellow Wall-Paper may seem like a simple story on the surface, but it’s actually quite complex. This analysis of the classic 1892 story by Charlotte Perkins Gilman probes that complexity in fascinating ways.
Un-writing the Fairytale, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast 2017: The Feminist Implications of Failed Deconstruction and the Lack of Fairytale Logic
The reviews of Disney’s live action Beauty and the Beast 2017 never did end up raving. Here’s a suggestion as to why a movie (and story) with such potential fell short. Writers, take note.
Questions & Curiosity: Why This Aphorism?
Take a saying that’s become cliché, and give it a new life when you question and then write a poem!
Questions & Curiosity: Wonder Plant Prompt
Join us this week to wonder about a common plant you may have passed by. Find your questions, then your answers, and then—your poem!
The Art of the Handwritten Letter: A (Typed) Letter on Handwriting
Sara Barkat writes about the power of handwriting, where paper and ink let a single word grow to fill a line, or fold itself up small.
Facing Ordeals, Learning Personal Qualities: How Odysseus’s Adventures Served Him Well
Through a series of adventures, Odysseus experiences an inner journey that teaches him prudence. By the end, peace brings his journey full circle.
Culture and Society in The Odyssey
The culture and society that infuses Homer’s The Odyssey is similar to and different from modern Western culture and society. Here’s a clear analysis of how, with intriguing examples.
A Way With Words: Faze and Phase
In today’s A Way With Words, Sara Barkat teaches (and amuses) us with the difference between the homophones faze and phase.
A Way With Words: Canon and Cannon
In today’s A Way With Words, Sara Barkat amuses us with the difference between the homophones canon and cannon.
The Windhover, by Hopkins: Sound, Image, Meaning
What does The Windhover, by Gerard Manley Hopkins, mean? Closer to myth than allegory, the possibilities are layered.
Why Does Hamlet Wait to Kill the King?
Did William Shakespeare make a bad plot choice in Hamlet? Why does Hamlet wait to kill the king? To answer the question, one must understand the play’s nature.
Order and Disorder in Macbeth
In this classic Shakespeare play, if no one knew what the Macbeths had done, all they need do is look to the air, the earth, animals, sleep, and dreams. Check out this intriguing analysis of order and disorder in Macbeth.
Was Hamlet Sane or Insane?
Figuring sanity or insanity isn’t simple from the outside. Was Hamlet insane? That depends on your definition of insanity and the importance of love ties.
Tragedy and Comedy: Why We Love Them, What’s the Point
Why read tragedy or comedy—or bother to write either one? Psychology and neurology suggest they can change our lives, make us more empathetic, and help us cope.
Romeo and Juliet: Surprise, Shakespeare Favored The Girl
Was Shakespeare ahead of his time, in his portrayal of the characters in Romeo and Juliet? A close reading of the play contains the answer.
Poets & Writers Toolkit: 5 Invaluable Word Tools
Stuck on a word? There is hope for your writing project with the perfect dictionary to fit your precise need. Sara Barkat has 5 word tools for poets.
Art Education & Theory: Draw Me a Cursive Tree
Could art education be purposely linked to cursive writing? One artist aims to find out.
The Horribly Tragic Deaths of Many of My Favourite Characters: Poem 3, Merlin and Arthur
In the spirit of Edward Gorey, the “Horribly Tragic Deaths” poems. This one, Merlin and Arthur.
Make Your Own SAT Questions
SAT questions should test creativity and sense of humor. This one from Sara Barkat certainly does.
Poem Analysis: Matthew Arnold’s Dover Beach
An evocative poem analysis focusing on the imagery in Dover Beach. Insightful and intriguing, from student writer Sara Barkat.