The problem with Under Milk Wood is that nothing happens. Is this an accurate assessment of the play?
9th October, 2003 The problem with Under Milk Wood is that nothing happens. Is this an accurate assessment of the play? The title of the play is actually reflecting the inspiration for the play which was a small Welsh village called Laugharn. The precise interpretation of the title is that of cows grazing under a wood in the village of Llareggub. There is also another link with the title to Thomas Hardy where he used 'Under Greenwood Tree' as the title- this is a good piece of alternative evidence showing Thomas's love/admiration for other writers. Under Milk Wood is a radio play that was written by a writer called Dylan Thomas. Dylan Thomas was from Wales, however he spoke no Welsh and had no obvious influences of Welsh on him- however he uses a number of Welsh phrases in the play. However, Thomas's father was an English teacher and from an early age Thomas had a love for language- this love is shown throughout the whole of the play with continual use of sophisticated writing tools, language and a detailed, descriptive style. Under Milk Wood is about a small town called Llareggub which is peaceful and simple, located somewhere in the Welsh countryside. The play is a play for voices, which means it is written for the radio and not for the stage. It begins with the reader being swept through the village at night, listening to people's dreams then
How is female sexuality portrayed in Hardy's 'Far From The Madding Crowd' and Lawrence's 'The Virgin And The Gypsy'?
How is female sexuality portrayed in Hardy's 'Far From The Madding Crowd' and Lawrence's 'The Virgin And The Gypsy'? 'Is Lawrence really a liberator of sex? Does he grant more independence to the women in his novels than his predecessors or just a little more freedom within confines of established expectations.'1 The same question could be asked of Thomas Hardy, who is believed by some critics such as Rosemarie Morgan, to use female sexuality in a way that is liberating and arguably revolutionary. 'The Virgin And The Gypsy' by D.H.Lawrence, and 'Far From The Madding Crowd' by Thomas Hardy, show a likeness in the fact that both men present sexuality through controversial female protagonists and question the moralities and social expectations of their time. Whilst the two novels were written over thirty years apart, their female protagonists are comparatively alike. Lawrence's protagonist, Yvette, faces a restrictive society that was only just beginning to accept the changing attitudes in female sexuality. Hardy shows a female repressed by society although, the nineteenth century was somewhat more constrained than the mellowing 'roaring twenties.' 'The nineteenth century woman was defined by her adherence to submission and resistance to sexuality. By emphasizing the physical aspect of femininity in [Hardy's] unorthodox representation of the female, Hardy threatens the
Comparing and Contrasting Kate Chopin "Story of an hour" & Thomas Hardy`s " The arch dicevier"
Comparing and Contrasting Kate Chopin "Story of an hour" & Thomas Hardy`s " The arch dicevier" Before the 1980`s, there was one "ideal woman", she was seen as desirable innocent, sensual and passive she needed to be alert, patient and a intentive wife and loving mother but most of all obident. The lifes of women were limited they could not own money and were seen as "propertyof men". The respectable jobs for women were teaching, embroidering and serving. There were two conflicting images of women at this time and these were- the pure,dutiful-help mate and the exciting but dangerous sex object. If you weren`t catorgrised into theses two images you either lived on the streets begging or sold your self into prositution. Kate chopin the author of "the story of an hour", was widley read and higly honored, and specialised in feminist work! Kate chopin,had used her own experiencenes in this short story, her husband had died at a young age,so she realated to her characters feelings and uses her true perspective to "represent life the way it actually is lived". At this time writers were mainly men! Thomas Hardy another famous writter, rasied in modest means went on to higher education and worked for solicitors, so contact with industrial women was rare, despite this he went on to journolism writing for women`s magazines, this doesn`t reflect in his story "the arch
The Pike by Amy Lowell
Victor Randolph Brent Russo English 28A February 17, 2009 I Love the Way You Move Amy Lowell's "The Pike" is a smooth, fast poem that mirrors its subject. Its form reflects it content. Its meter is irregular and the poem does not rhyme; but it contains within it a certain musical quality which is drawn from word choice and the occasional alliteration. This technique was emphasized by the early imagist poet, Ezra Pound, in his "Three Rules." 1 The poem, read aloud, produces a delightful cadence which serves to impress upon the reader a certain response to the pike's rhythm. As an imagist poet, Lowell's description of the sudden flicker of the pike's movement expounds sensations. The poem repeats phrases of color, action, light and refraction to produce very vivid bursts of natural imagery. Lowell juxtaposes brown and green, darkness and gleam as well as a pair of metallic elements: silver and copper. These juxtapositions serve to represent the fish through an objective lens. The descriptions are brief, yet seem to perfectly encapsulate a fleeting flash of transit in a tiny eco-system. Lowell's poem combines a fiercely eloquent id with a calm and graceful ego, but rejects the notion that "thinking" is of a higher order than "feeling." 2 It presents that "intellectual and emotional complex in an instant of time."3 The first stanza serves to frame the poem's primary action;
A vision of the future?
A vision of the future? The year was 2150. The whole world was in turmoil as a result of World War III. As far as the eye can see it was a barren wasteland. This is largely the fault of the man we only know as "the General", the cruel, power-obsessed dictator responsible for the war. The General is now in control of the world's supply of nuclear weapons and therefore, the world. But there is still a small glimmer of hope. Unknown to the General, an ever-growing number of individuals had formed the Rebellion, who were preparing for one last stand against him, and one of those individuals just happened to be me. I'm Jake Smith, a tall 17 year old dressed in a pair of ragged, torn pair of jeans and a t-shirt to match. Quite a sight, but here everyone was clothed in something similar. Hard to believe but I was actually one of the better dressed! I lived in a small room underground, like everyone in the Rebellion, and shared my room with my best friend, Thomas Richards. Some people say he's weird, but for someone who saw his parents were killed in front of him Thomas is as normal as can be expected. As for me, I don't know what happened to my parents; all I know is that the Rebellion took care of me and I consider every member to be family. An alarm bell sounded. A wave of panic swept over me. "Thomas, get up!" I cried. I'm not sure if he heard me over the noise of the
(a) Prelude speaks of spiritually exhausted people who exist in the impersonal, tawdry modern city
Prompt: Explore the following statements about TS Eliot's poetry through a close reading of the text: "Prelude" speaks of spiritually exhausted people who exist in the impersonal, tawdry modern city* This essay is mainly about the preludes by T.S. Eliot, which speaks about the spiritually exhausted people who exist in the impersonal, tawdry modern city. Starting with information about T.S. Eliot, followed by a definition of modernism. Then exploration of the prelude is through close reading's skills, in three different stages; first; annotating the text, the second stage; understanding the text, the third stage, include the theme of the poem by discussing and analyzing the poem, including some outside information about historical and biographical facts. "T. S. Eliot was born in St. Louis and most of his adult life was in London. He is a modernist poet as many of his contemporaries; in as young he suffered a religious crisis and a nervous breakdown before regaining his emotional equilibrium and Christian faith. One of his most significant works is the preludes, which deal with spiritually exhausted people who exist in the impersonal, tawdry modern city."1 "Characteristics of Modernism, Open Form, Free verse, Discontinuous narrative, Juxtaposition, Classical allusions, Borrowings from other cultures and languages, Unconventional use of metaphor, Fragmentation, Multiple
A critical appreciation of the poem 'Exposure'
A critical appreciation of the poem 'Exposure' I believe in Wilfred Owens' poem 'Exposure', there are many different purposes, and an equal number of methods, which he employs to achieve them. Throughout the poem, he uses a variety of different techniques but I think there are several which are most successful. The first and foremost approach Owen has used is that of the title, 'Exposure'. Exposure means to 'Lay open to the weather'; it suggests being uncomfortable, and susceptible to the weather, typically in a less than desirable situation. In this poem, it is the weather that torments the soldiers most, and so this title is appropriate. This title is also clever and evocative, because it causes the reader to think about the contents of the poem before having read it. I consider the reference to nature, in particular, to be very important and effective. It is expressed clearly, in a physical sense, in the first line of the first stanza, although Owen does continue this use throughout the poem. 'Our brains ache, in the merciless iced east winds that knive us...' This line shows the 'merciless'/evil wind, nature, to have premeditated causing a pain to the soldiers. This, and that the wind causes a physical pain, 'ache', to the soldiers personifies the weather. The diction in this line, for example, the repetition of s sounds, called sibilance, represents the sound of the
Compare and Contrast the two poems, 'Do not go gentle into that good night' by Dylan Thomas and 'The Fall' by Gillian Clarke. Which do you prefer and why?
Compare and Contrast the two poems, 'Do not go gentle into that good night' by Dylan Thomas and 'The Fall' by Gillian Clarke. Which do you prefer and why? Dylan Thomas's 'Do not go gentle into that good night' is a poem written to his father, who at the time was dying. Thomas instead of telling his father to accept death with gracefulness and acceptance, urges him desperately to cling on to his life. Each stanza of the poem shows different views of death from different people, 'wise men', 'good men', 'wild men' and 'grave men'. They all differ in every way except from one, which is that they have to struggle to hold onto life. The poem opens with a real sense of grief and anger. The words 'Do not go gentle into that good night' are an order to his father, which strongly encourages his father not to accept death without a fight. In 'Do not go gentle' it is a moving plea to his dying father; death takes on a new and immensely personal meaning for Thomas. It publicly supports the policy of affirming life up until the last breath, rather than learning to accept death quietly. 'Old age should burn and rave at close of day' meaning that Thomas is telling his father that people who have spent their life and grown old should see what a gift life is; he says that dying people- more than others- should fight against death and scream out their final words, not passively pass on. At
In this essay I will be exploring, discussing and analysing two cross cultural poems. The first is called woman work, its by Maya Angelou, the second poem is titled Lore and its writer is R.S Thomas.
In this essay I will be exploring, discussing and analysing two cross cultural poems. The first is called woman work, its by Maya Angelou, the second poem is titled Lore and its writer is R.S Thomas. Both Angelou and Thomas expLore and present their ideas in very different and contrasting ways. Through out the two poems it is easy to gain knowledge into the poet's backgrounds and beliefs. The two poems are connected by the obvious theme of work, which both poems are clearly passionate about. However the way in which they do work or view it is very different. Primarily culture defines a person's origin, beliefs, actions and reactions to certain situations. I will begin by looking at Maya Angelou's background. She was born in st Louis on April 4 1928 as Marguerite Johnson. She lived in a black segregated community in Arkansas with her grandmother and brother until the age of eight. Her grandmother was a hard worker. She ran a general store and the home, brought up the children and looked after her crippled son. Members of the white community however often spoke down to her grandmother. At 8 Maya moved to live with her mother in St Louis, Illinois. Her mother was also a hard worker in clubs and enjoyed the high life. At 8 Maya was raped by her mother's boyfriend She became mute until she was 13. Maya herself worked hard in her teens as a cook, waitress and brought up her son,
Compare the poems 'Drummer Hodge' and 'A wife in London' by Thomas Hardy. You must comment on both subject matter and style.
'Drummer Hodge' and 'A Wife In London' by Thomas Hardy. Compare the poems 'Drummer Hodge' and 'A wife in London' by Thomas Hardy. You must comment on both subject matter and style. 'Drummer Hodge' is an elegy for a Wessex drummer-boy who was killed during the Boer War. Thomas Hardy was already a famous novelist and poet, and was so touched by this story in his local Dorset newspaper that he decided to write the poem. Similarly, 'A Wife in London' is also about the human cost of war, but unlike 'Drummer Hodge' who is a soldier who dies abroad, 'A Wife in London' is told from the perspective of the civilians who were left behind. 'Drummer Hodge' gets its title from the common nickname for a West country labourer. However, Hardy was disapproving of the stereotype and believed that labourers were as unique and individual as any other people, and he used the word Hodge to name the drummer boy as a deliberate way of bringing respect to it. He achieves this by the end of the poem by making up for the absent burial service and some kind of ceremony with the tone of the last verse. From the harsh, callous tone of the first, and the absurdness that the second verse conveys, the third verse seems to restore some dignity with an almost prayer-like tone: 'And strange-eyed constellations reign His stars eternally.' (17-18) It's the word 'eternally' that reminds us the most of