In the following poem, Laurence Binyon looks back on those soldiers who died for their country during battle. Analyse the poem. What is the poem saying about war?
Assignment 14 In the following poem, Laurence Binyon looks back on those soldiers who died for their country during battle. Analyse the poem. What is the poem saying about war? Concentrate upon the following areas for your answer: - Content and theme(s) - Structure and style, and how this is shaped by content - Context - Purpose and success The title of the poem written by Laurence Binyon already suggests what the purpose, context and theme for this poem will be with the title "For the Fallen". Therefore before the reader even begins to read the poem they have an idea that is going to be about those who have passed away during the war. The first stanza personifies England as 'a mother for her children' who is mourning for the 'dead across the sea'. This could be meaning the soldiers that were in the battle of the Somme. The tone in this first stanza is calm and respectful as the poem states its purpose and begins to describe that the men have 'Fallen in the cause of the free'; Suggesting that this is why the men are fighting. By writing in this style the reader can understand that the men in this poem have become hero figures by sacrificing themselves for their country. The second stanza opens with 'Solemn' as its first lexis carrying on the theme of loss and 'desolation' in the poem. We must remember that many women lost husbands, fathers and children in this war, so
Both A Passage to India and Heart of Darkness can be interpreted as portraying Imperialism in a critical light, as a dark force which spreads from England into foreign environments
The Hollowmen and the Horrors of the Abyss: An exploration of Forster's views of Imperialism in 'A Passage to India' explored via and compared with Conrad's 'Heart of Darkness'. Both A Passage to India and Heart of Darkness can be interpreted as portraying Imperialism in a critical light, as a dark force which spreads from England into foreign environments, and conveying the negative aspects of it, such as racism, cruelty and exploitation. As this is such a huge topic I will in this essay attempt to explore Forster's portrait of imperialism by using Conrad's novella's running theme of the "Heart of Darkness" - I am going to use the interpretation of the inner "Heart of Darkness" within all people- as a key to interpret Forster's views on imperialism and to see if they were similar to Conrad's. Morgan Forster's idea of the "Undeveloped heart" - being the lack of compassion and inability to understand or express feelings and emotions in the English public school boy - for me is a key similarity with Conrad's novel and his idea of the "Heart of Darkness" as the dark side of man. It seems throughout 'A Passage to India' that the defect is present in all people, but that the morally grey force of imperialism encourages it. For Forster, human defects thrive and are brought to the forefront by the force of imperialism. For men and women living in Forster's England, the defects
The childs inability to interpret the adult world is often central to the presentation of childhood in adult literature. Compare the presentation of childhood in Spies and Ato
"The child's inability to interpret the adult world is often central to the presentation of childhood in adult literature." Compare the presentation of childhood in 'Spies' and 'Atonement', considering to what extent you feel this comment is applicable to these texts. As is frequently the case with novels written for adults with children as the main protagonists, the presentation of childhood emphasises the innocence of those at a young and often tender age. When the real world is like a dream, everyday activities are play and adults are a separate species with baffling social conventions, a child will often try to understand grown up aspects of life, but will make genuine misunderstandings instead. Many writers look back on their youth with fondness and use these misunderstandings for either comic intent, such as in Frayn's Spies, or for life-altering tragedy in McEwan's Atonement. In these two novels, as well as the prominence of childhood and memories being recalled as an adult, there is also the historical context to be considered in how this affects the presentation of childhood. Both novels are set during the Second World War. Life in Britain in the 1930s and 40s was an era of transition for society, during which the rise of the urban working class had led to significant changes in politics. Because of the war and the sudden absence of huge amounts of the
Compare two pieces of war literature
A comparison of the presentation of trauma in the Poetry of Wilfred Owen and Regeneration by Pat Barker In order to explore the presentation of trauma in Owen's poetry and Regeneration by Pat Barker a definition of the word 'trauma' must be determined. Trauma is both physical and psychological illness, in the Physical sense trauma refers to a physical injury such as a wound, broken bones or loss of limb which can change the outlook and actions of a soldiers such as having "sleeve sewn"1 to cover up the ghastly injury, whereas in the psychological sense it can be displayed through a loss of control of bodily functions like "a tortured alimentary canal"2 causing irregularities in digestion leading to vomiting or diarrhoea. Barker's Novel looks at individual case studies away from the trenches using the technique of flashback, she describes the true horror that the soldiers faced and also the psychological after effects they have to deal with, "dead minds revisited"3 , psychological difficulties were not often considered in Owen's time and therefore a different view appears. "The old lie: Dulce et Decorum est Pro patria mori", translates to 'it is sweet and right to die for your country' is ironically placed at the end of the poem Dulce et Decorum est. Here Owen is mocking the patriotic perception of war, showing how it has now changed into modern trench warfare. Rivers also
Synoptic Module
Synoptic Module Revisit the armistice, letters from a lost generation + Geraldine Robertson Glasgow's poem Dulce et Decorum. How typical are they of work written by women in the war period. Compare and contrast the techniques they use to make their point. At the end of the Battle of the Somme and when the war was coming to a close women writers began to write more about the loss and emptiness that they felt when they lost their loved ones in the war. However, the women writers did not include a sense of realism within their poems and instead they romanticised their loved ones who had went to war. I am going to look at three different texts and examine whether they are typical or atypical of the time in which they were written. The first text that I am going to look at it is 'The Armistice' and it is a poem that has been written by May Wedderburn Cannan. This poem was written at the end of the war and tells us the story of women discovering that the war had ended. It shows us the sense of melancholy and relief than women felt at this time. This text is typical of the time in which it was written as it does portray to us the loss and emptiness that women felt at this time. It is also typical of the time as women are working with typewriters and this would stereotypically a job that a man would have done but this was not possible as the majority of the men had been lost
Throughout both Alices Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, Carroll shows that the lessons taught in Victorian schools are inapplicable and unrealistic.
In Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, Lewis Carroll rejects the typical Victorian society to show the absurdity and nonsense of that era. The Victorian era encompassed many beliefs in areas such as education, social theory, etiquette, and politics. The whimsical and illogical creatures of Wonderland satirize the vice and folly of these concepts. Throughout the novels, Alice interacts with things commonly seen in her Victorian world. The education system in England teaches knowledge that is useless to the real world. The morals and constructive tales that children learn are irrational and have no clear meaning. Carroll's use of puns shows the silliness in everyday English etiquette. Through the characters in Wonderland, Carroll mocks English politics by proving them to be corrupt. Throughout both Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, Carroll shows that the lessons taught in Victorian schools are inapplicable and unrealistic. Though Alice is proud of the knowledge she acquired through her education, the information she remembers from her schooling is either completely useless or inaccurate. Alice absorbs the lessons but has trouble putting them in context or understanding their real-world applications. This can be seen when Alice falls down the rabbit hole. She says: I wonder how many miles I've fallen by this time?" she
Looking at pg.45, how does Faulks foreshadow the devastation and horrors of World War One
"Looking at pg.45, how does Faulks foreshadow the devastation and horrors of World War One?" Page 45 of Sebastian Faulks Birdsong, holds a variety of language technique that foreshadow the horrors of World War One. I will be looking at the way Faulks uses setting/nature, imagery, and descriptive language to capture and signifying what the soldiers were going to experience in the forthcoming war. Faulks foreshadows the devastation of World War One using setting/nature. An example of this is when he uses a phrase which can be used to describe life in the trenches. "...superfluous decay, the rotting of matter into the turned dug earth with its humid, clinging soil." Which is reality he used to describe the river at the location which they were having a picnic, can be interpreted to describe the conditions in the trenches. The 'superfluous decay' and 'the rotting of matter into the turned and dug earth' can be about the decaying and rotting of the soldiers bodies in the trenches. 'Humid, clinging soil' can also be about the conditions in the trenches, because I know from my own knowledge that trenches were usually really crowded, and it would have been really hot and stuffy for the soldiers at times. 'Clinging soil' could also be about the days when the conditions in the trenches are really wet and the muddy earth 'clings' to the soldiers clothing in the trenches. Faulks also
Otherness in The merchant of Venice, The Scarlet Letter and The Crucible
Oliver Denholm 13L English Literature Coursework Analyse how Shakespeare, Hawthorne and Miller explore the tensions between individual desires and wider community values in The Merchant of Venice, The Scarlet Letter and The Crucible respectively and discuss different interpretations of the writers' intentions. The struggle between individual will and community values, described by Arthur Miller as "the balance between order and freedom" is the central theme of Miller's The Crucible, Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice and Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter. In all three texts, community values are defined not by what is deemed to be 'normal', but by its antithesis: the 'abnormal' and the incongruous. Whilst they write from greatly differing socio-historical backgrounds - Miller, Shakespeare and Hawthorne all share an interest in the role of "the other" in society, a concept which Edward Said expanded upon in his book Orientalism. Said used the example of underlying western prejudice towards the Middle East, its peoples and its culture; defining "the orient" as "existing for the west, being controlled by the west, in relation to the west". In other terms the concept of otherness here is largely based upon self perception, and one's own place in society; with these ideas being used to subordinate others who do not fit into their society, and these three writers all
Comparing Macbeth to Victor Frankenstein
Key Question #37 #1 - Comparing Macbeth to Victor Frankenstein Macbeth and Frankenstein are two classical and highly known stories in English. Macbeth is a good man that has taken the wrong path. He is highly influenced by those around him and eventually turns into a monster himself. Victor Frankenstein is a knowledge hungry man who lusts for any new information in the world of sciences. Both characters make an error which causes severe consequences. In addition, both characters also make these errors without thinking of the consequences properly and thoroughly. With this combination, one would think that they brought this upon themselves. However, for both stories this is not the case. The reader can feel sympathetic and empathetic at the same time for these characters. In a way, both characters are insatiable. In Macbeth, upon being told by the three witches that he will become King of Scotland, he becomes crazed over the idea. He desperately wants to be King of Scotland that he even dreams of it. As well as being under the strong influence of his wife, Lady Macbeth, the audience can feel sympathetic to this because Lady Macbeth is irrational about the situation. She is completely behind the idea of Macbeth being King that she plans his death and then belittles Macbeth for not being able to process it. Clearly Macbeth is not ready to kill a King whom he is friends with.
Compare and contrast how the destructive nature of love is presented in Shakespeares Othello, Websters The Duchess of Malfi and Mcewans Enduring Love
Compare and contrast how the destructive nature of love is presented in Shakespeare's Othello, Webster's The Duchess of Malfi and Mcewan's Enduring Love Literature through the ages has presented love in many different forms; from friendship to lust or platonic love to romance. Be it love for another person, love for pleasure or love for power; love can be seen as an origin for a multitude of emotions and motivations. It is not uncommon in literature to show how love can be ultimately destructive. My selected texts all suggest that the destructive nature of love is evident. Othello is driven to madness and consequently murder out of the jealousy of his wife Desdemona; Othello loved her so much that he could not bear to accept the fact that his wife had apparently been unfaithful to him. This also occurs in The Duchess of Malfi; Ferdinand is a character with presumed incestuous desires and the jealousy of his sister's unknown lover drives him to murder. Ian McEwan's Enduring Love tells the tale of the hopeless stalker Jed Perry who becomes suicidal when he cannot be loved by the protagonist of the novel Joe Rose. Jealous love is seen in all three texts. Othello is falsely persuaded into jealousy by Iago who states in act I scene I 'I am not what I am'(A1 s1 l64); Shakespeare uses this as the basis of the dramatic irony throughout the play to show that Iago is deliberately
