Writing Assistance, Writing Tips and Writing Guide

I found the novel ‘Of Mice and Men‘ by John Steinbeck an inspirational read as it has made me aware of the importance of dreams. It is also a story of defeated hope, which illustrates the idea that dreams can be beneficial, but unrealistic dreams just lead to disappointment and grief.

The story concerns two migrant workers who go to work on a ranch. They have aspirations of acquiring their own piece of land on which to make a living but sadly their failure is almost destined.

Steinbeck creates the idea that the characters in this story live difficult lives and need dreams to give them something to look forward to during times of depression.

The story is set in the 1930’s when America was suffering an economic depression. Unemployment and poverty were very high with jobs scarce. Unskilled agricultural workers bore the brunt of it with machinery being used more and more as identified by George. ‘I seen thrashin’ machines on the way down. That means we’ll be bucking grain bags.’ George and Lennie were going between jobs aimlessly and their dream provided the drive to keep going. The dream also gave them something to look forward to during dismal times. ‘I wish’t we’d get the rabbits pretty soon.’ This shows Lennie’s optimism about the dream and his full belief in its happening. I felt sympathy for these men because they work really hard at their jobs but don’t seem to get anywhere. Read more…

Nathaniel Hawthorne was an author during the Romantic Period and also the Industrial Revolution in the 1850s. Love stories were popular in the Romantic Period. Man had begun to explore science, which brought forth the Industrial Revolution. In the Industrial Revolution, technology started to overtake the need for man. Hawthorne firmly believed science corrupted nature and man should not have allowed technology to take over. Hawthorne thought trying to change things in the world would only lead to consequences. He expressed his opinions in novels and short stories. The Scarlet Letter was considered Hawthorne’s greatest masterpiece and became the first symbolic novel to be published in the United States. “The Birthmark” and “Rappaccini’s Daughter” were well known short stories wrote by Hawthorne. In each of these stories, a distinguished mark caused lovers to be doomed due to an unpardonable sin.

Hawthorne demonstrated his belief how science would corrupt nature when he gave one character a distinguished mark. Hester Prynne, one of the main characters in The Scarlet Letter, committed the crime of adultery and was cut off from society when she had to wear to letter ‘A’ upon her bosom. Society felt she was different so they did not talk or acknowledge her. In “The Birthmark”, Georgiana was given a birthmark. The birthmark looked like a tiny hand and was located on her left cheek. Georgiana was extremely beautiful so this imperfection in nature was very noticeable. Females made fun of Georgiana and called her birthmark a “bloody hand”. Beatrice had poison breath and touch in “Rappaccini’s Daughter“. Read more…

Salvador Dali was one of the few artists to become famous whilst still living. He is mostly known for his surrealist style paintings, the most infamous piece being an oil painting named ‘The Persistence of Memory’, which was painted in 1931 and now lives at The Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Dali was born in 1904 in Catalunyna, Spain. He began painting at a young age and had his first public exhibition in a group show when he was 15 years old.

Dali went through many phases with his art, after Cubism, Futurism and Metaphysical painting; he joined the Surrealist movement in 1929. These Surrealists believed that the world of the subconscious mind has a reality superior to the natural world we live in.

He developed a method he named ‘paranoiac critical’, where he would induce hallucinatory states in his mind, to bring up images from his subconscious. It was this method that made his painting style mature rapidly and made him the world’s most famous surrealist artist. Read more…

The search for justice causes one to act blindly through anger, rather than through reason. Everyday we are confronted with a problem that requires us to make a decision. In most cases, the decisions are made without much thought, and therefore result to catastrophic consequences. In the play, Hamlet, William Shakespeare creates an elegant hero, which our modern society can relate to the individual as a deterioration of human character. Disillusionment, depression, and despair are the burning emotions churning in Hamlet’s soul as he attempts to come to terms with his father’s death and his mother’s incestuous marriage. Unquestionably, there are many elements that compile a tragedy, which consist of everything from the murderous villain to the fallen hero. However, for a play to encompass a tragic hero, there must be a few essential components within the hero. Most importantly, the main character must be of noble birth, acquire heroic attributes, and possess a moral flaw, which leads to his own demise. Furthermore, the hero must be placed in a position beyond his control but have the ability to choose his own destiny by acting pertinently. Therefore, it is evident that Hamlet demonstrates characteristics of a tragic hero when confronting his dilemma to gain revenge upon his father’s death, however, it ultimately leads to his own demise. Read more…