English Literature Notes

                              DAYBREAK                        H.W Longfellow 1) How is the wind personified in H.W.Longfellow's 'Daybreak'? Or How does the wind inspire different objects to welcome the daybreak? Or Discuss about the different activities of the wind in the poem Daybreak. In the poem Daybreak, H.W Longfellow has attributed personality to the wind. He presents the wind as a living entity here. It is the messenger of the morning and the guide of responsibility and accountability. Here the wind rises from the sea and tells the fog to make room for it. The wind calls on the forest to open its dormant leaves. It touches the wings of the birds of the forest and inspires them to sing. It whispers to the field and requests to accept the new one.  So we can conclude that  everything in nature seems to be greeted by the wind on its way to ...

                      STRONG ROOTS                                       Dr. APJ. ABDUL KALAM 1. "I would say mine was a very secure childhood"- Why does Kalam consider his childhood to be materially and emotionally secure? In his autobiographical excerpt, ' Strong Roots' Abdul Kalam illustrates his birth and genealogy. Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam was the fifth of seven children of Jainulabdeen and Ashiamma. Although his parents were tall and handsome, Kalam was a very ordinary looking boy. His mother's ancestor was awarded the title of 'Bahadur' by the British.They lived in a pucca house on Mosque Street in Rameshwaram. His father kept himself away from comforts.Yet he did not compromise with his children on food, clothing and medicine. Kalam's mother was very careful about his diet and served rice, sambar, pickles, chutney etc.  Thus, we ...

SHALL I COMPARE THEE TO A SUMMER'S DAY        William Shakespeare  1. How does Shakespeare immortalize his friend's beauty? Or ".. and this gives life to thee.".... Discuss.  Shakespeare's sonnet begins with a question which is--"Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?"  The poet feels that it is useless to compare his friend's beauty to a summer's day. His friend's beauty is even more fascinating and enduring. The flower buds that bloom in May are moved by strong winds.  " Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May" Sometimes the sunrays of summer fades. The beauty of every beautiful thing is gradually destroyed by the laws of nature. So the poet says--- " And every fair from fair sometime declines',   By chance, or nature's changing course untrimmed. " But the beauty of the poet's friend is eternal here. The poet firmly believes that these eternal lines of his sonnet immortalise the beauty of his frien...

JIMMY VALENTINE   O. HENRY  1. Discuss the appropriateness of the title of the story 'Jimmy Valentine'.  'Jimmy Valentine' story revolves around Jimmy Valentine's transformation from a criminal to an honest man. The story begins after Jimmy was released from prison. Although Jimmy  is the protagonist of the story, his slow-moving nature, sense of humor etc gives him a special recognition. His character changes dramatically after meeting Miss Adams, and she is responsible for a new entity within himself. He transforms from a safe cracker into a completely different person and lives a straight path. But Jimmy again wakes up in the place of Ralph D Spencer trying to save the youngest member of the Adams family. To save Agatha and not to disappoint his beloved he becomes a hero. Ben Price is forced to forgive Jimmy for this great work.  Since the story is character centred  and Jimmy is the main character of the story, the title is appropriate. 2. "Mr Ralph Spe...

                       THE EYES HAVE IT                       Ruskin Bond(May19,1934) 1. "Yes, October is the best time."- From where is the above line taken? Who is the speaker? What is the best time? Why is October the best time? Or Briefly describe the scene of Mussoorie in October. The above line is taken from Ruskin Bond's short story " The Eye Have It". Here the speaker is the blind narrator. October is the best time. In October, Mussoorie is covered with gentle beauty. Wild dahlias are found in the hills. The roads remain quiet as all the tourists leave the hills. The sunshine is pleasant. At night one can sit in front of a logfire and enjoy a little brandy. This description of the hills made both of them nostalgic. 2. "Then I made a mistake"- who is the speaker ? What mistake did the speaker make? Was there really any mistake? What removed the speaker's doubt? Here ...

Did you know : Charles Brown gave an account about the origin of the poem- "In the spring of 1819 a nightingale had built her nest near my house. Keats felt a tranquil and continued joy in her song, and one morning he took his chair from the breakfast table to the grass plot under a plum-tree, where he sat for two or three hours. When he came into the house, I perceived that he had some scraps of paper in his hands and these he was quietly trusting behind the books" This poem was published in July,1819 in a quarterly Annals of the Fine Arts.    1.GIVE CRITICAL APPRECIATION OF THE POEM 'ODE TO A NIGHTINGALE'  :  'The Ode to a Nightingale' is a remarkable achievement of Keats's genius. The massive beauty of the poem lies in its rich and concentrated diction and skill of presentation.  It reveals all the dominant features of Keats's poetry. Each phrase, used in the ode, is filled with tense, emotion, rich suggestion and sensuousness. The Ode to a Nightin...

  Did you know:  ODE TO AUTUMN   is Keats's the last of his evergreen lyrics. This ode is written in 1819, was inspired by a quiet walk through the stubble-fields around Winchester.  1 . CONSIDER ON KEATS'S TREATMENT OF THEMES OF BEAUTY AND MUTABILITY IN THE POEMS PRESCRIBED FOR YOU.  Keats's poetry is a remarkable example of Beauty and Mutability. Keats begans his poetic life as a worshiper of beauty and sensuousness. Word, colour and beauty is a significant sign to his poetry. ODE TO A NIGHTINGALE illustrates Keats's treatment of Beauty and Mutability.The bird nightingale has shown it's beauty. Beauty, like all other things, is immortal.                   "Thou wast not born for death , immortal Bird!                     No hungry generations tread thee down " Keats have also shown the evergreen ability of humans to respond to beauty. The beauty as represented b...