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Showing posts from January, 2018

The blessed damsel - D.G. Rossetti

  The blessed damozel lean'd out   From the gold bar of Heaven; Her eyes were deeper than the depth   Of waters still'd at even; She had three lilies in her hand,   And the stars in her hair were seven. Her robe, ungirt from clasp to hem,   No wrought flowers did adorn, But a white rose of Mary's gift,   For service meetly worn; Her hair that lay along her back   Was yellow like ripe corn. Herseem'd she scarce had been a day   One of God's choristers; The wonder was not yet quite gone   From that still look of hers; Albeit, to them she left, her day   Had counted as ten years. (To one, it is ten years of years.  …Yet now, and in this place, Surely she lean'd o'er me—her hair   Fell all about my face…. Nothing: the autumn-fall of leaves.   The whole year sets apace.) It was the rampart of God's house   That she was standing on: By God built over the sheer depth   The which is Space begun; So high, that looking downward thence

Prayer before birth - Louis MacNeice

As the title says the poem is a prayer of an unborn baby. By this imaginary prayer poet gives picture of how cruel the world is. In first stanza unborn child says, I am not yet born, O here me. Let not the bloodsucking bat or the rat or the stoat or the club footed ghoul come near me. Rat, bat, stoat and ghoul are symbols of evil people. Child wants to remain far away from all kind of evil people. In next stanza child asks for consolation. Baby fears that human race will make task walls around,  inject drugs in, they will tell wise lies and will roll in pool of blood. In this stanza we can see situation of second world war where everybody was fighting and uncountable people were killed. Now child demands something. Baby wants water, grass, trees to talk, sky to sing and white light in back of the mind to guide him. Though baby is not burn he asks for forgiveness. He asks to God to forgive him for the sins that world commits through him, the words that speak through him, his “treaso

Ode on solitude - Alexander Pope

Ode on solitude by Alexander Pope is a poem telling how living alone can be so beautiful. Poet starts with telling that happy man is that who can live happily with few things. They are happy whose wishes can be fulfilled by few paternal acres and who can breathe native air on his own ground. Happy man is that whose heard is full of milk, fields with corn, flocks supply attire, trees give shade in summer and fire in winter. Who can pass time without worry and who has health of body and peace of mind. Who can have sound sleep by night and can read. This is the real happiness. So in last  poet wants to live unseen and unknown. He even wants nobody to lament on his death. So, this poem gives characteristics of a real happy man. The message is that one is not happy who is wealthy but happy is one who have peace.

When we two parted - Byron

'When we two parted' poem describes feelings of the lover who is sad when parting with his beloved. The first stanza sets up the parting of the two lovers. When they are moving away from each other they are silent with tears. They are half broken hearted who are parting for years. Because of sorrow lover's cheek has became pale and cold and the kiss is even colder. This is a sorrowful hour. The second stanza continues with grief. Poet says that dew of the morning is sunk in his brow making it cold. All vows are broken. Poet heard his lover's name spoken but feels shame in sharing it. Poet is expecting that they will meet one day and thinks how will they greet. He answers that with silence and tears same as their parting. So the poem expresses feelings of two secret lovers who are parting for years. Somebody comes and speaks name of lover in front of him. He feels like knell. He says that who knows you do not know that I know you. Poet regrets why she was so dear to

To his coy mistress - Andrew Marvell

Had we but world enough and time, This coyness, lady, were no crime. We would sit down, and think which way To walk, and pass our long love’s day. Thou by the Indian Ganges’ side Shouldst rubies find; I by the tide Of Humber would complain. I would Love you ten years before the flood, And you should, if you please, refuse Till the conversion of the Jews. My vegetable love should grow Vaster than empires and more slow; An hundred years should go to praise Thine eyes, and on thy forehead gaze; Two hundred to adore each breast, But thirty thousand to the rest; An age at least to every part, And the last age should show your heart. For, lady, you deserve this state, Nor would I love at lower rate. But at my back I always hear Time’s wingèd chariot hurrying near; And yonder all before us lie Deserts of vast eternity. Thy beauty shall no more be found; Nor, in thy marble vault, shall sound My echoing song; then worms shall try That long-preserved virginity, And your quaint honour turn t

The white tiger thinking activity

1] How far do you agree with the India represented in the novel The White Tiger? Any work of literature focuses on any one side of the thing. The writer may like to write about king or about starving family. The poet may like to praise beauty of nature or may her beloved. Including all the aspects in single piece of art is not possible and also not supposed to do. Aravind Adiga focuses on dark side of India for his piece of art. A novel, “The White Tiger”. India in this novel is full of corruption, poverty and servitude. Some may not like this picture of India but reality is reality. It is even more important to bring out negative side of the society than praising it, otherwise metaphors for literature like axe and x-ray would become inappropriate. In novel we see India through Balaram’s eyes. Corruption in education, quality of teacher, servitude, dirtiness of Ganga, political corruption, bribery, murder, crime and lot many things are criticized. Balaram experiences all th

From the Amoretti - Edmund Spenser

One day I wrote her name is a sonnet by Edmund Spenser. The poet starts with romantic scene. He and her beloved are at the strand. The speaker writes her name upon the strand but wave comes and washes that away. But poet again writes now with second hand. But again wave washes it. After seeing this speaker's beloved tells him that he works in vain to immortalize her. She points out that one day she will die, her body will fall to decay as all living things must in that moment, she says her name will be lost, wiped out as the wave erases the letters in the sand. But the poet knows how to make her name immortal. He says that other things may die and rot, but she will live by fame. He will make her name immortal by writing her poems, he will immortalize her so that long after her death, even the heavens will remember her glorious name. So the poem speaks about the power of verse. It has power to make someone immortal.

Kim - Rudyard Kipling

The novel takes place in British India. The protagonist Kimball O'Hara is an orphan boy who spends his time in the city of Lahore running around, scrounging food, and generally leading a carefree and mischief-heavy life. But there was a prophecy about Kim. Kim's prophecy comes down from his now-deceased father. That was Kim's luck will change once he finds a Red Bull on a green field. And two men will appear first to prepare the way for the arrival of this Red Bull.' One day playing in front of the Lahore Museum which everyone in the book calls the Wonder House and he spots someone wearing clothes of a style he's never seen before. This man is a lama, a Tibetan Buddhist from the North. The lama wants to speak to the curator of the Wonder House because he has heard that the curator is a wise man. He needs to talk to smart people, because he is looking for something extremely important to him: the River of the Arrow. According to the lama, once during a t

One night at the call center thinking activity

1. Does the novel have social realism? If yes, illustrate. If no, what did you expect as social realism which is absent here. Yes, the novel have social realism. Though Chetan Bhagat has introduced God in it still it remains socially realistic novel because it deals with present problems of the people. The problems facing the characters are problems of majority  of India. People do job they don't like, people suffer from low self confidence, love and break ups, divorce, clash between old age and new generation, and girls like Radhika are everywhere who have to marry when and where parents want. So, all problems characters faced are very much real. Further nationalism and hate towards America is shown which is also present situation. Thus, the novel has presented social issues and environment and do the novel has social realism. 3) Comment on Narrative structure of the novel. Compare with that of Life of Pi. ON@TCC novel starts with prologue. The writer starts narrating the story

Othello - William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare’s Othello takes place in 16th-century Venice and also Cyprus. Othello is a noble black warrior in the Venetian army. He secretly marries a beautiful white woman Desdemona who is the daughter of a prominent senator named Brabantio. When he eventually finds out and is completely furious he decides to disown Desdemona. Iago has a secret jealousy and resentment towards Othello because a soldier named Lieutenant Cassio has been put in front of him and also suspects that Othello has been cheating with his wife. Waiting on revenge, Iago plans a devious comeback to plant suspicions in Othello’s mind that Desdemona has been having an affair with Cassio. On one night He starts street fight with Cassio. Everybody gathers and Othello founds him in drunken state on time of duty, and is then dismissed from his post. Desdemona takes up Cassio’s case with her husband, which only increases his suspicions that the pair are lovers. While all of this is happening Iago manages to

Reunion - W. St. John Taylor

W. St. John Taylor's one act play ‘Reunion’ brings out successfully how a man changes and become selfish. In this play soldiers had decided and promised among them that they should sacrifice their lives for the nation in the process of its rebuilding. Soon after the war, all their promises and moral values were kept aside for their personal growth and development. Four friends —George Carter,Reverend Philip Rowlands, Mark Tallis and Peter Ransome — meet in an exclusive West End Hotel to celebrate their ‘Reunion’. They have come here to meet after ten years to honour their promise that they had made to one another as soldiers fighting together in the war. Ten years ago, exactly on this particular day, seven soldiers had fallen in a great risk being surrounded by enemy armies from all sides. There was no hope to escape from the attack of enemy armies. Defeat and death was almost imminent for them. In that hour of crisis they made a pact: if they survived the war, they would all me

The boy comes home - A.A. Milne

The play “The Boy Comes Home” by A.A. Milne is a light comedy. It throws light on the generation gap. The old generation thinks that the young generation is immature just like a schoolboy. It should obey the old generation. In fact, the young generation is mature and it can take the right decision. Philip is a young man of 23. He lives with Uncle James who is his patron. He has returned after four years of war. On the very first morning, he comes for breakfast at ten. Uncle James keeps a strict discipline in the house. According to his orders, breakfast is served at eight. Philip has row with Mrs. Higgins because of this. She threatens to leave the job if she is asked to prepare breakfast at ten. Philip handles her very cleverly. Uncle James comes to see Philip. He wants to ask him to join his jam business; however, just before Philip’s entry into the room, he goes to sleep. In his dream, he meets with Philip. He orders him to join jam business. However, Philip wants to learn some

The Proposal - Anton Chekhov

'The Proposal' by Anton Chekhov is a humourous one act play. It has three characters. Natalia, Lomov and Chubukov. Lomov is 35 years old unmarried landlord. Chubukov if his neighbour who have twenty five years old daughter, Natalia. Lomov wants to marry her and so go to her house with marriage proposal. Chubukov warmly welcomes him. He tells why he is there. He says that he has come for marriage proposal to Natalia. Chubukov is very happy to hear that and kisses him. He goes to call his daughter. Lomov starts to think about him and Natalia. He thinks that if he will not marry now then he will never get married. He has weak heart and suffers from palpitation. And Natalia is a good housekeeper, not bad looking and well educated. Natalia comes and they begin to talk. Chubukov had not told Natalia that Lomov has come for marriage proposal. Lomov was very nervous and he can not speak about his intention. Instead he speaks of the old relations of the Lomovs and the Chubukovs. He

Daybreak - H.W. Longfellow

Daybreak is very beautiful poem by H.W. Longfellow. The poem describes the daybreak and the description of poem is really beautiful. He used wind to interact with other things. He starts with, A wind came up out of the sea, And said, "O mists, make room for me." The wind of the new morning arrives from the sea and as it go further it pass message that new day is coming. First the wind orders mist to make way for it. Then wind reaches to the place where ships were docked. The wind tells sailors with enthusiasm that ye sailors, sail on, the night is gone. Then the wind moves toward land crying,, "awake, it is the day". To forest it says that hang your leaves out, to wood bird it says that wake up and sing. To rooster the wind says that the day is near, blow your clarion. The wind passes above the corn fields and orders to bow down. The wind reaches to bell tower and asks to ring and announce the day. Till this the poet beautifully describes cheerful morning

How sleep the brave - William Collins

'How sleeps the brave' by William Collins is a war poem. It tells about sacrifice of English soldiers and further describes how nature and fairies honour them. In the first stanza, Collins comments on the way in which nature honours brave soldiers by illustrating how Spring returns "to deck their hallow'd mould" and"dress a sweeter sod" upon their plots. In the second stanza, William Collins portrays how angelic beings praise the dead soldiers by ringing bells and singing dirges. The poem also comments on the significance of the soldier's mission to make their country free. Overall, the poem honours and praises the dead soldiers who sacrificed their lives for their country. Humans, nature, and angelic beings praise and respect those soldiers who have selflessly died for their country.