William Shakespeare is one of the most famous poets and playwrights in history.
He is a very intriguing man. He wrote multiple poems as well as dramas. Although Shakespeare was considered as the foremost dramatist of his time, he looked towards poetry for his enduring fame. But Shakespeare was not only a dramatist and poet. He was also an inventor. He greatly contributed to the English language by inventing thousands of words, often combining or contorting Latin, French and native roots. His inventions included arch-villain, birthplace, bloodsucking, courtship, dewdrop, downstairs, fanged, heartsore, hunchbacked, leapfrog, misquote, pageantry, radiance, schoolboy, stillborn, watchdog, and zany. Shakespeare was probably a person with a great love for poetry and the literary arts. During his lifetime, Shakespeare wrote more than thirty plays. His earlier plays were mainly comedies, but over the next few years, he wrote some of his most amazing works, including Hamlet and Macbeth. His works have inspired many and are currently being studied all around the world.
His poetry includes:
The Rape of Lucrece (1594)
The Sonnets of Shakespeare (1609)
Venus and Adonis (1593)
Monday, June 29, 2009
Sunday, June 28, 2009
My Favourite Poem
Messy Room by Shel Silverstein
Whosever room this is should be ashamed!
His underwear is hanging on the lamp.
His raincoat is there in the overstuffed chair,
And the chair is becoming quite mucky and damp.
His workbook is wedged in the window,
His sweater's been thrown on the floor.
His scarf and one ski are beneath the TV,
And his pants have been carelessly hung on the door.
His books are all jammed in the closet,
His vest has been left in the hall.
A lizard named Ed is asleep in his bed,
And his smelly old sock has been stuck to the wall.
Whosever room this is should be ashamed!
Donald or Robert or Willie or--
Huh? You say it's mine? Oh, dear,
I knew it looked familiar!
I like this poem as it uses a lot of figurative language and it also vividly describes what a messy room would typically look like.
The first example of the use of figurative language would be the hyperbole. The phrases "should be ashamed!" (1st line) and "Oh, dear". They exaggerate how much the poet dislikes this room and also how embarrassed the poet is when he realises that the messy room is actually his/hers. The poet uses hyperboles to describe how messy he thinks the room is.
Next, is the use of metaphors. Basically, almost the entire poem is made of metaphors. the lines 2 - 12 describe the messy room and allows you to form a picture of the room in your mind. It also describes how messy and unkempt the room's owner is. The poet uses metaphors to describe the room.
Finally, at the end of the poem, there is a twist in the story as the poet finally realises that the room that he was describing in such a harsh manner about its mess was his. It made a very humorous ending to the poem.
His underwear is hanging on the lamp.
His raincoat is there in the overstuffed chair,
And the chair is becoming quite mucky and damp.
His workbook is wedged in the window,
His sweater's been thrown on the floor.
His scarf and one ski are beneath the TV,
And his pants have been carelessly hung on the door.
His books are all jammed in the closet,
His vest has been left in the hall.
A lizard named Ed is asleep in his bed,
And his smelly old sock has been stuck to the wall.
Whosever room this is should be ashamed!
Donald or Robert or Willie or--
Huh? You say it's mine? Oh, dear,
I knew it looked familiar!
I like this poem as it uses a lot of figurative language and it also vividly describes what a messy room would typically look like.
The first example of the use of figurative language would be the hyperbole. The phrases "should be ashamed!" (1st line) and "Oh, dear". They exaggerate how much the poet dislikes this room and also how embarrassed the poet is when he realises that the messy room is actually his/hers. The poet uses hyperboles to describe how messy he thinks the room is.
Next, is the use of metaphors. Basically, almost the entire poem is made of metaphors. the lines 2 - 12 describe the messy room and allows you to form a picture of the room in your mind. It also describes how messy and unkempt the room's owner is. The poet uses metaphors to describe the room.
Finally, at the end of the poem, there is a twist in the story as the poet finally realises that the room that he was describing in such a harsh manner about its mess was his. It made a very humorous ending to the poem.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Book Review - Charlotte's Web
Charlotte's Web is a famous, fictional story, written by E.B. White. It depicts a young pig, Wilbur's life, from being saved from being slaughtered, to living in a farm. It tells of Charlotte, a spider who became friends with Wilbur while he was living in the farm and eventually saves Wilbur from being slaughtered by the farmer. The book is written in simple language, and is an enjoyable read.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Book Review - Only A Sandpiper: Appreciating Classical Chinese Poetry
'Only a sandpiper' is a book written by a local columnist for both the Straits Times and Lianhe Zaobao, Li Lienfung. It discusses Chinese Poetry and major classics. It gives readers an interesting insight into appreciating Chinese poetry, even to those unfamiliar to the language or have never read a Chinese poem before. Many different sorts of poems are introduced to the reader, ranging from poems by a war veteran, to poems written by a prisoner of war. At the same time, it also gives the reader insight into the war-plagued, corrupted land that is ancient China. It is a good read and is a must for poem lovers.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Book review: The Arrival
Today, I will be doing another review in a book that I have just read, entitled, The Arrival. It is a graphic novel, filled with many stunning hand drawn pictures which are linked together to form a story. It does not have a single word in the story.
It has many interpretations, depending on how you read it, but this is what I think it depicts:
A man is leaving for work in a foreign land. He has a wife and a child. He packs up and unwillingly leaves his family. As he reaches his destination, he sees the exotic range of flora and fauna which he is unfamiliar to. At first, he struggled to find jobs which suited him. He was in a dilema as he was unable to find jobs. Fortunately, he finds a job and starts working.
He eventually gathers enough mmoney to send home. His family decided to come and live in the strange land.
The story has a really happy ending.
It is a good read and I encourage anybody to read it.
It has many interpretations, depending on how you read it, but this is what I think it depicts:
A man is leaving for work in a foreign land. He has a wife and a child. He packs up and unwillingly leaves his family. As he reaches his destination, he sees the exotic range of flora and fauna which he is unfamiliar to. At first, he struggled to find jobs which suited him. He was in a dilema as he was unable to find jobs. Fortunately, he finds a job and starts working.
He eventually gathers enough mmoney to send home. His family decided to come and live in the strange land.
The story has a really happy ending.
It is a good read and I encourage anybody to read it.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Book reviews for hoidays part 1
I will be doing some book reviews over the holidays, of books I have never read before from the library.
The first book is: Animal Farm by George Orwell
It is a story of a farm, with the animals in it dissatisfied with their living conditions. One of the old boars in the farm then had a dream, that animals would one day overthrow the tyranny of the human race and run a farm run by and for the animals.
A few days after the boar told the rest of the animals, he passed away.
The animals then decided they had to lay down the foundations for the rebellion to begin. All sorts of preparations were made to ensure that the farm would be in their hands.
When the farmer was driven out of the farm, two pigs were chosen to lead the animals to properity.
Eventually, the peace was shattered and one of the pigs became corrupted, and drove the other pig out from the farm.
The remaining pig repeatedly violated the original seven commandments which were used to govern the animals. He changed the contents to suit his needs after a while, it was removed.
The pig started to interact with humans in the district, and eventually became a human, after being corrupted by his power.
It has various lessons that we can learn from, and it is very good read, although some content may not be suitable to younger children. (parts depicting blood, gore, and violence)
The first book is: Animal Farm by George Orwell
It is a story of a farm, with the animals in it dissatisfied with their living conditions. One of the old boars in the farm then had a dream, that animals would one day overthrow the tyranny of the human race and run a farm run by and for the animals.
A few days after the boar told the rest of the animals, he passed away.
The animals then decided they had to lay down the foundations for the rebellion to begin. All sorts of preparations were made to ensure that the farm would be in their hands.
When the farmer was driven out of the farm, two pigs were chosen to lead the animals to properity.
Eventually, the peace was shattered and one of the pigs became corrupted, and drove the other pig out from the farm.
The remaining pig repeatedly violated the original seven commandments which were used to govern the animals. He changed the contents to suit his needs after a while, it was removed.
The pig started to interact with humans in the district, and eventually became a human, after being corrupted by his power.
It has various lessons that we can learn from, and it is very good read, although some content may not be suitable to younger children. (parts depicting blood, gore, and violence)
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