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 Lord of the Flies
The island is also quite a neat and clever way to organise the plot, control events and limit too many complications to the story of 'Lord of the Flies' by William Golding. Quite apart from the... -
Answered a Question in Beowulf
In the epic poem Beowulf, the sombre mournful mood is well portrayed by the atmospheric description. The keening women filling the air with their sorrowful crying song, the building of the funeral... -
Answered a Question in Of Mice and Men
The themes of loneliness and isolation in John Steinbeck's novella 'Of Mice and Men' are important because they are universal themes (that it is they are timeless in terms of mankind's life on... -
Answered a Question in The Merchant of Venice
In the play "The Merchant Of Venice" by William Shakespeare, the author shows us a character with plenty of negative traits. To focus on one, for example, we could look at his vindictiveness. his... -
Answered a Question in The Chrysanthemums
Eliza's epiphany in the short story "The Chrysanthemums" by John Steinbeck might lie in her realization that men often treat women as things to be used to different ends. Sometimes those ends are... -
Answered a Question in The Windhover
Very differing views of nature are presented in the two poems "The Windhover" and "Hawk Roosting." In the first poem, the poet luxuriates in and glorifies the magnificence of nature as it is given... -
Answered a Question in The Eve of St. Agnes
In the poem "The Eve Of st Agnes" by John Keats, the poet presents a vivid depiction of love. He tries to keep an elevated state of mind right through the love story. This romantic story takes... -
Answered a Question in Because I could not stop for Death—
In the poem "Because I Could Not Stop For Death" by Emily Dickinson, the poet suggests several character traits for Death. Although she suggests that he is polite, civil, courteous and 'kind' there... -
Answered a Question in Macbeth
In the play "Macbeth" by William Shakespeare, the author shows us what happens to a person's state of mind when they step over the boundaries of right and wrong in order to get what they want. We... -
Answered a Question in The Tell-Tale Heart
In the short story "The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allen Poe, the author appears to deliberately choose the First Person voice for his speaker. The first person voice is usually very personal and... -
Answered a Question in One Way of Love
In this poem Robert Browning seems very philosophical about what a heartbroken suitor should do if he or she cannot get the person they want in terms of love - and how to cope with rejection. He is... -
Answered a Question in Of Mice and Men
In the novel "Of Mice And Men" by John Steinbeck, the author show us in Curley's wife a character who is both slightly active and passive. She is passive in the sense that she has fixed static... -
Answered a Question in Romeo and Juliet
In the play "Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare, we witness young Juliet listening to some news about her cousin. Although we are more concerned about Romeo at this stage, it is important to... -
Answered a Question in Of Mice and Men
In the novel "Of Mice And Men" by John Steinbeck, Curley's wife finds herself in a powerless situation due not only to her gender, but also to her poverty. We find that she once had dreams but was... -
Answered a Question in The Raven
The mood of the speaker in Edgar Allen Poe's poem "The Raven" is one of weariness and bereavement. The whole room is described to resemble an undertaker's parlor, with colors of black, grey and... -
Answered a Question in The Catcher in the Rye
In the novel "Catcher In The Rye" by J D Salinger, the author shows the intense dislike that Holden Caulfield shows towards fellow school mate Stradlater. Holden seems to be of the opinion that... -
Answered a Question in The Darkling Thrush
Thomas Hardy shows many attributes of the typical English Nature poet in his poem "The Darkling Thrush." He encapsulates reflection, worries and concerns about Man and his place in the world by... -
Answered a Question in Emily Dickinson
Emily Dickinson lived in a time when women were expected to play a very different role from the role they play today. Women above a certain class were expected to have thier place in the home,... -
Answered a Question in Lord of the Flies
The creepers in the novel "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding represent,among other things, the choking weeds of the parable in the christian bible where the good news fell as seeds on the... -
Answered a Question in Othello
"As I am an honest man" is a very ironic and telling quote from the play "Othello" by William Shakespeare. The quote is significant because we, the audience, are about to find out just how untrue... -
Answered a Question in Romeo and Juliet
In the play "Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare, the author shows how two feuding families keep stoking the fire of hate and prejudice by using insults. It may even be that the original... -
Answered a Question in Macbeth
Sleep is being personified here in this quotation from the play "Macbeth" by William Shakespeare. The author is using several images and symbols to show us how people derive therapeutic rest and... -
Answered a Question in Modernism
To me, the most glaring example of modernism in the short story "Araby" from James Joyce's "Dubliners" collection, is the tone and also the conclusion. The beginning segment of the story shows the... -
Answered a Question in The Second Coming
In order to discuss the important themes in the poem "The Second Coming" by Irish Poet William Butler Yeats, you will need to conduct some research in several areas, doing some background reading.... -
Answered a Question in Robert Frost
How about 'The Significance Of The Symbolism Of Trees In The Poetry Of Robert Frost?' Both the poem 'Birches' and the poem 'Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening' deal with trees, nature and growth... -
Answered a Question in Great Expectations
It's often said by psychoanalysts that the greatest influence on a person's character is the earliest years of babyhood and early childhood.Well, Pip's mom and dad actually died so he suffers the... -
Answered a Question in The Merchant of Venice
In thinking about the reasons Bassanio chooses the lead casket over the gold or silver one in The Merchant Of Venice by William Shakespeare, it is also worth considering the qualities of lead. As... -
Answered a Question in John Keats
'Ode to a nightingale' by John Keats deals with the theme of escape more in the present - 'Ode on a Grecian Urn' on the other hand deals with escapism in the past. In the first poem, John Keats is... -
Answered a Question in Macbeth
In the play 'Macbeth' by William Shakespeare, the author shows us how Lady Macbeth wishes to be 'unsexed' in the sense that she wishes her femininity would not impede her resolve to have the king... -
Answered a Question in A Prayer for My Daughter
If you are referring to the famous and beautiful poem 'Prayer For My Daughter' by William Butler Yeats, then that line refers to his wish that his daughter be not so beautiful that she attracts... -
Answered a Question in The Merchant of Venice
In the play 'The Merchant of Venice' by William Shakespeare, the author shows us a contrast of cultures and another contrast of religions. Religion and culture are of course, very interwoven. 'The... -
Answered a Question in Othello
In terms of a tragic character being a person who falls from grace or high status into a downward spiral that leads to his doom, then we must surely be talking about Othello himself here. Here's a... -
Answered a Question in Romeo and Juliet
My favorite simile quote from the play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare is when the author has Romeo compare Juliet to something richly-colored, sparkling, pricelessly valuable and... -
Answered a Question in Lord of the Flies
In the novel "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding, the author shows us the idea of fear of a vague, shapeless kind. Then he shows us how the primeval fear present deep in the psyche of all of us,... -
Answered a Question in Macbeth
In the play "Macbeth" by William Shakespeare, it is perhaps depression as well as time that "creeps in this petty pace from day to day" and "lights fools" to a dusty grave. Much has been written by... -
Answered a Question in Julius Caesar
In the play "Julius Caesar" by William Shakespeare, the author combines two very interesting and contrasting ideas. The first is the Roman civilization with it's logical and practical way of... -
Answered a Question in Literary Terms
The effect of staccato sentences in writing is to break up the text of the novel, short story, poem or play into mon-syllabic short sharp sounds. This technique helps to convey certain kinds of... -
Answered a Question in The Merchant of Venice
I am not sure Shylock changes that much - in a sense one of the main themes in the play is that of penitence, yet Shylock does not develop or change enough to show any contrition. Perfect... -
Answered a Question in Ozymandias
The poem "Ozymandias" by Percy Bysse Shelley was reputedly written about the Egyptian King Rameses 11 - Ozymandias was his Greek name. He was an Egyptian pharaoh from 1279-1213 b.c.e. and was... -
Answered a Question in The Rocking-Horse Winner
In the short story "The Rocking-Horse Winner" by D.H. Lawrence, the author presents a boy who,to all intents and purposes, is like any other small boy. But soon the author shows us how Paul is... -
Answered a Question in A Rose for Emily
It is worth remembering,when considering the voice of the unnamed narrator in the short story "A Rose For Emily", that the author, Faulkner himself, knew a lot about the small town characteristics... -
Answered a Question in The Catcher in the Rye
Another main point about the ducks in Cental Park in the novel Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger is in how they relate to Holden Caulfield in terms of the title "catcher." The ducks, Holden... -
Answered a Question in Romeo and Juliet
In the play "Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare, the author shows the audience how Fate influences the tragedy of the two young sweethearts - and how everyone in the story fits in to this... -
Answered a Question in History
In discussing what more, if anything, could have been done to prevent World War 11, it is interesting to remember the catchphrase "Jaw-Jaw, Not War-War." Although I believe very strongly in this... -
Answered a Question in Lamb to the Slaughter
In comparing the two short stories "Lamb to the Slaughter" by Roald Dahl and "The Gift of The Magi" by O Henry, you could look at the different ways in which the characters changed at the end. One... -
Answered a Question in The Merchant of Venice
In the play "The Merchant of Venice" by William Shakespeare, it is important to remember that the author shows us a man of pride as well as a man of vengeance. Christianity teaches that nearly... -
Answered a Question in William Butler Yeats
There are many romantic elements in the poetry of W.B. Yeats - many of this poet's most beautiful and lyrical poems were written early on in his career. a good one to look at is "The Lake Isle Of... -
Answered a Question in Lord of the Flies
Ralph did not always represent the good in the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding. Although we tend to associate the conflict between the two boys in terms of good and evil, the reality in... -
Answered a Question in Eveline
That's a bit of a tenuous connection, but I can see why you might consider that - the boyfriend in the short story "Eveline" by James Joyce might well not have Eveline's best intersts at heart and... -
Answered a Question in Mending Wall
In the poem "Mending Wall" by Robert Frost, we also get the impression that the author is talking about subjects other than Nature alone. With the words "Something there is..." he may be saying...
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