Saturday 30 July 2016

Poetic Forms in English

Poetry is the most lovable part of any literature, one cannot cross the literature canel without tasting the sweetest thing called poetry. Being a poetry lover we have to be aware of its form which are used in the history and continue till to date. Generally a poetry is a form of any literature that includes rhythms and aesthetic senses. The earliest poetry present now is Epic of Gilgamesh, which was written in clay tablets and it is indeed a love poem. Other ancient epic poetry includes the Greek epics Iliad and Odyssey, the Avestan books the Gathic Avesta and Yasna, the Roman national epic, Virgil's Aeneid, and the Indian epics Ramayana and Mahabharata. In English language the earliest poetic form that exist is Cædmon's Hymn. And the most popular major work in English is Beowulf. 


Different Types of Poetry

ABC
A poem that has five lines and creates a mood, picture, or feeling. Lines 1 through 4 are made up of words, phrases or clauses while the first word of each line is in alphabetical order. Line 5 is one sentence long and begins with any letter.
Acrostic
Poetry that certain letters, usually the first in each line form a word or message when read in a sequence. Example: Edgar Allan Poe's "A Valentine".
Ballad
A poem that tells a story similar to a folk tale or legend which often has a repeated refrain. 
Ballade
Poetry which has three stanzas of seven, eight or ten lines and a shorter final stanza of four or five. All stanzas end with the same one line refrain.
Blank verse
A poem written in unrhymed iambic pentameter and is often unobtrusive. The iambic pentameter form often resembles the rhythms of speech. Example: Alfred Tennyson's "Ulysses".
Bio
A poem written about one self's life, personality traits, and ambitions. Example: Jean Ingelow's "One Morning, Oh! So Early".
Burlesque
Poetry that treats a serious subject as humor. Example: E. E. Cummings "O Distinct".
Canzone
Medieval Italian lyric style poetry with five or six stanzas and a shorter ending stanza.
Carpe diem
Latin expression that means 'seize the day.' Carpe diem poems have a theme of living for today.
Cinquain
Poetry with five lines. Line 1 has one word (the title). Line 2 has two words that describe the title. Line 3 has three words that tell the action. Line 4 has four words that express the feeling, and line 5 has one word which recalls the title. 
Classicism
Poetry which holds the principles and ideals of beauty that are characteristic of Greek and Roman art, architecture, and literature.
Concrete
Also known as "size poetry". Concrete poetry uses typographical arrangements to display an element of the poem. This can either be through re-arrangement of letters of a word or by arranging the words as a shape. 
Couplet
This type of poem is two lines which may be rhymed or unrhymed. Example: Walt Whitman's "To You".
Dramatic monologue
A type of poem which is spoken to a listener. The speaker addresses a specific topic while the listener unwittingly reveals details about him/herself.
Elegy
A sad and thoughtful poem about the death of an individual. Example: Gary R. Hess's "1983".
Epic
An extensive, serious poem that tells the story about a heroic figure.
Epigram
A very short, ironic and witty poem usually written as a brief couplet or quatrain. The term is derived from the Greek epigramma meaning inscription.
Epitaph
A commemorative inscription on a tomb or mortuary monument written to praise the deceased. Example: Ben Jonson's "On My First Sonne".
Epithalamium (Epithalamion)
A poem written in honor of the bride and groom.
Free verse (vers libre)
Poetry written in either rhyme or unrhymed lines that have no set fixed metrical pattern. Read more: What is Free Verse Poetry?
Found
Poetry created by taking words, phrases, and passages from other sources and re-framing them by adding spaces, lines, or by altering the text with additions or subtractions.
Ghazal
A short lyrical poem that arose in Urdu. It is between 5 and 15 couplets long. Each couplet contains its own poetic thought but is linked in rhyme that is established in the first couplet and continued in the second line of each pair. The lines of each couplet are equal in length. Themes are usually connected to love and romance. The closing signature often includes the poet's name or allusion to it.
Haiku
A Japanese poem composed of three unrhymed lines of five, seven, and five morae, usually containing a season word. 
Horatian ode
Short lyric poem written in two or four-line stanzas, each with its the same metrical pattern, often addressed to a friend and deal with friendship, love and the practice of poetry. It is named after its creator, Horace.
Iambic pentameter
One short syllable followed by one long one five sets in a row. Example: la-LAH la-LAH la-LAH la-LAH la-LAH. Used extensively in sonnets.
Idyll (Idyl)
Poetry that either depicts a peaceful, idealized country scene or a long poem telling a story about heroes of a bye gone age.
Irregular (Pseudo-Pindaric or Cowleyan) ode
Neither the three part form of the pindaric ode nor the two or four-line stanza of the Horatian ode. It is characterized by irregularity of verse and structure and lack of correspondence between the parts.
Italian sonnet
A sonnet consisting of an octave with the rhyme pattern abbaabba followed by six lines with a rhyme pattern of cdecde or cdcdcd. 
Lay
A long narrative poem, especially one that was sung by medieval minstrels.
Limerick
A short sometimes vulgar, humorous poem consisting of five anapestic lines. Lines 1, 2, and 5 have seven to ten syllables, rhyme and have the same verbal rhythm. The 3rd and 4th lines have five to seven syllables, rhyme and have the same rhythm.
List
A poem that is made up of a list of items or events. It can be any length and rhymed or unrhymed.
Lyric
A poem that expresses the thoughts and feelings of the poet. Many songs are written using this type of writing. 
Memoriam stanza
A quatrain in iambic tetrameter with a rhyme scheme of abba -- named after the pattern used by Lord Tennyson.
Name
Poetry that tells about the word. It uses the letters of the word for the first letter of each line.
Narrative
A poem that tells a story. 
Ode
A lengthy lyric poem typically of a serious or meditative nature and having an elevated style and formal stanza structure. Example: Sappho's "Ode to a Loved One".
Pastoral
A poem that depicts rural life in a peaceful, romanticized way.
Petrarchan
A 14-line sonnet consisting of an octave rhyming abbaabba followed by a sestet of cddcee or cdecde
Pindaric ode
A ceremonious poem consisting of a strophe (two or more lines repeated as a unit) followed by a an antistrophe with the same metrical pattern and concluding with a summary line (an epode) in a different meter. Named after Pindar, a Greek professional lyrist of the 5th century B.C.
Quatrain
A stanza or poem consisting of four lines. Lines 2 and 4 must rhyme while having a similar number of syllables.
Rhyme
A rhyming poem has the repetition of the same or similar sounds of two or more words, often at the end of the line. 
Rhyme royal
A type of poetry consisting of stanzas having seven lines in iambic pentameter.
Romanticism
A poem about nature and love while having emphasis on the personal experience.
Rondeau
A lyrical poem of French origin having 10 or 13 lines with two rhymes and with the opening phrase repeated twice as the refrain.
Senryu
A short Japanese style poem, similar to haiku in structure that treats human beings rather than nature: Often in a humorous or satiric way.
Sestina
A poem consisting of six six-line stanzas and a three-line envoy. The end words of the first stanza are repeated in varied order as end words in the other stanzas and also recur in the envoy.
Shakespearean
A 14-line sonnet consisting of three quatrains of abab cdcd efef followed by a couplet, gg. Shakespearean sonnets generally use iambic pentameter. Example: Shakespeare's "Sonnet 2".
Shape
Poetry written in the shape or form of an object. This is a type of concrete poetry.
Sonnet
A lyric poem that consists of 14 lines which usually have one or more conventional rhyme schemes. 
Sound
Intended primarily for performance, sound poetry is sometimes referred to as "verse without words". This form is seen as the bridging between literary and musical composition in which the phonetics of human speech are used to create a poem.
Tanka
A Japanese poem of five lines, the first and third composed of five syllables and the other seven.
Terza Rima
A type of poetry consisting of 10 or 11 syllable lines arranged in three-line tercets.
Verse
A single metrical line of poetry.
Villanelle
A 19-line poem consisting of five tercets and a final quatrain on two rhymes. The first and third lines of the first tercet repeat alternately as a refrain closing the succeeding stanzas and joined as the final couplet of the quatrain.
Visual
The visual arrangement of text, images, and symbols to help convey the meaning of the work. Visual poetry is sometimes referred to as a type of concrete poetry.

Thursday 28 July 2016

Notable Quotes From The Play Othello By William Shakespeare

1. A fellow almost damn'd in a fair wife,
That never set a squadron in the field,
Nor the division of a battle knows
More than a spinster—Iago's description of Cassio, who was chosen by Othello to be his lieutenant, a position that Iago wanted.

2. The bookish theoric—Iago's scornful characterization of Cassio's military knowledge as all theory learned from books.

3. 'tis the curse of service,
Preferment goes by letter and affection,
And not by old gradation, where each second
Stood heir to the first.—Iago resentfully explains that he didn't get a promotion ("preferment") because Cassio was the beneficiary of favoritism, even though in the good old days a promotion would have been awarded strictly on the basis of seniority.

4. We cannot all be masters, nor all masters
Cannot be truly follow'd.—Iago says that though he serves his master, Othello, he does so only for his own purposes, not to "truly follow" him.

5. Whip me such honest knaves.—Iago's opinion of what should be done to reward servants who are loyal to their masters.

6. I am not what I am.—Iago boasts that Othello doesn't really know him.

7. Even now, now, very now, an old black ram
Is tupping your white ewe.—Trying to provoke Brabantio, Desdemona's father, Iago delivers an obscene description of sex between Othello and Desdemona.

8. You are one of those that will not serve God, if the devil bid you.—Iago accuses Brabantio of being blind to the truth because of his prejudice against the messengers that bring the truth.

9. your daughter and the Moor are now making the beast with two backs—Iago again uses beastly imagery of sex in order to provoke Brabantio.

10. Keep up your bright swords, for the dew will rust them.—With gentle irony, Othello prevents an imminent brawl between his soldiers and Brabantio's gang.

11. The wealthy curled darlings of our nation.—Brabantio's description of potential suitors whom Desdemona avoided.

12. Most potent, grave, and reverend signiors,
My very noble and approv'd good masters,
That I have ta'en away this old man's daughter,
It is most true; true, I have married her:
The very head and front of my offending
Hath this extent, no more.—Othello responds to Brabantio's accusation that he must have used drugs or magic on Desdemona.

13. Her father loved me; oft invited me;
Still question'd me the story of my life,
From year to year, the battles, sieges, fortunes,
That I have passed.
I ran it through, even from my boyish days,
To the very moment that he bade me tell it—Othello describes how Desdemona's father loved to hear the story of Othello's warrior life.

14. She loved me for the dangers I had pass'd,
And I loved her that she did pity them
This only is the witchcraft I have used.—The end of Othello's speech defending himself from Brabantio's accusation that he must have used drugs or magic on Desdemona.

15. I do perceive here a divided duty.—Desdemona proclaims that she owes duty to both her father and her new husband, Othello.

16. The robb'd that smiles, steals something from the thief;
He robs himself that spends a bootless grief.—The Duke of Venice, trying to persuade Brabantio to drop his anger about the marriage of Othello and Desdemona, tells him that a change of attitude would be good for him.

17. The tyrant custom, most grave senators,
Hath made the flinty and steel couch of war
My thrice-driven bed of down.—When told that he must immediately depart for Cyprus to deal with the threat from the Turkish fleet, Othello declares that his life as a warrior has accustomed him to the hardships of war.

18. I saw Othello's visage in his mind.—In pleading with the Duke to be allowed to accompany Othello to Cyprus, Desdemona declares the depth of her love for Othello. She saw his true image not in his black face, but in his mind.

19. to be free and bounteous to her mind—In pleading with the Duke to allow Desdemona to accompany him to Cyprus, Othello declares that it is his respect for her wishes that motivates him.

20. Look to her, Moor, if thou hast eyes to see:
She has deceived her father, and may thee.—Brabantio spitefully warns Othello that his daughter, Desdemona, may betray him.

21. Put money in thy purse.—Iago promises Roderigo that he can have Desdemona, even though she is married to Othello and accompanying him to Cyprus. All Roderigo needs to do is assume a disguise, go to Cyprus, and "put money in thy purse."

22. The food that to him now is as luscious as locusts, shall be to him shortly as bitter as coloquintida.—Iago tells Roderigo that both Othello and Desdemona are changeable, so that although Desdemona is now "luscious" to Othello, he will soon find her "bitter."

23. Framed to make women false.—Iago reflects on how Cassio's appearance and manners will aid in his plan to make Othello jealous. Cassio is handsome and charming, just the sort of man to tempt women to betray their husbands.

24. One that excels the quirks of blazoning pens.—Describing Desdemona, Cassio says that she is more beautiful than can be described by ingenious writers who have made women famous.

25. For I am nothing, if not critical.—Iago teasingly warns off Desdemona when she asks him to comment on her. This is just after he has made a series of sarcastic remarks about women in general.

26. I am not merry; but I do beguile
The thing I am, by seeming otherwise.—Desdemona, anxiously awaiting the arrival of Othello in Cyprus, explains why she has asked the witty Iago to say something about her.

27. She that was ever fair and never proud,
Had tongue at will, and yet was never loud.—The opening of Iago's joking description of a perfect woman.

28. She was a wight, if ever such wight were, . . . To suckle fools and chronicle small beer.—The punch line of Iago's description of a perfect woman.

29. You may relish him more in the soldier than in the scholar.—Cassio's amused description of Iago, after Iago has delivered his sarcastic commentary on women.

30. If after every tempest come such calms,
May the winds blow till they have waken'd death!—After a rough sea voyage from Venice, Othello expresses his joy at his reunion with Desdemona.

31. I'll have our Michael Cassio on the hip,
Abuse him to the Moor in the rank garb--
For I fear Cassio with my night-cap too--
Make the Moor thank me, love me and reward me.
For making him egregiously an ass—Iago looks forward to the hugely satisfying outcome of his plot.

32. I have very poor and unhappy brains for drinking.—Cassio tries to beg out of Iago's invitation to a drinking party.

33. Potations pottle-deep.—Iago describes the amount of liquor that Roderigo has taken on (about a half-gallon) in preparation for his encounter with Cassio.

34. King Stephen was a worthy peer,
His breeches cost him but a crown;
He held them sixpence all too dear,—
With that he called the tailor lown.—The opening of Iago's drinking song, intended to encourage Cassio to drink carelessly and act carelessly.

35. Silence that dreadful bell: it frights the isle
From her propriety.—Othello commands that the alarm bell be silenced, lest it create panic among the citizens of the island of Cyprus.

36. Thy honesty and love doth mince this matter.—After Iago tells the story of the brawl into which Roderigo drew Cassio, Othello says that Iago is such a good friend to Cassio that he has varnished over Cassio's reckless behavior.

37. Cassio, I love thee;
But never more be officer of mine.—Othello dismisses Cassio, his best friend, from his job.

38. Iago. What, are you hurt, lieutenant?
Cassio. Ay, past all surgery.—Iago asked Cassio if he has been wounded. Cassio replies that the wound he has suffered is one that no surgery can heal.

39. Reputation, reputation, reputation! Oh, I have lost my reputation! I have lost the immortal part of myself, and what remains is bestial.—Cassio mourns that he has lost his reputation by his rash and drunken actions.

40. O thou invisible spirit of wine, if thou hast no name to be known by, let us call thee devil!—Cassio curses drink as a devil which leads men into evil.

41. O God, that men should put an enemy in their mouths to steal away their brains!—Cassio continues to curse drink.

42. Come, come, good wine is a good familiar creature, if it be well used.—Iago encourages Cassio to quit cursing drink. This is part of Iago's plan to get Cassio into a more hopeful state of mind, so that he will approach Desdemona in an attempt to get his job back from Othello.

43. How poor are they that have not patience!—When Roderigo complains that all he has gotten from participating in Iago's plot is a beating, Iago tells him that he just needs to be patient.

44. Excellent wretch! Perdition catch my soul,
But I do love thee! and when I love thee not,
Chaos is come again.—Just before Iago traps him into insane jealousy, Othello expresses his deep love for Desdemona.

45. Speak to me as to thy thinkings,
As thou dost ruminate, and give thy worst of thoughts
The worst of words.—Othello asks Iago to tell him the truth about what he is thinking. Iago has thrown out some hints about a relationship between Cassio and Desdemona, but is pretending that he doesn't want to say anything more.

46. Good name in man and woman, dear my lord,
Is the immediate jewel of their souls:
Who steals my purse steals trash; 'tis something, nothing;
'Twas mine, 'tis his, and has been slave to thousands;
But he that filches from me my good name
Robs me of that which not enriches him
And makes me poor indeed.—With a string of platitudes, Iago continues to pretend that he doesn't want to ruin anyone's reputation.

47. O, beware, my lord, of jealousy!
It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock
The meat it feeds on.—Iago, to make Othello even more jealous, warns Othello against jealousy.

48. But, O, what damned minutes tells he o'er
Who dotes, yet doubts, suspects, yet strongly loves!—Iago continues his reverse-psychology strategy of warning Othello against jealousy.

49. Poor and content is rich and rich enough.—Iago delivers this bit of wisdom to Othello as a way enraging Othello. (Othello is not a man who can be content to know that he has lost of the love of Desdemona.)

50. to be once in doubt
Is once to be resolv'd.—Trying to prove to Iago that he is not jealous, Othello says that as soon as he has suspicions he will look for evidence of guilt or innocence.

51. If I do prove her haggard,
Though that her jesses were my dear heart-strings,
I'ld whistle her off and let her down the wind,
To prey at fortune.—In a soliloquy, Othello says that if he finds proof that Desdemona has betrayed him, he'll just let her go.

52. I am declined
Into the vale of years.—Trying to think of why Desdemona might have quit loving him, Othello says that he is approaching the age of 35.

53. O curse of marriage,
That we can call these delicate creatures ours,
And not their appetites! I had rather be a toad,
And live upon the vapour of a dungeon,
Than keep a corner in the thing I love
For others' uses.—In a soliloquy, Othello explores the idea of Desdemona's unfaithfulness and sinks ever deeper into angry jealousy.

54. Trifles light as air
Are to the jealous confirmations strong
As proofs of holy writ.—Iago, after telling us how he is going to use Desdemona's handkerchief to confirm Othello's jealousy, comments on how easy it is to fool a jealous person.

55. Not poppy, nor mandragora,
Nor all the drowsy syrups of the world,
Shall ever medicine thee to that sweet sleep
Which thou owedst yesterday.—Speaking to Othello before Othello can hear him, Iago comments that Othello's jealousy will keep from every sleeping again.

56. I swear 'tis better to be much abused
Than but to know 't a little.—In the agony of jealous doubt, Othello declares that it is better to be ignorant of wrongs done to one, rather than to have only a little information about them.

57. O, now, for ever
Farewell the tranquil mind! farewell content!
Farewell the plumed troop and the big wars
That make ambition virtue! O, farewell!
Farewell the neighing steed and the shrill trump,
The spirit-stirring drum, the ear-piercing fife—Becoming convinced of Desdemona's unfaithfulness, Othello feels worthless and says farewell to all he has ever known, his life as a warrior.

58. Villain, be sure thou prove my love a whore;
Be sure of it; give me the ocular proof.—For a moment, Othello's jealousy turns into anger against Iago, and he demands proof that he can see.

59. On horror's head horrors accumulate.—Othello tells Iago that if he is slandering Desdemona he might as well do all other crimes that can be imagined, since he has already done something damnably horrible.

60. Take note, take note, O world,
To be direct and honest is not safe.—Responding to Othello's doubt about his truthfulness, Iago proclaims that he was only trying to be honest.

61. Swell, bosom, with thy fraught,
For 'tis of aspics' tongues!—Othello proclaims to Iago that his heart is now full of hate for Desdemona.

62. Like to the Pontic sea,
Whose icy current and compulsive course
Ne'er feels retiring ebb, but keeps due on
To the Propontic and the Hellespont,
Even so my bloody thoughts, with violent pace,
Shall ne'er look back, ne'er ebb to humble love—Othello declares to Iago that his jealous anger is at full tide, and will never slack.

63. Our new heraldry is hands, not hearts.—Shortly before he asks Desdemona to produce the handkerchief he gave her, Othello throws out an obscure hint about his suspicion that she is unfaithful.

64. 'tis the strumpet's plague
To beguile many, and be beguil'd by one.—Iago comments on the foolish love that Bianca, a prostitute, has for Cassio.

65. They laugh that win.—When Cassio laughs at the idea of marrying Bianca, Othello, who thinks Cassio is talking about Desdemona, becomes more confirmed in his jealousy

66. But yet the pity of it, Iago!
O Iago, the pity of it, Iago!—Having sworn to kill Desdemona, Othello mourns the loss of the beautiful woman he loved.

67. I understand a fury in your words,
But not the words.—When Othello speaks of Desdemona as though she is a whore, Desdemona tells him that she knows he's angry, but not why he's angry.

68. Yet could I bear that too; well, very well:
But there, where I have garner'd up my heart,
Where either I must live, or bear no life;
The fountain from the which my current runs,
Or else dries up; to be discarded thence!—Othello tells Desdemona that he can bear any affliction except the loss of her love.

69. O thou weed,
Who art so lovely fair and smell'st so sweet
That the sense aches at thee, would thou hadst ne'er been born.—Othello, speaking to Desdemona, is torn between hate and love.

70. O Heaven, that such companions thou'ldst unfold,
And put in every honest hand a whip
To lash the rascals naked through the world!—Emilia, suspecting that some of Othello's associates have poisoned his mind about Desdemona, appeals to heaven to reveal who they are, so that every honest person can punish them.

71. 'Tis neither here nor there.—Asked by Desdemona if itching eyes lead to weeping, Emilia says it doesn't make any difference.

72. It makes us or it mars us.—Having persuaded Roderigo that he must kill Cassio, Iago tells Roderigo that this action is crucial to everything.

73. Every way makes my gain.—Iago reflects that whether Roderigo kills Cassio, or Cassio kills Roderigo, or they kill each other, he's ahead of the game.

74. He hath a daily beauty in his life
That makes me ugly—Iago comments on one reason he wants Cassio dead.

75. Yet I'll not shed her blood;
Nor scar that whiter skin of hers than snow,
And smooth as monumental alabaster.—As he prepares to kill Desdemona, Othello promises that he won't disfigure her.

76. Put out the light, and then put out the light:
If I quench thee, thou flaming minister,
I can again thy former light restore
Should I repent me; but once put out thy light,
Thou cunning'st pattern of excelling nature,
I know not where is that Promethean heat
That can thy light relume.—As he tries to bring himself to kill Desdemona, Othello confronts the finality of what he is about to do.

77. So sweet was ne'er so fatal.—Giving the sleeping Desdemona a kiss, Othello reminds himself that he is about to kill her.

78. Had all his hairs been lives, my great revenge
Had stomach for them all.—Believing that Iago has killed Cassio, Othello tells Desdemona that he gladly would have killed Cassio many times over.

79. Nay, had she been true,
If heaven would make me such another world
Of one entire and perfect chrysolite,
I'ld not have sold her for it.—Having killed Desdemona, Othello tells Emilia that Desdemona was a precious jewel, except for her unfaithfulness.

80. I am not valiant neither,
But every puny whipster gets my sword:
But why should honor outlive honesty?
Let it go all.—After learning the truth about Desdemona's love and loyalty, and after having is sword taken from him, Othello faces the psychological consequences of what he has done.

81. I have done the state some service, and they know't.
No more of that. I pray you, in your letters,
When you shall these unlucky deeds relate,
Speak of me as I am; nothing extenuate,
Nor set down aught in malice. Then, must you speak
Of one that loved not wisely but too well—Speaking to all who have been horrified by Othello's murder of his wife, Othello takes responsibility for what he has done and faces the consequences.

82. I took by the throat the circumcised dog,
And smote him, thus.—As Othello describes how he killed a traitor, Othello kills himself.

83. I kiss'd thee ere I kill'd thee: no way but this;
Killing myself, to die upon a kiss.—Speaking to the corpse of Desdemona, and kissing her, Othello dies

Monday 25 July 2016

How To Use Either/Or And Neither/Nor Properly

Before going into this topic I want to put few questions before you to think about it. First one is, can we use 'either' without 'or' or 'neither' without 'nor'? Do they always come together? The next question is, Does both the words either and neither carries the same meaning? I hope you can find the answer for these questions by the end of this article. These terms are often used by us in many conversations and write ups, but I have seen many people who are struggling to use it in the appropriate place. So let us first discuss about the meaning and usage of these terms with adequate examples.


Either/or

Mostly we use this term when we compare two things, for example we can either drink tea or coffee. In this example we stated the limited in choice to two options. It is not always necessary to use these terms 'either and or' together always, so here goes another example for this I'm not happy either' in this sentence you must have noticed that this is a reply for someone's question or statement. Let us see more examples,

(i) There was no mistake on either side
(ii) Either you can ride the bike or car
(iii) It was either Mary or Sheela who received your letter.
(iv) Either Mary or Sheela received your letter.
(v) Tom doesn't like biscuit or bread.




Neither/nor


Generally 'neither' gives negative meaning to the verbs. This is also tells that the current statement and the following statements are negative. For example, She was not sad and neither were they.  It carries the meaning that not one nor the other, not either. Always the use of either is consider as positive and the use of neither as negative. You can able to find it clear in the below examples.

(i) Neither the teachers nor the students are free in the class
(ii) Neither of my sisters are around
(iii) Neither India nor Srilanka got to the quarter finals this year.
(iv) By the way, neither John nor I drink.
(v) I could neither cry nor laugh.



Note:

1. Either cannot be paired with nor and neither cannot be paired with or

2. Never use two negative terms in a same sentence. For example, Kevin doesn't know nothing, this is absolutely wrong.

3. Louise didn't find the book neither on nor under the table. This sentence is wrong, we shouldn't use both negatives in a sentence which implicitly makes it positive.   


Books..

       

Sunday 24 July 2016

The Importance Of Being Earnest By Oscar Wilde




Oscar Wilde (Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde) ,19th century's most popular playwright, essayist and poet of London, he was born in Ireland in 1854. Oscar Wilde was influenced by many great poets such as Keats, Tennyson and Rosetti etc. The play 'The Importance of Being Earnest' is a trivial comedy of serious people is one of the most notable work of Wilde. This play sets in the Victorian period as the background, the rich crowd lived a life of pleasure and ease and this play has major motto such as marriage, humor and contemporary society. It is a Victorian melodrama and sentimental comedy and it is unique for its triviality. The actual strength of this masterpiece is its dialogue and element of satire. 

Overview

Author: Oscar Wilde
Century: 19th century
Period: Victorian Age
Theme: The Constraints of Morality
Major characters: Jack, Algernon, Gwendolen, Cecily, Lady Bracknell
Plot Summary

Act I 

Algernon Moncrieff's flat in Half Moon Street

Algernon is a young gentleman who is living a life of pleasure by doing nothing and his friend Jack who is also called as 'Ernest' who has come to meet Algernon's cousin Gwendolen and also he wishes to propose her.  Jack is the hero of this play, he is consider as a serious mind noble person to the society but he lives a double life. Ernest( Jack) is the guardian of Cecily, childish and innocent girl who loves his uncle Jack's brother for his name 'Ernest' but Jack who forges that he has a bother named Jack in London, both are same none other than Jack. Jack propose to Gwendolen when she is away from his mother Lady Backnell, the woman who did a little inquiry and research in the background of Jack and avoids him in the thought of misunderstanding that he is not from a noble family. But Gwendolen is impressed by Jack and his name 'Ernest' in a childish way.

Act II

The Garden of the Manor House, Woolton

This act sets in Cecily's town, Algernon arrives there and pretends himself as Jack's brother Ernest, Cecily who had already fell in love with the name 'Ernest' welcomes him with pleasure. In the feel of guilt Jack wants to end his dual act role so he announced that his brother Ernest was died and he is unaware of the presence of his friend Algernon who presented himself as Ernest. Meanwhile Gwendolen ran away from her home and reached Cecily's place to marry the man called Ernest.


Act III

Morning-Room at the Manor House, Woolton

Lady Bracknell who reached the town in search of his daughter Gwendolen, there he found Algernon and Cecily got engaged to each other in the absence of Jack, the guardian of Cecily. Lady Bracknell finally recognized that Jack is the brother of Algernon who was aborted from the family about 28 years and that revealed Jack's father real name is Ernest. Finally the couples Algernon and Cecily, Jack and Gwendolen became happy of achieving the name Ernest.  The play ends with the words of Jack "I've now realised for the first time in my life the vital importance of being Earnest."

Quotes from the play:

“The truth is rarely pure and never simple.”

“All women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy. No man does, and that is his.”

“I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read in the train.”

“The good ended happily, and the bad unhappily. That is what Fiction means.”

“I hope you have not been leading a double life, pretending to be wicked and being good all the time. That would be hypocrisy.”

“I am sick to death of cleverness. Everybody is clever nowadays.”

“Never speak disrespectfully of Society, Algernon. Only people who can’t get into it do that.”

Books:


Thursday 21 July 2016

Great Contributors of English Literature



1. Father of English History - Saint Bede ( 672/673 – 735 )
2. Father of English Literature , Poetry , Language & Short Story -Geoffrey Chaucer (1343? – 1400)
3. Father of English Drama - William Shakespeare (1564 – 1616)
4. Father of English Criticism - John Dryden (1631 – 1700)
5. Father of English Novel - Daniel Defoe(1659 – 1731)
6. Father of English Stream of Conscious Novel - James Joyce (1882 – 1941)
7. Father of English Tragedy - Christopher Marlowe (1564 – 1593)
8. Father of English One Act Play - Samuel Johnson (1709 – 1784)
9. Father of English Romanticism - Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772 – 1834) William Wordsworth (1770 – 1850)
10. Father of English Grammar - Lindley Murray (1745 – 1826)
11. Father of English Essay - Francis Bacon (1561 – 1626)
12. Father of English Mystery Plays - Edger Allen Poe (1809 – 1849)
13. Father of Epic Poetry - Homer
14. Father of English Press - William Caxton
15. Father of Modern theatre - Henrik Ibsen

1. Morning star of Reformation - John Wycliff
2. The child of Renaissance - Spenser
3. 20th century Dryden - T.S. Eliot
4. Mulkraj Anand of America - Arthur Miller
5. The Poet of Terror - Robert Frost
6. The voice of humanist Puritanism - Addison
7. Poet’s Poet - Spenser
8. Critic’s Critic - Hazlitt
9. Bard of Avon - Shakespeare
10. Sweet swan of Avon - Shakespeare
11. The Chaucer of Scotland - William Dunber
12. The Seneca of America - Emerson
13. The Wisest fool - Mohammed Bin Tuqlak
14. The Boon from heaven - Mother Teresa
15. The Archangel slightly damaged - Coleridge
16. England’s first historian - Bede
17. Lady of the Christ College - Milton
18. Master of the Grand style - Milton
19. Poet of the Devil’s Party - Milton
20. The morning star of the drama - Marlow
21. Young Juvenill - Thomas Nash
22. Fore runner of humarist - Thomas Decker
23. Master of heroic couplets - John Dryden & Pope
24. Originator of the form of the novel - Richardson
25. The last inheritor of Addison & Steele - Oliver Goldsmith
26. Pre-cursors of Romantic Movement - Thomas Gray & Francis Thomas
27. Lake Poets - Wordsworth, Coleridge, Southey
28. Chameleon Poet - John Keats
29. Egotistical Sublime - William Wordsworth
30. Representative Poet - Tennyson


Works - Authors

# Essay on Man - a poem by Pope
# Essay on Milton - a prose by Macaulay
# Essay on Criticism - a poem by Pope
# Essay In Criticism - a prose by Mathew Arnold
# Essays of Elia - Charles Lamb
# Essays of Ancient & Modern - T. S. Eliot
# The Rape of the Lock - epic poem by Pope
# The Rape of the Lucrecee - a long poem by Shakespeare
# The way of the World - A comedy by William Congrave
# The Way of All Flesh - a novel by Samuel Butler.
# The Prelude - A poem by William Wordsworth
# Preludes - A poem by T. S. Eliot
# Elizabethan Essays - Prose by T. S. Eliot
# Elizabeth and Essex - prose by Lytton Stretchey
# Everyman - One of the best known morality plays.
# Everyman in His Humour - Satirical comedy by Ben Jonson.
# The Book of The Duchesse - A poem by Chaucer
# The Book of Martyrs - a story by John Foxe
# The Pilgrim’s Progress - by John Bunyan
# The Pilgrim’s of the Rhine - by Bulwer Lytton
# The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gent– a novel by. terne
# Tristram & Iscult - Matthew Arnold
# Lyrical Ballads - Collection poems by Coleridge&Wordsworth
# Prefare to Lyrical Bullads - A prose by Wordsworth.
# All for love - A blank verse tragedy by Dryden
# Love labour lost - A drama by Shakespeare
# A portrait of The Artist as a Young man- A novel by Joyce
# Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog- Dylan Thomas
# Portrait of dare - a novel by Francis Bret James
# A portrait of A lady - a novel by Henry James.
# The Duchess of Dadna - a drama by Oscar Wilde
# The Duchess of Malfi - tragedy John Webster
# A Tale of Two cities - a novel by Dickens
# A Tale of Manchester Life - a novel by Mrs.E.Gaskell
# The Anatomy of Melancholy - a critique by Robert Burton
# The Anatomy of the world - a poem on prince Henry written by
Donne
# The Battle of Books - a satire by swift
# The Battle of Maldon - Anglo Saxon war poem.
# A women killed with kindress - a drama by Heywood
# The woman in the Moon - a play by Lily
# Ode on The Nativity - a poem by Milton
# Ode on Duty - a poem by Wordsworth



Wednesday 20 July 2016

Alfred, Lord Tennyson



Alfred, Lord Tennyson, the man who is famous for his short lyrics and dramatic monologues was born in England in 1809, a well-known poet of Victorian period. In his early stage of life he used to attempt dramas but plays are more successful than them. The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations named Tennyson as ninth most frequently quoted writer. His works are majorly have the themes of classical mythology, historical and political, but he is a writer of all matters. Tennyson was influenced by Byron and Scott poetry from his childhood, his early works has the reflection of his influences. 

Name : Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Born : 6 August 1809
Died: 6 October 1892
Genre: Lyric and Short narrative poems
Major Works:  “The Battle of Brunanburh”, “Crossing the Bar”, The Idylls of the King, In Memoriam, “The Lady of Shalott”, “The Lotus Eaters”, “The Palace of Art”, “Mariana”, “St. Simeon Stylites”, “Tithonus”, “Ulysses”.

In Memoriam, is written in the memory of the poet's beloved friend Arthur Henry Hellem who died in the age of 22 due to ague in 1849. The Lotus Eaters is a poetry collection published in the year of 1832, Tennyson wrote this in the influence of his trip to Spain with his friend Hellem, this poem describes about a group of a mariners who ate lotus leaves and attain a altered state. The poem 'Ulysses' is one of the most notable and famous work done by this poet, this poem is written in blank verse in 1833 but published in the year 1842 in the dramatic monologue form. Ulysses is a famous character in literature first recorded in Iliad and Odyssey by Homer in 800 B.C. In this Tennyson's poem Ulysses, mythical hero describes his own restlessness to return to his kingdom to meet his wife and son again after the war. 



Quotes of Alfred, Lord Tennyson

"o strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield."

"I am a part of all that I have met."

"Knowledge comes, but wisdom lingers."

"Theirs is not to make reply: Theirs is not to reason why: Theirs is but to do and die."

"If I had a flower for every time I thought of you, I could walk in my garden forever."

"There lives more faith in honest doubt, believe me, than in half the creeds."

"Hope smiles on the threshold of the year to come, whispering that it will be happier."

"Dreams are true while they last, and do we not live in dreams?"



Books


Monday 18 July 2016

Difference Between Phrase and Clause

The first and foremost thing about this topic is, why we have to know the differences between phrase and clause. So here are few essential points you must be aware of, inorder to understand the usage of punctuation one must be clear with these difference. And the second point is to construct a proper sentence without any grammatical error we should be knowing the attributes of phrase and clause. Now we are going see the definitions with few elaborate examples to understand the core meaning.

 Phrase

Basically, phrase is a collection of related words without any complete meaning in it. It doesn't contain any subject, predicate or a subject with verb it may have a noun. There are different types of phrases exist and they are,

Types of Phrase:

1. Noun phrase
2. Verb phrase
3. Adjective phrase
4. Adverbial phrase
5. prepositional phrase



Examples:

(i) to win the second prize ( Noun Phrase)
(ii) is running ( Verb Phrase)
(iii) was a healthy woman ( Adjective Phrase)
(iv) in a mild voice ( Adverbial Phrase)
(v) on the bench ( Prepositional Phrase)

Clause

A clause is generally a group of words, it may be a part of sentence or it can be a sentence itself (independent sentence). It contains subject and predicate which delivers a proper meaning.

Types of Clause:

1. Main Clause
2. Subordinate Clause

Example:

(i ) I saw the girl who had helped me. 

In the above example "I saw the girl" is the main clause and "who had helped me" is the subordinate clause. Which means a main clause is a independent clause that can stand as a sentence but the subordinate clause does not have a complete meaning it has to depend on the main clause. Subordinate clause must contain a relative pronoun or subordinate conjunction for eg: after, as, although, who, which etc.

(ii) We rested when evening came.

We rested - Main clause
when evening came - Subordinate clause

Phrase VS Clause

       PHRASE
CLAUSE
                  
i. Phrase don't have subject and predicate                                               

ii. Don't have a complete meaning  

iii. Cannot stand alone
 i.  Clauses have subject and
predicate                                  


ii. Have a complete meaning


iii. Independent clause can stand alone 

       

Saturday 16 July 2016

List of Literary Awards for British & American Literature


International awards
  • Nobel Prize in Literature - since 1901
  • Golden Wreath of Struga Poetry Evenings - since 1966
  • Neustadt International Prize for Literature - since 1970
  • America Award - since 1994
  • Franz Kafka Prize - since 2001
  • Man Booker International Prize - since 2005
  • The Warwick Prize for Writing - since 2008
  • Jan Michalski Prize for Literature – since 2009
  • International Rubery Book Award - since 2010
  • KONS International Literary Award - since 2011
  • Windham–Campbell Literature Prizes - since 2013

British literature
  • Author's Club First Novel Award
  • Betty Trask Award
  • Booker Prize
  • British Book Awards – the "Nibbies"
  • Chancellor's Gold Medal
  • Commonwealth Short Story Prize
  • Commonwealth Writers' Prize
  • Dundee International Book Prize
  • Duff Cooper Prize
  • Forward Prize
  • Hawthornden Prize
  • Hessell-Tiltman Prize
  • International Rubery Book Award
  • James Tait Black Memorial Prize for biography
  • James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction
  • John Llewellyn Rhys Prize
  • Meyer-Whitworth Award
  • Newdigate prize
  • Orange Prize for Fiction
  • Orwell Prize
  • Samuel Johnson Prize
  • SI Leeds Literary Prize
  • Somerset Maugham Award
  • T. S. Eliot Prize
  • Waverton Good Read Award
  • Costa Book Awards
  • Marsh Biography Award 
  • Marsh Award for Children's Literature 

American literature
  • Aga Khan Prize for Fiction
  • Ambassador Book Award
  • American Academy of Arts and Letters Gold Medals in Belles Lettres, Criticism and Essays
  • American Academy of Arts and Letters Gold Medal in Drama
  • American Academy of Arts and Letters Gold Medal for Fiction, Novels, Short Stories
  • American Academy of Arts and Letters Gold Medal in Poetry
  • American Book Awards
  • Anisfield-Wolf Book Award
  • Arab American Book Award
  • Arkansas Arabic Translation Award
  • Arthur Rense Prize
  • Asian American Literary Awards
  • Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature
  • Autumn House Press Poetry Prize for a full-length book manuscript
  • Autumn House Press Fiction Prize for a full-length book manuscript
  • Bancroft Prize
  • Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation
  • The Best American Poetry series
  • Best Translated Book Award
  • Bobbitt National Prize for Poetry
  • Bollingen Prize
  • Center for Fiction First Novel Prize
  • Christopher Hewitt Award
  • Colorado Book Award
  • The Dana Award
  • Donna J. Stone National Literary Awards
  • Dos Passos Prize
  • Edgar Allan Poe Award
  • Edward Lewis Wallant Award
  • Fabri Literary Prize
  • Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction
  • Frost Medal
  • Goldsmith Book Prize
  • Gregory Kolovakos Award
  • Harold Morton Landon Translation Award
  • Helen and Kurt Wolff Translator's Prize
  • Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award
  • Hispanic Heritage Award for Literature
  • Hopwood Award
  • Hugo Award
  • James Duval Phelan Award
  • James Jones First Novel Award
  • James Laughlin Award
  • Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize
  • The John Esten Cooke Fiction Award
  • Joseph Henry Jackson Award
  • Kate Tufts Discovery Award
  • Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award
  • Lambda Literary Award
  • Lannan Literary Awards
  • Los Angeles Times Book Prize
  • Mary Tanenbaum Award for Nonfiction
  • Michael Braude Award for Light Verse
  • Minnesota Book Award
  • National Book Award
  • National Book Critics Circle Award
  • National Hispanic Cultural Center Literary Award
  • National Jewish Book Award, Jewish Book Council
  • National Outdoor Book Award
  • National Poetry Series
  • National Translation Award
  • Native Writers' Circle of the Americas
  • Nautilus Book Awards
  • Nebula Award for Science Fiction
  • Newbery Medal
  • The New Criterion Poetry Prize
  • O. Henry Awards (for short stories)
  • Outstanding Latino/a Cultural Award in Literary Arts or Publications
  • Peggy V. Helmerich Distinguished Author Award
  • PEN Award for Poetry in Translation
  • PEN/Book-of-the-Month Club Translation Prize
  • PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction
  • PEN/Malamud Award (for short stories)
  • PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Literary Award (for diversity and multi-cultural work)
  • PEN/Open Book Award (formerly PEN/Beyond Margins, for writers of color)
  • PEN/Ralph Manheim Medal for Translation
  • PEN Translation Fund Grants
  • Poets' Prize
  • Premio Aztlán Literary Prize – emerging Chicana/o writers
  • Publishing Innovation Award – ebooks and related technology
  • Pulitzer Prize for History, Fiction, Poetry, Drama, General Non-Fiction
  • Pushcart Prize
  • Quill Awards
  • Raiziss/de Palchi Translation Awards
  • Robert Olen Butler Prize
  • Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize
  • Scott Moncrieff Prize
  • Sherwood Anderson Foundation Award
  • Short Story Award
  • Spur Award
  • St. Francis College Literary Prize
  • St. Louis Literary Award
  • Stone Award for Lifetime Literary Achievement
  • Stonewall Book Award
  • The Story Prize
  • Tomás Rivera Mexican American Children's Book Award
  • Wallace Stevens Award
  • Walt Whitman Award
  • William Faulkner - William Wisdom Creative Writing Competition
  • Whiting Awards
  • Willis Barnstone Translation Prize

Featured post

Poetic Forms in English

Poetry is the most lovable part of any literature, one cannot cross the literature canel without tasting the sweetest thing called poetry....