LitAide

  Brief summary This poem is one of the well-known dramatic monologues of Browning. It raises his recurring infatuation of transcending death and the belief of life after death as hailed in Hindu mythology. The title of the poem is revealing too as the meaning of the word "prospice" in Latin is to "look forward". Browning stands against the mighty death as he is a fighter and he insinuates that this could be his "the best and the last" fight. He knows it very well that despite being a brave man, he could not straightaway beat death, he is ready to embrace death like "the heroes of old". He can imagine that all the "pain, darkness and cold accompanying death end in "a minute". It is merely a task of holding on for moments of anguish, then calmness will prevail. A divine light will appear followed by his beloved, whom he has been missing for in his lifetime and finally with her and the God. Literary devices "fear...feel...fog......

The Heart Asks Pleasure First This poem by Emily Dickinson marks the Death as a savior to all sorts agonies of life. Dickinson’s style of using dashes recurs in the poem. The heart or the emotional side of the narrator asks first for pleasure. If its need is not catered, it wants to be excused from the infliction of pain. Then the sufferings from the pain try to be suppressed with the help of anodynes and painkillers. The painkillers fail to do its job of relieving. It is felt by the narrator to fall asleep to pass the egregious state. Sleep too is unable to soothe her. Now, her final request to the “Inquisitor” i.e. God to confer the “privilege to die” peacefully as the last resort. I Never   Saw A Moor The poet confesses that she has never seen a moor but she is well aware of how heather, a shrub grown on the moor, looks like in real. She is also acquainted with the roar of sea tides without actually experienced the sea in first person. She clarifies that ...

The poem "Success Is Counted Sweetest" penned by Emily Dickinson, a great American poet of the nineteenth century. A recluse by nature, her poems weren't published before her death. She is known for her originality and unconventional style of writing poetry. The narrator shares its insight into success that it is truly understood by those who have toiled brutally and paid its price. Those who find success "sweetest" are the ones who will never succeed in life. Here, nectar is a metaphor for success. In a battlefield, none of the personnel of "purple host" who is victorious in today's battle can tell the true meaning of their victory. Now they have got it, they lost the earlier respect for it because now it's in their reach. Their defeated, dying counterparts can weigh the victory which they lost as their ears hear the triumphs of victorious and how they themselves yearn it with agony.

The protagonist and the narrator of the novel, The Sun Also Rises, Jake Barnes is a journalist in the novel. He has fought in the war and injured himself and lost his ability to engage in sexual intercourse. He along with his friends are American expatriates residing in Paris, embracing its culture. They are heavy drunkards and throughout the novel, they are either drinking sorts of liquors or traveling. Apart from Jake, no one engages in working to make a living. It is revealed covertly that Jake is in love with Lady Ashley aka Brett who is the sole lady in their traveling band. She knows about Jake's inclination towards her but she is a promiscuous lady who had a pitiful past but at present, she likes to be free and remains in multiple relationships. Jake despite after "ignored" by Brett, cares about her and whenever she needs any help. Jake is soft-spoken and doesn't make scenes even if he is emotionally sad. He never keeps a grudge against Mike, Brett's bo...

Captain America is one of the most immensely popular headliners of Avengers who are now out as they have played their roles to the core and to a change. Their characters have witnessed a great change when compared to their initial selves in earlier movies. Let's take Captain America, he is the first avenger whose boyhood dream was to fight world war and bullying too. He was a lean, weak boy who could not get into enlisting himself into the army and he tries again and again by changing his identity and state domicile. His fortune begins to shine when a fine scientist working on a secret armed project, choose him as a sole subject, of course for his moral traits and respect for power because he lacks it. The scientist creates a serum to transform a human being to the peak abilities of the human race and perhaps, more. Steve is an American patriot shaped by his contemporary times where world war was a big issue. His revival was marked with the complete bafflement because it is...

The poem "Meeting at Night" written by Robert Browning is a short poem of twelve lines poem written in the rhyme scheme of abccba deffed.  Stanza 1 In the first stanza, the narrator gives an imagery of the depiction of the sea and the land, how they seem grey and black respectively. The waves and tides ebb in a circular formation. He can see the yellow half-moon above him laying low. Through these initial lines, we come to know that he is somewhere near the sea and is approaching the land through a ship. As the ship reaches the sandy shore, its speed dwindles. Through the title of the poem, we can reckon that the narrator is meeting someone at night. Another question can be raised about why he is meeting in dark. Who is he meeting? This suspense will be cleared at the end of the poem.  Stanza 2 After reaching the land, he walks a mile on the beach and across three fields and then, at last, he reaches his destination, a farmhouse. He taps on the window pan...

The poem "Evelyn Hope" written by Robert Browning narrates a story of a hyper-optimistic narrator who choose not to grieve for her just dead beloved but plans his meeting with her in their next life. The poem is a testimony to Browning's lofty optimism. Equally unusual is the narrator who is aged three times his unrequited love. She didn't know him while she was alive. His excessive hopeful nature somewhat feels unrealistic. Browning's portrayal of the narrator resembles his other poems such as "My Last Duchess" and "Porphyria's Lover" where the narrator is mentally unstable and paranoid. Death is again there too of beloved's. Although here, in this poem the narrator talks philosophically about life and gives her dead beloved a leaf as a memento to remember him and his love for him in the next life. Stanza 1 The narrator begins the poem by informing the readers that the eponymous Evelyn Hope, a young girl is dead and he visits her. H...

Recently, I read a play by  George Bernard Shaw as part of my syllabus. Before this play, I have read only his Saint Joan. That was about a heroic figure of Joan, based on historical figure of Joan of Arc. It was a serious play based on heresy charged upon Joan and how she was burned in cold blood. It was depressing to see the hero figure found guilty unfairly by a corrupt jury. Long arguments ensue throughout the play. This tendency to use argument is also used by Shaw in Arms and the man but it doesn't hold serious topics. Contrary to its title, it is not a serious play but a humourous one that ends with a happy note, resolving all tangles and secrets. The play is about Raina, a young Bulgarian maiden waiting for her lover who has gone to fight for Russian forces against Serbians. The theme is about the war but it describes not the seriousness, bloodshed but another side of soldiers, their human side. Raina, as she is young girl, never witnessed a war didn't not know the su...

The poem begins the beginning of a journey, sort of a "pilgrimage". Everyone in the group is so devout and optimistic about the journey. They are vigorous in their pursuit and their energy dwarfs every minor issues and "burdens". After getting through the initial steps, they faced some real hassles or difficulties but it didn't push them. But at that point, the scorching sun played with them and it was also symbolized that the further issues wouldn't be soft on them. Their potential strength is being tested by nature. The narrator reckoned that they had worked out quite well till the time. He and his group learnt a lot from the hurdles of this enterprise and they observed and made notes on the ways of peasants of the regions and their modus operandi. They also kept their eye on agents of both goodness and evil. "Surpants" is an allegory of evil people whereas "goats" represent good people. They crossed three cities where a renowned sage h...

Meursault is the chief protagonist of the Albert Camus's The Stranger. He is bit taciturn and passive about the life's events. Neither life's joyous moments like marriage proposals nor devastating events like mother's death lead to either breakdown or ecstatic for him. In other words, when he gets the news of his mother's death, he doesn't lost his nerves and just want to finish the funeral ceremonies and return to his work. He keeps thinking about his boss's opinion about him taking a leave on this serious business. Marie's proposal to him too produces no jubilant response from him. In fact, marriage is not important to him. He responds to her that he could marry if it gives her happiness. Such is his queer personality. Till he murder of the Arab, he is just a silent spectator moving on his life without any future wishes. We don't find him nurturing any dream nor he has any ambitions. In spite of the novel narrated in the first person by Meursault...

I recently read this novel by Albert Camus, a Nobel laureate for Literature. The novel tells the story of a young man named Meursault, a queer fellow whose detachment from the outside world paves the way for his undoing. The story narrated in the first person by Meursault gives the readers the complete picture of his psyche of which others are ignorant. Yet we are still unsure about his rationale behind the shooting the Arab against whom he doesn't have any personal enmity. Another bewildering fact is his shooting him four times. We don't know if this cruel act is done unintentionally due to the extreme heat of the day. These questions still remain. His indifference or we can say pragmatism, especially in dealing with the events after her mother's demise carves his destiny later. Before her death, she lived in an Old Age Home. Although Meursault had a job and enough space to keep her with him but as he is a young man, it is difficult to hold a conversation with her. It is ...

Nissim Ezekiel is obviously satirizing not only Indian people's eccentricities and strange habits but also their unnecessary flaunting of the English language. Here we see a farewell addressing of a fellow who is poor in speaking English yet he blatantly breaks the linguistic rules and moulds the language to express what he wants to convey. The colloquial style suits the purpose. He makes so many mistakes and sometimes the interpretation alters in a humorous manner but we can clearly comprehend his good intentions and gratefulness. The speaker delivers an adieu speech in honour of Miss Pushpa T.S who is leaving abroad in a couple of days. He praises her and expresses his gratitude for the favours she had done to him and others. He lauds her both internal goodness as well as external demeanour. Her policy of saying no to others is commended. He ends his speech by wishing her adieu and asks for other speakers to speak and in the end, Miss Pushpa herself will "do summing up"...

Nissim Ezekiel, known as the father of modern Indian English poetry, wrote "The Patriot" in an Indianized English. The poem doesn't seem British in style and diction. In fact, there are a lot of Hindustani words used in the poem to give a native and humorous taste. It can be said that it is written keeping in mind of the English-speaking Indians. The poem satirizes Indian conventions yet the narrator is ready to embrace Indian culture and its diversity. The narrator hails and supports the Gandhian principles of peace and non-violence. He is fed up of all "fightings" (conflicts) sprouting in the world. He criticizes people who ignore Mahatma Gandhi and his principles. The narrator then proclaims the "Ancient Indian wisdom" and its authenticity. He takes a jibe at the modern generation's tendencies featuring nothing but excessive flaunting of fashion and imported items. He reveals that he reads Times of India to improve his English language skill...

The poem "Aftermath" is penned by Sylvia Plath. The narrator describes a accident scene where crowd assemble to watch what's going on in the house where a calamity occured. They stare and roam there to get a preview on the inside. They are so occupied with the thoughts of getting real-time updates as if their own house is on the fire. They predict that "some scandal" i.e. something bad might happen in the house. Their only concern to take a look at what happens. "Smoke-choked closet" refers to some secret or private thing. People in the crowd are keen to receive such information. Their contention is not with someone's well-being. The narrator compares them with "hunters after an old meat/ Blood-spoor of the austere tragedies", in other words, these people care and trail hot or sensational news. They are like scavengers, sufficing their appetite on dead. In the next stanza, the narrator refers a lady named "Mother Medea"...

The narrator notices a crow at his window, cawing exactly three times. It exhibits sinister look in its eyes and posture. It stares the narrator in an awkward manner like it is trying to say something to him. He compared it with "a nagging woman" who dominates with her personality and voice wherever she goes. The crow's cawing of exact three times hints the narrator that a visitor is going to come over his house. In Indian culture, there is a belief that a crow's arrival marks the arrival of a guest. Believing it, this knowledge of a coming visitor keeps looming in his head while sleeping. He begins to prepare his house to make way for a visitor. The idea of having a guest prevents him to be attentive to his "muddy clothes". He knows that he will have to compromise on his own terms with the choices or preferences of the guest. The narrator waits all day for his upcoming visitor. He thinks about the belief and wonders if the visitor would be "an angel in...