"Ambulances" by Philip Larkin.

CRITIACAL EVALUATION "Ambulances" by Philip Larkin uses the every day incident of someone being taken away in an ambulance to convey the ideas of human life. The poem discusses the idea of the closeness of death; it's randomness and its inevitability. I am going to look at how effectively Philip Larkin uses this everyday occurrence to lead to the general or universal statement: death will come to us all at some point no matter who you are. I will show this by discussing the use of word choice, theme and setting. In stanza one, the impression that an accident can happen anywhere at any time is created by the feeling of menace. This is shown by the thought that ambulances can "come to rest at any kerb" suggesting that it doesn't matter where you are an accident can happen. The use of the word "any" helps to emphasise this point and convey the theme of the randomness of death. The idea that death comes to us all is suggested by "All streets in time are visited". The word "All" emphasises the fact that everyone dies, and the word "time" indicates that it is just a matter of time. I think that Larkin wanted to portray the idea that everyone will make their journey in an ambulance at some point. The ambulance is only symbolic for the doorway to death. At the beginning of the stanza the ambulances are described as "closed like confessionals," this sets the feeling inside the

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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"An advancement of learning" and "Churning Day" both looks back at a memory of the poets past/ childhood. Compare how these poems deal with the relationship of past and present with "The Sick Equation"

Post 1900 poetry "An advancement of learning" and "Churning Day" both looks back at a memory of the poets past/ childhood. Compare how these poems deal with the relationship of past and present with "The Sick Equation" Seamus Heaney has written 'An Advancement of Learning' and 'Churning Day'. Heaney, born in Northern Ireland in 1939 has therefore had quite a difficulty background. Most of his poems are about his childhood. Both 'Churning Day' and 'Advancement of Learning' look back on a childhood memory that is comforting to Heaney. In 'An Advancement of Learning' Heaney recalls coming across a rat when he was a child and he remembers being afraid of it. Heaney manages to overcome his fear and walk on past the rat, showing him growing a little wiser realising that the rat is no threat and advancing to another stage in his childhood; a braver one. I think the rat experience in the past has helped him in the present and future as he once could overcome the fear of the rat, and he could remember this time and think 'if I did it then, then I could do it now' with similar problems. The poem 'Churning Day' also has a similar concept; in looking back at the memory it can help him now in the present and future. 'Churning Day' is a comforting poem for Heaney, it celebrates the good times he had when churning as it brought the family together; it was a happy time. So when things

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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"Animals learn death first at the moment of death; man approaches death with the knowledge it is closer every hour..."

Jacqueline D'Angelo English 246 - 02 Prof. Jim Cody December 20, 2002 "Animals learn death first at the moment of death; man approaches death with the knowledge it is closer every hour..." -Arthur Schopenhauer, The World as Will and Idea Death is a theme that is inevitable to come across in day to day life. From the moment we are all born, we are dying. It is an idea that is common amongst all living creatures and because of its widespread cohesion many authors use it as a tool in their writings. Most of them mention death, depict death, and even reenact death, however every time this device is used an attempt is made for a different message to be sent. Messages of new beginnings, solemn endings, the halt to injustices, sadness, relief, etc. are all portrayed through different techniques while presenting death in literature. Over the past few months collectively as a class we have read many works that have shown death in one way or another. Three of them that stand out the most are A Rose for Emily, Our Town, and I'm Not Rappaport. Each one of these pieces had displayed death in a different way and the messages sent to the reader through their depictions were all different as well. First, William Faulkner's A Rose for Emily deals with death in a strange and sometimes unbelievable way. Emily is not good at dealing with death and loss. For the most part she doesn't

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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"Betjeman has... very brilliantly made us think about being alive, being dead... while infact talking about a tea tray." What is your response to this view? In your answer you should examine in detail 'Death in Leamington' and one other appropriate poem.

Stacey Carlyle "Betjeman has... very brilliantly made us think about being alive, being dead... while infact talking about a tea tray." What is your response to this view? In your answer you should examine in detail 'Death in Leamington' and one other appropriate poem. Through Betjeman's use of language, form and structure he allows us to see death as an everyday occurrence and not as something that we should all fear. Betjeman cleverly uses everyday objects to symbolise the meaning of death and shows that it is something we will all experience. Death in Leamington is a moving poem about the death of an old and lonely woman. The poem has a regular rhyme scheme, which may symbolise that life and death are regular everyday events. Each stanza throughout the poem has a rhyme scheme of ABCB. Verse one allows us to understand that the woman experienced a peaceful and quiet death, 'by the light of the ev'ning star'. Betjeman uses the word star to symbolise that the death of the woman was natural and that she was in no pain. The verse runs on throughout until it comes to the end of the stanza. Betjeman did this as it was the beginning of the poem and wanted us to realise and feel what and whom the poem is all about Secondly we are illustrated with use of personification, as her 'lonely crochet' will not be able to grow anymore. The crochet beside her bed also shows us that

  • Word count: 1565
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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"Compare how Gillian Clarke and Seamus Heaney present different images of the past".

"Compare how Gillian Clarke and Seamus Heaney present different images of the past" Both poets, Seamus Heaney and Gillian have different nationalities and backgrounds. Seamus Heaney is from a traditional Irish Farming background. The majority of his family are also farmers. Whereas Gillian Clarke is Welsh, and was probably bought up in an urban background. Heaney indicates from his poems that he wants to share his past memories; he wants people to know about periods of his youth life. All his poems are centred on past memories. In comparison to Gillian Clarke whose work in poems are about what memories are, and reasons for respecting memories. 'Follower', by Heaney is about his life on the farm. From the first line he starts to discuss his images from the past. "My father worked with a horse-plough" The rest of the first verse describes what image Heaney had of his father. "His shoulders globed like a full sail strung ... ... strained at his clicking tongue." This verse shows that his father is a strong, powerful figure. It gives a good impression of him. "horse strained at his clicking tongue" This implies he is a skilled worker, as all he has to do is click his tongue and the horses strained for him. In the second verse Heaney talks about his father being "an expert", and this is emphasised, as this is what this verse starts with. This verse may be saying

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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"Death is a Leveller" Show how this idea is reflected in the two poems "Death the Leveller" by James Shirley and "Ozymandias" by Percy Bysshe Shelley.

"Death is a Leveller" Show how this idea is reflected in the two poems "Death the Leveller" by James Shirley and "Ozymandias" by Percy Bysshe Shelley. Some people, as history portrays, achieve great things in life, some do not. What we achieve or what we do not achieve in life is unimportant because eventually death reduces us all to the same level " Death the Leveller" by James Shirley was written around the time of the English Civil War. The poem makes reference to victors of a battle who are eventually reduced to the level of their defeated foes. The poem also makes reference to the death of a king. " Ozymandias" by Percy Bysshe Shelley, was written around the time Napoleon, when he was at the peak of his power. This poem could be seen as a warning to Napoleon, warning him that eventually all his glory will end. Both poems indicate that death will end our glories or victories, that death is a leveller. Death the Leveller" could be telling us that we cannot battle death. We see this in Stanza 1: "The glories of our blood and hate Are shadows not substantial things; There is no armour against fate." These definite statements tell us that no matter what we do fate will conquer us, make us all equal. "Death" is personified in "Death the leveller." Shirley uses personification as an effective way to describe the power of "death," this also strengthens "death" by

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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"Digging" by Seamus Heaney

"Digging" The poem "Digging" by Seamus Heaney is a very intriguing poem that carries across much meaning to the reader of the poem. The dramatic situation that is described is a son, who appears to be a writer, looking back onto his past and thinking about the work his father and grandfather did. Through the use of strong language and many poetic devices, Seamus Heaney has given a whole new meaning to the idea of 'digging'. Heaney uses precise words and a very effective style to portray the idea of a son looking back on the work of his ancestors and realizing just how he fits into his family's history and tradition. There are basically two ideas upon how the character fits into his family tradition. The character has broken away from the farming custom of his family, but yet he still maintains the idea of creating and using tools very precisely with his new line of work, writing. However, another interesting detail about the poem "Digging" is how the character in the poem can be seen as Seamus Heaney himself. Heaney too was a writer and his family also ran a farm. As a result of this, the poem acquires much more feeling and emotion and the author can be seen as talking about himself. When looking at the first stanza, one realizes that it is only two lines, however, this does not take away from its importance. The character describes basically himself at the

  • Word count: 1427
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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"Discuss the usefulness and limitations of employing metaphors as a means of analysing organisations. Illustrate from organisations with which you are familiar"

"DISCUSS THE USEFULNESS AND LIMITATIONS OF EMPLOYING METAPHORS AS A MEANS OF ANALYSING ORGANISATIONS. ILLUSTRATE FROM ORGANISATIONS WITH WHICH YOU ARE FAMILIAR" Name: Sarah-lee Thompson Student Number: 13102102 Module title: Organisation and Management - 1st assignment Module code: PUP520J1 Programme: LLB Law and Government - Full time, Yr 3 Date: 15th November 2004 Word Count: 1,770 "I declare that this assignment is all my own work and has not been submitted for any other purpose or course" Signed: Date: "Discuss the usefulness and limitations of employing metaphors as a means of analysing organisations. Illustrate from organisations with which you are familiar" Organisations are complex and inconsistent. They are constantly changing, whether it is through its aims, team members, roles or the level of output. This means that the decisions and approach taken by management can be very difficult. Many people will have their own notion of what organisation means and as with most complex terms there is no perfect definition or theory. Many theorists of organisation and management believe that all theories in this area are "based on images or metaphors that lead us to see, understand and manage organisations in distinctive yet partial ways."1 Garth Morgan is a major theorist in this area and a pioneer in the use of metaphor to read, analyse and facilitate

  • Word count: 2081
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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"Don't be a twit Clive". "Minimum of Two" presents a bleak view of human relationships. Discuss in relation to three stories.

"Don't be a twit Clive". "Minimum of Two" presents a bleak view of human relationships. Discuss in relation to three stories. "Minimum of Two" demonstrates a bleak view of human relationships, however there are a few hopeful ones. The boy and the boy's friend show negative and pessimistic relationships. Jerra and Rachel show a plain relationship at first, however it turns more optimistic during the end. The girl and the mother have a negative damaging relationship, which does not change. All these characters demonstrate a desolate view of relationships at some stage in the novel. The boy and the boy's friend show a plain, windswept relationship. The boy's friend and his girlfriend travel up the coast together to his mother's holiday house. The boy is quiet and doesn't want to lose his friend. He follows them wherever they go and doesn't want to accept that things are different, "he swears things are the same", No Memory Comes". The boy has been friends with him nearly his whole life, and doesn't realise that his friend his moving on. The boy knows that his relationship with his friend is becoming distant. The boy is trapped in the past and terrified that things are changing. He is going to have to let go of the past, but he does not want to be separated from it. The boy and the boy's friend showed a very ordinary relationship, that was not going to last. In the start of

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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"Essential Beauty" by Philip Larkin is a perfectly balanced poem of two 16-line stanzas.

"Essential Beauty" by Philip Larkin is a perfectly balanced poem of two 16-line stanzas. In the poem Larkin explores the subject of advertising in the early 60s. He begins by describing the subjects on huge billboards on the sides and ends of buildings. He suggests that these enormous images are placed in slum areas and that this is inappropriate and doubtful in its honest intention. Larkin's outstanding criticism is directed towards the content of the adverts. He makes it clear that "motor oil and cuts of salmon," are of no consequence or beyond the finical ability of the people who live in the blocks of streets and slums where these billboards are pasted. "Cars" and "deep arm chairs" bed time cups and radiant electric fires warming "cats by slippers on warm mats" are certainly not the experiences of those who dwell in the vicinity of the outrageous adverts. They: "Reflect none of the rained-on streets and squares They dominate the outdoors." This criticism is at its height in its description of an advert for butter: "......High above the gutter A silver knife sinks into golden butter." Here he employs a cheap advertisement rhyme and exposes the ridiculous image which is clearly inappropriate for those upon whose house the advert may be displayed. Furthermore Larkin clearly despises the image of: "Well balanced families, in fine Midsummer weather." In the second

  • Word count: 691
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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