The Three Musketeers by Alexander Dumas

The conspiracy regarding the Illuminati has circulated for several years. This theory states that, “there is a ‘global elite’ society that is either in control or seeking to take control of the world” (Citation). Beliefs regarding the Illuminati conspiracy are prevalent in recent books and movies, reaching the cult fiction perception. A significant example is The Wizard of Oz, written by L. Frank Baum. The history behind The Wizard of Oz proves that this story line has had an essential role in the occult world all along. Associations of occultism, Illuminati rituals and Monarch Programming exists in sequence of books with satanic activity and intellect controlling it along the way. Viewers perceive The Wizard of Oz as an innocent fairytale, though the story has a deep symbolic meaning pertaining to the use of the Illuminati.

According to Dictionary.com a leader is “a person who rules, guides or inspires others”. Often a leader is more than that. Leaders care about the group as a whole not just their individual part. They see the big picture and help everyone else to see it too. They are the one the group looks up to and depends on. If the leader is lost almost always a new unlikely leader is bound to emerge. Leaders often do not know who they are until they are put in a position where they must lead for the success of the group. Leaders play a huge role in the book The Hobbit. Jack Welch summarizes the leader’s role in this book perfectly. Bilbo before he is a leader, Bilbo when he is a leader and Gandalf’s actions all relate to the quote Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.--Jack Welch

As a kid, I never saw my dad much. Even though my parents were married, I never lived with him, I always stayed with my mom. Even after their divorce when I was eight, my father and I became perfect strangers to one another. Just like in the story “Gaston” by William Saroyan, the little girl's relationship with her father is very much like my own. When the girl visits him after an undisclosed amount of time, they have a moment together with a peach and little bug named Gaston.the bug, Gaston symbolizes the father and in relevance to the peach, the peach symbolizes the broken home and divorce.

True love is selfless. It is prepared to sacrifice. This is the dominant theme in Shakespeare 's The Tragedy of Romeo & Juliet, a play is about two rival noble families from Verona, the Capulets and Montagues. Indeed, the two families have such an ongoing hatred for each other that they are constantly feuding violently without end. Having had enough, Prince Escalus, the Prince of Verona, one day decrees the penalty of death to be upon the person who disrupts the peace again. It is against this vicious backdrop that Shakespeare by contrast, accentuates love in Romeo and Juliet. Three different types of love are depicted: the infatuation of Romeo, the son and heir of Montague, with a woman named Rosaline; the arranged love between Juliet, the daughter of Capulet, and Paris, a kinsman of Prince Escalus, whom Juliet’s parents have chosen to be her suitor; and ultimately, the true love between Romeo and Juliet, whose families are each other’s worst and greatest enemies.

Camus published “L'Etranger” or “The Stranger” during World War II, and it became one of his most discussed works in Europe (Rhein). The popularity of Camus’ work can be attributed to the overall feelings in Europe brought by the havoc of war that had left the lands marred. Many people throughout Europe were hurt by the war and began to question the point of life amidst such destruction. This resonates with the modern audience as well because “The Stranger” continues to play on themes that can be seen in the horrifying occurrences that fill the media today (Rhein). Many atrocities allow a modern audience to relate to the events of WWII, such as the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the Rwandan Genocide, and the Haitian earthquake, which leave many questioning

As the sky continues mourning, tears are running down her face. She caresses her beloved's face and stabs her heart with a dagger, for she would rather die than be alive without the love of her life. Every human being goes through heartbreak and the joyus wonders of ‘true love.’ Shakespeare's play, Romeo and Juliet, is the perfect embodiment of both unrequited and romantic love. Paris trying to get the affection of Juliet and Romeo being so in love with Juliet are types of love that are very different but in a way alike.

Mob mentality is the way an individual’s decisions become influenced by the often unprincipled actions of a crowd. Mark Twain penned The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Twain grew up in America’s southern states during the early 1800’s, a time in which moral confusion erupted within the minds of humans. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn 's protagonist is a young boy named Huck who freely travels along the Mississippi River. Throughout his journey, Huck’s morality is tested as he is subjected to corrupt issues that were common in Twain 's life. One of the complications displayed in the novel includes the violent and impulsive aspects of mob mentality. Mark Twain is able to reveal the immoral nature of mob mentality through outraged and haughty tones within the novel.

The world has suffered a terrible calamity. Exactly what is never explicitly explained, but it is implied that apparently two countries with nuclear weapons finally decided to try them out and see what happened. The world is cold. The sun is blotted out from the sky. The plants are dying. The sky is gray and the surface of the Earth is covered by a constantly shifting gray ash. Within this world walks two human beings and they are a man and his son. This is very basic plotline of Cormac McCarthy 's book "The Road." McCarthy has garnered a lot of attention lately. His book "No Country for Old Men" was turned into a powerful and moving film that won a lot of shiny statues at last year 's Academy Awards. He is known for his very bleak view of the world, and for describing horrors and atrocities with a frankness and bluntness that often leaves readers stunned. His novel "Blood Meridian" is so relentlessly violent that many have had to put the book down just to give their minds a rest from the carnage. However, both "Blood Meridican" and "The Road" are being turned into Hollywood productions even now as I write this. McCarthy writes in short, direct sentences. He never used quotation marks and sometimes the words spoken by characters are not even separated from paragraphs that just describe the action. Reading his work is an active exercise and one that you have to brace yourself for. The most idyllic scene can suddenly turn horrific as the young man and his son turn one corner

Upon reading the book, No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy, readers may be shocked to see the way it is written. Cormac McCarthy’s style of writing differentiates from other famous authors. He does not use correct punctuations such as apostrophes for contraction words and quotation marks around dialogues or use correct sentence forms. His rhetorical mode makes it difficult for the readers to perceive it but there is a reason as to why he writes this way. The reason why his writing style is so different is because of the way his life influences it. Not only does his life influences his writing style, it also influences what happens in his novels. Everything that Cormac McCarthy writes in his books have a purpose. In order to understand McCarthy’s reason for writing so differently and the themes behind No Country for Old Men, the readers would also have to understand the writer’s life and the effect of its influences.

“Master and Man” by Leo Tolstoy is a story that explores the dynamics between a peasant, Nakita and his master,Vasillii Andriech. Andriech foolishly risks both of their lives, when they venture to another town in inclement weather to secure a business deal. Unfortunately, Andreich's impatience and greed ultimately leads to his demise. At the end of the story Nikita dies and is denied the same bliss that Vasillii Andreich experiences in death; in order to solidify the dichotomy between these two men, demonstrate how Andriech cheated Nakita, and he uses Nakita's lackluster death to amplify Andriech's extraordinary passing.

In the novel, The Stranger by Albert Camus, Meursault the protagonist, becomes drawn into a “senseless” murder that has to face the absurdity of life and because of his actions, Meursault is presented as a danger due to his lack of “morality” to society. Meursault who is not able to take control of his life but respond to what life offers him believes in the simplicity of life. He tries to understand the living through logic and objectivity, which ultimately turns futile, as he himself cannot maintain proper control over his thoughts and emotions. From the interactions between Marie, to the murder of the Arab, and the meeting with the Chaplain, Meursault overcomes his indifferent views to form an opinion about what life really means. The central theme presented by Camus is how the threat of mortality becomes a catalyst for understanding the significance of life.

How do you understand a stranger? How do you judge their actions? In Albert Camus’s existentialist text, The Stranger, the protagonist is a stranger to all but himself and because of his character, society finds Meursault guilty of being an incomprehensible and dangerous alien. The court that judges Meursault ignorantly sentences him to death. However, the first person perspective narrative allows the reader a glimpse into his mind, giving them a chance to understand his character and the actions that inevitably leads him to the guillotine. Although difficult to interpret, Meursault’s character, as it develops throughout his ‘normal’ life, can be expressed through more familiar medias. The main aspects of Meursault’s character — his

In Philip Pullman’s novel, The Golden Compass, a young girl, named Lyra Belacqua lives in a parallel world in which human souls take the form of lifelong animal companions called daemons. In Lyra’s world the antagonists, a group of people known as Gobblers, have been kidnapping kids from the streets. Lyra vows to save her best friend, Roger, after she discovers that he disappears along with one of the Gyptians’ boys. She sets out with her daemon, a tribe of Gyptians, a witch, an ice bear and a Texas airman on an epic quest to rescue Roger and save her world. These two goals would eventually lead Lyra to fulfill her so-called “destiny”. Lyra lives in a world where a lot of people believe in the ideology of predestination, but destiny is an illusion of free will and foreknowledge. Her choices can influence future outcomes and ultimately change her “destiny” as long as she has some foreknowledge of her prophecy, if she doesn’t have that then she cannot make the necessary actions to avoid it.

Alexandre Dumas shows us through characters and plot just how powerful love can be. It can take the place of hatred and anger. It can place happiness in the hearts of the most morose. Love is the most powerful thing in the universe, whether it be familial, romantic, or platonic. It was like this in 1844, when the novel was published, and it is still like this in 2017. One moral in The Count of Monte Cristo is that love is the strongest force in the world because it can take the place of hatred and

The Scarlet Letter (Figure 1) painted by Hugues Merle in 1861 depicts the novel The Scarlet Letter by Nathanial Hawthorne. Hester Prynne, an adulteress forced to wear the letter “A” upon her bosom forever, becomes an outcast from the community with her daughter, Pearl. Merle was often known for painting scenes of mothers and children. He illustrates the scene of Hester and Pearl sitting in the town square as part of her punishment. The townspeople walk by, pointing fingers and making shrewd remarks. Merle’s painting, his biography, and other renditions of the novel and painting will be later discussed.