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The main objective of this political struggle/oppression related, text production was to write a short story pastiche with a writing technique similar to the one used by George Orwell in his book Animal Farm. In this story lions and animals were used to symbolize Americans and Muslims respectively. Like Orwell’s book this short story is […]

In Act 2 Scene 2 of the play Enobarbus refers to Cleopatra as having an “infinite variety”, this is conceivably in reference to her ever changing personality and her rapidly shifting moods. Throughout the play a wide range of moods are displayed by Shakespeare through her character, from a loving and caring woman, to an […]

Dear Frank, I am deeply sorry for what I have done to you. I know that there is no excuse for what I did, leaving you so suddenly at the boat. Especially after all the trouble you went to, making it possible so that we could be together. I can only explain the reasons for […]

Willy Russell was born in Whiston, near Liverpool, England, in 1947. Russell has written a string of popular, award-winning plays and musicals, but perhaps one of the most well known is Educating Rita. In this play Willy Russell is very much producing a mirror image of parts of his life. As a child and growing […]

The particularity about these two passages is that although written centuries apart, they reflect each other through language, subject matter and universality. The verse “The Chair she sat in, like a burnished throne, glowed on the marble” from TS. Eliot’s poem A Game of Chess has long been acknowledged as a direct allusion to Enobarbus’ […]

‘Beasts of England’ is the song that Old Major hears in his dream and which he teaches to the rest of the animals during the fateful meeting in the barn three days before his death. It is based on the communist anthem ‘Internationale’ which is another similarity between animalism and communism and like the communist […]

Power is used throughout “Antony and Cleopatra” in many different ways, it brings people together yet also pushes others apart and whilst power can be a useful thing, too much power or the abuse of power can lead to great confusion or greed between people. Power is one of the main themes in the play […]

Important ideas and feelings don’t die easily and even survive the transition from one generation to another. Two authors from two different centuries try to communicate the same ideas through their books; they are Charles Dickens, from the 19th century, and James Watson from the 20th century. Both of these authors wrote a book that […]

This essay presents my ideas for staging a production of ‘Educating Rita’, a play written by Willy Russell in 1979. The play gained popularity mostly during the 1980s and was designed to attract audiences from both middle class and working class backgrounds. The TV adaptation of ‘Educating Rita’, featuring Julie Walters and Michael Caine, remains […]

In the play ‘Billy Liar’, Billy manages to engage himself to two women simultaneously whilst having an affair with a third at the same time. In this essay I will focus on each individuals characteristics and their reactions to different aspects of Billy’s actions. For starters I will monitor each characters responses to Billy’s consistent […]

On the wall hangs a print depicting a nude religious scene (act 1 scene 1), which serves as a forewarning of Frank’s character. This is because Victorian universities are typically prestigious, and working at one would give someone a middle-class status. Frank’s search in his office is the first indication of his lifestyle. Initially, the […]

The most obvious contrast between the two texts is the fact that ‘A Tale of Two Cities’ is a novel, while ‘The Devil’s Disciple’ is a play. This difference of genre makes the use of the narrative voice vary greatly, despite the fact that both authors are trying to convey opinions and create images through […]

The first thing I noticed about Stealing was the question on the first line, this immediately tells us that he/she is talking to someone (or is perhaps being interviewed), however, because the poem is a monologue, we never know who. Neither are we told the gender or age of the thief, which I think all […]

On the 18th of June 1997, a government ban on all hunting with dogs was put in place. Despite the historical vote of 411 to 151, the cruel sport continues to thrive without government intervention. As a result, animals in hunted areas continue to suffer inhumane, bloody, and cruel treatment away from public eyes. In […]

At this extract Orwell is aiming to make some of his points by ridiculing the corruptness of the Animal Farm and how it is being ruled by ‘Comrade Napoleon’. The main idea that is being ridiculed here is that, how Napoleon is made such a strong figure by dramatic speeches and poems written by animals […]

This section of writing is taken from Chapter One which forms the opening of ‘The Wasp Factory’. In this first chapter the audience gains an insight into Frank’s attitudes and values for the first time. Frank leads a very disturbing life and as this is the first time we meet him it is essential for […]

She also needs to be the most powerful person in their relationship, for example when they first met, she insisted “it should be better he became her guest” (2. 2. 231). She likes to have the final say in things and maintain control over him, such as near the beginning of the play when she […]

This essay focuses on the character development of Rita and Frank in the play Educating Rita. It also compares the play to the film adaptation featuring Julie Walters and Michael Caine. Rita, an uneducated working housewife, desires to escape the restrictive world imposed by her husband and family. On the other hand, Frank, a self-pitying […]

The first issue in Educating Rita is Frank not being to keen on teaching Rita but he has to because he needs the money. ‘ D’ y’ need the money? ” I do as a matter of fact ‘. Another of the early issues is Rita’s husband Denny not wanting Rita to go to the […]

The poem ‘Salome’, by Carol Ann Duffy, is written in the first person, seemingly from the perspective of a woman given indicators such as the fact that the person has been involved intimately with a man; ‘the reddish beard’. The first three lines of the poem, all of which use enjambment, only come to make […]

In this scene Cleopatra is portrayed as a very bewitching and seductive woman. The just and unbiased Roman, Enobarbus, the truth teller of the play explains, to two followers of Caesar, his thoughts and feelings regarding Cleopatra. Enobarbus begins by telling us “the barge she sat in, like a burnished throne, Burned on the water. […]

In this piece, I will explore the similarities and differences between two main poems: “My Grandmother” by Elizabeth Jennings, which has a darker mood, and “In Mrs Tilcher’s class” by Carol Anne Duffy, which is brighter. Both poems reflect on the past, recounting memories of both positive and negative experiences of betrayal and innocence that […]