Understanding Place and Language in Olive Senior's "Gardening in the Tropics"
Understanding Place and Language in Olive Senior's "Gardening in the Tropics" "On a hilltop, at that, you find yourself drowning, a movement of ebbing and flowing. You recognize early (or too late) that you failed to detach From that mooring. Always, cruelty of choice. Here's the knife. Yourself: Executioner Midwife" - Olive Senior, "Leaving Home", Over the Roofs of the World Gardening in the Tropics exploded onto the literary scene from the pen of Jamaican novelist and poet Olive Senior in 1994. A collection of poems, paralleling the Tropical Garden and landscape with European tropes of an Edenic garden, Gardening in the Tropics covers a wide range of themes, inclusive of which are displacement, loss of personal, national and cultural identity, and a response to colonial and imperial oppression. Her exploration of these themes is however layered and multi-dimensional. In addition to being filled of threads of post-colonialism, her literature also surrounds a fixation on migration and the African diaspora- the historical movement of Africans and their descendants throughout the world. This is consequent of Senior's migration to Canada during the 1970's where much of her works were written. From this remote location, she was able to garner a different perspective on Caribbean life and society, and in essence reconcile a Caribbean past with a North American present
Explore the way Shakespeare presents the relationships between Hamlet and his Mother, Gertrude, making particular reference to Act III Scene. IV
Explore the way Shakespeare presents the relationships between Hamlet and his Mother, Gertrude, making particular reference to Act III Scene. IV In the Play, the relationship between Hamlet and his mother is presented in various different ways. One critical point in the play where their presentation can be fully analysed is Scene IV, of Act III. The 'closet scene' as it is known, is one of the dramatic climaxes of the play. It is the only time we see Hamlet alone with his mother. Apart from a brief exchange during 'the Mousetrap' this is the first conversation since Act 1 Scene II. The scene begins as a repeat of the 'nunnery' episode (Act III Scene I) with Polonius eavesdropping and Gertrude refusing to communicate with her son. Again, as before, with the exception of Ophelia, Hamlet is now talking to somebody with whom he was once very close, but has now been deliberately separated from. Hamlet enters the scene with great antagonism, as he has just returned from Claudius praying, Gertrude's Husband and Hamlet's stepfather, and of course his Uncle. Hamlet's intentions were to kill Claudius as he prayed, so his intentions when entering this scene are not much different than before. His wrath towards Claudius is still at its worst, so Hamlet is prepared to kill him at any chance, thus he kills Polonius instead. The place in which this scene is situated is very important to
Compare the presentation of the psychological effects of war on the individual in 'Regeneration' and 'Journey's End'.
Amy Best English Literature - Comparative Coursework Compare the presentation of the psychological effects of war on the individual in 'Regeneration' and 'Journey's End'. Journey's End by R.C. Sherriff, and Pat Barker's Regeneration show many interpretations of the psychological effects of war on the individual. The different genres of literature, the time the texts were written and the diverse styles created by each writer together provide a contrast, helping to show many different presentations of the effects of the First World War. Barker includes the disturbing nightmares that soldiers often had, recounting the horror of death so common in the war and shows how soldiers could even become psychosomatic, becoming paralysed through mental illness. She concentrates on Rivers' attempts to help soldiers psychologically, and through this shows many different characters, both real and imagined, suffering and coping with their own individual psychological effects of war. Sherriff portrays the alcoholism that effected many soldiers involved in the war, and the ways in which men 'coped' psychologically, focusing on trivial things to escape the reality of death. I will study the ways in which the two writers present these effects and how their styles and intentions differ or show similarities. Throughout Journey's End, Sherriff shows the different methods used by the soldiers in
The History Boys. Consider the significance of finding your way in life, in relation to the characters in the play.
Essay « Most of the stuff poetry's about hasn't happened to us yet » Timms Essay question: Consider the significance of finding your way in life, in relation to the characters in the play. The History Boys is a play written Alan Bennett. It premiered on the 18th may 2004. The action of the play takes place in a all-boys grammar school in Sheffield, in the 1980's. It’s also important to keep in mind the fact that back then, England was under Thatcher’s conservative regime. The play follows a group of history pupils preparing for the Oxbridge entrance examinations under the guidance of three teachers (Hector, Irwin and Mrs Lintott) with contrasting styles. The play doesn’t just follow the boys is education, it also talks about love and there sexual inclinations. The writer's intention is to show the different opinions on education and the different ways of teaching. The opposite ways of teaching are represented by Hector and Irwin. Missus Lintott is a middle ground between the two. Alan Bennett also shows us what the education was like in the north of England in the 1980's. The aim of this book is also to prove that you can succeed, even if you are from a working class background. Bennett proves this with the fact that all the boys got in to either Cambridge or Oxford. Alan Bennett was inspired by his life when he wrote this novel because in some way, he has
The Growth and Importance of English as a Global Language.
The Growth and Importance of English as a Global Language The definition of a global language, is a language which has been given a specific place within countries and communities around the world, even in places where there are very few native speakers of this language. Although English is not the most widely spoken language in the world in terms of the number of native speakers - there are many more native Chinese speakers than native English speakers - it is described as a 'global language' and Chinese is not. This is because there are few other communities in the world that give Chinese, be it Mandarin or Cantonese, a particular use or function, probably due to the fact that its alphabet is so different from that which is used in the majority of the rest of the world. It is impossible to know exactly how many English speakers there are in the world, but according to estimates, there are more than 350 million native English speakers and more than 400 million speakers of English as a second, or foreign, language. These figures are especially impressive considering the fact that this mass popularity only came about in approximately the last three centuries. The English language's influence spans across the globe and is more influential in the world of media, communication, business and government than any other, even in certain countries where English is used, or regarded,
In what ways were the lives of people at home affected by the Second World War?
In what ways were the lives of people at home affected by the Second World War? World War II (1939-1945) changed the lives of the British people. By analyzing various sources which range from eyewitness accounts, photographs, Government posters and newspaper accounts, I will be evaluating the extent of these effects. World War II started on the 3 September 1939. It affected many people around the world. Men from all over Great Britain signed up to join the army and everyone at home, ranging from women, old men and children, contributed to the war effort. One of the major effects of World War II was rationing. It begun in 1940, and was introduced so richer people did not buy all the food, and so it could be shared out equally. Bacon, sugar and butter were among the first foods to be rationed. The government set up a special department to deal with rationing called "The Ministry Of Food" and its main purpose was to help people not to waste food. This can be illustrated in source A1. It is a primary source, and is a pamphlet made by The Ministry Of Food. It informs people about the reasons why they should ration. These reasons were:- * Rationing prevents waste of food. * Rationing increases our war effort. * Rationing divides supplies equally. * Rationing prevents uncertainty. This source has both good points and bad points. It is very
In what Sense can we connect the Ideas of the Idealised Self and the Gap between the Signifier and Signified to Link our Understanding of the Ways in which Fitzgerald and Duffy Discuss Love?
In what Sense can we connect the Ideas of the Idealised Self and the Gap between the Signifier and Signified to Link our Understanding of the Ways in which Fitzgerald and Duffy Discuss Love? 'At the heart of Carol Ann Duffy's poetry is a continual acknowledgement and exploration of the limits of language.' As love is a main theme in Carol Ann Duffy's 'Rapture' and F. Scott Fitzgerald's 'The Great Gatsby' it is no surprise that many methods are used by both authors to discuss the way love is felt and used by people, including the language used, and the confusion that can be caused by the written word and speech. In 'The Great Gatsby,' the character of Gatsby is in love with Daisy, almost to the stage of obsession. This love is the thing that eventually pulls them apart. And the basis of 'Rapture' is from the beginning to the end of a love affair. The poems analyzed - 'Quickdraw,' 'Finding the Words,' 'Write,' and 'Syntax' - are placed throughout the collection, each of them indicating a different stage in the persona's relationship with their significant other. Michael Woods, in his critical essay regarding the works of Duffy, 'Translation, reflection and refraction in the poetry of Carol Ann Duffy,' used the opening quote to summarise what he is reflecting about in his essay, and it is a near perfect summation of Duffy's, and to some extent Fitzgerald's, discussion of love,
How Shakespeare presents Romeo & Juliet's early relationship.
SHAKESPEARE PLAY Romeo & Juliet By Ben Wilson How Shakespeare presents Romeo & Juliet's early relationship (Up to Act II, Scene II) Shakespeare presents Romeo & Juliet's early relationship as a love-hate affair. By this I mean that although they love each other immensely, they are surrounded by the hate of their two families. You see the hate of the two families from the outset, as you will see in this essay. In my essay I will be looking at what Shakespeare has done to make us see Romeo & Juliet in a certain way. I am also going to look at the reason for the chorus; The set up of the scenes; Shakespeare's use of comparisons; his use of language; why Shakespeare uses Rosalind and Paris in the early part of the play; Romeo & Juliet's first meeting and that famous 'Orchard Scene.' Romeo & Juliet is thought to have been written between 1594 and 1596, and was written by the literary genius, William Shakespeare. William Shakespeare was born in 1564 in the small town of Stratford-upon-Avon, and was educated at the local Grammar school, but surprisingly he did not go to university. Shakespeare has presented Romeo & Juliet in a very particular way in the play, so we can see the way they change when they meet for the first time. Shakespeare has presented Romeo to us, in the early scenes of the play, as a wimpy and soppy young man, mopping over a woman. ' Out of her favour
Compare and contrast the ways in which the theme of Human Suffering is presented in the novel Birdsong, by Sebastian Faulks and the poems of Wilfred Owen.
Compare and contrast the ways in which the theme of Human Suffering is presented in the novel Birdsong, by Sebastian Faulks and the poems of Wilfred Owen. World War One has often been described as the destruction of a generation; indeed for those who lived through the first large-scale war that Europe had ever seen, life would never be the same again. Of the sixty five million men that fought in World War One over thirty seven million died, were captured or went missing before the end of the war, that means that thirty seven million families had to grieve for the sons and brothers they had lost. However, whatever mental torture the families at home who received the worst kind of news endured the suffering of the soldiers was worse. During the war, which lasted four years from 1914 to 1918 soldiers witnessed atrocities that they had never before imagined and received injuries so terrible that they were often unable to recover from the physical and mental scarring of what they lived through. Many of these soldiers were only seventeen or eighteen years old when they signed up for war and because there had never before been such a massive war so close to home the soldiers believed the widespread government propaganda that told them war would bring them glory and that they would be loved by the nation. However, when they got to the front lines these men found they had been lied
Discuss how successfully the dramatic device of disguise is used in ‘As You Like It.’
Discuss how successfully the dramatic device of disguise is used in 'As You Like It.' In 'As You Like It', the dramatic device of disguise is very important, because of the dramatic opportunities it presents. Shakespeare opens two opportunities: the characters can say what they would otherwise be unable to say, and hear what they would otherwise be unable to hear. The main character who uses disguise is Rosalind, although Celia does too, to a lesser extent. We first see these two characters in Act I Scene 2. In this scene, we find out background information of the characters, for example that Rosalind's father, the Duke, was banished. We also see Orlando and Rosalind fall in love, after they meet for the first time at the wrestling match in the gardens of the palace. Rosalind gives Orlando her necklace, giving him a sign that she has fallen in love with him. Rosalind: Wear this for me, Rosalind: Sir, you have wrestled well, and overthrown More than your enemies. Orlando also admits to himself that he has fallen in love with her, but gives no indication of such to Rosalind, as he remained silent. Orlando: What passion hangs these weights upon my tongue? I cannot speak to her, yet she urg'd conference. O poor Orlando, thou art overthrown! In Act I Scene 3, Rosalind admits to Celia how much she loves Orlando, and that she is not merely 'playing' at falling in
