The treatment of history and
civilization/ myth and philosophy is one of the most important aspects of Yeats’ poetry. In his poetry, he
successfully handles history and civilization/ myth and philosophy. His early
poems profusely deal with Irish
mythology. His early poems are full of symbolic meanings. As for history, he
referred to the rise and fall of civilizations. He believed that the nature of
civilization changes after almost every two thousands years.
Use of myth and imagery in The Waste Land
T.S Eliot was the most famous poet of
the modern age. His ‘The Waste Land’ is a very important land-mark in the 20th
century literature. Here, he has used mythical
method and imagery to show the relation of the present with the past. The
essence of mythical method lies in establishing a parallel between the ancient world and the modern world. This
parallel helps the poet to express his meaning and comment indirectly.
Thoreau treat the relation between government and individual in his essay
In the Essay “Civil
Disobedience” Thoreau appears as a social rebel and a critic of American
government and society of his time. ‘Civil Disobedience’ established his
reputation in the wider political world. Thoreau’s
political theories were not well known during his own time. They were usually
presented as lectures to small audiences or as articles. In 1849, Civil Disobedience was published under the title “Resistance to Civil Government”. It is
one of the most influential political tracts ever written by an American.
Seneca’s portrayal of the theme of revenge and horror in Phaedra
Seneca was a
Roman philosopher, dramatist and
statesman. His tragedies based on Greek models, provided one of the foremost
influences on the Elizabethan
revenge tragedy. Written in an atmosphere of gloom, Seneca’s plays strongly
emphasized blood revenge for murder or flagrant injury, or less serious revenge
out of jealousy. His plays were filled with horrifying events such a
cannibalism, incest, rape, and violent death. His rhetoric and bombast, and his
stoicism, were important contributions to the Elizabethan form.
Homer’s treatment of Olympian gods and goddess in The Iliad
In the period of Homer, gods and goddess were the main elements of all
kinds of literature. In the Iliad, Homer
builds a temple of gods and goddess who remain in the background of the story. In
this epic, Homer has anthropomorphized these gods and goddess with all human
emotions anger, jealousy love etc. The only difference is that gods and
goddesses are immortals while humans are mortals. In the Iliad,
The Rape of the Lock as a mock-heroic poem
Alexander
Pope’s
masterpiece “The Rape of the Lock” is one of the greatest mock-heroic poems in English literature. He has drawn the real picture of his
contemporary society. In the mock-epic,
Pope reveals himself as the spokesman
of his age. He has written the poem in epic style. The incident of the poem is
of trivial nature but the treatment is heroic. In fact, a mock heroic poem is not satire on heroic poetry. The
purpose of a mock heroic poem is satirical.
The use of Symbol in the poems of W.B. Yeats
After the First World War, the “Symbolist
Movement” began in France.
This movement influenced the English poets profusely. Yeats is one of them. He
has been called the ‘chief
representative’ of the “Symbolist Movement” in English literature. In his
poems, he uses a lot of symbols for various purposes in various contexts.
Spiritual regeneration of Robinson Course
In Daniel Defoe’s novel ‘Robinson
Crusoe’ the author tells the tale of spiritual development of an
adventure-loving man. The moral and religious dimension of the tale is
indicated in the Preface of the book. Robinson
Crusoe’s spiritual and religious change is one of the major themes of the
novel. Thus an analysis of Robinson Crusoe life would like to clarify the theme
of sin, punishment and repentance.
Sophocles use of dramatic irony in Oedipus Rex
King Oedipus by Sophocles is one of the great classical tragedies. In
this play the playwright deals
with the fundamental issues of human life on earth. Sophocles has certain philosophy and outlook about life to explain
to the audience. To draw the attention of the audience to the issues of life, the
playwright has very brilliantly used the literary device of dramatic irony. In this play dramatic irony is a means by which the
playwright could successfully retain the interest of the audience up to the end
of the play.
Picture of 18th century social life in Addison’s The Coverly Papers
Joseph Addison is regarded as one of the masters of English prose. And his “The
Coverly Papers” is considered as a precursor of the English novel. In the
history of English prose, Addison’s place is
assured and high. Addison’s narration is
characterized by neatness and sobriety combined with wit and humour. He is in
perfect harmony with his age in his rational attitude and his moral outlook. He
takes upon himself the task of mending the morals in an age which is vicious.
He steers a middle course between the bigots and butterflies of the age.
Comment on the fusion of the past and present/ moral decay of modern world in The Waste Land
T.S. Eliot was the most famous poet of the modern age. His “The Waste Land” is a
very important land-mark in the 20th
century literature. Here in this poem, the poet has shown the fusion of present and the past. T.S. Eliot here also says about the
moral decay of modern world. “The Waste Land”
is full of different things and it places side by side and rearranges the most
radically different materials, collected from widely different places, times
and cultures.
Paradise Lost as an epic
Milton’s Paradise Lost may properly be classed among the greatest epic poems and its theme is
neither mythical nor historical. It is not a national epic like the Iliad or
the Aeneid, but it is an epic of the whole human species of our entire planet
or astronomical universe. The theme of Paradise
Lost is Biblical and religious and it follows Greek model of epic poetry.
The central event of this epic poem is the fall of man, which is derived from
the Old Testament.
Comment on Oedipus complex reflected in "Sons and Lovers"
David Herbert Lawrence is a great novelist of human psychology. His novel “Sons and Lovers”
is based on modern psychology. He has a wide knowledge of human character. He
has drawn many distinguishing characters in his novel. The relationship between
Paul and his mother is a case of ‘Oedipus
complex’.
The role and function of Chorus in King Oedipus
The chorus was an essential
feature of the ancient Greek tragedy. Aristotle
says in his poetics- “The chorus too should be regarded
as one of actors; it should be an integral part of the whole and take a share
in the action that which it has in Sophocles rather than Euripides.” The chorus was a group
personality consisting of twelve or fifteen elder citizens. They used to dance
round the alter of Dinonysus, the god of plants, fertility, wine, music and
poetry.
Herbert’s use of imagery in his poems
George Herbert is one of the most important metaphysical
poets, was known for his saintly
life and intense devotion to god his poems, not really intended for
publication, reflect his sincere religious feeling. He was influenced by John Donne and the new metaphysical
ideas such as metaphysical conceit. However
George Herbert was not forced by John Donne’s style and developed his own.
Herbert’s poems were also quite musical and included many different forms of
song and
Herbert as a religious poet
George Herbert is essentially a religious poet. He wrote a large number of religious, philosophical,
and reflective poems in the service of god. From his very beginning of poetic
career Herbert preferred to write devotional poems rather then to write love
poems. In his metaphysical writing he deals with soul, God, immortality,
life after death and so on. Metaphysical poetry is a blending of thought and
felling,
Emerson’s view about the duties of The American Scholar
“The American Scholar” is one of the famous essays of Ralph Waldo Emerson. He delivered this as a lecture to the Phi Beta Kappa at Harvard College,
on 31 August 1837. This lecture
mainly contains Emerson’s view of
the American Scholar that means what an ideal American Scholar should be like.
Milton’s description of Hell in Paradise Lost, Book-1
Of all the
narrative passages in Paradise Lost, Book-1, John Milton’s description of Hell stands out
unique by virtue of its graphics pictorial quality and its evocation of a sense
of gloomy terror. Milton
presents Hell as a place designed for the eternal punishment of the fallen
angels. Hell is a place for removed from the celestial seat of bliss. It is
situated in the nethermost depth of abyss, and it takes nine days and nights to
fall into this dreadful pit from heaven.
Critical appreciation of the poem “When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d”
“When Lilacs
Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d” is one of the most famous poems of Walt Whitman. It is one of four elegies entitled ‘Memories of President Lincoln’.
An elegy is a lyric poem setting forth the poet’s mediations upon death. It is
characterized by conventional language expressing with dignity and decorum a
formal grief. The classical form of the elegy is common to both Latin
and Greek literature.
The principal traits of the Character of Lady Una as portrayed in The Faerie Queene, Book-1
Spenser’s
heroines are paragons of beauty and virtue. Lady Una, the heroine of The Faerie Queene,
Book-1 is no exception in this regard. She has been portrayed as both an
individual and a type. She stands for beauty, truth,
goodness, wisdom and innocence, the qualities which Plato had taught his disciples to regard as identical. Lady Una is a combination of such
excellent qualities as truthfulness, constancy of purpose,
Character of Clytemnestra in Aeschylus’s Agamemnon
In Aeschylus’ tragedy “Agamemnon”, the character of Clytemnestra is portrayed as strong willed women. This
characteristic is not necessarily typical of women of her time. As a result,
the reader must take a deeper look into the understanding of Clytemnestra. In Agamemnon, she
dominates the action. Her most important characteristic is like the watchman
calls it, ‘male strength of heart’. She is a strong woman and
her strength is evident on many occasions in the play.
Pope’s attitude to the character of Belinda in "The Rape of the Lock"
The Rape of the Lock is the truest and loveliest satirical picture of
the days of Alexander Pope. It is a
poem ridiculing the fashionable world of his time. In this mock-heroic work Pope
satirized feminine frivolity. Belinda,
the principal female character of the poem is the representative of the women
belonging to
Edmund Burke’s Knowledge of America
In The Speech on Conciliation with America the mind and art of Burke
are seen at their highest. It is a varied and mighty piece of pleading in which
the wisdom of Burke as a practical and magnanimous politician has better been
reflected. Endowed with rare farsightedness, he could foretell what was going
to happen in America
and his power to study the situation enabled him to speak like a prophet.
Strangely enough, Burke delivered this speech on the 22nd march year
proving his prophecy accurate.
Bartleby the Scrivener is a tragedy
Bartleby the
Scrivener
is one of Melville’s most famous
stories. It is a tragic short which is told in mode of realism. Bartleby the Scrivener is the principal
character or protagonist of the story. In this story the writer has carefully
arranged the incidents to achieve the tragic effect, involving the emotional
and artistic aspects.
Aeschylus’s treatment of the theme of hereditary guilt in "Agamemnon"
Aeschylus’s Agamemnon is a tragedy that was first performed in Athens
in 458 BC, basically deals with one
of the dark stories of hereditary guilt. His tragedies certainly deal with
death, but life always asserts itself amidst the lurid dance of death. Life in
his time was lived at an intense level. His plays are a poignant expression of
that sense of intensity.
In the ten years between the fall of Troy and the rise of Athens the social and
political life of Greece
Compare the characters of Achilles and Hector in Homers’ Iliad
In The Iliad there are a great many warriors and heroes, but Achilles and Hector
figure prominently as the two greatest heroes. A man’s courage often counted more than if he was honest or faithful to
his wife. Achilles, King of the Myrmidons and Hector, prince of Troy struck me as the
most sharply contrasted characters. I found that Hector had more bravery than
Achilles. Still we are to compare
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