Helen Kendrick Johnson

The poem describes the narrative of an Ancient Mariner who uses his crossbow to kill an albatross. After the bird is killed, a strong gale sweeps the ship farther and deeper into the Pacific Ocean.

Leo Tolstoy wrote “Master and Man” in 1895. Post-reform Russia, when serfdom was abolished and capitalism redefined social life. Realist depiction and psychological narrative convey themes of death, exploitation, societal division, and religious salvation.

The Gilded Age, first published in 1873, is a caustic satire as well as a fascinating depiction of post-Civil War America—a corrupt era in which greedy land speculators, cutthroat bankers, and dishonest politicians voraciously exploited the country’s postwar optimism.

William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s collection of poems, Lyrical Ballads, with a Few Other Poems, was originally published in 1798 and is generally regarded as the start of the English Romantic literary movement.

Every human activity aims at some end that we consider good. The highest ends are ends in themselves, while subordinate ends may only be means to higher ends. Those highest ends, which we pursue for their own sake, must be the supreme Good.

The stories aren’t ordered, so feel free to skip around. Keep in mind that many of the best stories are at the beginning. In most stories, the heroes prevail and the villains are punished. It sounds stale until you consider who’s excellent and why.