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Choose a poem or a song. What is it about? What does it have to say? What’s the attitude of the speaker? Which lines contribute to your sense of the work’s meaning, your interpretation?

Langston Hughes’s poem “Dream Deferred” is very brief, called “jazz poetry” which seems to have a rhythm as well as improvisation. Hughes’ was not a very celebratory life as he was in a time when discrimination, although clothing, was strong. He was discriminated against by his own father who had...

Choose a poem or a song. What is it about? What does it have to say? What’s the attitude of the speaker? Which lines contribute to your sense of the work’s meaning, your interpretation?

This song will not be considered a classic without reasons. It is a song about achieving one’s dreams through hard work and personal perseverance. It is one of my favorite songs because it is inspirational. It provides the listener the courage as well as the conviction to go on despite...

Choose a poem. What is it about? What does it have to say? What’s the attitude of the speaker? Which lines, relevant figures of speech, patterns of imagery, stanza structure, rhyme schemes, symbolizism, metaphore, assonance, allegory, connotation, denotation, irony, diction or sound effects contribute to your sense of the work’s meaning, your interpretation?

“Ode to the West Wind” has been written by Percy Bysshe Shelley and is a lyric poem. This ode has been written using a dignified and lofty language addressing the West Winds and recognizing them as a dominant force. This ode comprises 5 cantos and has a verse form of...

Choose a poem. What is it about? What does it have to say? What’s the attitude of the speaker? Which lines, relevant figures of speech, patterns of imagery, stanza structure, rhyme schemes, symbolizism, metaphore, assonance, allegory, connotation, denotation, irony, diction or sound effects contribute to your sense of the work’s meaning, your interpretation?

“Ode on a Grecian Urn” by John Keats is a lyrical poem and a romantic ode where the poet talks to us about the present and absent things of life. Here, he addresses an urn and the various images drawn on it in a highly emotional manner. The ode comprises...

Choose a poem. What is it about? What does it have to say? What’s the attitude of the speaker? Which lines, relevant figures of speech, patterns of imagery, stanza structure, rhyme schemes, symbolizism, metaphore, assonance, allegory, connotation, denotation, irony, diction or sound effects contribute to your sense of the work’s meaning, your interpretation?

“The Blessed Damozel” has been written by Dante Gabriel Rossetti and is of 144 lines. The poem is a dramatic lyric structured into 24 6-line stanzas. The central theme of the poem is undying love since, even though the “domozel” has died and has been separated from her lover, the...

Choose a poem. What is it about? What does it have to say? What’s the attitude of the speaker? Which lines, relevant figures of speech, patterns of imagery, stanza structure, rhyme schemes, symbolizism, metaphore, assonance, allegory, connotation, denotation, irony, diction or sound effects contribute to your sense of the work’s meaning, your interpretation?

“The Solitary Reaper” by William Wordsworth is essentially a ballad and uses the poem to tell us how amazed and inspired he was when he heard the singing of Highland lass as she was reaping the grains of a field. Wordsworth uses the present tense and has written the poem...

Compose a one-paragraph essay explaining what you can infer about Mah and her past from what she says and does and from what the narrator says about her in the excerpt from Bone. Support your inferences with details from the text.

From the Excerpt given it is possible to draw a decently accurate presumption about Mah’s character and past. Mah is shown to be an experienced saleswoman, able to resist the haggling and bargaining that usually comes with the trade. This is proven by the part in the excerpt that shows...

List three images from Daybreak in Alabama that appeal to three different senses and note the sense to which each appeals. Then, offer an interpretation of what you think these images add up to in the poem.

The first two verses in the poem “Daybreak in Alabama.” Suggest an image that the person who decided to compose music was illiterate or of a more country background. This image is strengthened by the prose followed by the poem. Next, the person is shown to be very passionate about...

Since you read an actual letter from Melville to Hawthorne, you got a glimpse of their friendship. Write an essay explaining why you agree or disagree with the following statement: Melville feels a warm, affectionate bond with Hawthorne.

Hawthorne and Melville seem to share a close friendship. Melville seems to like writing to Hawthorne as many times as possible and seems to trust him as much as to be completely honest with him. This can be deducted from the fact that Melville has written his thoughts and feelings...

From George Orwell’s story “A Hanging,” consider the following events: the walk to the gallows, the interruption by the dog, the continued walk, the ascent, the chant, the execution. After having witnessed all of this, why do those involved laugh, tell stories, and have a drink? What is the purpose of including this final incident?

After witnessing the hanging of a prisoner, the jailers laughed and joked because they felt relieved that the process was over. Conversely, during the hanging process, they were anxious and wanted to end the execution as quickly as possible. By including this incident, Orwell demonstrated that capital punishment is not...

Discuss the importance of assessing emergent literacy skills.

Although pinpointing the exact moment at which a child starts developing understanding of words and word building is fairly difficult, it is crucial for an educator to evaluate the extent of students’ literacy skills and the pace at which they are acquired. The specified measure will help to spot the...

Identify and provide the significance of Literature of Exile and Viet Nguyen.

“Black-Eyed Women” is a short story by Viet Thanh Nguyen that tells a story of an encounter of a woman from Vietnam with the ghost of her older brother, who died a long time ago. The story is significant because it describes the hardships and difficulties experienced by people who...

How do you understand the hidden meaning of «Afterglow» by Eileen Myles?

Afterglow by Eileen Myles is a novel in the form of dog memoirs written after the death by the author’s pit bull Rosie. The relationships between the pet owner and Rosie compose the key theme of this literary piece. The use of poetry in the novel is intertwined in the...

Discuss the character of Laura Sheridan in Katherine Mansfield’s “The Garden-Party,” including the conflict between her natural impulses and her upbringing, as well as what she learns or how she changes as a result of her trip to the dead carter’s cottage.

The main heroine of Mansfield’s story, Laura Sheridan, is a girl intrigued by the idea of adulthood, as well as a character on a journey to understand the difference between social classes. Mansfield’s protagonist, being present in a work heavily influenced by Dickens, exists in a state between natural impulses...

Using specific quotes from some of the poems, characterize the tone (attitude) of Thomas Hardy’s poems and comment how this tone is reflective of modernism literary style?

Both the Boer and the First World War affected Thomas Hardy, just as it had influenced numerous others of his contemporaries, giving life to the modernism literature style that focused on reassessing previous truths. According to Marroni, Hardy’s work has a “prevailing sense of loss and displacement, often interwoven with...

To what extent does The Aeneid represent the triumph of calm duty over violent passion? Give two examples of passion brought under control, and two examples of either the triumph of passion or the excessive sacrifice associated with duty.

The triumph of calm duty is a leitmotif of Aeneid as it plays an important role in key characters of the piece. Aeneas was ready to surrender to passion and forget his duty, but Jupiter, through Mercury, recalls him, and the hero leaves his beloved, who rushes to the sword...

Comment on the two readings: Poe’s The Black Cat and The Purloined Letter.

The Black Cat The Black Cat is quite possibly the darkest and most cautionary short story from Edgar Allan Poe. The way he portrayed alcoholism to be a “fiend” that could allow a man to lose control of his sensibilities and commit the most horrifying of crime, from injuring then...

What is the “monstrous joy” Louise Mallard feels as she sits in her bedroom after hearing about her husband’s death? Why do you think Kate Chopin used the word “monstrous”? Consider when “The Story of an Hour” was published – 1894.

Marriages from that era, such as Mrs. Mallard’s, were unhappy. When the news of her husband’s death reaches her, the monstrous joy that she felt was of relief and freedom from a life that she was not happy living in.

Read Carter’s Prologue to her study of ballet in the London Music Hall during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Identify the main theoretical strands and critical strategies employed and relate these to the issues of knowledge, power, and identity evident in the summaries of Barker’s Chapter 6 ‘Enter Postmodernism’ of “Cultural Studies.”

In the Prologue to her book Dance and Dancers in the Victorian and Edwardian Music Hall Ballet, Alexandra Carter exercises the idea of the dance that has rushed through the epochs, leaving unique dancing styles and helping people to create the theory of dance, while the dancers put it to...

What is the plot and setting of the Rapunzel story?

The story is set in a forest. A couple that has longed for a baby lives in a house next to the Witch’s garden. Once, the husband trespasses on the enchantress’ garden to take some rampion for his wife (The Grimm Brothers, n.d.). The Witch tells him he can have...

Take two quotes from the article “Emergency” by D. Johnson and analyze them.

“A general greyness was giving birth to various shapes, it was true.” This quote resembles the surreal feelings the author felt under the influence of psychotropic pills. The metaphor “greyness was giving birth” implies the lively perception of the surroundings by applying anthropological features to them. The way of constructing...

The romantics enjoyed sublime experiences. The sublime is an experience that combines joy and fear like being on a roller-coaster. Meeting John Keats’ “La Belle Dame Sans Merci” is a sublime experience. Explain.

Sublime experience is always controversial: a person comes into contact with something equally beautiful and scary. The woman in “La Belle Dame Sans Merci” is so beautiful that it is intimidating. Besides, it is not clear where she comes from – after all, not a lot of women live alone...

In John Keats’ poem “La Belle Dame Sans Merci,” the knight is on the cold side of the hill, and the girl lives in an elfin’s grotto. Explain how the setting in this poem reflects the frame of mind of the main characters.

The setting of the poem showcases the juxtaposition of the two main characters. The cold hill and the bleak landscape around reflect the demeanor of the knight. He is pursuing his path alone with no one to accompany him. He may not even be knowing where he is going –...

“Anacleto Morones” story presents two sides of an argument between nuns and the narrator, Lucas Lucatero. They argue about what kind of a man Anacleto Morones was for them. You be the judge and jury in the debate and decide which view of Morones must be the correct one.

Despite the fact that, as it appears from Lucatero’s account of him, Anacleto Morones was nothing but a common crook, there can be only a few doubts that he can generally be described as a rather positive character. The reason for this is that, unlike what happened to be the...

The essay discussing Wounded Knee was written from the point of view of whom?

The essay focusing on Wounded Knew asserts that in the year 1887, the Dawes Act was passed into law to end tribalism among the Native Americans. After the passage of the act, Native Americans’ lands were subdivided into small parcels and distributed among Indian families. The reminders of the lands...

Why is the studying of Hispanic American literature important?

Exploring Hispanic American literature is a fascinating experience that is both exciting and essential. One might believe that the connection between the current Hispanic American community and Hispanic American literature relics is rather frail, yet it is quite far from the truth. On the contrary, the exploration of Hispanic American...

Explain the contrast that Hughes sets up in the poem “I, Too.”

Looking at the poem superficially, the first struggle seems to be between the lives of a white man and a black man, racial tension indeed being part of this poem’s theme. However, Hughes may have been attempting to set up the contrast between the difficult life of African Americans of...

According to the Chinese Literature Today article, Lu Xun’s “Diary of a Madman’ is considered the “first modern Chinese vernacular story,” and the short story has been celebrated as vital “in the turbulent and transformative period of the early twentieth century.” Using “Diary of a Mad Man” and “The Man of La Mancha” as examples, discuss why the short story is an especially important genre for modern Chinese literature.

“Diary of a Madman” is often considered the most influential short story of Chinese vernacular. It provided a passionate critique of the traditional way of life in an accessible form and through creative metaphors. The short story format is perhaps the best way of communicating such ideas because it allows...

What is the most famous monologue in Pride and Prejudice?

Mr. Darcy’s first marriage proposal to Elizabeth is the most famous monologue in Pride and Prejudice. Although she meets it with rejection, this confession of love plays a pivotal role in the novel’s plot. It also reveals Darcy’s romantic and prideful character. It is one of the factors that give...

What is the role of the rain scene in Pride & Prejudice (2005)?

The scene with the conversation between Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy in the rain communicates the main idea of the piece adapted in the film. Elizabeth Bennet refuses to accept Mr. Darcy’s proposal. She demonstrates that she, as a strong person, wants to engage in marriage only on the terms...

What Role Do Card Games Play in Pride and Prejudice?

The card games are generally the nobility’s pastime in Pride and Prejudice. They include loo, twenty-one, whist, and commerce, most of which are round games. They represent the divide between the upper class and the gentry, to which the main character belongs. More Information Pride and Prejudice is set in...

Who is the Hero of Pride & Prejudice?

Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy are two central characters in Pride and Prejudice. The main plotline is tied around them. They also participate in all the critical events of the story. Despite her flaws, they are loved by millions of people. More Information Jane Austen wrote Pride and Prejudice. It...

What is the main conflict in The Yellow Wallpaper?

Despite several debates in a short story called The Yellow Wallpaper, the central conflict is the opposition between society and a woman. This struggle of two concepts reflects modern problems as well. More Information Several conflicts are going on in The Yellow Wallpaper. However, the primary one concerns the struggle...

What is Pride & Prejudice: A Latter-Day Comedy About?

Pride & Prejudice: A Latter-Day Comedy is an American romantic comedy. It is based on Jane Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice. It shows the same characters and romantic lines but is set in a modern-day college town in Utah. More Information Pride & Prejudice: A Latter-Day Comedy is a 2003...

What Is First Impressions by Jane Austen about?

First Impressions is the first completed novel by a famous English writer. It appears to be an early version of Pride and Prejudice. A classic piece of English literature reveals the relations between Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy. More Information Before getting into the final shape, Pride and Prejudice had...

Which Class of English Society is Portrayed in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice?

The Bennets are the family of the main female character. They are landowners who accumulate money from their property. Belonging to the landed gentry class, they are below the nobility, though. The class gap is the milestone of the central conflict of Pride and Prejudice. More Information ‘Pride and Prejudice’...

How does Austen describe Derbyshire in Pride & Prejudice?

Elizabeth travels to Derbyshire with the Gardiners – her uncle and her aunt. Her first impression of the place is incredibly pleasant. Austen describes it in Chapter 43: “As they drove along, watched for the first appearance of Pemberley Woods with some perturbation; and when at length they turned in...

What does the quote “I Am so Modest I Can Admit My Own Fault” mean?

The quote “I am so modest I can admit my own fault” relates to the turning point in chapter 58 of Pride and Prejudice. Darcy gets humbled by Elizabeth’s rejection. He admits that his letter of the proposal was a mistake. He should have considered her feelings seriously. Instead, the...

Why is Pride and Prejudice a classic novel?

Pride and Prejudice tells a traditional love story. The writing raises acute social and personal issues. These are pride, vanity, and lame morality. Such a pattern is pretty inherent to such books. More Information The characters in the novel are alluring. It adds to the romantic novel’s being classic. One...

What Time Period is The Yellow Wallpaper Set in?

Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper is set in the time period of the late 1890s and early 1900s. The main reason is that the story is based on Gilman’s own life. It can be a semi-memoir as well. More Information The time period setting of The Yellow Wallpaper is...

What Is the Narrator’s Name in The Yellow Wallpaper?

There is no definite answer to the name of the narrator in The Yellow Wallpaper. She is not referred to directly by her name throughout the short story. Some readers speculate that her name might be Jane due to one phrase she says at the end. More Information In The...

Why Did John Faint in The Yellow Wallpaper?

The reason for John to faint at the end of the novel is his shock provoked by the wife’s mental state. He is a doctor and tries to treat his wife. The character prescribes the “rest therapy” to eliminate any distressing events from escalating the protagonist’s depression. This approach only...

What Does Creeping Mean in The Yellow Wallpaper?

The process of “creeping” in the short story by Charlotte Perkins Gilman symbolizes the struggle of the women. She wants to overcome discrimination and domestic captivity. The word is repetitive in the narration. It adds to the story’s creepy air that unfolds around the woman. She became a victim of...

Who Is the Woman in The Yellow Wallpaper?

The woman behind the wallpaper in Gilman’s short story represents the identity of the narrator. For the story, she falls into madness and seeks an escape. That’s why she identifies with the woman who she thinks is kept behind the yellow wallpaper. More Information The Yellow Wallpaper is a short...

What Are the Examples of Foreshadowing in The Yellow Wallpaper?

The novel is told through a diary of a woman who is driven into insanity by several factors. The first factor was the lack of human contact. The second factor was the inability to distract herself from bad emotions and the lack of support. The beginning of the story contains...

What Are the Best Examples of Figurative Language in The Yellow Wallpaper?

Gilman uses such figurative language as imagery, similes, and personification. She does it to portray a woman who is out of touch with reality. The author aims to link her readers with the character. More Information Imagery is sensory language. It is used to describe physical qualities of objects and...

What Happens at the End of The Yellow Wallpaper?

The ending of Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper is tragic and symbolic. A woman suffers from nervous depression. The narrator is locked in a room with good intentions but loses her mind in the end. She tears the wallpapers off in an attempt to free another imaginary woman. She believes the...

The Yellow Wallpaper: Author’s Intention

Charlotte Perkins wrote The Yellow Wallpaper in 1892. Women did not have the basic right to be responsible for their lives and well-being at the time. Men were the ones to decide what a woman should do or say. The author wrote her story to claim women to be independent...

Why did Lydia run off with Wickham?

Lydia fell in love with charming George Wickham right away. She decided to run off with him because she was immature and naïve. Lydia wasn’t at all aware of Wickham’s shady past. She did not see the true motives of his marriage proposal. More Information Lydia Bennet is the youngest...

When Does Darcy Propose to Elizabeth for the Second Time?

Darcy proposes to Elizabeth the second time in Chapter 58. It happens during their reflective walk. Since the first attempt, his feelings have remained the same. He hurries to reveal it to Elizabeth. The point is that her own feelings have changed towards him. Now she is ready to accept...

How does Jane Austen Describe Hertfordshire in Pride and Prejudice?

Hertfordshire is a cozy English county. This place is the primary setting of Pride and Prejudice. It includes Longbourn village, Netherfield Park, the town of Meryton, and the Bennet estate. Jane Austen describes Meryton as “a small market town.” Longbourn village is a place where Bennets have their estate. Setting...

How does Austen describe the double wedding in Pride and Prejudice?

The novel’s final scene is the double wedding of Bennett’s sisters. Elizabeth marries Mr. Darcy, and Jane marries Mr. Bingley. Austen shows the complexity of marriage as a social phenomenon. To her, marriage is a controversial thing. Her reflections upon affairs between two people come to the logical end. More...

Who Was the Owner of the Estate Called Hunsford?

Hunsford Estate is a fictional place in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. The clergymen William Collins and his wife, Charlotte, occupied it. The owner of the estate is Lady Catherine De Bourgh, Mr. Collins’ patroness. More information Hunsford Estate is an imaginary place from Jane Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice....

How and when did Elizabeth learn the truth about Wickham?

Darcy’s letter reveals the bitter truth about Wickham to Elizabeth. The girl couldn’t believe it at first. It was hard for her to admit that he deceived her. Elizabeth begins to recognize the liar’s depravity. More information The novel “Pride and Prejudice” tells a beautiful story. It shows how the...

What Is the Main Conflict of Pride and Prejudice?

The title of the novel reflects the conflict. It confronts two main scourges of the aristocratic society. It is Darcy’s cold noble pride versus Elizabeth’s feminine prejudice. The clash between them breaks out and causes mental suffering. More information Pride and Prejudice is a lifelike portrayal of the English society...

What Happened at the Netherfield ball?

Without any doubt, the Netherfield ball is one of the most critical scenes in Jane Austen’s famous novel Pride and Prejudice. The reason for it is that Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy danced together for the first time. Both of them were dissatisfied with the result. Still, it is the first...

What Time Period Is Pride and Prejudice Set in?

Jane Austen’s most famous novel, Pride and Prejudice, was set in the 19th century. This time is also called the Regency era in English history. Jane Austen created her works within this exact period. More precisely, the events of the book most likely take place between 1795 and 1810. Austen...

What Does the Yellow Paper Symbolize?

The yellow wallpaper is a collective symbol. It represents different aspects of the time the author wrote the story. It concerns the oppressive social standards of patriarchy and women’s inability to claim their voice. Yellow wallpaper shows their burning desire to obtain autonomy and respect. More Information It is essential...

What Is the Importance of the Nurse in The Yellow Wallpaper?

The Yellow Wallpaper is a short story by feminist writer Charlotte Perkins Gilman who describes a young woman’s dramatic experiences. Her husband John, a doctor, prescribed her treatment for postpartum depression – a stay in an empty, poorly furnished room with the yellow wallpaper, while the nurse Mary takes care...

The Yellow Wallpaper: Is John the Real Villain of the Story?

The Yellow Wallpaper is a story by feminist writer Charlotte Perkins Gilman first published in 1892. The story describes the dramatic life experiences and obsessions of a young woman. Her husband John is a physician. He prescribes treatment for her postpartum depression. A stay in an empty, poorly furnished room...