English Study Hub

The Paradise Lost by John Milton is an outstanding creation in the history of English Literature. Man’s disobedience is the main theme and the immediate result of his disobedience in the loss of the Paradise. The first 26 lines of this epic is the Invocation part. Invocation is a formal prayer to the Muses for inspiration, help and guidance at the beginning of an epic. Usually the invocation in an epic goes together with the proposition (declaration) of its subject. In the opening lines, the poet says, “Of mans first Disobedience, and the Fruit of that Forbidden Tree, whose mortal taste brought death into the world, and all one woe, with loss of Eden, till one greater Man Restore us, and regain the blissful set.” At first the poet is proposing his subject matter that this is the story of the first disobedience of human being. They took the fruit of the forbidden tree and brought death into the world. They became mortal and lost the opportunity to live in Paradise until one gr...

In Hardy’s novel ‘Tess of the d'Urbervilles’ , Tess, a pure-woman is made to suffer terribly. From the beginning to the end she suffers innumerable miseries. No doubt she has fallen but she should not be blamed for it. She falls a victim to the evil designs of Alice. Tess goes to Trantridge realizing her responsibility and works as a farm-keeper. Alec comes to take her from her home to Trantridge. On the way he kisses her against her will. After someday he pitilessly seduces her. After four months she returns home. In due course she gives birth to a baby. This is her only sin but she cannot be blamed for it. She falls a helpless victim to her circumstances. What can a helpless woman do against the evil designs of a reckless youth? Tess again started to earn her livelihood. In Var vale, at Talbothays she obtained a job as a dairy maid. Here she fell in love with Angel. When Angel could no longer resist himself, he proposed to Tess but she did not accept hi...

‘Lord of the Flies’ is a parable showing the harmful effect of the removal of civilized restraints , which results in a complete regression to a brutal and savage state. As G olding himself has admitted, this novel owes its origin to his experiences of brutalities that he had d ur ing the W orld W ar ׀׀ , and those he gained as a teacher of small boys for about 13 years. Through his symbolic presentation, Golding establishes their activities on the deserted island as a clash between two different conceptions of per-civilized humanity. The young school boys are thrown into a literal state of nature. Golding establishes immediately the contract between the savage and the civilized that exists in this new environment for the boys. Far from grown up society and adult authority , Ralph plays in the beach naked, a practice that associate s him to the state of nature, later on leading to the ‘uncivilized’ cultures. Ralph does not make the children afraid of their abando...

‘A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning’ is one of the most romantic poems written by John Donne. This is a personal poem showing the pure love and devotion of the poet to his beloved. Critics feel that the poem is addressed to his wife Anne More. The poet is about to leave in the end of 1611 for a short visit to France but this absence of a few weeks may not be taken as an occasion of separation and lamentation. The poet’s wife was not in a good health. But the poet shows the nature of unique and true love which can stand separation on account of mutual confidence and affection by applying metaphysical conceits. His arguments seem to be very impressive. The poet argues to his beloved to offer her consolation for his short absence. As the virtuous men are not afraid of death, true lovers, in the same way, are not afraid of separation. Their loyalty and devotion to each other can only be tested and enhanced with separation. The poet proposes his beloved to let themselves past quiet...

George Orwell’s “Shooting an Elephant” is a critique of the political situation of his time. The essay is a critique of imperialism. In the essay he depicts how colonialism treats the coloni z ed people. Orwell gives a realistic picture of imperialism, as he himself was a part of the imperialistic machine through enlis t ment in the Burmese police. His stay in Burma provided him the opportunity to view from a close quarter the by-products of imperialism. Thus “Shooting an Elephant”, a masterly creation of Orwell, deals with some facts and details of colonialism and its effect upon the colonized as well as upon the colonizer in the sub-continent that help us realize Orwell's attitude towards imperialism and colonialism. The I ndian sub-continent came under British colonial rule. As the British subjugate d India, a vast change took place in each and every nook of life. Not only the general life and culture were affected but also the economy, social life even personal ...

‘Shooting an Elephant’ is an autobiographical essay in which Orwell describes in realistic and graphic details his own experience in B u rma during the British colonial rule in the sub-continent as sub-divisional police officer. In the essay the author very skillfully and opt-fully delineates his inner conflict and psychological complexity. From the analysis of his mental conflict and p sychological complexity we find him in the midst of predicament. Orwell was a sub-divisional police officer in Moulmein in lower Burma. He was hated by a large number of people. There was anti-European feeling in the town. People did not have the courage to start a riot, but they could insult the Europeans or laugh at the narrator. When he was tripped on the football field by some Burmese players, the author would get nervous at seeing the yellow faces of the native specially the young Buddist priests sneering at him. He was upset by the impertinent behavior of the Burmese. He was so annoyed tha...

‘Stopping by W oods on a S nowy E vening’ is perhaps the most well-known poem by Robert Frost. In fact, this is the single poem through which Frost is known to many. This poem is suggestive of profound thoughts and utterances about human life and death . To all appearances, the poem may seem a moving personal experience of the poet. It may seem nothing more than a simple anecdote reality that one evening the poet pauses along a lonely dark country road to watch snow fall in the woods. But the poem is an allegory form of a universal conflict felt by every sensitive individual, and that is the idea of death. Through personal experiences, Frost understands that one day he will die. He will have to leave the world sooner or later. This happens to everyone. No one can escape from death. In the poem we can see that the speaker or the poet stops in the midst of the woods on a snowy evening on his way home. But this place seems different to him. This place seems spiritual and related...