Lit.Guruji

The Lion and the Jewel  The Lion and the Jewel is  a play written by Wole Soyinka. It was first performed at the Royal Court theatre, London in the year 1959. Themes in this play are vanity, gender role and modernity versus tradition. The play is set in the village of Ilujinle, Nigeria. Sidi, the 'Jewel' in this play is a beautiful young girl. She carries a pail of water past the school. Lakunle, the Maths teacher works in this school. He is a man with modern thoughts. He speaks to Sidi and rebukes her for carrying water on her head. Lakunle loves Sidi and he wishes to marry her. He refuses to pay her bride-price which is against the African tradition. His modern ideas are disliked by Sidi. Sidi is ready to marry him if he readily gives her the bridal-price. Sidi is informed about a photographer who visited the village some years ago. He has entered the village with the magazine that bore the images of the villagers and village. In the Magazine Sidi occupies a cen

Swan Song  Swan Song is written by Anton Chekov. 'Swan song' refers to the final performance given before death or retirement. The protagonist in this one-act play is Vasili Svietlovidoff. He expresses his feelings and emotions to Nikita Ivanich, a prompter.      Svietlovidoff is a 68 yrs old comedian. He has forty five years of experience in acting field. Old age has reduced his eagerness and strength in acting. This makes him feel tired and worthless. He feels isolated and lonely. He realises the fact that not even a single person is there to comfort him as he has grown old.        Vasili Svietlovidoff is reminded of his past life. As  a comedian he has gained great fame and applause from audience. He cherishes the memory of his lover. At the same time he feels lonely because his lover has rejected to marry a comedian.      He compare himself with squeezed lemon and broken bottle. He thinks he is losing his acting ability and can’t live with truth that how he is g

  Uncle Podger Hangs a Picture.  Jerome. K. Jerome is a humourist and Journalist. His short story "Uncle Podger Hangs a Picture" is an extract from Three Men in a Boat. In this story Uncle Podger tries to hang a picture. The author mocks at the patriarch through this insane incident. He is an observer of humans and their flaws.             Uncle Podger is a comic figure. He is unable to fix  a picture on the wall.  He calls for Will to get the hammer and Tom to get the rule. He struggles to hang the picture and drops it down. He cuts for himself and screams for his handkerchief.            Unable to find his handkerchief he shouts. "Six of you! And you can't find a coat". After a great roar he discovers his coat. He forgets his hammer and other instruments. He drops the string and loses his balance. He falls on a piano which produces a sweet music.  Uncle Podger blames Aunt Maria to be responsible for creating lot of fuss. Finally he hangs the pictur

Shakespeare Sonnet  William Shakespeare is the father of English drama. He has written 154 sonnets. prominent playwrights and poets of the sixteenth century. He wrote many famous plays and sonnets. Shakespeare sonnet 18, “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” is one of his fine creation.  It was written in the year 1590s and published in 1609.  He addresses his sonnets to two different persons. One is believed to be a male beloved and the other is a dark lady. SONNET 18 SUMMARY In sonnet 18 the poet compares the young man to Summer Day. He is baffled about his comparison and tells that his beloved is beautiful than Summer Day. His friend is more lovely and temperate than the harsh summer.  During summer season the sun shines  brightly, and is too hot. The pleasant weather does not stay. Similarly, the sunshine is sometimes very faint, and the weather gets cold. Describing the flaws in summer season the speaker reflects on the nature of beauty in general. Beauty is d

Summary for The Selfish Giant.  The Selfish Giant is a wonderful short story written by Oscar Wilde. This story talks about a selfish Giant. The children used to visit the giant garden. They play in his garden every afternoon after returning from school. The garden remained a paradise for those kids. It was a heavenly place filled with tree bearing rich fruits and beautiful flowers all over. The birds sang melodiously perching on the top of the trees.        The Giant stayed with his friend, Cornish Ogre. After seven years he returned home. The children were frightened to see the giant. The giant chased away the kids playing in his garden. He disliked the kids playing in his garden.  So, he built a huge wall around the garden and hang a board stating that Trespassers would be Prosecuted . The children became sad as they lost a wonderful place for playing games. They roamed about the high walls of the garden. The kids missed the scenic beauty of the garden.  Soon, Spring

        Fra Lippo Lippi Summary                                  - Robert Browning  Fra Lippo Lippi  is a dramatic monologue written by Robert Browning in 1855.  This poem is written in blank verse. It talks about the conflict between art and religion. Browning depicts a 15 th century real-life painter Fra Lippo Lippi. He was a monk and painter of Italy. Fra Lippo is the speaker of this poem. He is a monk and a painter. The poem begins with the entry of Fra Lippo Lippi stumbling home late at night. The policemen caught  hold of Lippo for entering a brothel house. Lippo informs the policemen about his return to home. He mocks at the guard for their mistake and informs about Cosmio Medici. Hearing the name of Medici the police release Lippo. Lippo speaks about his past life to the guard. He lost his parents when he was a child. His life was miserable. He led his life along the street. He ate the food of dog. At the age of eight his aunt sent him to a convent. In the convent he wa

         To His Coy Mistress To His Coy Mistress is a poem written by Andrew Marvell. He is one of the celebrated poets of The Metaphysical School of Poetry. This poem was written in the year 1650 and was published in the year 1681. In this poem the poet urges a young woman to enjoy the pleasures of life before death approaches her. This poem is a Carpe diem or seize the day. This poem emphasis that life is short and time is fleeting. This is a beautiful love poem were a gentleman is making love with his mistress. This gentleman takes great effort to convince the Coy Mistress. She refuses to make love with the man as she feels coy (shy). He claims that if he had enough time he could spend his entire life admiring her beauty.       He would allow her to walk by the river Ganges and collect rubies. On the other side the poet is ready to walk by the river Humber in England and write his poems. He is ready to spend a hundred years to praise her eyes and forehead. He needs

                              The Lamb                                         - William Blake Lamb is a poem written by William Blake in the year 1789. He is a visionary poet. This poem has both pastoral and religious elements. The title of the poem "Lamb" refers to Jesus Christ. He is called as the Lamb of God - Gospel of John 1:29. This poem is a hymn to God sung in praise of God's grandeur.  In the first stanza of the poem the speaker is a child. The child questions the lamb about the mystery concealed behind it's creation. The speaker probes about the divine soul, who is responsible for its (lamb) acquired knowledge of grazing and the tender voice which has the power to bring delight and happiness. It's woolen clothing adds natural beauty to the lamb.  In the second stanza the speaker answers the questions putforth by the child. Lamb symbolizes innocence. Jesus Christ is called as the Lamb of God. He is gentle, meek, and mild as a lamb. He is the

Pronoun A pronoun is a word that can replace a noun in a sentence. There are 9 types of pronouns, 1.     Personal pronoun 2.     Demonstrative pronoun 3.     Interrogative pronoun 4.     Reflexive pronoun 5.     Emphatic or intensive pronoun 6.     Reciprocal pronoun 7.     Indefinite pronoun 8.     Distributive pronoun 9.     Relative pronoun 1.     Personal pronoun We use a simple substitute for the proper name ( I, you, we, he, she, it, they). Eg. Geetha – She        Rama – He        Cow – It 2.     Demonstrative pronoun Pronoun that point to specific thing. Eg. This is my book.       That looks like a bird.       These are nice shoes.       Those are my slippers. 3.     Interrogative pronoun This pronoun is used to ask questions. Eg. Who are you?       When are you going to Chennai?      What is your name?       Where are you going?        How are you? 4.     Reflexive pronoun Pronouns are used as o

Dictionaries Dictionary helps us to develop our vocabulary. Learner’s can use,  1. Oxford Learner’s Dictionary  2.  Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (OALD). OALD provides you with Ø  Synonyms                                                 Ø  Collocations Ø  Phrasal verbs and idioms Ø  Wordlists Ø  Guided activities 3. The Oxford Learner’s Dictionary of Academic English (OLDAE) is useful for students belonging to various field. For example, the meaning of ‘reaction’ in  the subject ‘chemistry’ is more technical than the general meaning. 4. The Oxford English-English-Tamil Dictionary is used by learners and translators. Use the Thesaurus A thesaurus is a type of dictionary in which words with similar meanings are arranged in groups. It provides a list of synonyms and antonyms. It is handy. When you write an article thesaurus will help you to avoid repeated use of a word. Encyclopaedia Using encyclopaedia is smart and it helps you to begin

Unit II Communicative English 1.    Listening and speaking a.      Listening with a purpose Purpose of Listening ·        Listening for enjoyment ·        Listening to learn ·        To understand and share ideas ·        To solve a problem ·        To follow directions Way of Listening ·        Maintain eye contact ·        Focus on ideas ·        Listen carefully ·        Identify goals and problems    B. Effective listening ·        Focus on the content ·        Look for familiar words ·        Identify the chunk of words ·        Pay attention to tonal variation   C. Tonal Variation Speech without tonal variation is incomplete and monotonous. Falling Tone i.         Matter of fact. I live in Tamil nadu He is twenty years old.     ii.     Wh – questions Where do you live?  When did you come ?  iii.    Commands      Close your books and listen.     Take it away. iv.   Exclamatory        How nice of you!       W

JOURNAL (DIARY) WRITING    Diary entry writing is nothing but sharing an experience or feeling to your diary. It helps us to develop our writing skills. Writing a dairy has got a great significance in human life. It improves our  I.  creativity II. In making decision  III. Keep track of our life's goals   IV.   Memory .  For diary writing entry should not be made about your daily routine, instead it is good to write your experiences. You can express your feelings and emotions. According to Franz Kafka           “ One  in keeping a diary is that you become aware with reassuring clarity of the changes which you constantly suffer". Diary writing is completely personal so you can use  formal or informal language. Before writing the content enter the date, day and time. 

                Coffee house in London Coffee house was introduced from Abyssinia to the Arabian Peninsula towards the end of 15th century. Coffee drinking became common among Arabians and spread to Europe. During 17th century coffee houses became popular in London. By the beginning of the 18th century it was the center of social life in the city. 500 coffee houses were found in England.  Every upper and middle classes frequented this house. People of different political creeds, religious beliefs and professions had their own Cofee houses.  Tories - Visited Chocolate House Whigs - Visited St.James Coffee House.  Will's coffee House was celebrated by learned men. Literary topics like poetic justice, classics, unities were diacussed. Another discussion about Paradise Lost was made. John Dryden, a literary genius visited coffee house. Smoking was common in all coffee-houses. The founder of Wills Coffee-house was Mr.Button. Addison, Dryden, Richard, Steele and Pope were c

       The Restoration England (1660-1688)           Charles II restored the throne of England. Political monarchy, parliament, and law were brought back to its original status. Anglicanism became the religion of upper class people.                      There was cold war between the parson and squire. Addison in his Spectator claims " The parson and the squire live in a perpetual state of war".        Two political parties came into existence during the Restoration Age,  Whigs - supporters of Parliament.  Tories - supporters of King.       Science was used for the development of agriculture, industry, medicine, and engineering. Royal Society of Science was founded in1662 . There was a conflict between science and religion. Superstitious belief, divine punishment and witchcraft vanished among people.           During restoration age the theatres were opened. The stage was artificially lighted with candles. No drop curtains and painted scenery. Most popular resto

                         Puritanism   Introduction : The Protestants were not satisfied with the religious settlement made by Queen Elizabeth. So, they planned to purify all Roman Catholic practices and came to be known as puritans.  According to G. M. Trevalyan " Puritanism was the religion of all those who wished to purify the rituals of the established church from the Roman Catholics. Idealist Puritans:  The puritans were ideal and they involved in private  devotion. For spiritual guidance the puritans read the Bible. He kept spiritual diary and entered the success and failures faced in day to day life.  At the beginning period puritanism advocated delight in the pleasure and joy of life. But during puritanism rule theatres were closed.  The long parliament passed an Ordinance abolishing all play houses. They suppressed sports, wrestling and dancing.  Puritans Contribution to English Literature: Milton is a Puritan. He wrote the two great epics Paradise Lost and

          The Civil war and its Significance Introduction : The civil war was the cold war existing between the king and the parliament. It was the year in which Stuart King James I ascended the throne of England. This issue was " Who should be more powerful, the King or the Parliament ". The civil war resolved in  favour of the parliament.  Feud between King James I and the Parliament:  There was a feud between King James I and the Parliament. The King was ready to solve the crisis through the policy of compromise. But his son Charles I came to the throne in 1625 and was not ready to compromise. He was stubborn. This attitude led to an open conflict between him and the parliament.  Ruthlessness of Charles I:  Charles I was annoyed by the power of the parliament. He dissolved his first parliament and levied taxes. He summoned for a second parliament. He threw all the leaders who opposed him and put them in the prison. This circumstance led the King to call for a t

                The Religion of England Introduction: The Reformation movement led into the division of two groups the Catholics and Protestants. Catholics remained loyal to the Pope. Protestants protested against the Pope. Catholic Church was suppressed in England.  The National religion of England:  The national religion of England is Anglicanism or the church of England. It was started by Henry VIII and established by Queen Elizabeth I. There is much in common between the Anglican church and the Catholic church.  Anglicanism :  I . Anglicanism doesnot accept the supremacy of the Pope.  II.  It doesnot give high honour to Virgin Mary, mother of Christ. The Archbishop is appointed by the king or queen.  High Church and Low Church:  During 17th century, with in the church of England there were two groups,                High church               Low church .  The high church gave importance to the authority. The low church didn't give importance to the authority. The

               The Elizabethan Theatre         Elizabethan age was a period of strolling players. These strolling players performed in improvised theatres - in tavern yards, palaces or gentleman's houses. There were touring dramatic companies, such as Admiral's Men and Chamberlain's Men. James I took Chamberlain's under his protection and the company was called the King's Men.         The first permanent theatre was built in 1576 by James Burbage. It was called 'The Theatre'. The theatres are,  Rose - 1587 Globe - 1599 Fortune - 1600       Most of the theatres of the time were small. They were different in shape . For example,the Swan theatre was octagonal, and the Fortune theatre was Square shaped.        During Elizabethan age the theatre was half open to the sky and the plays were acted during day time . This theatre was not elaborate like the modern theatres. It's main drawback was no proper appliances . Placards were used to announ

                         The Reformation Introduction : Reformation is a term used to refer to the great religious movement of the 16th century. It started in Germany and spread to other nations like wild fire. According to Hilaire Belloc, " Reformation was a revolt against Catholicism". Causes of Reformation:  I. Doctrines and practices of the church became outdated.  II. Growing spirit of nationalism among people or rivalry between popes and anti-popes and corruption.  Practice of granting Indulgence:  Pope, Julius II decided to pull down the old medieval church of St. Peter, and construct a grand new Basilica. The next Pope, Leo X ran short of funds. He came up with an idea of raising funds by pardoning sinners and selling indulgences to people who donated money for the construction of new Basilica. The superstitious people believed that they could escape hell and reach heaven by paying the Pope.  German monk - Martin Luther King: The Reformation movement was

                  The Renaissance Renaissance literally mean rebirth. It is the revival of learning of classical literature  between the 14 th  and 16 th  century. During this period developed,  I . Spirit of Inquiry.  II . A spirit of freedom of thought.  iii . Social, political and religious ideas were all revolutionalized.  According to Prof. Jobb, "the process of transition in Europe from the medical to modern order". In literature Renaissance means the recovery of the masterpiece of the ancient world and the revived knowledge of Greek and Latin. Hence Walter Pater is right in calling Renaissance "a complex and many sided movement". Inventions and discoveries:  The first printing press in England was established in 1476 by William Caxton. Another great invention was the Mariners Compass.  Capture of Constantinople: The Eastern Roman Empire captured the Turks in 1453. Greek scholars fled from their land and reached Italy, France and England. Renai

The Extasie -        John Donne         The poem Extasie was written by John Donne . He is the father of Metaphysical poetry. In this poem he expresses his unique idea about love. He believes that real love exists only when love is both physical and spiritual.         In the first stanza of the poem two lovers sit on the bank of the river. Both are looking at each other and holding their hands tightly. Their hands are cemented and eyes are strung on a thread. This shows their physical intimacy.         The poet compares the lovers to two equally powerful armies were their souls are waging war against  each other. In this war victory lies on both the sides. The two bodies remain motionless like ‘statues’ as their souls are hanging out. The language spoken by these souls can be understood only by true lovers. According to Donne love is both physical and spiritual.         True love is the fusion of two pure souls. When both the souls combines together an abler sou

Reading For reading a newspaper report/fact based article, you need to perfect your skills in relation to i)          Skimming and scanning ii)          Diction and tone iii)         Identifying topic sentences Skimming It is the process of reading the main ideas within a passage. ·       Note the title of the article. ·       Read the introduction or the first paragraph. ·       Read the first sentence of every other paragraph. ·       Read the summary or the last paragraph. Scanning It is reading rapidly in order to find some specific facts. For example, if you are looking for a date, you can scan the paragraph for numbers.  Diction and Tone Tone is the author's attitude toward the writing. It is largely determined by diction or the words that an author chooses. Good writers carefully choose words that will help you “hear” the attitude in the writing. Identifying Topic Sentences In every paragraph their should be a topic sentence. Top

LISTENING Listening skill holds the key to effective communication. It is an important factor in communication. It is a voluntary activity where the listener has to listen with keen interest. Listening challenges People may face certain difficulties in understanding a talk or lecture. ·        Speaker talking quickly ·        lack of visual clue ·        Poor vocabulary ·        lack of knowledge ·        Inability to recognise individual sound. 1.Skills involved in listening: Our knowledge about the world help us to predict the information. The vocabulary stored in our brain gets activated as we listen to a particular topic. For example when a teacher talks about weather you can predict that the teacher will be using words like sunny, cloudy, windy, rainy, storm. 2. Listening for gist: When a speaker speaks, the content is delivered in an order. Listening the noun, verb, adjective in a sentence helps the listener to a form a picture ad. This is ca