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,

  • Word count: 6670
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
Access this essay

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

  • Word count: 5160
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
Access this essay

How does Thomas Hardy present men and women and their relationships in the three 'Wessex Tales'? The relationships between men and women are explored seriously and humorously

How does Thomas Hardy present men and women and their relationships in the three 'Wessex Tales'? The relationships between men and women are explored seriously and humorously in 'The Withered Arm', 'Tony Kytes - the Arch-Deceiver', and 'The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion'. It is through the plot that concerns about marriage and social status are revealed, and through this Hardy presents a fictionalised picture of society and relationships at that time. Hardy's stories are based on many tales, which had been told to him as a young boy. They are mainly based on events, which happened before his birth in 1840. This therefore separates the time period of his contemporary readers from his characters lives, and therefore enables Hardy to create a fictionalised world that is based on social fact. Wessex is a fictional county that was closely based on the county of Dorset, which is why much of the dialect used in the three stories, is that of Dorset. The events relayed in the stories tell us that the social attitudes and values have not changed, and this also gives us a picture of how relationships between men and women must conform to society's standards. In each of the three stories, Hardy has chosen to use the pastoral voice, which is the common dialect throughout many of Hardy's stories. The use of dialect during his stories, occur at moments when Hardy does not

  • Word count: 3903
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
Access this essay

How does Bennett deal with the theme of imprisonment in two or more of his 'talking heads'.

Emmanuel Ntombura 01/10/2003 'TALKING HEADS' Coursework Assignment HOW DOES BENNETT DEAL WITH THE THEME OF IMPRISONMENT IN TWO OR MORE OF HIS 'TALKING HEADS' INTRODUCTION This essay will be focussing on the theme of loneliness in monologues. I will be looking at the connections between 'A Lady of Letters,' and 'Playing Sandwiches,' in relation to the theme I'm focussing on. A monologue is a dramatic composition for one character or long speech performed by one character. There are lots of ways in which you can tell what a monologue is. A dramatic monologue always has a speaker and an implied auditor. The auditor often perceives a gap between what the speaker says and what the speaker reveals. The reader also adopts the POV of the auditor/speaker. The speaker also nearly always uses a case-making or argumentative tone of voice. The auditor then completes the dramatic scene from within, using means of interference and imagination. The dramatic monologue presents a 2-step sequence: we enter what looks like a normal situation, but become aware of discrepancies that gradually encourage us to suspect the speaker's reliability, motives and actions. As the self-justifying ("case-making") bombards us with a rationalisation/explanation of his/her actions, the auditor begins to construct a fully detailed alternative vision of the speaker and the events he describes, in effect

  • Word count: 3398
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
Access this essay

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

  • Word count: 3318
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
Access this essay

Both John Thomas and Tony Kytes are daring characters who try to manipulate the women around them. Yet in the end both are weaker than the women in each story. Compare the two male characters and discuss whether or not you agree with this statement.

Both John Thomas and Tony Kytes are daring characters who try to manipulate the women around them. Yet in the end both are weaker than the women in each story. Compare the two male characters and discuss whether or not you agree with this statement. >>>>>>Essay In Tickets Please by DH Lawrence and Tony Kytes the Arch-Deceiver by Thomas Hardy we are faced by two men who have the power to manipulate women to get what they want from them. Both John Thomas and Tony Kytes initially seem to be manipulative. In a sharp role reversal, the women are able to gain control of the situation; however, they lose this at the end of the stories to the men. Many factors such as the time period in which the stories were written in and the writer's point of view cause an unexpected ending to the stories. It is questionable as the two male characters try to manipulate women and whether they succeed or not. Tickets Please written by D H Lawrence was set in the industrial environment of Nottingham during wartime. Tony Kytes written by Thomas Hardy was set in pre 20th century in the rural area of Wessex. DH Lawrence was obsessed with honesty, particularly with regard to sexual matters. By writing about sex he was breaking social taboos as well as the then laws on decency. DH Lawrence (1885-1930) was one of five children born to a miner and ex-schoolteacher near Nottingham. He managed to avoid

  • Word count: 3280
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
Access this essay

Both John Thomas and Tony Kytes are daring characters who try to manipulate women around them. Compare and contrast the two men with particular reference to their attitude towards women.

Both John Thomas and Tony Kytes are daring characters who try to manipulate women around them. Compare and contrast the two men with particular reference to their attitude towards women. Tony Kytes is the main character of 'Tony Kytes, The Arch-Deceiver', which is a story written by Thomas Hardy in the 1890s - contained in his book titled 'Life's Little Ironies.' (1894) (The story is set in the Midlands during the First World War.) Thomas Hardy was an influence to 20th Century writers, and as recognition of his work his ashes were buried in Poet's corner in Westminster Abbey, and his heart buried in his wife's grave - Emma. DH Lawrence was obsessed with honesty, particularly with regard to sexual matters. By writing about sex he was breaking social taboos as well as the then laws on decency. 'Ticket, Please' isn't as indecent as some of his creations. From this story is the infamous John Thomas, who was created by Lawrence some thirty years after Tony Kytes was discovered. This time difference between the two characters may account for some of their contrasts and indeed the difference between the women of the stories, as the 'Victorian' women were certainly less peremptory than the women of the wartime were. The women of the Victorian era had more respect for the men as a result of their upbringing. From a very young age they were taught that they were inferior to the

  • Word count: 3274
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
Access this essay

Compare the presentation of changing and contrasting attitudes throughout the First World War through Sebastian Faulk's Birdsong and Poems of the Great War. At the eve of the First World War in 1914

Question: Compare the presentation of changing and contrasting attitudes throughout the First World War through Sebastian Faulk's Birdsong and Poems of the Great War. At the eve of the First World War in 1914, the world was a different place compared to the one we live in today. Great Britain was at the height of its colonial power when the war first began and many men joined the military services in a hope to be a part of this patriotic war of good and evil. This is illustrated by the early literature such as the propaganda poems Flanders Fields and The Soldier. The war was expected to be a short one with a quick victory expected by both sides. However, as the war dragged on many people became disillusioned by it and the pieces of works that were being produced were a negative reaction to fighting for a cause most people had forgotten. "This is not a war this is an exploration of how far man can be degraded." Birdsong is a novel that brings out some of the horrific aspects of soldiery and war. Although Sebastian Faulks uses fictional characters he is able to construct a realistic view of trench warfare and life within the First World War. The novel is based around a central character called Stephen Wraysford and concentrates on his journey through the war. Birdsong is also populated with characters that represent different parts of society during the war period. Poems of

  • Word count: 3254
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
Access this essay

Dylan Marlais Thomas.

Dylan Marlais Thomas was born is Swansea, Wales on October 27, 1914, he was the product of Florence Williams, a nurturing housewife, and David John Thomas, a religious English teacher. Thomas's father exposed him to poetry at an early age, Shakespeare and the bible were his bedtime stories, and by the age of four he was reciting verses from both. By the age of eight he was writing his own poetry, even before he entered the Swansea Grammar School in September 1925, where he was a quiet student often lost in his own thoughts. When he attended school his only real interest was editing the Swansea Grammar School Magazine, where along with editing he published poems imitating popular works of the time. Thomas often used his mothers caring nature to avoid tasks that he thought to be unpleasant, school being one of them. His mother thought of him as a sickly child, so he got out of school often, not to go play with his friends but to stay home and indulge himself with his fathers immense selection of literature from the family library. This is where Thomas's real education took place, he read a diverse selection of authors such as; Edgar Allan Poe, the Brothers Grimm, Sir Thomas Browne, and Fyodor Dostoevsky. Here in his father's library, with his love for words and his vast selection of books, he nurtured his understanding of literature and talent for writing. Thomas left the

  • Word count: 3238
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
Access this essay

Analyse the Narrative Skills of Graham Greene in his Short Story 'The Destructors' - And show how they enhance their appeal to the reader.

Analyse the Narrative Skills of Graham Greene in his Short Story 'The Destructors'. And show how they enhance their appeal to the reader. Graham Greene was born on October 2, 1904 in Berhamstead, Hertfordshire. The fourth of six children, Graham was a shy and sensitive youth. He disliked sports and was often truant from school in order to read adventure stories by authors such as Rider Haggard and R.H. Ballantyne. These novels had a deep influence on him and helped shape his writing style. In this piece of coursework, I am going to analyse the narrative skills of Graham Greene in his short story 'The Destructors'. When analyzing his narrative skills I am going to look in depth on the various fields such as the plot structure and setting, characterisation, style, atmosphere, and the tension of the story. The information that I gather shall give me evidence to suggest whether or not Graham Greene is an effective and successful narrative author. The plot structure is profound and slightly ambiguous nearly throughout the whole story because we cannot really identify an immediate story line until Trevor introduces the big plan. Although, even from then we cannot really predict what is going to happen next accept just read on. This is an effective use of the plot by the author as it keeps the reader in suspense and as well as entices the reader to read until the end of the

  • Word count: 3180
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
Access this essay