English Language & Literature & Psychology

Graham Greene is one of the most beloved and prolific writers of the 20th century. He is best known for his novels, especially those dealing with Catholicism, but he also wrote short stories, novellas, book and film reviews, poetry, radio plays, stage plays, an autobiography, biographies, a memoir, travel stories, screenplays, and children's literature. He contributed to major publications and edited other prominent writers' work, as well. Greene was born on October 2nd, 1904 in Berkhamsted, England. He was an avid reader from childhood and particularly enjoyed Rider Haggard's work. Greene's father was the headmaster of the prestigious Berkhamsted School, which Greene attended as a child. However, Greene hated boarding school and ran away to London. His parents had to retrieve him and subsequently sent him to intense psychoanalysis for six months. Greene actually found the psychoanalysis to be very interesting and remained fascinated by dreams for the rest of his life...

Charlotte Bronte was a great writer of the early 19th century. Charlotte was born on 21 April 1816 at the parsonage in Market Street in Thornton near the rapidly growing town of Bradford. Her father was Reverend Patrick Bronte. Her mother was Maria. They had 6 children. However two girls, Maria Bronte and Elizabeth Bronte died when they were children. In the early 19th century the Industrial Revolution was transforming life in Britain. In the north of England industrial towns were booming. However in 1820 Charlotte Bronte's family moved to a moorland village called Haworth. Her mother died in 1821. Her mother's sister Elizabeth moved to Yorkshire to look after the children. In 1824 Charlotte Bronte and her sister Emily were sent to join two older sisters Maria and Elizabeth at the Clergy Daughters School in Cowan Bridge in Lancashire. However in 1825 Maria and Elizabeth Bronte both died of tuberculosis. Charlotte and Emily Bronte returned home. Afterwards they were educated...

Charles Dickens was an English writer and social critic. During his lifetime, his works enjoyed unprecedented popularity. He is now considered a literary genius because he created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era. His novels and short stories enjoy lasting popularity. His early life Dickens was born on February 7, 1812  in Portsmouth, on the southern coast of England. His father, John Dickens, was a naval clerk who dreamed of becoming rich and his mother, Elizabeth Barrow, aspired to be a teacher and school director. But the family’s financial situation had grown worse because John Dickens used to spend money dangerously beyond the family’s means. Consequently, John was sent to prison for debt in 1824, when Charles was just 12 years old. After his father's imprisonment, Charles Dickens left school to work in a factory. Despite his lack of formal education, he edited a weekly journal for 20 year...

Joseph Conrad was a Polish-British writer regarded as one of the greatest novelists to write in the English language. He joined the British merchant marine in 1878, and was granted British citizenship in 1886. ‎Joseph Conrad was born Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski on December 3, 1857, to Polish parents in Berdichev (now Berdychiv), Ukraine, and was raised and educated primarily in Poland. After a sea-faring career in the French and British merchant marines, he wrote short stories and novels like Lord Jim, Heart of Darkness and The Secret Agent, which combined his experiences in remote places with an interest in moral conflict and the dark side of human nature. He died in England on August 3, 1924. ‎ Heart of Darkness centers around Marlow, an introspective sailor, and his journey up the Congo River to meet Kurtz, reputed to be an idealistic man of great abilities. Marlow takes a job as a riverboat captain with the Company, a Belgian concern organized to trade in the Congo. As he ...

The story takes place in international waters on an ocean going liner sailing from San Francisco, U.S.A to Yokohama, Japan on the Pacific Ocean. As the war had just ended, it was difficult to get accommodations. Therefore, the narrator had to share a cabin with a total stranger, but he expected him to be one of his own countrymen. Instead, he was deeply shocked to realize it was a chatty Levantine of oriental origin, Mr. Max Kelada, who was not British, but a native of one of the British colonies (he did have a British passport). Although his origin isn't stated precisely, his name suggests middle-eastern origin. The narrator was prepared to dislike Mr. Kelada even before he saw him. When he first entered the cabin, he saw Mr. Kelada's luggage and toilet things that had already been unpacked. The man's name and the sight of his things aroused a strong repulsion in him since he was prejudiced against all non- Britons, feeling superior to them. The irony of the story lies i...

The author of the text is Maugham William Somerset, an English writer. He is best known by his short stories. The text under analysis is titled «A Friend In Need» The subject of the extract is drown from life and deals with problems true friendship. The story has a narrative presentation with elements of dialog. There are no the secondary characters. The main characters are 2 men. This story is about one of them, the man who had had bad luck at cards. He was down and out and because of it he drunk a lot. He came to his namesake and asked him for a job. But he can’t do anything except swim. And Burton told him, if he swam round the beacon and landed at the creek of Tarumi he would give him a job. And despite of his bad condition after alcohol the hero agreed to do it. He was drowned, but Burton didn’t express any regret about him. He only rubbed his chin and say that he hadn’t got a vacancy in his office at that moment. The text can be divided into 2 parts. At the first part the scene ...

Maugham's "The Verger" is a simple tale about a simple man who does his duties with great joy and dedication. Foreman has been the verger of his church for sixteen years, doing all the menial and manual duties of the vicarage. He loved his job and there were no complaints about him until a new pastor arrived and made a startling discovery--Foreman cannot read. While that fact has never interfered with his duties, the new preacher is appalled and immediately fires the verger.And so, he loses his low-paying job as a verger because it is discovered that he is illiterate, but he adapts to his problem by becoming a successful shopkeeper. He finds he is better off being illiterate. Maugham likes to write about the odd diversity of human characters. In fact, he traveled the world in search of unique characters who would provide inspiration for his stories and novels. "The Verger" is more of a character study than anything else. What is true for the hero of "The ...

I’m going to analyze a novel “The Happy Man” by Somerset Maugham, a well-known English novelist, short-story writer, playwright and essayist. William Somerset Maugham was born in Paris, educated at King’s school in Canterbury and studied to be a doctor at St. Thomas Hospital in England. He was one of the best known writers of his time as he was master of short stories. The story starts with the narrator thinking and telling the reader about his attitude to giving advice to somebody. He thinks it to be quite difficult and even impossible to give the right advice as “we know nothing of the others”. The whole first paragraph of the story is devoted to the narrator’s expressing the opinion on life, the manner of bourgeois society and the danger of ordering the lives of others. Then the author goes on telling a story that once happened to the narrator. This novel runs about a desperate man who confided his life to a total stranger. The theme of the novel: a man’s search for happiness; the ...

Punishment Seamus Heany’s “Punishment” was inspired by the discovery of a dead body of a young girl who was killed on the charge of adultery.He takes this discovery as an ancient example of brutality and links it with the modern form of brutality which is evident of Irish rebels killing of Irish girls who marry British solidiers.This poem putting brutality at the center links past and present,history and modern time, then and now,there and here. “Bog” in the poem serves as the central metaphor that is symbolic of continuation of in humanity,brutality,cruelty and killing of innocent people throughout the human history. In this poem the poet using his sympathetic imagination describes the way the girl was punished on the charge of adultery .He creates the picture of a weak and fragile girl and seems to be suffering her pain and agonies.When the girl was punished,she was pulled a rope from her neck and was made naked.The girl was trembling with cold,her whole body was shaking .She was...

Digging Digging is one of the Heaney’s earliest poems.His themes are very direct .The poem is very simple and simplicity is its beauty.We see a dichotomy of emotions ,questionig of his past and a sense of going away from his family are clearly seen. Heaney has to take a difficult decision.His father and forefathers all are farmers for generations.He doesnot want to change his roots or escape from past.But he wants to become a poet and substitute a ‘spade’ for a ‘squat pen’ as his tool. The poem reflects an internal struggle of the poet.He attempts to break tradition to become a poet.His mind wanders and searches .His soul searching is mirrored in this poem. Heaney compares the hard,physical labour of his father with his mental labour and rasping of his father’s spade with the silence of his pen.He bringsout the pattern in a farmer’s life –“stooping in rhythm through potato drills”.He admits that there is a certain enjoyment and sense of fulfillment in farming.We can clearly seen his...

Death of a Naturalist Heany’s first collection, “Death of a Naturalist” concentrated on the loss of his childhood innocence and how he steps into manhood. In this poem he talks about the boy’s personality and his perception of nature. The poem is split into two parts.The first part describes a child’s encounter with frogspawn,and how facinated he is and eager to learn.The 2nd part describes the rude shock.He gets seeing the adult frogs closeup,and the fear that makes him free. The description of nature is rich in the poem.He uses rich imagery and a vast range of loud sounds.As a poet,his ability to create a variety of sounds is remarkable .He uses onomatopoeia to a large extent,some of the words not too delicate but appropriate-“gargled”, “slap and plop” and “farted”. The poem is written through the wandering eyes of a small child.In the first part of the poem,the poet describes,the flax-dam,the way it smells,held down by large amounts of wet earth.He describes vividly,the various in...

Seamus Heany As a Poet -[1939-2013] Seamus Heany is a famous poet. He has been called “the most important Irish poet since Yeats”.He is a naturalist in two senses,firstly he lives in a close relationship with nature and secondly,he acts in accordance with his instincts rather than the rules of the society.His poems are filled with colour,packed with images of sight,smell,taste,and touch. “Innocence of childhood” was a major theme in his first work-“Death of a Naturalist”. In “ Death of a Naturalist” Heany conveys his love for his home land through his unique language.He proudly displays his knowledge- “Headrig”, “Town land”, “whisky mudler”.He uses strong ,decisive language never hesitating or rambling.His words helping the reader familiarize himself with surrounding.The first collection of verses gives an impression of the poet ...

THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA -ErnestHemingway Ernest Hemingway was one of the most infuential modern American novelists. He successfully captured the fancy of generation of readers and writers in America and any other writer of the 20th century. His experience as a journalist helped him with graphic,various prose style. His experience in wars at many places helped him with themes. Violence in one form or other seems to be the chief element of his material.He had interest in pain and death which is is reflkected in almost all hisworks. His master piece “The Old Man and The Sea” with its style and dignity of ‘The Bible’.That’s why he got Nobel Prize. “The Old Man and The Sea” is a wonderful adventure story of an Old Man who stuggled against a huge fish.Eventhough physically weak,he was quite strong mentally and morally. He started very early all alone to catch a big fish in the deep waters. Ultimately a ...