Literature is a powerful tool for linguistic and emotional development. This guide provides a detailed analysis of various poems, plays, and prose works, focusing on thematic depth and comprehensive question-answer sets for secondary education.
Family and Generation Gaps
Father and Son - Cat Stevens
Q: What is the father’s attitude to his son and the son’s attitude to his father? Which do you more easily identify with?
➡ The father thinks that his son is not a realist but too dreamy. He wants to make his son do what he had done in his time. He wants his son to marry and settle down. He dislikes his son’s bold desire for a change. He thinks that his son is still young and ignorant of world affairs. The son’s attitude towards his father is negative. He thinks that his father has oppressed him since he began to speak. He thinks that his father is the obstacle in his progress. He is fed up with the father’s conservative and static thinking. I more easily identify with the son because the son is bold, independent and wants to live a life of freedom. He leaves the stable life to fulfil his lofty desire. Even though he may fail, he leaves the pleasure and protection of his house to fulfil his mission.
Sons and Lovers - D.H. Lawrence
Q: Why is father an outsider in the home?
➡ The father is an outsider in the home because he has denied God in him. He does not share his emotions and feelings with the family members. He spends much of his time at the mine. When he comes home, he drinks alcohol to free himself from tiredness and frustration. Due to his bullying nature and drinking habit, everyone treats him as an outsider.
Q: Is it common at Paul’s age for young people to feel they hate their parents?
➡ Yes, it is common at Paul’s age for young to feel they hate their parents. This is due to the conflict between teenage psychology and adult psychology. The generation gap also brings conflict between parents and children.
Q: The father is presented very unfavourably. Do you have any sympathy for him?
➡ Yes, we have some sympathy for him. It is brought out at first when the narrator says, “He would dearly have liked the children talk to him”. The description of father cobbling, soldering, sawing, hammering and singing show that he too has human virtues. Similarly, his habit of putting patches on his moleskin trousers without leaving it to be done by his wife also signals his hard-working behaviour.
Q: Describe how Paul's father is presented in two different situations.
➡ In D.H. Lawrence’s ‘Sons and Lovers, Paul’s father is presented in two different situations- one at home in the evening and the other during working hours. In the evening, he comes home being drunk. He scolds everyone and shouts at them. He does not talk with anyone. He becomes an outsider in the home and is hated by all family members. But when he is at work or with his own working people, he is in good humour, happy and always sings. The children also enjoy working and helping him. He sits absorbed in his own work. He also puts patches on his moleskin trousers without leaving it to be done by his wife.
Q: Why do you think the father acts as he does? Do you feel he realizes what the others think of him?
➡ Paul’s father is a collier. He has to work hard in the mine to feed his family. In the evening he drinks alcohol to free himself from tiredness and frustration. But when he comes home he realizes that the other family members do not understand him. So he directs his frustration and tension towards the family members by being violent towards them. I think that he realizes what the others think of him. He realizes that he is not the part of the home. This is the reason why he becomes so brutal and violent towards them.
Roots - Arnold Wesker & Albert's Mother
Q: Do you agree with Ronnie that ‘you can solve things by talking’?
➡ Yes, I agree with Ronnie that we can solve things by talking about them openly with family members. By talking, we can make our attitude clear and also will be able to understand other members’ opinions and attitudes. If we do not communicate with others and remain aloof, it will only increase misunderstanding and mistrust and ultimately damage family relationships.
Q: Behavior difference between Ada and Ronnie?
➡ Ada wants to avoid the family quarrel while Ronnie thinks that problems can be solved by discussion. Ada has her own house and husband, so she does not tolerate the quarrel in the home and leaves away. Ronnie, who is still at school, has no other place to go. So he tolerates the family quarrel.
Q: Harry and Sarah's relationship? Who is stronger?
➡ The relationship between Harry and Sarah is not built on love, co-operation and mutual understanding. Sarah only finds fault in her husband while Harry does not communicate and help her in her work. So their relationship is bad. Sarah seems stronger than Harry because she bears the responsibility of rearing her children. Harry is weaker because he is always negligent of family affairs.
Q: Similarities/Differences between Sarah’s and Albert’s mother?
➡ The similarities between Sarah’s and Albert’s mother are that both of them are strong women and both show strong attachment towards their children. The difference between them is that Sarah’s relationship with her husband is bad and troublesome while the relationship between Albert’s mother and Albert’s dead father seemed to be full of love.
Q: Do you think Albert would ‘rather stay with’ his mother?
➡ Albert would not stay with his mother but would rather go out and enjoy the party. He says it to her only to make her believe that he loves her dearly. He is also emotionally blackmailing her.
Q: What are the stages of emotional blackmail used by Albert's mother?
➡ Her first emotional blackmail is the game of cards. Then she asks him to put the bulb in Grandmother’s room. Again she asks him not to mess with girls. Later she mentions him not to upset his dead father. I think that the climax of this emotional blackmail is when she talks about his dead father and reminds him that he is all she has.
Q: Why is Albert’s mother so possessive?
➡ Since Albert’s father is dead, she has no one to share her feelings, emotions and sorrows. She is afraid that Albert may mess with girls and neglect her later. So, she is possessive because Albert is the only source of her emotional fulfillment.
Q: “What’s a mother for?” asks Sarah. How has she interpreted her role?
➡ She has interpreted her role as a loving mother because she thinks that a mother should help her children in whatever way she can. She says to Ada that she will wash her belongings of her. I think that a mother’s position is higher than God. She has to love, nurture, protect and help the children in whatever way she can. She also has to understand the feelings of her children.
Environment and Ecology
- Life on earth will be near complete destruction if forests are destroyed.
- Habitat loss of indigenous people leading to pauperization and unemployment.
- Extinction of unidentified plants resulting in loss of future genetic resources (food, medicine, fuel).
- Extinction of animal species (tigers, gorillas, etc.) leading to aesthetic loss.
- Increase in soil erosion, landslides, and desertification.
- Increase in CO2 levels and global warming due to lack of plants.
The Poplar Field - William Cowper
Theme/Analysis: The poem is a defence of nature conservation. It is remarkable for its celebration of the rural and its nostalgic tone. The poet finds that the poplar field which he saw twelve years before is now devastated and barren. The poplars are cut down; the winds no longer play in the leaves, the blackbirds have moved to other places and trees no longer afford him a shade. The trees that once gave him a shade are laid down and have become his seat.
The poet then realizes that his years are passing very quickly and one day he will have to die and lie in the grave. But other trees will not have grown in their places by then. This site makes him think that though humans cut down trees for short-term physical comfort and profit; they are actually destroying human life and eternal human pleasures. The poet thinks that pleasures given by nature are far more superior and eternal than pleasures provided by modern scientific inventions.
Going, Going - Philip Larkin
Theme/Analysis: The poem indicates that modern people are going in the wrong direction. Larkin is worried about the future of mankind. He thinks that by destroying the natural environment, people are corrupting their village and their mind. He predicts that in the near future, England is going to become the first slum of Europe, full of cheats and tarts.
The poet is worried to find that the nature of the village has been replaced by concrete and tyres. Businessmen move factories to beautiful villages for profit. Now the city has become like the jungle of concrete and motor vehicles. The poet thinks that England is going to become a polluted and barren country.
Comparison: Cowper vs. Larkin
Compare and contrast: Both poems appeal to nature conservation and show the hazards of environmental destruction. Both talk about life, death, and the future. Cowper was a Pre-Romantic poet using poetic language and focusing on deforestation in general with romantic/personal feelings. Larkin is a modern poet using colloquial language and realistic images, focusing on urbanization and scientific inventions. Larkin thinks the destruction of nature brings poverty, prostitution, and corrupts the modern mind.
Civilized Man's Eight Deadly Sins - Konrad Lorenz
Summary: Civilized mankind has forgotten that resources of life on earth are limited. By destroying nature blindly, man is destroying himself. This barbarian act actually destroys his own mind. The young people will only see ugly and cheap man-made things, so they will not respect beautiful nature. The more we are civilized, the uglier we are making the town and country.
Q: Does this barbarian process damage man's mind?
➡ Yes. Modern people measure civilization in economic progress. Their desire for more profit makes them depressed and frustrated, leading to mental illnesses like depression and hypertension. Due to the destruction of nature, land, air, and water have become polluted, damaging human health. An unhealthy body will certainly have an unhealthy mind. Thus, by destroying nature, people are destroying their own mental peace.
War, Power, and Patriotism
Henry V (Shakespeare) & Thucydides
Thucydides’ History IV Summary: Claims that everybody knows the evils of war but still goes to war. One side wages war thinking profit is more than loss. The other side engages thinking it is better to face danger than accept immediate loss.
Henry V Main Summary: King Henry advises his army to fight bravely like their ancestors. He encourages them to imitate the action of the tiger, to make eyes like cannon, to stiffen their muscles, to set the teeth tight and to stretch the nostrils wide. They should fight to save England, their King and the glory of their ancestors. The advice is full of nobility, patriotism and pride.
Q: Would you fight for your country or beliefs?
➡ I think that our country is more important than our beliefs. Nepal is our collective identity. I would fight for my country because without it, I would not be called Nepali. My spirit of nationalism would motivate me.
Winston Churchill & Dogs of War
Q: Churchill's arguments for war?
➡ Winston Churchill, in his speech to the House of Commons, claims their main policy is to wage war against the monstrous tyranny. Their main aim is to gain victory at whatever costs because without it there is no survival for the British Empire and its values.
Q: Difference between Henry's and Shannon's attitudes?
➡ In Forsyth's "Dogs of War", Shannon favors war for personal gain, money, and jobs. He thinks peace is nasty because it makes him jobless. In contrast, King Henry favors war for the benefit of the nation and to protect glory and ancestors.
Anthem for Doomed Youth - Wilfred Owen
Theme/Analysis: An anti-war poem that presents the grim reality of war. The title suggests the waste of youths in WWI. He juxtaposes church rites for the dead with the demented noise of bombs and shells.
The poet claims that soldiers die as castles in the war, so it is useless to mourn, hold prayers or ring bells. Soldiers only hear the demented rattle of bombs. There is no use in lighting candles; their tearful eyes have already said goodbyes. The girls' brows will be their coffin cloth and their sorrowful minds will be their flowers. He hated the patriotic satisfaction of those who didn't understand the misery of soldiers.
Gender, Society, and Authority
Our Bodies Ourselves & Coventry Patmore
Our Bodies Ourselves Summary: Social structure and power relationships affect all humans. Men channel stress through walking out or violence against family. Women, unable to leave, direct violence towards children or themselves. Twice as many women suffer from depression because they are powerless legally and economically.
Q: More sympathetic to men or women?
➡ More sympathetic to women. It is obvious it was written by a woman because she uses ‘we’ and ‘us’ to refer to females and describes how females suffer because they cannot easily leave home.
Q: Serious or ironic? "A woman is a foreign land."
➡ I think Patmore is not serious; he is ironic. He is not right because both sexes have the same sense organs and qualities. Neither should judge the other negatively. However, both have fixed attitudes: men think women are weak objects to be controlled; women think males are arrogant and oppressive.
Ian McEwan: Dead As They Come
Q: Modern feminist reaction?
➡ Modern feminists would react violently towards the negative description of women in this extract. They would attack the notion that women are only consumer goods to be bought. Here the woman is presented as an inanimate doll judged only by physical beauty, postures and clothes. The modern feminist would strongly condemn the arrogance of the speaker who marginalizes women.
Q: What makes the woman suitable for such a ‘superior man’?
➡ Her physical beauty, her artistic postures and clothes make her suitable for his negative fixed attitude.
Othello & Middlemarch
Othello Summary: Emilia argues that wives learn immorality from their husband’s immoral behaviour. She wants husbands to respect, love, and understand wives. If husbands have sexual relationships with other women, wives will satisfy their urges from other men.
Middlemarch Analysis: George Eliot judges both Dorothea and the rigid Victorian society. She highlights how male-dominated society suppresses women and imposes cruel moral rules. Society evaluates Dorothea negatively on the basis of her marriages, ignoring her benevolence and spirit. Eliot shows that society judges females as weak, immoral, and inferior.
Q: Emilia's position vs Patmore's?
➡ Not compatible. Emilia stresses similarity (same sense organs and urge), while Patmore stresses differences (woman is a foreign land).
Authority, Revolt, and the Individual
Definitions and Alice in Wonderland
Q: What is authority?
➡ Authority is always related to power. A person’s political authority can be measured in terms of what taboos he can impose. It is not absolute and is controlled by higher authority.
Q: Different types of authority?
➡ We accept school, parental, governmental, and official authority at different stages. I have reacted by complaining, being silent, or engaging in strikes. I have imposed authority over younger siblings by giving commands or scolding.
Alice in Wonderland: The King and Queen are brutal and tyrannical, treating people like puppets. The Hatter has no important evidence; he is nervous because he is afraid of being wrongly executed by the court.
Q: Behavioral characteristics of authority (Priests/Entertainers/Police)?
➡ They use sticks or uniforms. They use imperative sentences, harsh tones, and formal language (legal clichés for police, philosophical for priests).
1984 (George Orwell) & Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
Thought Police: Police who watch over people's thoughts and beliefs to suppress revolt. Winston is troubled by this, living in mental slavery.
Catch-22: A military law enforced during crisis stating junior officers should unconditionally obey every order of the senior commanding officer.
Q: Impression of Colonel Cathcart?
➡ Negative. He imposes excessive authority based only on self-esteem. He is prejudiced, corrupted by power, and doesn't understand the feelings of junior soldiers.
Q: Big Brother vs. Colonel Cathcart?
➡ Big Brother is all-powerful, symbolic of an absolute ruler with no limitations, controlling even thoughts. Colonel Cathcart is not all-powerful; senior officials limit him. Big Brother’s authority is gloomy and permanent; Cathcart’s is temporary military atmosphere.
Emily Dickinson: Nobody
Theme/Analysis: Dickinson thinks she is 'Nobody' because she is different from those society thinks are great. She wants to be unnoticed. She thinks being "Somebody" is like being a frog in the bog, making loud but meaningless noise to attract attention.
Q: Who are 'they'? Why advertise?
➡ They are the people of society who follow codes and think they are popular. They would advertise her because they would think of her as unique and abnormal.
Q: What makes a frog ‘public’ in June?
➡ They croak a lot to show their worth, but they are completely valueless despite the noise.
Identity: John Clare & W.H. Auden
John Clare's “I am” Summary: The poet is fed up with the noise and meaninglessness of the world. He longs to return to childhood to sit with God. He asserts his identity by saying that although he exists, no one understands his tragedies.
W.H. Auden's “Musee des Beaux-Arts”: Shows how life goes on indifferent to tragedy. Using Breughel's painting of Icarus, the poet shows that the ploughman and the expensive ship turn a blind eye to Icarus' disaster. Indifference is a human position.
Q: Miraculous birth?
➡ The birth of Christ. Old people wait for it because they remember God only when about to die, wanting to be born again.
Discussion on Indifference: The worst sin is not to hate, but to be indifferent. Man is a social animal needing emotional fulfilment. Being indifferent to beggars or the poor is a worse crime than hating because it breaks their heart.
Rebellion: Animal Farm & Paradise Lost
Animal Farm Analysis: The animals revolt because they were mistreated and hungry. The keepers went hunting without feeding them. Rebellion was justified because their lives were in danger. Orwell uses animals to show rebellion is instinctive and not always pre-planned (political allegory).
Paradise Lost (John Milton): Describes the battle between Heaven and Hell. Abidel hits Satan on the head. War is announced with trumpets, chariots, and weapons. Both sides are willing to kill.
Macbeth - William Shakespeare
Ultimate act of rebellion: Killing King Duncan, his relative and guest, while he stays at the castle. Macbeth does it for "terrible ambition."
Q: Reasons not to kill Duncan?
➡ He is a relative and a virtuous king loved by all. Also, he is a guest. Macbeth fears the crime will anger God.
Q: Consequences?
➡ It will not be over quickly. The murderer will lose mental peace and be punished on earth. Shakespeare contrasts angels (Duncan's simplicity) and damnation (Macbeth's cunningness).
Life Journeys, Social Satire, and Triumphs
Autobiographies: Bertrand Russell & Dylan Thomas
Bertrand Russell Summary: Three passions governed his life: the longing for love, the search for knowledge, and pity for the suffering of mankind. Love brings ecstasy; knowledge helps understand nature; pity brings him back to earth. Pity is the greatest human virtue.
Dylan Thomas Summary: He refuses to mourn the death of a child because death is a grave truth and not an end. Infinite numbers have died since the beginning; we enter life again after death.
Bleak House & Paper House
Bleak House (Dickens): Criticizes the duplicity of Mrs. Jellyby (Telescopic Philanthropy). She is busy with African projects but neglects her own dirty children and broken house. She looks farther away like a telescope without concentrating on her home.
Paper House (Catherine Lim): Tay Soon dreams of a house with aluminium doors and a swimming pool. His wife Yee Lian plays a major role in the disaster by pushing him into the share market. When it crashes, Tay Soon goes mad and dies.
Wet Saturday - John Collier
Q: Why does Mr. Princey detest his family?
➡ He is a selfish man who values prestige over family bonds. He hates his son and his daughter Millicent because she killed Withers, risking the family prestige.
Q: Tragic or comic?
➡ Tragic. Lives of innocents (Withers, Smollet, Ella) are destroyed. The truth is overshadowed by falsehood as Princey traps Captain Smollet for the crime. It is a psychological story showing that humans are savage and guided by ego/id.
The Elephant & The Velvet Hangover
The Elephant (Slawomir Mrożek): Satirizes Polish bureaucracy. The zoo director plans a rubber elephant filled with air instead of a real one to get a promotion. It shows the bureaucracy thinks the public can be easily cheated with hollow promises.
The Velvet Hangover (Vaclav Havel): Havel claims 'poetry was over and prose was beginning'. Planning the democracy was lyrical (poetry), but action is ugly reality (prose). He fears national conflict, loss of welfare, and a totalitarian government controlled by money-minded people.
A Small Place & The Letter A
A Small Place (Jamaica Kincaid): Reveals the gap between Antiguans and tourists. Customs check locals but not tourists. The government gives loans for cars (owned by ministers) but not houses. Schools look like latrines. Tourists are "ugly persons" who ignore the colonial past.
The Letter A (Christy Brown): An autobiography of overcoming massive handicap. Doctors thought Christy was mentally defective, but his mother believed in him. At age five, he grabbed chalk with his left foot and wrote the letter "A". This opened his road to mental freedom.
Style: e.e. cummings & Robert Burns
Buffalo Bill's: Cummings uses topographical experimentation. He abandons fullstops and capitalizes Buffalo Bill and Jesus but not "i". The run-together word "onetwothreefourfive" indicates speed. It is a tribute to Cody but also a satire on how Death makes the powerful powerless.
Oh, My Love Is Like a Red, Red Rose: A romantic love lyric. Burns compares love to a red rose and a melody. He promises to love until the seas go dry and to return from ten thousand miles away.
Identity and Culture: Snyder, Hughes, Dollar, Geertz
A Mongoloid Child...: "Unbroken children" refers to those without physical/mental defects. The child is like the sea (mysterious/sober); normal children are like the surf (noisy/violent). Snyder glorifies the child's potential. Retitling would be ineffective as 'mongoloid' gives a direct physical image.
Dream Variations: A black American poet wishes for a carefree life away from racial discrimination. In reality, his dream is shattered by American racial prejudice.
Child Care (China vs Nepal): In China, mother-surrogates foster cooperation and respect for labor through group activities and heavy toys. In Nepal, children are made bookworms, competitive, and are severely punished. Nepalese children are becoming selfish and greedy due to lack of nurturing.
Of Cocks and Men: Balinese taboos include hatred for animal behavior (no crawling, filed teeth, private defecation). Fighting cocks reflect male sexual/social identity and are treated with care equal to human babies to reflect the owner's ego.
This study guide covers all major secondary level literary requirements for English Language Development. Use the interactive menus above to study specific sections.