How successful is Philip Larkin in depicting the transition between winter and summer? Change of seasons, an uncommon theme in modern poetry, is explored beautifully in , a poem by Philip Larkin. In its totality, it provides us with a real life experience of transition between two seasons. The title itself refers to transition and … Continue reading Coming by Philip Larkin
Scientists mostly ask questions about the world outside themselves. It is very rare that they question themselves or try to learn about themselves. There is no subjectivity here. But artists, on the other hand, keep questioning themselves and ask questions to themselves. They are introspective and want to know more about themselves. Poetry, for example, … Continue reading Afternoon with Irish Cows
The Lady Of Shalott by Alfred, Lord Tennyson is a beautiful poem in which the poet catches the true spirit of Romanticism. The poem has plenty of exquisite images and presents different tones and moods. The poem begins with a beautiful description of the island of Shalott . Water lilies grow around the island and … Continue reading The Lady of Shalott
In The Tintern Abbey by William Wordsworth we see a romantic poet at his best. The poet goes beyond the common romantic themes of ‘far away and long ago’ and looks deeper into himself by reflecting on his own relationship with nature and that of his sister’s. He argues that the pleasure derived from being in … Continue reading The Tintern Abbey
It is a calm and quiet night and the poet is in his cottage. His infant son is sleeping silently in his cradle. It is winter and the frost seems to be performing a secret duty without the help of the wind. The only sound is an owl hooting repeatedly. The inmates of the cottage … Continue reading Frost at Midnight by S T Coleridge
Notes by Sreekumar K Kofi Awoonor’s poem The Sea Eats the Land at Home, using a string of concrete visual images, depicts the tragic picture of a people losing themselves and their belongings. It is possible that the poem has an allegorical slant too, since the poet does not say home on land but land … Continue reading The Sea Eats the Land at Home
The Dolphins by Carol Ann Duffy is a dramatic monologue uttered by a dolphin in an aquarium. We hear only the words of the dolphin. In very simple terms, the dolphin expresses its painful confinement which in turn symbolizes human condition and suffering. The poem pivots around the concept of freedom. Having made a general … Continue reading The Dolphins by Carol Ann Duffy
Explain The Darkling Thrush as an attempt by the poet to search for meaning. Thomas Hardy turned to writing poetry being accused of writing depressing and tragic novels. However, he continued in his sad strain even in his poetry, though at times he tried to mitigate his pessimism by referring to remote hopes. The Darkling … Continue reading The Darkling Thrush by Thomas Hardy
Though everything can be learned, nothing can be taught and this is truer in trying to teach a language than in anything else. For decades I have been trying to teach phrasal verbs. Phrasal verbs are phrases of usually two words, the first being a verb and the second a preposition. This is a hot … Continue reading PHRASAL VERBS
Stabat Mater by Sam Hunt is obtrusive by design since it is supposed to convey different levels of meaning and interpretation to the reader. To avoid making it sound simple the poet has used a peculiar structure, title and expressions. Autobiographical in meaning, it has a universal appeal beyond its subjectivity. Using a title which … Continue reading Stabat Mater by Sam Hunt
