Alistair Berven

literature

  • Jay Gatsby’s Allegory of the Cave

    In Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, Plato discusses one’s perception of reality and truth through life in a cave. In Fitzgerald’s, The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby undergoes a change in his perception and understanding of reality. There are six parts… Continue reading

  • Rocker Breaks Maiden at the True Finish Line

    Originally published September 26, 2010 As horses race around the racecourse, they begin to make forward progress in one direction, until all of a sudden they loop back around, never having an assured endpoint in sight. The theme of horse… Continue reading

  • The Stubborn Artist: Achilles’ Infamy & Prospero’s Redemption

    Originally published March 3, 2010 Achilles, in The Iliad, and Prospero, in The Tempest, both possess a certain “art” that gives them power with which they can assert their authority over others. Prospero’s art is his magic, and he uses… Continue reading

    The Stubborn Artist: Achilles’ Infamy & Prospero’s Redemption

  • The Popping Point: An Exegesis of Sylvia Plath’s “Balloons”

    BalloonsSylvia Plath, February 5 1963Since Christmas they have lived with us,Guileless and clear,Oval soul-animals,Taking up half the space,Moving and rubbing on the silkInvisible air drifts,Giving a shriek and popWhen attacked, then scooting to rest, barely trembling.Yellow cathead, blue fish————Such queer… Continue reading

    The Popping Point: An Exegesis of Sylvia Plath’s “Balloons”