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

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  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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Illustrate and explain how different poets make use of the traditional imagery of nature in a range of poems you have studied.

GCSE English Literature Coursework Comparative Study Tradition in the Literary Heritage Illustrate and explain how different poets make use of the traditional imagery of nature in a range of poems you have studied. Nature is usually seen as a positive and good thing of the Earth. It is something that is opposite to humans, opposite to cities, opposite to technology and the modern, computer run world. It is normally seen as peaceful. But nature is also used to describe bad disasters which are neither caused by man, nor preventable by man. It is a force which cannot be controlled by humans, it is untameable, and for example earthquakes, tsunamis and hurricanes are all known as 'natural disasters'. These also are referred to as 'mother nature', as if nature is alive. Nature is also used a lot to describe both good and bad sides of a persons personality. The term 'human nature' has two completely different meanings, good and bad. Human nature can be generous, loving and caring, but also carries a second meaning, selfish, competitive and evil. Nature has been used by many poets and authors as a source of inspiration and symbolism. Nature's symbols and images have been used to express a range of ideas. The theme of nature can be used to help describe human behaviour and emotions, and as a source of inspiration to help draw ideas and help develop them in the poets mind. The

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  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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Show how Freud impacted on writing of the 20th century with reference to one novel

ASPECTS OF THE HISTORY OF ENGLISH LITERATURE III: 1800 TO THE PRESENT DAY. STUDENT ID: 0400077 Show how Freud impacted on writing of the 20th century with reference to one novel. William Golding wrote of his novel "Lord of the Flies" that the theme was an attempt to explore how the defects society are based largely on human nature rather than the structure of civilization. Golding used "Lord of the Flies" to allegorically explain that the architecture of a society depends on the morality of the individual rather than a social or political construction, regardless of its inherent merit or esteem. Golding very carefully and cleverly used children as characters portraying the human race. Traditionally, children are seen as immature and dismissible; they are commonly seen as almost less than human because of their underdeveloped physique and mental capacity. While traditionalists may see it as a poor example, Golding counters that children are fundamentally more representative of human nature. Rather than being oversaturated with societal norms and tendencies like adults, children are original in their desires and thought processes. The children find themselves trapped on an island, isolated from society and civilisation. It is an island sufficient for their survival; there is plenty of fruit and nuts for their consumption, and they are free from predation. And it is in

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  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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#3: Describe the character development Thoreau experiences and shares with his readers, and how the symbolism depicted and the elements of the setting contribute to his belief that humans can commune directly with the divine in nature.

#3: Describe the character development Thoreau experiences and shares with his readers, and how the symbolism depicted and the elements of the setting contribute to his belief that humans can commune directly with the divine in nature. Walden, by Henry David Thoreau, is a novel about the natural world. Thoreau attempts to explain the purpose of life and the key to utmost happiness. He gives much advice to his readers, appearing to have figured everything out, however his own character rapidly changes and grows throughout his work. Thoreau often refers to communing with nature as the solution to a peaceful life. Through nature, Thoreau finds many problems can be fixed and if observations are made, life will take on a completely different meaning. Nature will bear the closest inspection. She invites us to lay our eye level with her smallest leaf, and take an insect view of its plain. (Thoreau, The Journal of Henry David Thoreau Vol. 1, October 22, 1839) Anne Frank noted in her diary, "The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one fell that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature." (Frank, The Diary of Anne Frank, February 23, 1944) This description of the happiness found in nature fits

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  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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Christina Rosetti's 'The Triad' - A Woman's Role

Christina Rossetti - A Triad - A Woman's Role During the Victorian period, women did not have many choices in life. Christina Rossetti explores the choices available to women in her poem, 'A Triad'. This is a sonnet about the delimited existence of women in the 19th century: the unmarried whore, the young virginal spinster and the lonely, love-starved married woman. The octave presents us with the three choices of roles for women in the Victorian period. First, there is the role of whore: "... one with lips Crimson, with cheeks and bosom in a glow Flushed to the yellow hair and finger-tips" The image of redness in the words, "Crimson," "glow," and "Flushed" make this a very sensual image representing a sexually active woman in her prime. To be sexually active in the Victorian period, a woman must be married, if not married then she is seen as a whore since women were not allowed to have a sexuality. Any notion that a woman felt sexual desire was frowned upon. It was a taboo and women who failed to abide by the rules of Victorian society could find themselves labelled as insane. The role of the second woman in the sonnet is that of young virginal spinster: "And one there who soft and smooth as snow/ Bloomed like a tinted hyacinth at a show." The musical quality of the sibilance in these lines conveys an image of sweetness and purity. Indeed, this woman's

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  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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Comparisons made between two of Thomas Hardys’ 20th Century poems.‘The Darkling Thrush’ and ‘Snow in the Suburbs.’

Furqan Younes. Comparisons made between two of Thomas Hardys' 20th Century poems. 'The Darkling Thrush' and 'Snow in the Suburbs.' Both poems deal with the presence or lack of hope. Though hope may not be mentioned many times throughout the poem, it is clear 'The Darkling Thrush' optimises hope, whereas 'Snow in the Suburbs' does quite the opposite. 'The Darkling Thrush' begins with the introduction of an unknown character describing all that he sees and feels around him in negatively superficial detail. This is done by continuously using exaggerated personifications, 'The wind his death-lament.' These help give the poem depth and so when reading through the poem, it is very clear when the poem takes on a positive tone: 'At once a voice arose among The bleak twigs overhead' The introduction of hope can be seen as anything good or positive taking place when there is nothing but negativity around. In this part of the poem it comes suddenly, as emphasized by the 'At once' in the first line of the second stanza. It brings Warmth to a poem which in the previous two stanzas expressed nothing but cold and negative emotions, which were further enhanced by alliterations, such as: 'The Century's corpse out leant His crypt the cloudy canopy,' The character in the poem is clearly in a very pessimistic mood, this is made obvious in the first line of the last stanza

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  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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'That doom abided, / but in time it would come' (Beowulf, lines 83-4) Discuss the theme of fate / destiny in these texts.

'That doom abided, / but in time it would come' (Beowulf, lines 83-4) Discuss the theme of fate / destiny in these texts. It is indeed immediately evident to the reader (or listener) of Beowulf, that the poem is heavily laden with themes of fate and destiny. I would even go as far as saying that it is partly the weight that these themes lend that gives Beowulf its rich and beautiful quality. These themes are present throughout the text, for instance the creation of Heorot comes with the prophecy of its doom, with "its gables wide and high and awaiting / a barbarous burning" (lines 82-3). We are also given the cause for such a fate, namely blood feud between in-laws. The inevitable doom associated with blood feuds, and its associated fratricide, is also present at the end of the text with the wild prediction of the war and destruction of the Geat nation at the Shylfing's hands. It is also interesting to note here that the poem is book ended by funerals, death being the inevitable conclusion of fate, and also with prophecy, particularly effective for a contemporary audience knowledgeable of the outcomes of such prognostications. However, it is in the episode of Beowulf's fight against the dragon that we see the most signposted manifestation of fate: He was sad at heart, Unsettled yet ready, sensing his death. His fate hovered near, unknowable but certain (2419-2421)

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  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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Compare and contrast Wordsworth's Elegiac Stanzas and Auden's Musee des Beaux Arts. Show the way these poems convey the experience of human suffering. Explain which of the poems you find the most moving and consoling.

Compare and contrast Wordsworth's Elegiac Stanzas and Auden's Musee des Beaux Arts. Show the way these poems convey the experience of human suffering. Explain which of the poems you find the most moving and consoling. When looking at Auden's Musee des Beaux Arts and Wordsworth's Elegiac Stanzas the reader can notice that both poems contain a strong reference to suffering and death but their similar subject matter has been obtained from very different paintings. The reader can also find many points to contrast about the two poems, such as the very personal and romantic style of Wordsworth at a complete contrast to the colloquial and ironic tone of Auden. I will analyse the poems by considering the circumstances of when and why they were written. I will also look at which of the poems I find moving and consoling by looking at the truths behind the poems and the ways in which the poets communicate their ideas. After reading Wordsworth's Elegiac Stanzas and Auden's Musee des Beaux Arts the reader can see many differences and similarities between the two poems. It is noticeable that both poems contain human suffering and loss of life. In the case of Auden, the reader sees that when Icarus drowns, 'everything turns away' and the death is believed to be 'not important', no- one cares. Auden relates this to real life by showing that even if someone dies life '[sails] calmly

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  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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The Pulse of Poetry.

2/03/2004 The Pulse of Poetry Nathan Tolkin Imagery is the heart of all poetry; it serves to enrich the plain literate meaning of its words. Imagery is in sense a incomprehensible language defined by a blend of symbol, allegory and myth. These three instruments of imagery bring limitless possibilities of analysis and serves to induce the senses of the human mind. The Bull Moose by Alden Nowlan is abound with strong mythical images and allegorical statements of humanity. The "Prize Cat" by E.J Pratt is a similar poem both in the literate and allegorical sense. Both poems portray a somewhat similar underlying message of human nature but use different methods of the literate to convey it. The literate narrative of "The Bull Moose" is basic and straightforward, it is simply about a "Bull Moose" who has been liberated, and now lives among the great Canadian wilderness "of white spruce and cedar" and "Tamarack Swamps". The Moose becomes trapped by a "pole-fenced pasture" and is tormented by the local people while the young men "pour beer down his throat". The Moose is ultimately shot dead by the wardens who feared he could be dangerous. What underlies the literate is a series of images and symbols, within a large allegorical framework, that depicts a strong message of the horrifying cruelty of mankind, toward each other and the natural world. Nowlan attempts to make a

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  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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A critical analysis of Philip Larkin's 'Mr Bleaney'.

Rachael Ward Tutor: Mr R. Pooley Twentieth Century Literature: 20% Exercise A critical analysis of Philip Larkin's 'Mr Bleaney'. Richard Davie once claimed that whilst he "recognised in Larkin's [poetry] the seasons of present-day England, [he also] recognised...the seasons of an English soul".1 In fact Philip Larkin's very interest in human nature, together with his dislike of "...self-indulgent romanticism..."2, contributed to the character and final draft of 'Mr Bleaney'. By pulling the life and personality of the ordinary English bachelor with that of the poetic personae who is about to buy into Mr Bleaney's apartment, not to mention his life and ways, Larkin is able debate whether 'how we live [actually] measures our own nature', a fear that plagued the author as well as the poetic personae. As we are escorted around Mr Bleaney's apartment the landlady describes how he stayed there 'the whole time he was at the Bodies'. To be at 'the Bodies' suggests that Mr Bleaney's stay in the apartment and even on this earth was only temporary. His body appears to be just a casing, thus implying that Mr Bleaney was simply the shell of man who was waiting to die. His life is empty, lonely and predictable. The poem's simple 'AB' rhyming scheme also emphasises the predictable, routine and limited life of Mr Bleaney, hence a life with only one pattern. Through the

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  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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