Loneliness.

Loneliness The sun blazed down from the clear blue sky on to the window. I lie in bed listening to the bird's voice. Its singing is remarkable; I could sit and listen all the time if I had nothing else to do. But what have I got to do? I ponder on what I might achieve today, nothing comes to mind. I rise with a sudden feeling of emptiness. I dress slowly into the faded jeans and the blouse that I had worn the day before and equipping myself with a pen and pad, I get to work on another poem I'd started earlier but had not finished. It's not as though I don't have the time but I just become impatient and bored. After browsing through the empty fridge, I decide to go shopping and treat myself with some delicious foods. I check my reflection in the mirror, my brown hair falls down at shoulder length and my green eyes glisten in the light. I make my way to the door unaware of the stack of bills I haven't yet paid. Twix rushes past my feet to his bowl, I promise myself that I'll feed him when I come back. I give him a quick stroke and he says thank you with a friendly meow as I rush out of the door. * Meanwhile, on the other side of town Bob was already on his way to work. He was walking briskly through the crowds unaware of the people surrounding him. He stopped abruptly to place a fifty pence piece into a donation box. The smile that had entered his face came just as

  • Word count: 2520
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Anne Hathaway and Sonnet 130 are Two Love Sonnets, Comment on the Different Approaches of the Poets.

Rachael Elliott 11D Anne Hathaway and Sonnet 130 are Two Love Sonnets, Comment on the Different Approaches of the Poets. "Anne Hathaway" by Carol Ann Duffy is a love sonnet that describes a fond love. It is taken from the point of view of the famous play-writes wife, Anne Hathaway. It is a very passionate love sonnet although it doesn't take the traditional form of a conventional sonnet; it is more of a monologue. In fact there is only one rhyme, in the last couplet. "Sonnet 130" is a poem written by William Shakespeare himself, this is an immediate connection to Anne Hathaway but there is a clear difference in the style and content of the two poems. Duffy's approach is far more a romantically powerful and passionate, where as Shakespeare takes a rather unstereotypical approach to his feelings for his wife. In the first line of "Anne Hathaway" there is a clear passion and an instant reference to five of Shakespeare's plays: A Midsummer Nights Dream, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet and The Tempest. The general feel of the first stanza is that of an enormous bond and earthly involvement in his love for Anne. Carol Ann Duffy mentions dramatic events such as "shooting stars fell to earth as kisses". This is how many people would imagine a love poem written by Shakespeare to be, using strong, passionate words. The fact that kisses were mentioned brings an instant romantic theme into

  • Word count: 1032
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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15th century France, the time and place that Victor Hugo set his book "The Hunchback of Notre Dome".

Josie Azzam English, Dance Period 4 April 27th, 2003 "Sic Transit Sanitas" In 15th century France, the time and place that Victor Hugo set his book "The Hunchback of Notre Dome" in, the role of religion played a major role, and those men and women of the church were respected, recognized and revered such as "Archdeacon of Josas, second acolyte of the bishop, in charge of two deanships and one hundred and seventy four parish priests" (66). Archdeacon Claude Frollo was a model man of the church in his subtle, thoughtful and solemn demeanor along with the many responsibilities of those in his charge. However, despite his vows to the church and his position of respectability within it, Claude Frollo is not what one expects of a priest; he is, in fact, an evil man. Even before that fateful day he saw his love dancing mesmerizing-like in the square, Claude Frollo was not what one would call a kindred spirit. From early childhood he was raised to be "a melancholy, solemn boy who studied ardently and learned quickly" (56). From then on always had a very studious manner; which is a surprising way for a child, who's supposed to be near opposite, such as Claude's brother, Jehan, who provides a perfect foil to his straight-arrow brother. With Claude's early upbringing as a scholar and the undertaking of Jehan's future, "From then on the weight of his responsibility made him take

  • Word count: 837
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Comparing "Long Distance" and "The Sick Equation"

Comparing "Long Distance" and "The Sick Equation" "Long Distance" by Tony Harrison and "The Sick Equation" by Brian Patten are two poems written in different ways about different subjects. While "Long Distance" is a poem about the abundance of love, conquering even death, "The Sick Equation" is about the total lack of it. In Long Distance, Tony Harrison describes how his father is still in denial after two years of his mother's death. I believe that the poem is called Long Distance because death is the longest distance possible. This dark irony is mirrored in The Sick Equation, where the title describes how even though +1=2, at home 1+1 stays 1+1. I believe Brian Patten is talking about his parents, and even though they are still married they stay separate. Long Distance describes how Tony Harrison's fathers love was "Still raw love" as if his wife was still alive, and that his love hadn't faded even after two years. It shows that they had a very intimate relationship, a passionate love that will not die. Other points in the poem hint at how they had a very close and intimate relationship. In line two it describes how his Dad still warms his mother's slippers by the gas. This shows they had a very close relationship as slippers are very personal items, which he handles as if he was helping his wife. Other descriptions hint to us that they were

  • Word count: 956
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Examine “My Grandmother” and discuss in what ways this poem is effective.

Examine "My Grandmother" and discuss in what ways this poem is effective This poem is an effective character portrait of an old woman, Elizabeth Jennings grandmother, who replaces friendship and companionship with antiques and objects. It's from the viewpoint of the granddaughter looking back on their relationship. Elizabeth Jennings uses simple statements, which clearly describes her grandmother. Her poems are autobiographical, looking back and reflecting on the difficult personal experiences of her life. The relationship between the two women was difficult and that is strongly reflected throughout the poem. She opens the poem by explaining more about who the grandmother was; "she kept an antique shop". It's a simple statement, which starts the portrait by suggesting the different possible characters she could have. The poem is written in the first person, from the view of the granddaughter, Elizabeth Jennings. She tries to include how she felt about her grandmother and an overall view of how she was perceived by others. Many of the lines and phrases within the poem are ambiguous; they take on more than one meaning. For example "She kept a antique shop or it kept her" the second part of that sentence could mean that the antique shop has taken over her live and she feels that she doesn't have a view. It could mean that the antique shop is a major part of her life and she

  • Word count: 962
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Most would agree that love is the greatest gift that we can ever hope to give or to receive - But how does one know what love really is, and how can one exploit the significance of love and desire to construct a happy median in life?

Jennifer Petersen Most would agree that love is the greatest gift that we can ever hope to give or to receive. But how does one know what love really is, and how can one exploit the significance of love and desire to construct a happy median in life? The ancient Greeks asked themselves these same questions thousands of years ago, and two very central scholars took the time to share their wisdom. In the Symposium, ancient scholar and philosopher Plato speaks through his literary characters and ultimately through Socrates, revealing to the reader that as a teacher, he wants us to make an ascent of increasing generality and transcend the material, corruptible, earthly love to connect with the pure, unified, heavenly love-the love of the gods. In book one and book two of the Satires, however, poet and philosopher Horace instructs his readers on love and desire by communicating to his readers that the good human life should be filled with healthy desires and pleasures, not with extreme pleasures, and that humans must value these pleasures in moderation to live life well. In the dialogues of his Symposium, Plato enlightens his readers on the different meanings of love by writing through distinguished characters such as Eryximachus, the educated doctor, and Agathon, the entertainer and sophist. The most important figure that Plato uses to vindicate the true meaning of

  • Word count: 1776
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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How can the Australian identity be seen through poetry? What authors specialise in expressing their point of view of the Australian Identity through their poems?

Good morning to everyone. How can the Australian identity be seen through poetry? What authors specialise in expressing their point of view of the Australian Identity through their poems? These are just a few of the questions that will be answered in the duration of my talk. I have chosen a very famous Australian Poet who goes by the name of Henry Lawson who many believe was the first poet to catch the Australian way of life. Born in 1867 on a goldfield in rural New South Wales Lawson was brought up in a very poor family. His father worked at the local mine. Lawson's mother gave him lots of books and due to an ear infection Henry became party deaf, then at 14, totally deaf. He was isolated from his peers at school because of his disability and got in a habit of looking at the way people act by constantly watching them. As Henry grew older he developed a strong connection with the early Australian settlers and their hardships. Lawson was very strong about what he believed was the true Australian identity in the poems 'The Men Who Made Australia' and 'The Roaring Days' by describing the men as "lion hearted," and "using the strength of heart and lung." Lawson represents Australians as people who never give up and battle everything out till the end for the love of their land. The Roaring days was written around the time of the gold rush and The Men Who Made Australia was

  • Word count: 1115
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Comparison of two love poems 'The Voice' by Thomas Hardy and 'Twelve Songs' by W.H.Auden.

Comparison of two love poems 'The Voice' by Thomas Hardy. 'Twelve Songs' by W.H.Auden Both poems are written with the same theme in mind, 'Love lost and love remembered'; although they are quite different in the way the author has put across his ideas, feelings and emotions. 'The Voice', I would say is the more complex of the two poems and is about a man pining after a lost love, hallucinating that she has come back to him. He dwells on his memories of her and their relationship and believes that he can hear the sound of her voice calling to him. Even when he returns to reality, realising that he cannot regain her love for him, and that he must begin to emotionally move forward, he still believes she is there, calling to him. 'Twelve songs' describes a woman who is mourning over the death of someone she loved greatly. It has no real storyline, and is just a description of how immense her love was for this lost love and how much grief the death of him has left her in. The title that Hardy has given to his poem gives it a slight mysterious edge. With no adjectives to describe what kind of voice it is, we let our imaginations run lose and so do not have a clear understanding of what the poem is going to be about. Auden's title, you may first believe is more self explanatory, although when you read further into the poem you will realise that the title does not have much

  • Word count: 1728
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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'First Love' & 'Long Distance'.

English Essay on 'First Love' & 'Long Distance' After having read through a selection of poems from 'Best Words', I am going to discuss and compare two very effective and powerful poems. They are called 'First Love' by John Clare, and 'Long Distance' by Tony Harrison. Both of the poems are based on the central theme of love, but of different kinds. When John met his 'sweet flower ', he knows that nothing is going to happen between him and her, because both of them have a different class in society. Tony's love is for his parents, and how he can't let go off them. John's health began to fail around middle age. He suffered from delusions and ended his life in an asylum in Northampton, were he was both physical and mentally damaged. Clare wrote an emotional and influential poem, to express his feelings about his love experience. Clare uses the word 'struck' because it's a powerful word, and it emphasises the first verse to drag the reader's attention. ' I ne'er was struck before that hour With love so sudden and so sweet.' The 1st verse and 3rd verse, they contain the alliterations 'so sudden and so sweet.' and 'I never saw so sweet a face'. Clare brings similes and metaphors into the poem, to make the meaning of the poem noticeable. In the 1st stanza he uses similes such as 'bloomed like a sweet flower' and 'deadly pale'. Metaphors have been used in most parts

  • Word count: 1224
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Through a close analysis of language, structure and theme, compare and contrast the poets' attitude to love in

Through a close analysis of language, structure and theme, compare and contrast the poets' attitude to love in "Valentine" and "The Flea". The poem "The Flea" is about a man trying to cunningly argue a woman into bed. John Donne's "The Flea" was a metaphysical poem, written most probably, to entertain an audience of men; this was called a coterie, which was a group of like-minded individuals who cleverly wrote for each other's amusement. This poem was written sometime in the 17th century where religion was extremely important and sex before marriage frowned upon. The poet is exploring ideas and feelings about lust and how unimportant losing virginity is, which a woman will obviously object to. The poem is written in three stanzas, which show the progression of his argument. The regular rhythm and rhyme implies the confidence he has that he will get the woman into bed for his pleasure and the strength in his argument. In each stanza there are three rhyming couplets and a rhyming triplet. This might represent how the flea, the unseen woman and himself are united as one inside the body of the flea. Although, there are a few exceptions, the few half rhymes in each stanza may show his conscience of being gentle and not pushing her too much. The poem has nine lines in each stanza; nine is a multiple of three, which is the number that this poem seems to circle around. This,

  • Word count: 2338
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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