Hunting Snake

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Nature is greater than man, and there is a contrast between the beauty and danger of the snake Despite that we think that we are greater than some animals we still fear them. "We lost breath" shows how they are captivated by nature. "Our eyes went with him" Show they exercise caution, and are in fear and awe. "Froze half-through pace" The snake has memorized the poem and captured their curiosity. Contrast between beauty and ferocity. "great black snake" Great: heroic and majestic, Black: fearful and powerful. "quested" shows the determination, connotations of quest indicative of noble qualities. Title Hunting Snake o Could be verb or adjective

Rhyme ABAB ends at last stanza when rhyme scheme changes to ABCA Sudden shock at passing danger Structure "Last seasons grace" o Setting o Imagery o Indian summer "Autumn's gentlest sky" o False sense of calm "sun warmed" to "froze half through a pace" o Transition through juxtaposition "the great back snake went reeling by" o Implies narrators end of thought o Degree of tension "quested through the passing grass" o Nobel qualities o How grass parts, gives gravitas to the snake o Connotations of power

Composed Upon Westminster Bridge

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This was my poem, so I have no notes on it. If someone would like to type up their notes and send them I will be happy to compile and attribute them.

The Cockroach
Disillusionment of youth

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"At first he seems quite satisfied to [..] but soon he turned to jog in crooked rings" "A path between the wainscot and the door, but soon he turned to jog in crooked rings" Confusion "Circling the rusty table leg and back" "He looked uncertain where to go" "Was this due payment for some vicious crime" Vulnerability "Circling the rusty table leg" o Represents troubles in the poets life o Instead of dealing with it he goes around it o Fear of change

Rhyme scheme ABAB to ABCAB o Links to theme of confusion o At start is regular, becomes changing Flows, linking to time passing without fault Metaphors and Allegory Poet realizes that he is similar in many ways to the cockroach Cockroach is an extended metaphor for life itself Enjambment "At first he seemed quite satisfied to trace a path" Description Description is limited, and the poet focusing on the message he is trying to convey Different parts are used as metaphors to explain the stages of life

The Planners
Three main themes

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Urbanization o Everything is mathematical and planned out o "All spaces are gridded" Explored the idea that all spaces are planned under the city structure Suggests nothing in the city is except from city planning Every area is forced into defined areas o "The piling will not stop, the drilling goes right through" Portrays ceaseless nature of these actions Unstoppable Destroying the land Modernization vs Nature o "They erased the flaws" They suggest the natural flaws of the earth Ironic that the poet write of building in order to erase flaws, suggesting that without man nature is flawed o "Even the sea draws back, and the skies surrender" Insurmountable power

Human > Nature Loss of identity o We come from nature, by erasing "blemishes of the past" and making "history new again" we are replacing the rich history o Counter evolution Through these themes the battle between human and nature is illustrated

Power of three "Anesthesia, amnesia, hypnosis" o Manipulating o False belief of perfection o Link to plastic surgery Personification "Even the sea draws back" o Personifies sea as animal o Adds power to humans

o Through research, poem is personification of Singapore

Metaphor Hyperbole Imagery Diction Exam questions "How does the poet explore the power of man over nature?" "How is the loss of originality so effectively conveyed?" "How are the poets personal feelings towards the planners conveyed?"

Where I Come From

Nostalgia

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"A door in the mind blows open and a frost wind blows in from the fields of snow" o Mind shows her memory o Snow is description from her past o Frosty nature of the wind shows sad nature and relates to her being home sick. Nature vs Man "art also tidily plotted with a guide book" o Nature is wild and free o The city is placed and contained in the city o The city manipulates the nature fit Human Identity "People are made by places" o Nature and nurture o Origin is the base of identity o Who they are is based on where they come from. "They carry with them" Implying her identity is better because she is from the country rather than the city

Structure Title conveys the main theme, Human Identity o Long run-on sentence reflects how mind work, flowing Simple language shows ideas created in the mind Break in stanza shows split between break and country o Puts them in parallel, even though they are greatly different. Her images of the city are generic, and it is shown that she is reflecting on her own city in Canada. Comparison between urban and natural Canada First and second stanza are very different Language becomes more advanced Focuses on structure and description Throughout the poem she speaks on what her view of the city is, and how she compares it to the country.

The Fly in the Ointment

Basic Plot

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Begins with a young man meeting his depressed, bankrupt father. Father is mean and jealous of the success of the son. The father offers the son a cup of tea, after which he calms down and they have a casual conversation. Displays modesty and humbleness towards his son. A fly enters the room, at which point the father goes mad and tries without success to kill the fly. Becomes emotional, discussing his failure triggered by the inability to kill the fly. The son shows pity, and offers money. Father gets mad again, attacking the son and asking why he didn't offer money earlier.

The father trying to kill the fly is an illustration of how the father is trying to fix his mistakes. The ointment represents how money and wealth is splitting the family apart. The son is a successful professors, and shows kindness towards his father. "I must see him" o Shows urgency and high position as is not used to being told 'no'. When he went to see his father he becomes embarrassed with his father and his ineptitude to run a company, however shows remorse for his actions. The father is shown as a demanding and arrogant person, who sees bankruptcy as a positive thing and will do anything the maintain face. Soft, warm and kind Harsh, scary and intimidating Shown to be cunning "Like a fox" Relationship between the father and son Dysfunctional Large contrast between the personalities

Father has huge greed o Leads to important question, "Can nature change?" Father-son relationship is ever changing o Initially, seem like good friends or business partners "Hello, old chap. This is very nice of you" o Overly ceremonious o Topic becomes more passive aggressive, father is shown to have two faces. "The son noticed for the first time that his Father has two faces" o Become critical of each other "Smiling aggressively" "If I were not an optimist I wouldn't be here" Passive aggression o Son becomes embarrassed of his father Father has always been a powerful business man, tables have been flipped and son is more powerful than his father. o Father becomes jealous of his sons success, and doesn't want to lose faith.

Fly becomes a physical manifestation of the fathers problems, and his need to get rid of it shows how strong his reaction, and his weakness. Fly has negative connotations Son suggests the father opens a window and lets the fly out, showing his passive opinion. The father needs to attack it, showing a high level of aggression.

At Hiruharama
Could be compared to sandpiper.

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The story is told as a flashback, by the stories main protagonist, Tanner. Main Characters Tanner o An orphan from Lincolnshire sent to New Zealand as a servant. He meets Kitty, his future wife while at work. As they settle in, Kitty revealed that she is pregnant. During this period, he becomes much more nervous and fidgety, constantly running around and trying to get things done. However, that is out of his determination to help his wife to the best of his abilities. Kitty o Tanners wife, she met him while working as a servant. She persuaded Tanner to learn how to write and formed

his base on which he could anchor to. During her pregnancy, she is remarkably calm and quiet. Minor Characters Brinkman o Tanners neighbor, he comes around twice every year to have dinner with them. However, by a coincidence, his visit is on the day that Kitty goes into labor. He blatantly refuses to leave without food, complaining that he was counting on this dinner. Although he is a pest, Tanner and Kitty manage to deliver the baby safely. The doctor o The local doctor has almost no business due to the low rates of illness in the area. He is concise and to the point, and never wastes time. He is the one who finds that Tanner had accidentally thrown away the second baby and manages to save it. Parrish o A town local who is a pigeon-racing enthusiast, Parrish lends two racing pigeons to Tanner in order to contact the doctor if needed. Exposition Tanner is introduced o Background (family, place of origin, etc.) o Situation

Details of how Tanner and Kitty meet

Setting the scene; they move to Hiruharama Rising Action Revelation of the child Tanner going to the doctor, obtaining medicine Borrowing racing pigeons from Parrish Brinkman arriving for dinner while Kitty is in labor Climax Tanner writing a letter to the doctor Tanner helping Kitty while Brinkman complains Falling Action The doctor arriving right after the baby was delivered Tanner greeting the doctor, covered in blood Brinkman continuing to complain Resolution The doctor discovering that the afterbirth was a twin The narration ending, concluding with Throw Nothing Away and the lives of the two girls.

The Son's Veto

Themes

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Marriage o Two failed marriages Importance of education o The mother is educated as a worker, teaching her how to do hard work. The boy is educated in etiquette and language and this difference promotes conflict. Class o The son is embarrassed about his mother, as she is a lower class. o By marrying Sophie, Mr. Twycott commits social suicide due to her lower social class. o Has to move from country to city to protect them both from the impact of their relationship.

Character Analysis Sophie o Never reprimands her son, showing respect for her son even though she is older. Rev. Twycott Randolph Sam Explore the ways in which Hardy makes you sympathise with the mother and Sam in The Son's Veto.

The Destructors
Settings

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Author establishes the setting at the beginning of the story London The Characters Blackie o Leader of the gang o Around 16 years old o Trevor o Called 'T' so everyone else doesn't laugh at his upper class name. Changed after joining gang Didn't fit in with 'posh' name o Not scared of Blackie o Has clever ideas o Calm and always composed yet dangerous o 15 years old Mr. Thomas o Kind to the gang o Reminds him of his youth o Doesn't react when locked in toilet Submissive 'Boys-will-be-boys' attitude o Children think he is miserable Irony, as they are the miserable ones

Conditions

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The file is licensed under the GNU Free Documentations License. Modifications and redistributions of this license is subject to the following conditions: All previous authors of the work must be attributed. All changes to the work must be logged. All derivative works must be licensed under the same license. The full text of the license, unmodified invariant sections as defined by the author if any, and any other added warranty disclaimers (such as a general disclaimer alerting readers that the document may not be accurate for example) and copyright notices from previous versions must be maintained. Technical measures such as DRM may not be used to control or obstruct distribution or editing of the document.

You can read the full text of this license at http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html Previous Modifications All modifications to this file must be documented below in the same manor before release. @version: 1 @author: Benedict Lewis @desc: Initial release @version: 2 @author: Benedict Lewis @desc: Update to contain notes for the short stories