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LiteraryTerms

AlliterationTheoccurrenceofthesameletterorsoundatthebeginningofadjacentorclosely

connectedwords

Apostrophe Anexclamatorypassageinaspeechorpoemaddressedtoaperson(typicallyone

whois

dead

or

absent)

or

thing

Assonance Therepetitionofthesoundofavowelordiphthonginnorhymingstressed

syllables

Imagery Visuallydescriptiveorfigurativelanguage

Hyperbole Exaggeratedstatementsorclaimsnotmeanttobetakenliterally.

Metaphor Acomparisonanauthormakestoanotherthing,withoutusingthewords"like"or

"as".

OxymoronA

figure

of

speech

in

which

apparently

contradictory

terms

appear

in

conjunction

ParadoxAstatementorpropositionthatseemsself

contradictoryorabsurdbutinrealityexpressesapossibletruth.

ParallismTheuseofsuccessiveverbalconstructionsinpoetryorprosethatcorrespondin

grammaticalstructure,sound,meter,meaning,etc.

Personification Theattributionofapersonalnatureorhumancharacteristicstosomething

nonhuman.

Rhyme

Correspondence

of

sound

between

words

or

the

endings

of

words,

esp.

when

these

areusedattheendsoflinesofpoetry.

Repetition Theactionofrepeatingsomething.

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TheTwentiethCentury

PoliticalandsocialeventsduringthetwentiethcenturywouldalterGreatBritainspreeminentpositionasaworldpowerandwoulddramaticallychangeitssociety

Darwins OriginofSpeciesintroducedthetheoryofevolutionbasedonnaturalselection KarlMarxwasaGermanphilosopherandpoliticaleconomistwhoadvocatedthe

abolitionofprivateproperty.

SigmundFruedintroducedtheideathatmotivesforhumanbehaviorarenotinourconsciousmindsbutinourunconsciousminds.

Thesepeoplecausedpeopletoquestionsocial,religious,andeconomicalbeliefs. NearlyamillionBritishsoldiersweremurderedinWorldWarI.

World

War

1,

the

Great

War,

led

many

people

to

develop

cynical

attitudes

towards

the

government,nationalhonorandglory.

Duringtheearlytwentiethcenturyallformsofartbegantransformation NovelistssuchasJosephConrad,VirginiaWoolf,D.H.Lawrence,andJamesJoyce

startedexperimentingwithbothformandcontent.

Theworldwidedepressionsofthe1930sgaverisetodictatorshipsinEuropeandledtothehorrorsofWorldWarII

AfterWWIImostofGreatBritainscoloniesbecameindependentnationsandBritainsrole

in

world

affairs

decreased

ContemporaryBritishliteratureismarkedbygreatdiversity.Satireisadominantmode.

InfluenceofJamesJoyce

Portrayingtheflowofthought Joycesuseofpointofviewinhiswritingandhispresentationofthoughtsdirectedby

associationledtothebestknowncharacteristicofhismaturestyle,calledstreamof

consciousness

Hisexperimentswereusedbymanyotherprominentauthorsofthetime

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Poems

TheRearGuard

WWI Asoldieriswonderingthroughthetrenches HestopstoaskasleepingmanIamlookingforheadquarters Themanwasactuallydead Thesoldiercontinueson Soldierreachesastaircasethatleadsoutofthetrenches Unloadinghellbehindhimstepbystep.Paradox,becauseheiswalkingintoabigger

hell

DulceetDecorumEst

OnthebattlefieldsofWWI Asthemenareheadinghomeforthenightgasshellsaredroppedbesidesthem Theyscramblefortheirgasmasks Thespeakerwatchesasamemberofthecrewchokesandthespeakerisunabletosave

thesoldierfrominevitabledeath

Fastforwardthespeakercantgettheimageofthedyingsoldieroutofhishead Thespeakeraddressesthepeopleathomewhoaretryingtoconvincetheyouthtojoin

themilitary

Hewondershowtheycancontinuetocallforwar.Iftheycouldonlywitnessthephysicalagonywarcreatesorevenexperiencetheemotionaltraumathatthe

speaker'sgoingthroughnowthespeakerthinkstheymightchangetheirviews.Inthe

speaker'smind,there'snotinggloriousorhonorableaboutdeath.Or,forthatmatter,

waritself.

Dulceetdecorumest/PropatriamoriItissweetandpropertodieforonescountryTheLakeIsleofInnisfree

ThespeakerinthispoemyearnstoreturntotheislandofInnisfreebecauseofthepeaceandquietitaffords.

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Hecanescapethenoiseofthecityandbelulledbythe"lakewaterlappingwithlowsoundsbytheshore."

Onthissmallisland,hecanreturntonaturebygrowingbeansandhavingbeehives,byenjoyingthe"purpleglow"ofnoon,thesoundsofbirds'wings,and,ofcourse,thebees.

TheWildSwansatCoole

Thespeakerwalksdownthedrywoodlandpathinwinterandseesnineandfiftyswans

Ithasbeen19yearsthespeakerfindsthateverythinginhislifehaschanged Theswans,however,havestayedthesame Theswansheartshavenotgrowncoldandtheysitonthewaterbeautifuland

mysterious

HewakesuptofindthattheswanshaveflownawayDoNotGoGentleintoThatGoodNight

Thespeakerassertsthatoldmenattheendsoftheirlivesshouldresistdeathasstronglyastheycan.

Theyshouldonlyleavethisworldkickingandscreaming,furiousthattheyhavetodieatall.

Attheendofthepoemthespeakerstatesapersonalstakeinthisissue:hisownfatheris

dying.

HallowMen

Thepoemisnarratedbyoneofthehollowmen Thehollowmenarelivingpeople Thebasicideaofthepoemisthatcontemporarycivilizationisoftenfutileand

meaningless

InthebeginningofthepoemabunchofHollowMenareleaningtogetherlikescarecrows.

Everythingtheysayanddoismeaningless. TheyexistinastatelikeHell,excepttheyweretootimidandcowardlytocommitthe

violentactsthatwouldhavegainedthemaccesstoHell.

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TheyhavenotcrossedovertheRiverStyxtomakeittoeitherHeavenorHell.Thepeoplewhohavecrossedoverremembertheseguysas"hollowmen."

Inthesecondsection,onehollowmanisafraidtolookatpeoplewhomadeitto"death'sdreamkingdom"eitherHeavenorHell.TheHollowMenliveinaworldof

brokensymbols

and

images.

Thethirdsectionofthepoemdescribesthesettingasbarrenandfilledwithcactiandstones.

WhentheHollowMenfeeladesiretokisssomeone,theyareunableto.Instead,theysayprayerstobrokenstones.

Inthefourthsection,thehollowmanfromSection2continuestodescribehisvacant,desolatesurroundings,inwhichareno"eyes."

TheHollowMenareafraidtolookatpeopleortobelookedat. Thefifthsectionbeginswithanurseryrhymemodeledonthesong"Herewego'round

themulberrybush,"exceptinsteadofamulberrybushthekiddiesarecirclingaprickly

pearcactus.

Thespeakerdescribeshowa"shadow"hasparalyzedalloftheiractivities,sotheyareunabletoact,create,respond,orevenexist.Hetriesquotingexpressionsthatbegin

"Lifeisverylong"and"ForThineistheKingdom,"butthese,too,breakoffinto

fragments.

Inthefinallines,the"MulberryBush"songturnsintoasongabouttheendoftheworld.You

might

expect

the

world

to

end

with

ahuge,

bright

explosion,

but

for

the

Hollow

Men,theworldendswithasadandquiet"whimper."

Thisisthewaytheworldends/Notwithabangbutwithawhimper. Mostoftheimageryinthepoemdescribesemptiness

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Stories

TheDestructors

TrevorTsonofanarchitect,appreciatesarchitecture.HeasksMr.Thomas(OldMisery)togivehimatourofhismagnificenthouse

Trevorispartofagang,leaderisBlackie TrevorsuggeststhattheydestroyOldMiseryshouse TheydestroythehouseandallthemoneywhileMr.Thomasisgone. Hecomesbackearlierthanexpectedandtheboyslockhimintheouthouse Mr.Thomasisletoutbyatruckdriverattheendofthestory

Araby

Aboutaboywhohasbeeninlovewithagirlforalongtime Helikesthegirlsomuchthatheisscaredtotalktoher OnedaythegirlasksthenarratorifheisgoingtotheArabyandhesaysthatheis Thegirlcantgobuttheboypromisestobringhersomethingback TheboysuncleislateintakinghimtotheAraby ThestoryendswiththeboygettingtotheAraby,butnotgettingthegirlheloves

anything

RockingHorseWinner

Thefamilydoesnotmakeasmuchmoneyasotherpeoplebuttoothersitseemsastheydo

Themotherstartsworryingthattheydonthavemoney AlwayshearswhispersfromthehousesayingTheremustbemoremoney Mothersaysitsbettertobeluckythantoberich Theboy,Paul,getsarockinghorse Whentheboyridesontherockinghorselongenoughhegetstoahallucinogenicstate

wherehegetsthenameofahorsethatisgoingtowin

TheboyandtheGardnerstartplacingbetsonhorsesandwinning

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Paultellshisuncleaboutthisandtheuncledoesnttakehimseriously Paulgiveshismotherfiftypoundsforherbirthdaybutsheisupsetbecausesheknows

thatshewilljustspendingitandincreasingthedebt

Paul,determinedtogetmorenames,spendstheentirenightontherockinghorse Heisontherockinghorsesolongthathedies

ShakespearesSister

WhatifstoryaboutanimaginarysisterthatwasjustastalentedasShakespeare Theauthorsaysthatbecausesheisawomenshewouldneverbesuccessful Theaveragewomenatthetimewasnotsupposedtorunoffandgetmarriedbecauseit

madeherfamilylookbad

Womenwouldputtheirtalentsintotheirchildren Theriskofthinkingofleavinghomewouldgivewomenanervousbreakdown Somewomenwouldwriteunderamalename