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  1. Lucifer
    Lucifer better to reign in hell than to serve in heaven

    Short Story of Frog and Nightingale by Vikram Seth goes as follows. A frog in the jungle keeps croaking the whole night. The animals are quite irritated because of its ugly and noisy croaking. They try a lot but fail to make the frog stop the noise. The frog, on the other hand, having full confidencRead more

    Short Story of Frog and Nightingale by Vikram Seth goes as follows. A frog in the jungle keeps croaking the whole night. The animals are quite irritated because of its ugly and noisy croaking. They try a lot but fail to make the frog stop the noise. The frog, on the other hand, having full confidence itself keeps the animals awake in the night.
    One day a nightingale visits the jungle and starts living there. Her voice is quite sweet and even the frog stops croaking to listen to it. One day frog meets nightingale and finding that the latter lacks self-confidence, frog talks high about himself and offers to help him sing sweeter.

    He also starts charging for tuitions to the nightingale. Doing this the frog earns a reputed status in the jungle. Nightingale soon makes herself better but loses the happiness that it once had.

    As the frog gets more jealous of the nightingale, it makes the latter to practice more. Ultimately, nightingale dies one day and the frog starts croaking again.

    Read the complete summary of the poem here or explore other questions.

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In:
  1. Lucifer
    Lucifer better to reign in hell than to serve in heaven

    The poem The Frog and the Nightingale by Vikram Seth gives an important lesson that every person must understand his/her own abilities and talents and not be fooled by a critic who may not have the best intentions. One must develop self-confidence and belief in one’s own potential. The Nightingale,Read more

    The poem The Frog and the Nightingale by Vikram Seth gives an important lesson that every person must understand his/her own abilities and talents and not be fooled by a critic who may not have the best intentions. One must develop self-confidence and belief in one’s own potential.

    The Nightingale, in spite of being a very good singer, lacks confidence in itself and falls prey to the greedy and jealous frog who first exploits its skills by charging it for training and then ultimately becomes the reason for its death. Had the nightingale believed in itself, the situation would have been different.

    People nowadays fail to recognise their talents and also lack confidence in themselves. Hence, they fail in their lives though they have talent.

    Read the summary of The Frog and the Nightingale here.

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In:
  1. Lucifer
    Lucifer better to reign in hell than to serve in heaven

    There were several reasons which led to the rise of English Novel. Some of these reasons are as follows: Decline of Drama: After industrial revolution, there was mass urbanisation and people got too busy to read long dramas which was the first reason for the rise of novel. Rise of Middle Class: DueRead more

    There were several reasons which led to the rise of English Novel. Some of these reasons are as follows:

    1. Decline of Drama: After industrial revolution, there was mass urbanisation and people got too busy to read long dramas which was the first reason for the rise of novel.
    2. Rise of Middle Class: Due to rise in trade and commerce in 18th century, the middle class came into existence. This class was rejected by high-class writers. Novelists gave voice to them and hence it became a popular genre.
    3. Newspaper and Magazine: Middle class was interested in reading newspapers and magazine. Romantic novels and tragedies were well-liked by them. Many novelists started publishing such novels in parts (in newspapers).
    4. Women: Women novelists also came into limelight. They started producing novels which were read by other women of middle class society.
    5. Periodical Essays: Periodical Essays by Addison and Steel laid the foundation of 18th century novel. These essays were read with great interest by the middle class and people developed taste in domestic and social novels which were mentioned in the periodical essays.

    Read this article for detailed notes.

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In:
  1. Lucifer
    Lucifer better to reign in hell than to serve in heaven

    Poets of Later Victorian Age: In poetry Rossetti, Swinburne and Morris were the heroes of new movement called The Pre-Raphaelite Movement. This movement resembled something like a new Romantic Revival. It was dominated by a new set of Poets name given above. They were normally interested in Beauty.Read more

    Poets of Later Victorian Age:

    In poetry Rossetti, Swinburne and Morris were the heroes of new movement called The Pre-Raphaelite Movement. This movement resembled something like a new Romantic Revival. It was dominated by a new set of Poets name given above.

    They were normally interested in Beauty. They were satisfied  with the beauty of diction, beauty of rhythm and beauty of imagery in the poetry.

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  1. Lucifer
    Lucifer better to reign in hell than to serve in heaven

    Candida is the eponymous protagonist of the play Candida by GB Shaw. The word Candid means frank and so she is. Right from the beginning, we can understand how caring and wise she is. In scene 1, she comes to her own home from her parents’ home to take children’s winter clothes. Finding everything iRead more

    Candida is the eponymous protagonist of the play Candida by GB Shaw. The word Candid means frank and so she is. Right from the beginning, we can understand how caring and wise she is. In scene 1, she comes to her own home from her parents’ home to take children’s winter clothes. Finding everything in on ordered condition, she begins arranging all the things.

    In the play she is depicted as strong which is on contrary to the traditional belief that men are strong and bold and women are weak. In this way, the play questions the discrimination with the women on the basis of gender.

    Shaw has tried to change the gender roles to show the strength of woman. James Morell, Candida’s husband is a clergyman who considers himself to be ideal husband because he believes that Candida is dependent on him. But later on it becomes clear that Candida is not dependent on him. She can sustain herself and has ample of other opportunities (like marrying Eugene Marchbanks).

    During the auction scene, it is Candida who decides to live with James and not because she cannot live without him but because he cannot live without her.

    On the other hand, James Morell is weaker and less wise than Candida. He is totally dependent on her and cannot live without her. As an emancipated or new woman, Candida can be considered to be the ideal of Victorian Era.

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In:
  1. Lucifer
    Lucifer better to reign in hell than to serve in heaven

    This is Just to Say by William Carlos Williams is a short poem which is originally a note written by a husband to her wife asking for forgiveness as he ate the plums which she had kept for breakfast. He ate them as they were tasty and he could not stop himself. The incident can be compared with thatRead more

    This is Just to Say by William Carlos Williams is a short poem which is originally a note written by a husband to her wife asking for forgiveness as he ate the plums which she had kept for breakfast. He ate them as they were tasty and he could not stop himself.

    The incident can be compared with that of Adam and Eve – the first humans on Earth (according to the Bible and the Qur’an). God had warned them yet they ate the apple of the forbidden tree which led them to experience shame, guilt, death etc.

    Adam and Eve knew that they should not eat that apple yet they could not resist themselves. The poet, in this sense, is describing the human nature. From Adam and Eve to the modern man, we all commit sins in spite of knowing well.

    Read the summary of the poem here.

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In:
  1. Lucifer
    Lucifer better to reign in hell than to serve in heaven

    Main Features of William Wordsworth’s Poetry: 1. Emphasis on Nature 2. Use of simple and everyday human language 3. Wrote against corrupt society practises 4. Love for nature

    Main Features of William Wordsworth’s Poetry:

    1. Emphasis on Nature
    2. Use of simple and everyday human language
    3. Wrote against corrupt society practises
    4. Love for nature

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In:
  1. Lucifer
    Lucifer better to reign in hell than to serve in heaven

    The poem uses a number of poetic devices in the poem which I will discuss briefly. Metaphor: Rose Plant in the poem is a metaphor which symbolically refers to a person who dreams to succeed. Alliteration: “the rose that”, “crack in the concrete”, “walk without”, “feet funny”, “Long live”, “when no oRead more

    The poem uses a number of poetic devices in the poem which I will discuss briefly.

    Metaphor: Rose Plant in the poem is a metaphor which symbolically refers to a person who dreams to succeed.

    Alliteration: “the rose that”, “crack in the concrete”, “walk without”, “feet funny”, “Long live”, “when no one“.

    Personification: “it learned to walk without having feet”, “it learned to breathe”

    Read the summary of the poem here.

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