Paradise Lost By Tartuffe: Literary Analysis

One theme that has spoken to me throughout the semester is the idea of living up to one’s full potential. I began this semester by believing potential could be found in the pride of my parents. As long as they were proud of me as a sun, then I had reached my full potential; however, this changed throughout the semester. This idea first started with Prince Henry attempting to have a royal identity when he was not having fun with his friends. I often struggle with this myself. I know the things I should be doing to become more “successful,” yet none of those things seem to be as enjoyable as relaxing with family and friends. This theme continued in Satan not living up to perfection and rebelling against God. While I have never done anything rebellious,

Each book illustrates its own context and time period that everyone should be required to learn out. These books not only show history, but their themes are still relevant today. In King Henry IV, Part 1 we see the struggle that expectations and potential take on Prince Henry attempting to find his identity. Furthermore, Paradise Lost takes a controversial view of Satan by showing him as a hero, and telling his story which had never been discussed. Also, Candide critiques an optimistic philosophy by showing the uselessness it is in everyday life. To continue, Tartuffe illustrates the issues with fake religious affiliation through the use of satire. Next, The Narrative Life shows the struggle that slaves faced in America and the nearly impossible road to get out slavery. Also, Notes from Underground teaches that overly self-reflective personalities can easily lead to depression and the feeling that you are never good enough. Finally, Maus 1 and II show the horrors faced by survivors of the holocaust and their families through comics which allow the audience to see what cannot be put into words. These examples are just one of the numerous things that can be taken from each book, but they still show at least one reason each book is important. The books covered discuss difficult topics that need to be talked about. If our culture were to lose these books, it would not only be a great disservice to the history, but our entire culture would suffer. We would lose our understanding of numerous societies, the struggles they faced, and some solutions to the