Of Mice and Men Essay
Of Mice and Men Tone Of Mice and Men, written by John Steinbeck, is a novel of several moods, however, the dominant tone of this novel is that of heartrending. This mood is developed through the unconquered dreams of the main characters. There are also other moods evoked through the actions of the characters: reflecting sorrow, shame, and brutality. The novel ends on a tragic note, consequently, the concluding mood is undeniably one of depression and frustration. Following, are two paragraphs that will confirm why this novel is heartrending. One of the most excruciating passages occurs on page 63, when Curley's intimidating behavior provoked Lennie to commit an act that he was so desperately trying to avoid, "Blood welled from his nose. 'George,' he cried. 'Make um' leave me alone, George.' He backed until he was against the wall, and Curley followed, slugging him in the face. Lennie's hands remained at his sides; he was too frightened to defend himself." In that passage, it states that "he was too frightened to defend himself," the word "frightened" really disturbed me and played a immense part on why this passage made me experience a depressing feeling. I myself began to become apprehensive; terrified that George will physically and emotionally hurt Lennie, leaving him in an intense condition. By definition, frightened means "to fill with fear," and Lennie, a huge,
Analysis of "Preludes" by Thomas Sterns Elliot.
Preludes By Thomas Stearns Eliot "Preludes" is a poem by T.S Eliot about what life was like in the beginning of the twentieth century. The poet pictured a typical city which represents all others in the western world. The pictures portray society as it is today lacking morals and ethics and fear of god which is religion. The poet portrays his point in four parts. The poet introduces the technique of montage in which consecutive pictures that are linked are presented consecutively. The first two scenes or rather images depict the cityscape as it is in the evening and the morning and the scenes in the third and fourth parts portray modern women and men. Through this poem the poet conveys his thoughts on the modern western society as it turned out to be in the beginning of the twentieth century. Part I THE poem begins with the line "the winter evening settled down". Here the winter and evening symbolize the dying part of the year and day respectively. It is an unusual way for a poet to begin a poem- it could have begun with a picture of morning but the poet deliberately doesn't do so to set a decaying tone and create an image of something breaking down and decaying. This is how the poet sees the modern world. The city is crowded and smelly and congested. The word "smell" as in the line "with smells of steaks in passageways" doesn't sound very inviting and seems like the
Compare and contrast the ways in which war is presented in 'The Charge Of The Light Brigade', 'Vox Militantis' and 'Drummer Hodge'.
Compare and contrast the ways in which war is presented in 'The Charge Of The Light Brigade', 'Vox Militantis' and 'Drummer Hodge'. The three poems 'The Charge of the Light Brigade', 'Vox Militantis' and 'Drummer Hodge' are set in the Crimean War and the Boer War. The Crimean War started in 1854 and in September of that year allies besieged Sebastpool in Crimea. In October the Russians attacked the British base at Balaclava. During this battle the Charge of the Light Brigade took place. The Charge of the Light Brigade was written immediately by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, after the reports came back to England. The Charge of the Light Brigade is different from the other poems because it is about a specific event whereas Vox Militantis and Drummer Hodge are more general. Drummer Hodge was written by Thomas Hardy; Hardy wrote this poem because he had heard of the death of a young drummer boy. The word Hodge was a word used for a 'country bumpkin' which he thought suitable because the young boy had lived in the country all his short life. Drummer Hodge is a very reflective poem and the only activity in the poem, Drummer Hodge being buried, only takes up two lines, showing not only that the burial was short and unceremonious but also that all of the activity of war is finished. The rest of the poem is about how strange it is that the drummer is now going to rest in this foreign,
Discuss the Ways in Which the Poets Convey the Loss of Human Dignity in 'Refugee Blues' and 'Disabled'
Nuha Elzubeir Discuss the Ways in Which the Poets Convey the Loss of Human Dignity in 'Refugee Blues' and 'Disabled' There were two main wars in the 20th century: World War I and World War II. Both inspired pieces of art, some of which were poems. Wilfred Owen and W.H Auden are both war poets, each experiencing a different war, both expressing the same feeling - loss. The two poems: 'Disabled by Wilfred Owen' and 'Refugee Blues by W.H. Auden' were both a passionate response to the horrors of war. 'Disabled' talks about a warrior, in third narrative perspective, during World War I, who has lost his youth as he believed that this will make his country, friends, family and lover proud. 'Refugee Blues' is a first person voice, which conveys the plight of the German Jews during World War II. Both of these war poems refer to the same theme, a loss of human dignity, both physically and emotionally. Each poet uses different techniques and styles to expose the theme of their poem, a major aspect being the loss of human dignity. Owen and Auden both experienced war, and wrote poems that revolve around loss of dignity. In 'Disabled', the character, an ex-soldier, can't even put himself to bed, but in 'Refugee Blues', the Jews, though physically capable in the poem, have no identity. The young man represented in 'Disabled' presents a picture of a man suffering from loss of dignity
Compare and contrast the presentation of childhood memories in half past two, piano and my parents kept me from children who were rough focusing on the poets use of language, form and structure.
Compare and contrast the presentation of childhood memories in 'half past two', 'piano' and 'my parents kept me from children who were rough' focusing on the poet's use of language, form and structure.' The poems are different based on theme as piano has a theme of music taking on a memory. Half past two has a theme of life before not being able to tell time. Lastly my parents kept me from children who were rough have a theme of not being able to relive a bad memory. The three poems are contrasting on the meaning as 'My parents kept me from children who were rough' and 'piano' are about the poet's memories when they are older and 'Half past two' is an exploration of a child's imagination during his early years before he could tell the time. In Piano, Lawrence shows he is dealing with adult memories of childhood by in the first stanza, 'Taking me back down the vista of years.' The use of the word 'vista' shows that he is dealing with a long period of time. Similarly 'My parents kept me from children who were rough' Spender shows he is also dealing with adult memories of childhood as in the last stanza, 'I longed to forgive them, yet they never smiled.' The use of the words 'longed' and 'never' show that he is looking back to that time and is hurt that they never said sorry. In contrast to that 'Half past two' is about an exploration of a child's mind. Fanthorpe shows
Lady of Shalott Analysis
The Lady of Shalott "Over 100 years after it was written, discuss why The Lady of Shalott is still fascinating and mysterious. Does it still have a message for us today?" The Lady of Shalott by Alfred Lord Tennyson was published in 1833. Although this poem was written almost 200 years ago, The Lady of Shalott is still fascinating and mysterious for readers. The reason for this is that Tennyson writes this poem in such a way that it makes readers think. This poem was written in a manner that still has a meaning for us today, and possibly many years to come. Often, in good literature and poetry there is no easy, correct interpretation of the author's intent. It is this intentional vagueness that allows multiple interpretations and keeps a work relevant through the ages. The poet's writing language and techniques is another feature contributing greatly to the fascination of the poem. The structure of this poem is very appealing. It is divided into four parts. Part one sets a scene for the story. "Willows whiten, aspen quiver," This quote suggests the scene is set in winter time, "willows whiten" illustrates that the trees are covered in snow, and the aspens "quiver" creates a cold atmosphere. Throughout part one, stanza one to four, there are many imagery used to help create a clear vision for the readers. For example, a metaphor, such as, "Long fields of barley and of rye,
compare the way love is presented in 'valentine' and 'sonnet130'
Compare and contrast the way in which love is presented in the poems 'valentine' by Carol Ann Duffy and 'sonnet 130' by William Shakespeare. In this essay I am going to compare and contrast the way in which love is presented in the poems 'valentine' by Carol Ann Duffy and 'sonnet 130' by William Shakespeare. I will be drawing links of comparison and will explain the similarities and differences between them. The first poem 'valentine' was written by Carol Ann Duffy. It has no set rhythmic pattern and the stanzas are all different lengths. There are 7 stanzas in total. The title of the poem Valentine' sounds very romantic and suggests that the poem is about hearts and roses and other items linked with the word valentine, however, once the first line is read this assumption is wiped away. The word satin from the first line 'not a red rose or a satin heart' immediately makes the reader think of a romantic gift that is soft to the touch and quite luxurious. However the line starts with 'not' suggesting that she is not going to give her lover a normal valentine present. This line is on its own which could mean that it is important and has been left on its own to stand out to the reader. The second stanza then starts by saying 'I give you an onion. It is a moon wrapped in brown paper'. The writer uses juxtaposition to compare an onion to a 'moon wrapped in brown paper'. The
English Literature Coursework - Nostalgia
Compare and contrast three poems from the English Literature Anthology where the speakers of the poems display strong nostalgic thoughts through theme, structure, language, mood and tone of the poems. Three poems where the speakers show strong nostalgic thoughts for the past are Piano by D.H. Lawrence, Poem at Thirty-Nine by Alice Walker and Crabbit Old Woman by Phyllis McCormack. They all display the common theme of wanting to return to the past, away from the pain, loneliness and the trials and tribulations of adulthood. In this essay, I will analyse how the poets convey their feelings through their use of literary structure, theme, language, mood and tone. The theme of nostalgia is expressed through each of the three speakers' different experiences. In Piano, the speaker is taken "back down the vista of years" and re-calls happier memories from his childhood. This happens when he hears a piano being played which is the trigger so that his "manhood is cast/Down in the flood of remembrance". This indicates that the poet yearns for the past and he feels less of a man when he reminisces. It also suggests that when he remembers his childhood and his memories rush towards him, reducing him to tears. In Poem at Thirty-Nine, the speaker remembers how she "learned to see bits of paper as a way to escape the life he knew". This shows that she remembers lessons like the value of
Analysis of "Seven Ages of Man" by William Shakespeare.
Seven Ages of Man By William Shakespeare. Seven Ages of man is a poem written by William Shakespeare. It's actually a speech given by one of his characters named Jacques in his play As You Like it. Jacques is a pessimistic character who the poet uses to portray the life of a man in seven different parts. The first line of the poem "All the worlds a stage is a metaphor in which the world is associated with a stage. It is also the central metaphor around which the entire poem revolves. The next few lines also use similar terminology related to theatre. The word "All" in the first line establishes universality and we are told that men everywhere go through the same phases of life. The next line "...Just like actors, men and women in this world are not free to do as they will and are directed and controlled by their destiny. And just like actors in a play, the people make their appearances and go away i.e. they are born into this world and die. Because Jacques looks more towards the negative, he mentions death as in "exit" first and then birth or "entrance". This is because he looks at life's negativities closely. And so, this man, a player who has probably made an entrance plays seven main parts in his life. These parts are referred to as acts as in the line "And one man in his time plays many parts. His act being seven ages." When the child is born, he is an infant who
Critical Analysis of The Forge by Seamus Heaney
Critical Analysis of The Forge by Seamus Heaney 'The Forge' is a sonnet with a clear division into an octave (the first eight lines) and a sestet (the final six lines). While the octave, apart from its initial reference to the narrator, focuses solely on the inanimate objects and occurrences inside and outside the forge, the sestet describes the blacksmith himself, and what he does. Interestingly, the transition from the octave to the sestet is a run-on or enjambment containing one of the key metaphors of the poem, the anvil as altar: Set there immovable: an altar Where he expends himself in shape and music. One effect of this is to enable us to experience the anvil or altar as a magical point of transition between the material and immovable world of objects and the fluid, musical world of human consciousness. The rhyme scheme of the sonnet is: abba cddc efgfef, a departure from the standard Shakespearean (abab cdcd efef gg) or Petrarchan (abba abba cde cde) sonnet form. The unrhymed 11th line He leans out on the jam, recalls a clatter is perhaps the most striking feature of the rhyme scheme, and, combined with the poem's second run-on, serves to emphasise the cacophony and disorder of the remembered horse-drawn carriages. The threefold full rhyme nose/rows/bellows gives a pleasing finality to the end of the poem, especially in contrast to other lines which tend more
