Studies in English Language and Literature

The word 'lyric' has its origin to an ancient string instrument known as lyre. People used to play on lyres and sing. Now let us discuss what lyric poetry is. Suffused with personal emotions and feelings, it is a formal kind of poetry. Usually spoken from the vantage point of the first person, that is, “I”, this poem is stuffed with musical musings. That is to say, after going through a lyric poem, we can feel its beats and musicality with ease. Now let us have a general overview of one of the chief practitioners of this genre. William Wordsworth, one of the chief exponents of lyric poetry, put his lyrical skills so dexterously. His The Lyrical Ballads is one of the finest examples. Now you may ask what a ballad is. A ballad is a poem that tells a story usually in the form of quatrains.  So long we have discussed about lyrical poetry and its general overview. Now we will discuss about Wordsworth as a lyrical poet in a nutshell. For example, in I wandered Lonely as a Cloud

John Donne's The Good-Morrow : Critical appreciation OR Substance OR Metaphysical love poem John Donne's The Good-Morrow  is a Metaphysical love poem. The term 'meta' means 'beyond' and 'physical' means 'bodily'. That is to say, 'metaphysical' means 'beyond physical'. However, Dr. Samuel Johnson named this school of poets to be metaphysical because of their use of conceits that are seeming strange to the conventional world. That is to say, according to Dr. Johnson, these poets belonged out of the physical or the real world. Anyway, he termed them derogatorily. Let us now have a cursory glance at the poem The Good-Morrow . The speaker persona in the poem, at the outset, expresses utmost astonishment thinking that their previous 'pleasures' were no love at all. They were actually immature in the game of love. That is why the speaker utters the word 'wean'd'. 'Weaning' refers to the act of making a child h

The following is a letter to the Editor of a daily newspaper about frequent power cuts and its effects on the students. Write your name Write your complete address Give the date of composing the letter To The Editor Write the name of the newspaper Write the city of its publication Subject:  Frequent power cuts and its effects on students Dear Sir / Madam, I would be very much obliged if you kindly allow me a little space in the columns of your newspaper to ventilate my views on frequent power cuts and its evil effect on the students. We, the inhabitants of the mentioned locality, have been facing the problems of frequent power cuts for a long time. Actually, the worst victims to this problem are none other than the students. Their studies are getting hampered, in spite of everybody's knowing the fact that they are the future of the world. Since it has become a regular incident, it requires an end right now without further delay. I, therefore, would humbly requ

Yes, we must admit that Macbeth, in the psycho-analytical five-act tragedy Macbeth , was out and out a corrupt man stuffed with over ambition and desire to commit regicide. However, we cannot ignore the fact that Lady Macbeth was no less in being a heinous criminal. Some of the critics have compared her with Clytemnestra, Medea etc. Some of the thinkers call her to be the fourth witch. She was, later on, plagued with somnambulism or sleepwalking. Apart from that, she used to speak in her sleepwalk. That is to say, we may utter that she was plagued to be a somniloquist as well. She constantly used to wash off blood from her hands in sleep, although they were totally clean then. Actually, this gesture had a long root in her past activities. Her brutal, monstrous and murderous activities made her do so later on. She was no less ambitious than Macbeth himself. She has justly been called to be the fourth witch in the play. We come across Lady Macbeth's ailment in Act V,  Scene i of the

  A psycho-analytical five-act tragedy named Macbeth  by William Shakespeare evinces how in Act I, Scene iii, the three witch sisters hail and greet Macbeth. The first witch said, "All hail, Macbeth! hail to thee, Thane of Glamis!" The second witch then uttered, "All hail, Macbeth! hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor!" Thereafter, the last or the final exclamation or hail came from the lips of the third witch: "All hail, Macbeth! that shalt be King hereafter." From these three prophecies, Macbeth could easily accept the first one, because the Thane of Glamis was no more. However, the Thane of Cawdor was still alive. Actually, Macbeth had over ambition deeply rooted and seeded in his mind. Unless and until we have something in our heart, that thing can never be raked up to the surface level. Macbeth, on one hand, feared the third prophecy, because he knew that it would be a foul play on his part to achieve that. On the other hand, he could not avoid the ambition

Your name Your address Contact No. Email id Date To The Editor Name of the newspaper City of publication Subject: Terrorism Dear Sir/ Madam, Could you please lend me a little space in your editorial column to ventilate my views in protest against increasing terrorism? I shall be highly obliged if you kindly do so. I feel too much worried regarding this issue that has become the order of the day nowadays. Terrorism is increasing day after day, month after month and year after year. But what is the use of such slaughter? We call ourselves to be 'human beings', but are we so, for sure? There lies a beast within each of us under our humanitarian disguise. Nothing but self-realization and philanthropy can change this terror-stricken world into a peaceful place for dwelling. The more we fight or take revenge, the more will terrorism arise. We better cut this notion from the very root of our mentality. Only then will we be able to behold a new dawn of a new earth and of a better tomor

Comment on the role and function of the Fool in King Lear ./ Character of the Fool in King Lear . Ans. While going through the play King Lear by William Shakespeare, we come across a character called the Fool. Broadly speaking, the Fool is not at all a fool, but an intelligent jester in King Lear’s court. His purpose is to crack practical jokes. Then why did Shakespeare introduce a comic character in a tragedy? It is so because the Fool is to serve the act of comic relief. Moreover, he is to act as a choral figure to represent sanity, honesty, morality and conscience. In King Lear , the Fool was a ‘licenced’ jester of the king. Again, we must note that the Fool is full of practical wisdom, utter sanity and intense brilliance. He followed the king outside in the stormy night. In other words, wherever there was the king, there was the Fool. We may indirectly call him to be the king’s alter self. The Fool shattered the vanity of the upstart Kent into pieces. Somet