English Literature IGCSE

This essay discusses the relevance of the novella 'The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' in Victorian England and in the 21st century. This text is particularly interesting, for it is an extended metaphor that is a beautiful analysis of human psychology. It deals with two faces of a human: the outwardly facade of sophistication, and the innate yet suppressed feral instincts.  ‘The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ by Robert Louis Stevenson can be called an evergreen classic for one key reason. The central theme of the good and evil that resides within man is highly pertinent, and is prevalent in every era. This novella explores the idea of the ‘facade’ one commonly puts up in order to be accepted in society and become well respected, however, this show of being sophisticated and civilised is a mere veneer. In Victorian England, this novel came to be of immense relevance under the light of the industrial revolution, wherein several immigrants travelled to Engl

This essay discusses the choice of images in the poem 'Heart and Mind' by Edith Sitwell  Heart and Mind by Edith Sitwell is brilliantly crafted poem that deals with the philosophical idea of the longevity of true love and the temporary nature of physical infatuation and lust. In this case, the heart is associated to lust, whereas the mind is associated to true love that continues to live on. The key manner in which Sitwell breaks down this complicated issue to explain her views to her readers, is by employing various contradictory images that symbolize the eternal and short-lived natures of love and passion respectively. The first image that Sitwell employs to convey this message is that of the Lion speaking to the Lioness. The Lion begins by saying when “you are amber dust”. This refers to the time when the lioness’ body has perished, but her soul lives on, in a time when there is “no liking but all lust”. Though they “shall mate no more”, the “fire of that sun the hea

This passage answers the question:  Do you think that there is some legitimacy in Joe Keller’s argument of some wrongs being excusable in the name of family? The play All My Sons by Arthur Miller can be seen as a modern day tragedy due to the protagonist – Joe Keller – possessing a fatal flaw, that eventually leads to his downfall. Keller’s fatal flaw in this case, is his limited worldview. He thinks that his responsibility is only limited to his business and family, and thus he ignores the ‘social contract’ we are all bound by. Hence, when Keller argues that some wrongs are excusable in the name of family, it seems like a rather feeble attempt to regain his dignity, in light of the fact that he has blood on his hands regardless. Undertones of Keller’s guilt are visible from the start. In the name of defending Steve Deever, he keeps trying to justify his own crime, to provide some sort of solace to his own self. When Ann and Chris chastise Deever for his crime, Joe attempts

All those who might have read or studied "Merchant of Venice", (one of Shakepeare's many renowned plays) would know that deceptive appearances is one of the central themes of this play. Merchant of Venice was also my favourite text from the ones we did as a part of our IGCSE syllabus. Shakespeare's craftsmanship with words is one that is truly remarkable and inimitable.  Merchant of Venice: Deceptive Appearances The theme of deceptive appearances is one of the central themes in Shakespeare’s play, The Merchant of Venice and is prevalent throughout the various intertwined plots. It is also reflected in the language, via the employment of puns, malapropisms double entendre and other literary devices. This theme is significant in the plot of the caskets, wherein their outwardly appearance is deliberately designed in a manner that tests Portia’s suitors. The first suitor, Morocco, falls prey to the golden casket that claims, “who chooseth me shall gain what

This is a passage based essay from All My Sons by Arthur Miller *For those of you who don't know, you are required to answer one passage based question, wherein you will be given a segment of the text. This segment is from  Page 37-40 (George ’ s phone call) Question: Discuss how tension is built in this extract In this passage from ‘All My Sons’, Arthur Miller aims to develop tension and a sense of foreboding by the phone call that precedes George Deever’s arrival. The impact this has on Kate and Joe Keller reveals to the audience that they are tainted by the ‘crime’ at the factory somehow, and have something to conceal and be fearful of. Deever acts as a catalyst and unleashes the ‘winds of destruction’ upon the Keller household, much like the winds that brought down Larry’s tree. Thus, George’s arrival heralds the unraveling of the truth and he acts as a catalyst for the destruction of the Kellers’ falsehood-based sense of security. The key to building tension so

This essay is an analysis of the poem 'Lover's Infiniteness' by John Donne In the poem ‘Lover’s Infiniteness’, John Donne employs the structure of this poem as a key tool to represent the transient nature of his thoughts towards the idea of love. The effect created makes the reader believe that Donne was torn between perspectives and was facing an inner conflict while penning down this poem. Each stanza of the poem has a different tone, and represents this very change in the Donne’s perspective while simultaneously exploring the idea of “love’s riddle”. In the first stanza, Donne’s outlook is fairly defeatist. He feels if “yet I have not all thy love, I shall never have it all”. Donne’s idea of love comes across as childish, as one cannot really quantify love. Also, he seems to be too possessive. The language used here is fairly materialistic. This is attested to when he says “and all my treasure which should purchase thee”. Donne regards love as a black and whi