Essays On Books

Over hundreds of years, the views of poets have varied. There has always been the desire for physical love, but also there has always been the traditional idea of purity. Nowadays though there are fewer ‘everlasting loving’ poems and more ‘Carpe Diem’ based. This is a sign of a change in the world and the […]

In “Valentine”, Duffy uses the onion to give an original and, in some ways, a shocking view of love: “Not a red rose or a satin heart” – she ignores the cliches and opts for something more dramatic and powerful. This is the first line of the poem, and it automatically gives a negative impression, […]

This poem is about someone experiencing love for the first time. “I ne’er was struck before that hour With love so sudden and so sweet.” The poet compares the face of the woman to a flower “Her face it bloomed like a sweet flower.” He describes how the feeling of love affects him physically “my […]

I am going to be comparing and contrasting Eileen McAuley’s ‘The Seduction’ and Andrew Marvell’s ‘To His Coy Mistress’. The reason that I have chosen to compare these two poems is because they both have the theme of passion, love and the lack of respect for women, however they portray the theme from different points […]

The concept of human mortality has long been a prominent theme in metaphysical poetry. It acknowledges that life inevitably comes to an end, imposing a finite duration on everyone’s existence. This subject matter also prompts contemplation on matters of sexuality. In Andrew Marvell’s “To his Coy Mistress,” the poem explores the fleeting nature of beauty […]

In the poems ‘To his coy mistress’ and ‘In Paris With You’, both of the poets are speaking about a relationship with their lover and they present love through the use of language in many different ways. Love is presented in ‘In Paris With You’ through repetition as ‘Paris’ and the mantra ‘In Paris with […]

In the poems/sonnets, there is a shared opposition to love, but they target different types of love. ‘To His Coy Mistress’ and ‘The Flea’ criticize “romantic love” while endorsing “physical love”. Both poems center around a man’s efforts to court a woman who has vowed to abstain from sexual relations. During the 17th Century, when […]

The ‘courtly love’ tradition dates back to the seventeenth century, and is an idealistic idea based on the circumstance of a knight and his lady, a lover and a beloved. In this essay I will explore this tradition and how it is used in past and present literature. The tradition of ‘courtly love’ is one […]

Each poem displays a different attitude to love: “Our Love Now” explores the end of love; “I wanna be yours” depicts the almost ‘slavish’ side of love; “To His Coy Mistress” is concerned with more sexual side of love. What is most enjoyable about all of these poems is that they depict a variety of […]

These two poems show very different attitudes to love and relation ships. In the poem ‘To his coy mistress’ the poet is talking about his lust for her. ‘In how do I love thee’ the poet is talking about her love and emotion for him. Section 1 I will firstly look at the poem by […]

The meaning of the Latin phrase “Carpe Diem” is translated as “to seize the day” in English. When I encounter this phrase, particularly in literature, I envision a story created to convey a principle or lesson. “To seize the day,” a powerful expression that applies universally, emphasizes the importance of making the most out of […]

John Donne and George Herbert were the representatives of the metaphysical poetry, though they were different in style and some writing techniques. Both poets had their examples of religious poetry and now the task is to compare two religious poems of the mentioned writers: Batter My Heart by John Donne and The Collar by George […]

Since its release in 1960, Harper Lee’s iconic novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, has experienced tremendous success. It was chosen as a Literary Guild Selection Choice and a Book Society Choice, and it received the Pulitzer Prize in 1961 (Johnson 8). By 1982, over 15 million copies of the book had been sold. In a […]

In the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Atticus Finch is a small town lawyer and a single parent raising two children. Atticus is a strong, intelligent, white male in his forties. He was raised in a Christian home and believes in treaty people fairly and with respect. Even though Atticus is a […]

Harper Lee intentionally created Atticus Finch to be an influential and vital character in the novel, serving as a respected figure within Maycomb’s community. In addition to being Scout and Jem’s parent, Atticus is also their role model and source of support throughout their upbringing. Through Atticus’ specific traits, such as his views on prejudice […]

Heroes can take various forms, whether they are real-life individuals or characters from works of fiction in literature or movies. Though commonly linked to fighting against crime and saving people from harm, a true hero is someone who displays extraordinary bravery and receives admiration for their virtuous traits. In To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper […]

Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird (TKAM) was published in 1960, addressing the key tension in this story, the issue of “race” against the backdrop of the Civil Rights Movement in America. Race relations in America were wrought with injustice in the 1930s, especially between “white” and “black” Americans. It highlights the realities of rampant […]

Similar to Abraham Lincoln, Atticus Finch is a lawyer who is persistent in his beliefs even though others might be against him. The people in Maycomb respect Atticus Finch because of his integrity, courage, tolerance, consistent strength, self-possession, and his sense of justice. In Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, Atticus Finch is a role […]

Father of Jem and Scout, Atticus Finch acts as Maycomb Alabama’s leading attorney. The essence of moral character, Atticus teaches his children and his community how to stand up for one’s beliefs in the face of prejudice and ignorance by defending a black man, Tom Robinson, who was wrongfully accused of raping a white woman. […]

Throughout the Tom Robinson trial many of the characters emotions went on a rollercoaster ride; soaring from confident to crashing back down to the reality of defending a black man. The three characters I’m going to write about in much detail are Atticus Finch, Jem Finch and Scout Finch. Although these three are from the […]

The critically acclaimed novel, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, has been praised as one of the best novels of the century. It has made a significant impact on many peoples lives. It challenged and effectively changed the way many white southerners perceived African-Americans. The book, however, has been subject to much controversy over […]

Both fictional characters, John Proctor from Arthur Miller’s play “The Crucible” and Atticus Finch from Harper Lee’s novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” are considered to be men of conscience. A man of conscience is one who is aware of his moral and ethical judgements or pronouncements and has a strong desire to prefer right over […]