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Grace Nichols was born in a place in South America called Guyana but now she lives in London. Themes and images that keep recurring in her poems are of homesickness, emotions, her split culture, perception of self and nature. Grace Nichols shows this through images of food, senses, landscape, nature and colours. In her poems […]

The national figure for homelessness is a staggering 169000 people, 80000 of them in London alone. Tony Parsons and John Pilger are two men with different views on this crisis. Tony Parsons strictly believes that the beggars are worthless individuals who beg for no acceptable reason whereas John Pilger is far more sympathetic and believes […]

Alan Bennett’s ‘A Lady of letters’ is a dramatic monologue written for the BBC as a part of the ‘Talking Heads’ series. It focuses on an ordinary middle aged woman named Irene Ruddock. She expresses her views on society and the people she sees’s in her everyday life. There is only one point of view […]

In the Outside dog, Alan Bennett uses the character of Marjory to narrate, but we are also shown how in denial she has become during a long and unfair relationship with her husband, or rather her husband and his dog – Stuart and Tina. We feel sympathy towards Marjory but are curious as to why […]

In this essay, I will discuss how Arthur Miller’s play “The Crucible” portrays the stark contrast between Abigail Williams and Elizabeth Proctor, emphasizing how their differences play a significant role in the overall narrative. Moreover, I will examine how this distinction between the characters enables a contemporary audience to better comprehend and empathize with the […]

As per your inquiry about the most accomplished poet among Sheffield College students, I propose Grace Nichols as the primary candidate. Grace Nichols is a celebrated black poet and ex-journalist from Guyana in the Caribbean. She has been practicing as an independent writer since 1977 when she relocated to Britain and holds a prestigious position […]

The two monologues I am going to be writing about are two elderly women who are lonely and trapped in their own homes. I will be talking about how Doris, one lady from ‘Cream cracker under the settee’ and Irene, the other lady in ‘Lady of letters’ are suffering from loneliness. Doris and Irene both […]

In this essay I will be writing about one of the Grave Nichols poems that I have studied. I will refer to other poems that have the same theme or technique that Grace Nichols uses. I have decided to analyze “Childhood”. Grace Nichols was born in Georgetown, Guyana in 1950. She was educated at St. […]

At the beginning of the movie, there is a dream sequence that portrays the origins of The Elephant Man. The sequence features overlapping visuals of both The Elephant Man’s mother and a group of elephants. The mother is depicted being physically abused by the elephants, with her screaming but the sound muted. The scene is […]

Peter Weir used directorial devices to produce a piece of theatrical prominence and importance. This spiritual and social journey of a New York policeman, John Book (Harrison Ford) conveys a strong message of morality, corruption and requests understanding of the often misunderstood Amish lifestyle. From the offset this film is a significant study of the […]

A cream cracker under the settee” is a humorous play in the form of monologue. It was written by Alan Bennett who wrote the play in 1940s, Doris is the main character played by Thora Hird , who is an old lonely lady who’s in her seventies and thinks of her present life and reminisces […]

At around twelve o’clock on the second Sunday after moving, the noise from John and Heather next door started again. It seemed to continue nonstop, day and night, and it was always the same. Pennyfather and they were constantly engaged in arguments. It all began with a minor thing Heather had mentioned to her. It […]

This essay explores the contrasting views on the future expressed by Aldous Huxley and John Wyndham in their science-fiction novels ‘Brave New World’ and ‘The Day of the Triffids’. The authors’ unique perspectives were shaped significantly by their personal experiences during the time they wrote these works. Both ‘Brave New World’ and ‘The Day of […]

A monologue is one person speaking their thoughts aloud or directly addressing a reader or audience. ‘Talking Heads’ is a series of monologues written by Alan Bennett; it was first aired on the BBC in 1987. ‘A Cream Cracker under the Settee’ is a monologue about a 75-year-old woman called Doris played by Thora Hird […]

‘Unreliable Memoirs’ (by Clive James) and ‘Remembering Aunt Marie’ (by Grace Nichols) are both popular autobiographies written by well-known authors. We were asked to compare two random autobiographical extracts from the books and discuss the language, narrative structure and content of each. Billy Cart Hill, from the book ‘Unreliable Memoirs’ is one of many of […]

The BBC series Talking Heads, written and directed by Alan Bennett, features dramatic monologues including the play Playing Sandwiches. The series comprises two releases, one in 1988 and the other in 1999, and explores various subjects with recurring themes of death, illness, guilt, and isolation. The play “Playing Sandwiches” by Alan Bennett seems to be […]

There are certain things that you expect to see when you go to watch a traditional conventional play. You may expect action, conflict and conversation among the actors; you expect to see emotions being expressed through dialogue and movement, though primarily you expect to see more that one actor on the stage. Unlike conventional plays […]

Alan Bennett mixes comedy and tragedy in the two monologues ‘A Chip in the Sugar’ and ‘Her Big Chance’. In ‘A Chip in the Sugar’ the characters tend to be afflicted by tragic circumstances, broken up by humorous anecdotes that engage the audience’s interest and ‘lighten up’ the play. In ‘Her Big Chance’ there is […]

‘The Crucible’ is a play written by Arthur Miller in 1953. It is set in 1962 and based around a witch-hunt in Salem, Massachusetts. Many citizens are tried and hanged for suspected association with the devil and witchcraft. The majority of the accused are innocent. The main story is based very closely on historical facts […]

‘A Cream Cracker under the Settee’ is a monologue piece written by Alan Bennett in 1988. Originally broadcasted on the BBC, Thora Hird was the first actress to take on the role of ‘Doris’ and was awarded a BAFTA for best actress. Bennett explores various themes in the play which skilfully use devices to maintain […]

In Brave New World, Huxley effectively uses character interactions to convey the prevalent values and ideals. Chapter thirteen specifically demonstrates this through the exchange between Henry Foster and Lenina. Henry invites Lenina to the ‘feelies’, but when she declines, he questions if she’s going out with someone else and shows interest in which friend is […]

Evil has been present since the beginning of time causing many conflicts throughout the world. It is an inborn and nurtured behaviour, which can be heightened by one’s surrounding environment. Evil can cause one to have a very cynical outlook on life. When one becomes overcome with evil one becomes ignorant towards others and has […]