siobhain m cullen
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About
Hi all, I love Literature,particularly Nature Poetry,Prose and Shakespeare and look forward to sharing my passion for English with you. I enjoy too many to mention here, but special mention must be given to Seamus Heaney, Gerard Manley Hopkins,D H Lawrence, Shakespeare,John McGahern, Emily Bronte and Ted Hughes.
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Recent Activity
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Answered a Question in Gulliver's Travels
In Gulliver's Travels, by Jonathon Swift, we hear about the adventures of Lemuel Gulliver. Lemuel is an average middle-class man who is very curious and very good at languages. He is also very... -
Answered a Question in Mirror
There are at least two ways of looking at the poem 'Mirror' by Sylvia Plath, as there is a possibility that vanity is not the only interpretation. It is true that many readers will think that a... -
Answered a Question in History
History is important because it is only in learning about and understanding the past that we can make sense of the present and plan for a successful, peaceful and prosperous future which avoids the... -
Answered a Question in Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
In the poem "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening," the speaker shares a precious moment with us. On the way to keep some promises, he stops his ride briefly to take in the beauty of the frozen... -
Answered a Question in History
In the poem Barbara Frietchie, a brave elderly lady defies the odds to challenge a victorious army who have the nerve to ride triumphantly through her village. Just before we, as readers, join the... -
Answered a Question in Gulliver's Travels
Gulliver is exhausted when he finally reaches an island after his shipwreck and only wants to nestle down in the soft grass and sleep his tiredness away. He 'slept sounder than ever I remembered to... -
Answered a Question in Of Mice and Men
In the novel Of Mice And Men by John Steinbeck, the two main characters (George and Lennie) set out to meet their appointment at a new ranch they want to work on, but they are late. They were... -
Answered a Question in The Eagle
The poem "The Eagle" by Alfred Lord Tennyson is often admired as much as the majestic bird itself. From the very beginning in the first line "He clasps the crag with crooked hands" readers see... -
Answered a Question in The Thorn Birds
Readers who have read all three novels will all have differing views on the messages within them. In answering the question "Who is Meggie Cleary in The Thorn Birds most like in The Kite... -
Answered a Question in Literature
There are many scenes in the novel Clay by Melissa Harrison which say something to us about our perceptions of landscape in modern society. For example the image of a child creeping through the... -
Answered a Question in Oliver Twist
In the novel Oliver Twist Dickens paints the Jewish character Fagin in a very negative light. He is portrayed as villainous, sinister, unkempt, and elderly. Later Dickens adds to the dreadful... -
Answered a Question in The Devil's Arithmetic
In The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen we meet a character called Rose when she greets Hannah and her family as they arrive at her grandparents' house in the Bronx. Aunt Rose welcomes them at the... -
Answered a Question in James Stephens
In the poem "The Snare" by James Stephens, the poet tells of the moment he hears an animal screaming and he guesses it is due to the creature having being caught in a snare or trap. Already, for... -
Answered a Question in Good Country People
In Good Country People there are several characters who suffer from spiritual or physical weaknesses and they seem to have intellectual or spiritual challenges, too. Hulga is the prototypical... -
Answered a Question in Hamlet
In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare Hamlet tells Horatio "there's a divinity that shapes our ends/ Rough hew them how he will" in Act Five Scene Two. Hamlet is anxious to tell Horatio... -
Answered a Question in Frances Ellen Watkins Harper
The long poem Moses: The Story Of The Nile by Frances Ellen Watkins Harper has great significance for Christian African American readers. It was published fourteen years after her first poetry... -
Answered a Question in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
The movie The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie was based on Muriel Spark's novel of the same name. Award winning actress Maggie Smith played the title role and won an Academy Award for her... -
Answered a Question in The Perks of Being a Wallflower
One possible thesis statement for The Perks Of Being A Wallflower could compare and contrast certain elements of the novel or style of writing with another similar novel. For example you could... -
Answered a Question in Romeo and Juliet
In the play Romeo and Juliet Shakespeare introduces the conflict between Juliet and her father fairly gradually. Her father is shown as loving and protective at first, seeming to be looking... -
Answered a Question in The Silver Sword
In The Silver Sword Joseph's daughter is portrayed as having great emotional and moral resilience. Her caring yet firm actions show that she is dependable and can win the trust of others, thus... -
Answered a Question in Guy de Maupassant
A great thesis statement for the short story "An Uncomfortable Bed" by Guy de Maupassant would likely include an examination of the role of laughter or humor in literature. The story concerns a... -
Answered a Question in Sophie's World
At the end of Sophie's World we see the theme of existence again, a theme concerned with the meaning of life and of understanding mankind's place in the universe. This is a theme that is returned... -
Answered a Question in An Enemy of the People
An Enemy Of The People has an intriguing title so this work has been the subject of much debate and analysis. To find the answer we must first look at the context and plot of this piece which... -
Answered a Question in The Catcher in the Rye
In the novel ‘Catcher In The Rye’ by J.D. Salinger readers are presented with a boy who is confused and isolated in the challenging path to adulthood which we all face. Most of us have... -
Answered a Question in The Maze Runner
In ‘The Maze Runner,’ the character Thomas is presented as curious but fairly uncomplicated, quiet but doing his own thing and going his own way quite subtly but innocently. He has his own sense of... -
Answered a Question in Paradise Lost
Perhaps the most powerful literary device employed by John Milton in the first book of Paradise Lost is that of symbolism. For example, the image of any being falling from the great height of ‘the... -
Answered a Question in Paradise Lost
In lines 120 - 160 of the first book of Paradise Lost by John Milton, we see several themes. A major one is that of despair versus hope. (Some Christians believed that despair was an unforgivable... -
Answered a Question in The Canterbury Tales
The event or circumstance that causes the travellers to gather in The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer is the concept of 'pilgrimage.' In Chaucer's day, an annual holiday was not a tradition... -
Answered a Question in A Sound of Thunder
In the short story 'A Sound of Thunder' by Ray Bradbury we follow the story of a man named 'Eckels.' He is in a position to travel back many millennia in time to visit the prehistoric world via a... -
Answered a Question in Lord of the Flies
Interestingly, the title of the short novel 'Lord Of The Flies' was not the author's first choice. William Goldsmith originally had a much less 'attention-grabbing' title for his book, and during... -
Answered a Question in The Birds
A list of the twenty most important quotes from 'The Birds' novella by Daphne Du Maurier would be a very long list - perhaps it is best to divide them neatly into themes and request individual... -
Answered a Question in The Birds
The paranoia and terror caused by the birds’ attack on the humans in this story echoes the fear of spying, infiltration and potential war that underpinned the American political mood at the... -
Answered a Question in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Sir Gawain cannot become a true knight through bravery alone - there is more to it than sheer brute force and ignoring danger. To be a knight, a young man must also be, or become, a gentleman first... -
Answered a Question in The Hairy Ape
In 'The Hairy Ape' the audience is brought face to face with some of the worst fears of prosperous, genteel society. There are the obvious fears such as those of poverty, loss of wealth, loss of... -
Answered a Question in Animal Farm
Benjamin is the name of the donkey in Animal Farm. Due perhaps to his age (and therefore perceived wisdom) he seems to command more respect than the other characters. He does seem to be... -
Answered a Question in Literature
The poem 'Blue' by Chris Abani is best read and interpreted through the context of the writer's life. It is worth reading a little about his background before attempting to analyse the poem, so... -
Answered a Question in The Odyssey
Odysseus has escaped from captivity at the beginning of the story he tells us, although he was a happy enough prisoner at first because he was a romantic captive of love on an island. He had been... -
Answered a Question in Indian Camp
'Indian Camp' by Ernest Hemingway is thought of as a story of initiation because it contains elements of 'growing up,' entering manhood as a 'rite of passage' or being introduced to something for... -
Answered a Question in The Silken Tent
The literary meaning of the poem 'The Silken Tent' by Robert Frost lies not in the idea of 'connectedness' but in that of control. The poem was written when the world was concerned by the Nazi... -
Answered a Question in Seamus Heaney
In Seamus Heaney's poem 'Wedding Day' it may be the readers' romantic expectations of the marriage theme that are subverted but not those of the bridegroom, bride or family. The poet may be trying... -
Answered a Question in William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare is thought to be the best most talented playwright ever, though parts his life remain are still very mysterious. His life spanned the reign of Elizabeth I and that of James I... -
Answered a Question in The Lady, or the Tiger?
In his description of the king, the narrator seems to feel that the monarch is pretty ruthless. The story of 'The Lady or the Tiger' shows a king's black and white attitude to life, problems and... -
Answered a Question in History
When the Roman Empire fell, it did not fall as a whole simultaneously - Byzantium carried the torch while order changed and empires regrouped. The empire of Rome in the west had fallen to the... -
Answered a Question in Othello
This speech in the play 'Othello' by William Shakespeare is signifacnt because it is very revealing and tells us something of Iago's real self - not the one he puts on show to the world and to his... -
Answered a Question in The Byzantine Empire
Justinian is said to have influenced history by restoring the Roman empire to its former glory. He was the nephew of Justin the First and followed his education at Constantinople. In 521 he was... -
Answered a Question in Poetry
I am familiar with the poems of Erich Fried and the poem with the closest title to the one you have suggested is 'Conversation With A Survivor' notable for its sharp critique of man's tendency to... -
Answered a Question in The Eagle
The poem 'The Eagle' by the poet Alfred Lord Tennyson is written from the point of view of an observer as we can see by the lines 'He clasps the crag with crooked hands; Close to the sun in lonely... -
Answered a Question in Othello
In the play 'Othello' by William Shakespeare, we see the main character presented in both positive and negative terms. The positive depiction of Othello is both verbal and behavioral. We hear... -
Answered a Question in After Twenty Years
The short story 'After Twenty Years' by O. Henry shows us very troubling themes and proves that the author is a classic writer because those troubling themes still disturb us today - they are... -
Answered a Question in Virginia Woolf
Many female writers and would-be writers are familiar with the opinion that according to Virginia Woolf "women could become writers before they could take part in other arts and professions." This...
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