Literature

In this poem, Paul Laurence Dunbar, a son of former slaves, suggests that some people wear masks in order to hide the pain that others do not want to hear about (which robs them of their true identities).

This poem describes some scenes from the life of Benjamin Banneker (1731–1806), the astronomer, farmer, surveyor, and son of a former slave who helped design Washington, D.C. Read the full text here.

Through comparisons to objects and creatures, the speaker of the poem describes her use of words to express her self. Read the full text here.

This poem is dedicated to the Pullman Porters who started the chain of events that led to Rosa Parks protesting an unjust system. Read the full text here.

This poem compares the movements and songs of a caged bird to those of a free bird. Read the full text here.

In this poem, the speaker knows what the caged bird feels. Read the full text here.

In this dark tale, the fate of a poor artist falls into the hands of a magical and sinister painting. Translated by Richard Prevar and Larissa Volokhonsky.

This satirical short story uses a rickety carriage with mismatched passengers to speak on the quirks and follies of Russian society. Translated by Richard Prevar and Larissa Volokhonsky.

In this dark, psychological tale a government clerk becomes convinced that he is the King of Spain. Translated by Richard Prevar and Larissa Volokhonsky.

This vivid short story portrays the bustling and diverse life of St. Petersburg's main avenue. Translated by Richard Prevar and Larissa Volokhonsky.

This humorous tale follows two friends who fuss over a hypothetical boundary line that escalates into a ridiculous and petty quarrel. Translated by Richard Prevar and Larissa Volokhonsky.

This haunting tale follows a seminary student's encounter with a malevolent witch creature during his stay in a remote Ukrainian village. Translated by Richard Prevar and Larissa Volokhonsky.

This short tale is a satirical portrayal of a decadent and corrupt society of landowners in pre-revolutionary Russia. Translated by Richard Prevar and Larissa Volokhonsky.

This comical and absurd story follows the misadventures of a naive young man as he gets entangled in a bizarre chain of events involving his eccentric aunt and a peculiar magical goat. Translated by Richard Prevar and Larissa Volokhonsky.

The consequences of an old man's curse lead to a series of mysterious and horrifying events in a small Ukrainian village. Translated by Richard Prevar and Larissa Volokhonsky.

This humorous and fantastical story follows the misadventures of a Ukrainian blacksmith who encounters witches and supernatural beings on Christmas Eve. Translated by Richard Prevar and Larissa Volokhonsky.

In rural Ukraine, villagers witness supernatural occurrences and confront their deepest fears. Translated by Richard Prevar and Larissa Volokhonsky.

In this poem by William Butler Yeats, the speaker reflects on the failed Irish uprising against the British in 1916. Here are links to our lists for other poems by Yeats: "The Song of Wandering Aengus", "The Second Coming"

22-year-old Amanda Gorman became the youngest inaugural poet in American history when she read her poem "The Hill We Climb" at President Biden's inauguration on January 20, 2021. The poem conveys both optimism and realism, referring to the progress that the U.S. has made as a nation, and the work that remains to be done.

In this classic Russian short story, a low-level bureaucrat's life is upended when he attempts to purchase a new overcoat. Learn these words from the translation by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky.

In this short story, the narrator and other girls raised by wolves try to adapt to life in human society.

In this story, a classics teacher at an elite prep school must interrogate his own ethics when he suspects that one of his privileged students is cheating.

Emma Lazarus, a poet and Jewish activist, wrote this poem to raise money for a pedestal for the Statue of Liberty. The poem was then inscribed on a plaque on the pedestal.

Included in an anthology with the same title, this poem focuses on the speaker's memories of happily collecting frog's eggs before feeling threatened by the angry adults. Read the full text here.

In this modernist poem, Yeats uses apocalyptic imagery to characterize the state of the world after World War I.