‘Compare and contrast Keats and Shelley’s presentation of life and death in their poetry’ Through their poetry, both John Keats and Percy Shelley present the themes of life and death, reflecting their personal philosophies and state of mind during the social and political context of the Romantic era. In particular, Keats’ ‘To Autumn’ and... Continue Reading →
A Streetcar Named Desire: Music
‘New Orleans is a city with a rich musical heritage, but the music in A Streetcar Named Desire is much more than a naturalistic device.’ In the light of this statement, explore Williams’ use of music in the play. Williams’ interweaves his significant use of music in ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ in order to heighten... Continue Reading →
Unseen Poetry: Brothers
Class annotations of 'Brothers' by Andrew Forster as part of our unseen poetry preparation
Othello: Corruption and Prejudice
Shakespeare’s presents the world in which Othello is set as ‘a world riddled with corruption and prejudice’ however, The society of 17th century Venice depicted a hierarchy that favored the white males, such as Cassio, in the play resulting in the suppression of Othello and the female characters in the play such as Desdemona and... Continue Reading →
Streetcar Named Desire: The Secrets of Blanche and Stanley
In ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ Tennessee Williams uses the characters of Stanley and Blanche as polar opposites who present the two sides of America: ‘the Old South vs the new America’. The character of Stanley is used as a tool to expose all of Blanche’s secrets and delusions as his blunt and primal nature does... Continue Reading →
How does Adichie present Papa’s relationships in Purple Hibiscus
Eugene Achike is presented as both a despotic tyrant and a vulnerable man desperately seeking the approval that he believes lies in the Catholic religion of “absolutist purity”[1], and leads him to perpetuate the same patriarchal abusive relationships on his own family as a result. Eugene is “her [Kambili’s] personal household god” and is... Continue Reading →
How are themes of colonialism, freedom and tyranny presented in the opening chapters of ‘Purple Hibiscus’?
Chimamanda Adichie attempts to “delve into the violence, corruption, and hopelessness of Nigeria…under Generals Ibrahim Babangida and Sani Abacha”[1] through the mirroring of Kambili’s father as well as the burgeoning development of Kambili herself. Which is, indirectly, in conflict with this restrictive regime both externally as a representation of Nigeria’s post-colonial civil wars and internally,... Continue Reading →
Critical Responses to Purple Hibiscus
"The author's straightforward prose captures the tragic riddle of a man who has made an unquestionably positive contribution to the lives of strangers while abandoning the needs of those who are closest to him." The New York Times Book Review "At once the portrait of a country and a family, of terrible choices and... Continue Reading →
Retrieval Challenge: Literature Revision
A 'Retrieval Challenge Grid' for the revision of our upcoming A-level Literature Mock Exam. Topics covered include 'A Streetcar Named Desire', 'Othello' and 'Poems of the Decade'
