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 The Wife of Bath's Tale
In "The Wife of Bath's Tale" from The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer, we see in her Prologue a woman who is a lot shrewder and cleverer than she looks. The Wife Of Bath covers her... -
Answered a Question in As You Like It
In Shakespeare’s play ‘As You Like It’ the girls (Rosalind and Celia) enjoy the garden of the Duke's palace, but are disturbed by The Fool (named Touchstone) who is on an errand from Celia’s... -
Answered a Question in Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
In the beautiful poem 'Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening' by Robert Frost, the poet describes a late ride through the snow to an appointment.In the first stanza he sets the tranquil scene and... -
Answered a Question in The Pearl
In 'The Pearl' the song of evil appears in certain circumstances, for example, when the family is threatened or when malicious intent or dishonesty is sensed, and it accompanies the doing of bad... -
Answered a Question in I felt a Funeral, in my Brain
The theme of Emily Dickinson's 'I Felt A Funeral In My Brain' seems to be invasion, an incursion into what should be the most private sanctuary of all - our mind. She seems to deeply resent this... -
Answered a Question in Literary Terms
An archetype is a bit like a template as its the original pattern or model from which other things of the same kind are taken from... -
Answered a Question in Every Man in His Humour
The play 'Everyman in his Humoir' by Ben Jonson deals with man's everyday drives, motivations and compulsions - or 'humours.' It is one of Jonson's popular city comedies, in which he offers... -
Answered a Question in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
The play 'Cat On A Hot Tin Roof' by Tennessee Williams's is aclassic drama set in the 1950s plantations of America's Deep South.Suppression, hypocrisy, mendacity or greed and secret... -
Answered a Question in Under Milk Wood
Two of the female characters in the drama 'Under Milk Wood' by Dylan Thomas are portrayed as 'dreamers.' This is a common theme in any literature based in small town locations by authors from... -
Answered a Question in Elizabethan Drama
Elizabeth had already been on the throne for ten years when we see the first commercial public play house being built by records from 1567 and these venues were specially for the performance of... -
Answered a Question in The Monkey's Paw
In the story 'The Monkey's Paw' the author presents a tale of the macabre, and the horror of breaking a curse. In remarking 'his horror is real, but it is a sane kind of horror' the commenter is... -
Answered a Question in Carol Ann Duffy
Like many poets, Carol Ann Dufy poses many questions in poetry.In the poem 'War Photographer' the word 'question' or 'ethics' might be more suitable than message, because the questions she is... -
Answered a Question in Carol Ann Duffy
The photographer in the poem 'War Photographer' by Carol Ann Duffy is portrayed by the poet as quite and cool detached in his dealings with the pain-riddled images of suffering he/she has to handle... -
Answered a Question in Of Mice and Men
In the novel 'Of Mice and Men' John Steinbeck sets out the loneliness, despair and hopelessness of the ranch hands that have no future prospects of bettering themselves in America's Great... -
Answered a Question in Frankenstein
One of the themes presented so creepily in the novel 'Frankenstein' by Mary Shelley is power. However, absolute power turns out to be a very dangerous and uncontrollable thing, so there is a... -
Answered a Question in Tess of the d'Urbervilles
In the novel 'Tess of the Durbevilles' by Thomas Hardy, the novelist presents a young man, the reader at first believes, of sound morals and strong Christian beliefs. Yet, as so often (even in the... -
Answered a Question in The Picture of Dorian Gray
The role of Lord Henry is absolutely pivotal to the story in 'The Picture Of Dorian Gray' by Oscar Wilde. We can tell by the sheer overwhelming and mesmerising experience of a meeting that such an... -
Answered a Question in Design
In the poem 'Design' by Robert Frost the poet describes finding a dead moth which he presumes has been killed by the spider that is carrying it and he questions the circumstances around the event.... -
Answered a Question in Of Mice and Men
Poor George is conflicted on the idea of life without Lennie in the novel 'Of Mice And Men' by John Steinbeck. Sometimes he resents his dependent needy presence and other times he is grateful for... -
Answered a Question in Sonnet 30
Sonnet 30 by William Shakespeare has,at first sight, a generally melancholy air running through it. The sonnet speaks of loss and sorrow and has a mood of nostalgia for past things, people and... -
Answered a Question in King Lear
Shakesperean tragedies are timeless and popular classics because their themes are universal - they speak to us all about themes that afffect everyone right down through the ages because they deal... -
Answered a Question in Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
The poem 'Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening' by Robert Frost suggests many ideas and themes for example: possibilities that are out of reach, taboos, secrets, silence, darkness, ignorance and... -
Answered a Question in Lord Ullin's Daughter
In order to recognise and understand the features of the poem 'Lord Ullin's Daughter' by Thomas Campbell it is useful to look at the life and background of Thomas Campbell himself.Thomas Campbell... -
Answered a Question in Macbeth
This is one of the most revealing and damning of all staements in the whole of the play 'Macbeth' by William Shakespeare. It is a quotation which does indeed refer to the statement "To what extent... -
Answered a Question in Rudyard Kipling
In 'The Way Through The Woods' by Rudyard Kipling the poet describes the secret world of nature that now exists because an old road no longer exists, and the trees, grass and animals have... -
Answered a Question in The Merchant of Venice
Loyal Portia tries to respect her father’s wishes even though she does not agree with his choices, and even when doing so brings the risk of damage to herself - but she does try to take... -
Answered a Question in Essays
A model interview for a High School Principal or Head Teacher would partly follow the same lines as that for any trusted professional joining a new establishment, but there may be extra... -
Answered a Question in Literature
If its the title by Subhatra Sen Gupta then look for evidence of a 'change' theme. Go through all the story lines and pick out any special moments where a decision or change of some sort is... -
Answered a Question in And Then There Were None
The main departure from conventional crime writing in ‘And Then There Were None’ by Agatha Christie is the improbability of the plot. Most crime writers try to add credibility and gravitas to... -
Answered a Question in John Milton
The theory that ‘John Milton does not represent , but dominates his age’ may be a reference to the idea that the poet was a groundbreaker and a way-paver rather than a poet who fitted in with the... -
Answered a Question in The Bottle Imp
In the short story 'The Bottle Imp' by Robert Louis Stevenson, the author shows several characters who are in needy circumstances and who could use the help of a magical imp to get them out... -
Answered a Question in Mrs. Dutta Writes a Letter
Mrs Dutta Writes a Letter is a short story about a mother going to stay in her son’s house on the other side of the world from where she was born. There are three multicultural references around... -
Answered a Question in Multiculturalism
The first way of looking at multiculturalism is that it is a method of valuing and facilitating the support of different cultures or ethnic minorities within a unified national community However,... -
Answered a Question in Othello
The scene with the two gentlemen in ‘Othello’ is important because it tells the audience a lot as Montano and the officers weigh up the significance of the latest action. Montano is worrying about... -
Answered a Question in D. H. Lawrence
The poem ‘Last Lesson Of The Afternoon’ by the genius author and poet, David Herbert Lawrence is very different from his other poetry, and indeed from much of his prose in that it lacks what... -
Answered a Question in Heart of Darkness
Even before Marlow travels to Africa in the novel ‘Heart of Darkness’ by Joseph Conrad, he is aware of his obsession with huge spaces and this is a theme developed by the author as the story... -
Answered a Question in The Taming of the Shrew
Appearance versus reality is a major theme in Shakespeare’s ‘The Taming Of The Shrew and The Induction introduces the idea. Shakespeare is not merely writing a play here, but writing about the... -
Answered a Question in Heart of Darkness
In the novel ‘Heart of Darkness,’ Joseph Conrad tells us about an ivory trader working down the river Congo in Africa. The river he tells us is “... a mighty big river, that you... -
Answered a Question in Nissim Ezekiel
In the poem ‘Background, Casually’ by Nissim Ezekial, look for themes of culture, identity, race, history, and above all the importance of a sense of belonging. Although the title is very off-hand,... -
Answered a Question in Elizabethan Drama
Although scholars believe that the English Renaissance occurred during 16th/17th C England at a time when awareness of classicism grew, experimentalism with art developed, and humanism flowered,... -
Answered a Question in Wuthering Heights
Ellen Dean is an important character in Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte because she is believable. When you think about it, some of the characters in the novel are a bit crazy, not to mention... -
Answered a Question in The Merchant of Venice
In the Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare 'all that glisters is not gold.' The play uses deception to deepen the plot and add a cliff-hanging atmosphere for the audience. We, as watchers,... -
Answered a Question in Emily Dickinson
Emily Dickinson was a very spiritual poet and the colour purple has inferences for Christianity as well as for the theme of this poem - Royalty. Emily Dickinson may be trying to link the idea of... -
Answered a Question in Tess of the d'Urbervilles
It's worth remembering that Thomas Hardy was trying to show the degeneration of society in the writing of this novel. That makes your question difficult to answer, as Tess's problem is... -
Answered a Question in Literature
As a first proper novel, I think Sons And Lovers by D H Lawrence is a work of art. Yes, it has some of the hallmarks of a novice writer but the depictions of nature and male/female relationships... -
Answered a Question in Literature
Ulysses by by James Joyce gave me a run for my money - and still does (I still pick it up to finish it one day!) The novel is well known, I think, for being an intellectual and literary challenge,... -
Answered a Question in No Second Troy
I'm terribly sorry but William Butler Yeats is 'bigging himself up' here. Whilst I love most of his poetry, poems in which he puts himself above other suitors of Maud's really wind me up. Maud had... -
Answered a Question in Romeo and Juliet
Because he is the equivalent to 'a regular guy' but, even better, with money or status. In the play 'Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, the playwright constantly sets the County Paris... -
Answered a Question in Beowulf
I actually own a copy of this particular translation of the Beowulf poem, and can highly recommend it. The way I approached the study was to read Heaney's lovely translation a page at a time,... -
Answered a Question in Lord of the Flies
I think that the quote from the so-called 'Lord of the Flies' itself encapsulates almost the whole theme of the novel in terms of man's capacity for evil, injustice and selfishness. The quote goes...
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