Q) “new york aint got nothing chicago aint” to “no, cause aint nobody with me”

How are Walter feelings portrayed?

A) In this extract, Walter illustrates the profound sentiments that he is imbued with, through a series of pejorative remarks and a sardonic tone towards george as he conversates with him

Bitterness towards george’s affluence is signified throughout the extract. “Faggoty white shoes” is an instance where walter indicates his repulsion towards the fashion trends followed by prosperous people in society. This is accentuated when he says “she looks like she got burnt legs or something”, showing how he rebukes her attempts to assimilate into society and pursue 

Irony is implied when he says that education is futile, while he himself has no affiliation with education. It also shows his outlook on life and hardwork. He does not feel the need to acquire knowledge and only seems interested in making money and “take over and run the world”. A shortcut to success

Lastly he laments how “nobody with me” to share the same ideology as him. He is enraged as there seems to be a discord between him and every other member he conversates with. 

Q) How does Boey Kim Cheng evoke sympathy towards the reservists in this poem? 

 A) Boey Kim Cheng’s “Reservist” is a free verse poem that encapsulates the onerous lives of men who are obligated to devote themselves towards Military Service. The poet deploys a sardonic tone, adroitly accentuated through the usage of images, irony and striking diction to eloquently elicit profound sentiments of sympathy towards the reservists. 

Throughout the poem, a sense of routineness is manifested through the poet’s diction. The words “time again”, “annual joust”, “regular fanfare”, “same hills”, “same forests”, “same trails” and “same roar” indicate the multitude of instances where the repetition of “same” or similar words is used to portray the monotony in Military Service. The feelings of tedium are underlined through the oxymoronic visual image in “rusty armour” and the words “battle weary knights ”; they are worn out due to their recurring call for military service and even something as shiny as their armour has began rusting, which signifies the regularity of their service as soldiers. Moreover, the phrase “again united with sleek weapons we were betrothed to in our cavalier days” depicts the eternal relationship between the army weapons and the Reservist, further emphasizing on the recrudescence of Military Service, which significantly evokes a sense of pity regarding the plight of the reservists.

Boey Kim Cheng also prevalently evinces the compulsion that the men are subjected to. The repressive call for military service is elucidated by “imperative letters” and “king’s command” and the inevitability of their submission to this service is marked in “same trails will find us time and again”. The peremptory nature of the government is highlighted through the analogy between the men being sent to war and children being forced onto carousels signifying the impotence of these men being compelled into fighting as soldiers. This accounts for their despondency, which is denoted in the auditory image in “suppressed grunts” and the kinesthetic image in “creep to attention”; “creep” depicting their lack of willingness in their actions and “suppressed” highlighting their utter exhaustion, hence accentuating the feelings of sympathy in the readers’ minds.

The horror and violence that pervades in the province of war is powerfully represented through striking imagery and phraseology that vividly portrays their abomination towards Military Service. The poet uses the tactile image in “creaking bones” to illustrate their scathed physical condition, which delineates their experience through a gruesome aspect. To emphasise on this, Boey Kim Cheng makes a reference to court martials, which is essentially a court for those who oppose the military law. This reference suggests the fact that any reservist who fails to appear for the “joust” is subjected to judicial action. Their familiarity with violence is signified in “monsters armed with the same roar”; the metaphor “monsters” referring to their enemies, who they so frequently fight against that their brutality no longer frightens the reservists. These terrifying images invade the readers with compassion towards the reservists who live such strenuous lives. 

Furthermore, profound emotions are elicited in “helmets shutting off half our world” and “too old, too ill-fitted for life’s other territories”. Here the poet laments and expresses his regret for their requisite devotion to being reservists; their allegiance has resulted in them neglecting other pursuits in life and by the time they are no longer fit to fight in the army, they are too old to experience the various aspects of life. This is underlined by the illusion created in “shrinking gear”, a comical remark that sarcastically suggests that their gear is shrinking whereas in reality they are growing older, carrying the same duty with them as their age ascends. 

Boey Kim Cheng deftly maintains a cynical tone throughout the poem, which is underscored in the last paragraph where he portrays hope, however, it is done through irony and a series of paradoxical statements, that suggest that the hope is artificial. The poet wishfully claims that one day the “lordship” will perhaps “sleep” and that they will “emerge [as] unlikely heroes” however this is contradicted throughout the poem as the poem persistently represents the continuity of military service and the title of the poem: “reservist” explains that these men are simply reserves, hence they are unlikely to be remembered or honoured for actively fighting for their country. The sarcasm augments the sympathy that pervades in the readers’ minds for this instance signifies how a reservist must force himself to be optimistic and believe that their misery will come to an end whereas in reality their current state of perennial monotony is their eventual fate.

Lastly, in “sisyphus is not a myth”, the poet uses an allusion to compare their plight to that of Sisyphus who, as a punishment, was made to push an immense rock up a hill only for it to fall down everytime he nears the top. By deeming his situation as a punishment, the poet elucidates his state of  distress. Thus, by making the poem replete with literary devices and diction, the poet emanates his vexation at military service, invoking deep sympathy for the reservists. 

Q) How does the post apocalyptic setting accentuate the theme of the story?

A) Ray Bradbury’s “There Will Come Soft Rain” is a story that essentially encapsulates the self-destructive characteristic of humans and the triumph of nature over all other entities. By establishing a post apocalyptic setting, Ray Bradbury institutes the diverse themes of futility of technology, self-destruction and dependency, that propel the story towards the message it eventually communicates.

Ray Bradbury creates a setting of a house where loneliness pervades. The auditory image in “[the clock] repeating its sound into the emptiness” and the phrases “no doors slammed” and “no carpets took the soft thread of rubber heels” signify the lack of human presence in the house. This isolation is accentuated in “the house stood alone in a city of rubble and ashes” which is pivotal in establishing the post-apocalyptic context. The absence of humans is significant in bringing in the theme of futility, as the electronic devices are carrying out their functions to no avail, as there is no one to benefit from these favours. By setting the story in a world destroyed by war, futility is also implied towards the relentless development of technology, because all the advancements could not prevent humanity’s obliteration, for which they themselves are to blame. This introduces the theme of self-destruction in the story.

Self-destruction is persistently insinuated in the story. The poem narrated in the story describes the unaffected state of nature “if mankind perished utterly” due to war. The post-apocalyptic and post-war setting in the story corroborates this as even in the absence of humans the sun still rises, the rain still pours and the birds still flutter. Furthermore, the the fact that the multitude of devices continue to work without human presence or stimulation show that humans advanced in technology to such an extent that is surpassed their own horizon. However, eventually even the house that surmounted the nuclear war is perished by a tree, which initiates the themes of dependency of all entities on nature. 

Nature is portrayed as a paramount entity in this story, and the fact that it is extant in a post apocalyptic world where everything else is doomed and the fact that it eventually possesses the ability to destroy a house that survived a nuclear war signifies nature’s triumph over humanity. Hence the post-apocalyptic setting crucially underlines the message Ray Bradbury wished to communicate using these themes in “There Will Come Soft Rain”

Q) Comment on the development of Walter’s character in “A Raisin in The Sun”

A) Lorraine Hansberry’s “A Raisin in The Sun” is a Broadway play that revolves around the financial distress that an African-American family living in the South of Chicago is subjected to as a result of the racial divide. Walter Younger, the head of the family and the protagonist of the play, is confronted by his monetary status and he endeavours to create a brighter future for his family and himself. Lorraine Hansberry develops his character as a representation of the entire family’s progress till the end, and his various traits make him an antihero of the play.

Walter is a “lean, intense young man” in his mid-thirties and “nervous movements and erratic speech habits” characterize his behavior. His initial characterization portrays him to be chauvinistic. He works as a chauffeur, and the fact that he has to obey the commands of a rich white man leaves him utterly dissatisfied with his life.

At this point, his state is almost like that of the family’s plant; weary and lacking hope. Yet, he displays a sense of dignity when he generously gives Travis two 50 cent coins despite their poverty. He feels that the only way to improve his life is through acquiring financial wealth and the only time optimism exudes from him is when Mama receives a $10,000 insurance check. Walter’s behavior, although ambitious, begins to turn egocentric. He wishes to use the insurance money to invest in a liquor store with Willy Harris to finally be freed from the economic crisis. Ruth warns him about trusting Willy and Mama, being a devout Christian, considers the idea sinful hence refusing to bestow him with the money. Walter interprets the situation by believing that none of the women want to support him and says, “that is just what is wrong with the colored woman.. don’t understand about building their men up”. Consequently, he quarrels with his family members, discouraging Beneatha’s aspiration of being a doctor while making sexist remarks—“go be a nurse like other women or just get married and be quiet”. By portraying his demeaning attitude towards the women in his family institutes sour familial relationships for Walter and establishes attributes of selfishness, avarice and stubbornness.

Walter’s amoral characteristics are further exemplified when he loses the money that Mama eventually gave him. Part of this money was to be kept for Beneatha, however Walter irresponsibly invests into a man who, as predicted by Ruth, flees away with it. Now, all traces of jubilation Walter had upon receiving the money is lost along with the family’s hope in him. Walter’s role begins to personify the African American families that make many gambles, eventually leading to complete failure. Emotional weakness pervades in his character and he becomes extremely desperate, leading to his decision of selling off the newly bought house to a racist man for heaps of money. Here, the audience witnesses the previously dignified Walter be divested of pride or self-respect, and are compelled to pity his condition despite his heedless actions.

Lorraine Hansberry, however, makes Walter’s character a dynamic one. Towards the ending, Walter is redeemed and he makes amends with his family by rejecting the offer by Mr.Lindner. His inability to capitulate in front of Travis and realization of his father’s struggle helped him regain self-respect, which makes even Mama exclaim, “He finally come into his manhood today”. In Walter Younger, the playwright portrays the drastic effect that poverty and racism has on people’s personalities, turning them against those that they most love.

Through Walter’s growth in the play, Lorraine Hansberry shows the audience how social barriers can be overcome through personal determination and staying true to one’s own beliefs. Walter’s development is a catalyst towards the play’s delightful conclusion.

Q) How does Bernard MacLaverty evoke sympathy for the protagonist in “Secrets”

A) Bernard MacLaverty’s “Secrets” is a coming of age story encapsulating the anecdote of an anonymous protagonist; a young boy who uncovers his Aunt’s secrets and as a result, has to face severe consequences. Through potent use of analepsis coupled with dramatic phraseology and striking imagery, Bernard MavLaverty elicits profound sympathy in the minds of the readers towards the young boy. 

MacLaverty lucidly depicts the events that transpire in the past when the protagonist trespasses the personal space of his Aunt. He uses imagery to vividly portray the flashback with explicit details, underscoring the strong emotions that overwhelm Aunt Mary. The visual image and hyperbole in “eyes blazed” and kinesthetic image in “struck him across the side of the face” institute great intensity and hence invoke sympathy in the reader’s mind as the young boy is raged upon by his dearest person. Furthemore, dramatic diction is deployed when Aunt Mary “hisses” that he will “always be dirt” and she “will remember this till the day she dies”. By metaphorically comparing the child to “dirt”, the Aunt’s fury is highlighted, causing the readers to empathise towards the young boy whose reputation in the Aunt’s eyes changes from her beloved nephew to worthless scum. 

The use of imagery is also prevalent in the scene where the Aunt is on her deathbed. MacLaverty accentuates the boy’s feelings of self-condemnation through the line “he was trembling with anger or sorrow”. The protagonist is so engulfed by his emotions that he is not sure whether he is angry “or” sad. His indeterminate sentiments signify how traumatic his Aunt’s rage was; it haunts him till the present. Moreover, his deep-rooted concern for his Aunt is discernible when he asks his mother “Did Aunt Mary say anything about me?”. By depicting the emotional impact his Aunt’s distrust had on the protagonist, MacLaverty heightens feelings of pity towards the boy. 

Symbolism is integral to the story in evoking a sentimental response from the readers. Aunt Mary’s physical health is a concrete symbol of the relationship shared by the aunt and the boy. In the analepsis the narrator claims “her skin (was) fresh, her hair [was] white and waved and always well washed”. However, In the scene of the Aunt’s death in the present, her appearance is described as dreadfully frail and miserable —“her white hair was damped”, “her face seemed to have shrunk by half” and “the lower half of her face seemed to collapse. Her physical condition directly links to her relationship with her nephew, she is healthy when they are on good terms but is frail and dying when their relationship is in ruins. Similarly, there is a reference to vibrant vase of irises in the flashback which, in contrast, is dying in the present. These symbols are significant in highlighting the disparity in the relationship between the aunt and the child in the past and in the present, hence provoking a deepened sense of sympathy towards the protagonist. 

Bernard MavLaverty also uses analepsis to paint an evocative image of the relationship between the aunt and the boy. She used to read him fairy tales and novels and trusted him doubtlessly when she kindly asked him to not open the letters and left him to himself. This portrayal of the fervent connection shared amongst the both of them helps underline how important the aunt is for the protagonist, consequently underscoring his grief. Hence, through precise details and a deft use of literary devices like imagery, symbolism and juxtaposition, MacLaverty elicits strong feelings of sympathy for the protagonist. 

Q) Explain how grace represents the old man’s reflection of the past and the present.

A) Patricia Grace’s “Journey” is a story about a man who contemplates the past and present on his trip to the government official. Grace uses the old man’s journey as a means for him to reminisce about the past, highlighting the disparity between the past and the present and depicting the condemnation of the man towards the contemporary world where he is impotent against the prejudiced government. 

The description of the man’s train ride is replete with references to the changes made to the city. Grace mentions how “in the old days all you needed to do to get on the station was to step over the train tracks”, whereas in the present the old man has to pass through subways where people urinate blatantly. Then she describes how the government has made changes to various terrains to accommodate for urbanisation— there have been artificial landmasses laid down near the edge of the sea where the old man used to get the native seafood pipis from and they demolished a Maori graveyard to build a motorway. Furthermore there are references to relentless deforestation by the government to make space for houses when the writer says “couldn’t give life, only death” after saying “couldn’t give the trees or hills a name and make them feel special and leave them”. This multitude of instances where Grace makes the present an antithesis of the past helps portray the old man’s plaintive remembrance of the past.

Patricia Grace uses these juxtaposed reflections of the past and the present to depict the old man’s disapprobation towards these changes. This disapproval is hinted when the old man makes repeated use of the phrase “funny people” following every comparison to address the white folk, suggesting that he finds their acts rather hysterical. Moreover, Grace makes use of anaphora when she says “same old” in numerous instances to represent how the old man is reluctant to change. The repetition of “same old” in his descriptions of his own neighbourhood indicates that he associates uniformity with positivity, for he does not disapprobate the butcher, post office, shop or taxi being the same as before. Hence the contrast created between his own neighbourhood, where things are left untouched and unchanged by the government, and the transmuted city significantly emphasizes on the essence of nostalgia in the story.  

The old man’s condemnation of the present-day society is accentuated through his meeting with the government official. His patent vexation after his ideas were rejected by the government official is depicted through “[he] wanted to swing a heavy punch” and “he kicked the desk”. Additionally, he demands being cremated instead of buried, signifying his cynicism and distrust towards the government. This censure is integral in augmenting the sense of anamnesis as his disapprobation stems from the fact that matters were substantially divergent in the past; the government was not prejudiced and the Maoris had a voice, which was not suppressed by the avaricious government. 

Hence, grace institutes reflection of the past and present as a crucial component of the story.    

Q) How does Dickinson vividly portray the figure of death in Because I Could Not Stop For Death?

A) “Because I Could Not Stop For Death” is a poem penned by Emily Dickinson, where she delineates her graceful passage into the underworld. Through this poem, Emily Dickinson adroitly deploys metaphors and personification to depict Death as a persona, in order to vividly portray her profound sentiments of admiration towards it.

The poet makes pervaded use of personification in the poem in order to render Death as a gentleman. She accords him traits like kindness and “civility”, which are distinctly paradoxical to the orthodox conceptualization of death where it is merely undesired fate. His characteristic of being a gentleman are underlined since although Dickinson could not make time for him, “he kindly stopped” for her. The slow pace of death is portrayed by “he knew no haste” and is accentuated in “[the sun] passed us”; they are travelling so leisurely that even the sun that sets at such a slow pace seems to have passed them. This is a puzzling claim since death is usually quick and painful. Linking these attributes to death Dickinson portray her own perception of it. 

The prevalent use of metaphors is crucial in developing Death as a desirable figure in the poem. The process of dying is metaphorically compared to a journey on a carriage, hence associating her passing away to a fairytale, where Death is the Prince who has come to rescue the poet. Throughout the ride, Emily Dickinson deploys imageries to describe the scenic landscape. The alliteration in “Gazing Grain” and “Setting Sun” appeals to the tongues of the readers, therefore signifying the gracefulness in her death. Furthermore, the visual images of children playing indicates that death is taking her through the good parts of life; the Recess is her joyful childhood, the Fields of Grain is her prime since grains signify prosperity and harvest and The Setting Sun depicts her transition into old age. These images not only imply that Death was courteous enough to give her a glimpse of the life she left behind for him but it also represents a romantic journey that augments the role of Death as a suitor who the poet admires so much that she lets go all her “labour” and “leisure” from a life so prosperous for him. 

A sudden change in atmosphere brings the journey to an end. Tactile imagery shows that she was “quivering and chill” since she was only covered by a tippet and a tulle. The lack of garments on her connotes the intimacy between them, since women from Emily Dickinson’s time were usually well dressed in the presence of men. To shelter her from this instantaneous change of weather, Death escorts her to a house where the comfort eases the passing of time and a century “feels shorter than the day”,  highlighting his hospitality and goodwill.

Although these instances render her death to be an antithesis of what  readers expect for themselves, implicit details ironically show that her death was no different than ours and the positive characterization of death was perhaps her sanguine outlook on it. “He kindly stopped for me” in reality just refers to the inevitability of death; no one is ever prepared for it, hence its arrival is not really courteous. Their slow pace is a result of the futility of time in the afterlife, and not a consequent of death’s patience or gracefulness. The transition of time from day to night and her arrival at a house that is analogous to a grave, builds an atmosphere of darkness, confinement and coldness, all of which are qualities usually linked with death, signifying how her death was eventually similar to the conventional experience of it. Hence, it is insinuated that although her death was perhaps the ordinary unpleasant experience that it is believed to be and by making using personifications and metaphors to render death as a persona, she establishes a sanguine outlook on the inevitable plight termed death.

Q) How does Larkin strikingly convey feelings of uncertainty in this poem?

A) “Trees” by Philip Larkin is a philosophical poem that elucidates the inevitable cycle of life. Contrasting the poem’s superficial simplicity, Philip Larkin deftly employs symbolism, ambiguous phraseology and a wide progression of literary devices to establish feelings of uncertainty in this poem, hence allowing numerous obscure interpretations of the poet’s purpose in this short poem. 

Philip Larkin institutes an essence of uncertainty with a prevalent use of ambiguous diction and tone. Not only is it present in the simile “like something almost being said” but is also extant in the metaphor “greenness is a kind of grief” and in the personification in “seem to say”. The words “something almost”, “kind of” and “seem” denote the poet’s need to accompany any comparison with doubt and vagueness, signifying lack of certainty. 

Larkin persistently bridges the gap between trees and humans through phrases like “being said”, “written down in rings” and with personification and pathetic fallacy employed in “buds relax and spread” and “their greenness is a kind of grief” respectively. However, with references to the trees’ metamorphosis in spring, the poet also creates a disparity between the perceptible aging of humans and the apparent immortality of the trees. Hence, the sense of ambivalence in the poem is significantly augmented. 

The poet deploys a hypophora and caesura in “is it that…grow old? No, they die too”.  Not only does this hypophora denote the conversational tone of the poet, but the caesura helps underscore the instantaneous change of mood from optimism to pessimism as he divulges the trees’ “trick of looking new” as they grow older. Furthermore, the poet, in contradiction to the hypophora, claims that the trees “begin afresh” in the concluding line, hence moulding their transmogrification as a paradox that elevates feelings of uncertainty in the poem. 

Ultimately, symbolism and irony are used parallel to a substantial extent in the poem to convey the poet’s uncertainty . The poem opens with “the trees are coming into leaf”, which is symbolic of rebirth, however, the poet establishes themes of mortality by stating “they die too”. Moreover “rings of grain” is symbolic since rings are associated with eternity, which is ironic as the poem expounds the transience of every living entity. With the help of the paradox, the irony and the equivocal language, Larkin adroitly manifests feelings of uncertainty in “The Trees”. 

Q) How does Hansberry make the apartment where the Younger Family lives such an important part of the play?

A) Lorraine Hansberry’s “A Raisin In The Sun” is a broadway play that revolves around the financial distress that an african american family living in the south of chicago is subjected to as a result of the racial divide. Hansberry tactfully uses symbolism and stage setting while establishing the setting as a small apartment to underscore the cardinal themes of dreams, racial segregation and penury. 

Hansberry uses a wide progression of images and descriptions to emphatically depict the family’s substandard monetary status. The family of five is shown to be living in a two bedroom house, with a single bathroom that is shared between two families and the meagre space indicates that the family is far from being prosperous. Walter’s son, Travis sleeps on the couch in the living room, which also acts as the dining room. This scarcity of area signifies their struggle to procuring any semblance of a satisfactory standard of living due to their indigence. Furthermore, descriptions like “furniture are typical and undistinguished” shows how their furniture is of the poorest quality and most substandard cost whereas visual images in “worn-out furniture” and  “thread bore carpet” evince how the family cannot properly preserve even the small amount of furniture in their house, owing to their lack of prosperity. These descriptions of the apartment are crucial in instituting the themes of poverty, for not only does the weariness display their inability to afford for pleasant-looking furniture but the claustrophobia insinuates how the family feels confined, physically as well as mentally as their state of poverty restricts them from their costly aspirations in life.

Symbolism and metaphors are deployed deftly when describing the apartment and the stage setting. The plant in the living room is malnourished, owing to there being only a “single window” in the house from which light may enter. The paucity of sunlight and its detrimental impact on the plant is a direct representation of the how scarcely the family manages to lead a normal life due to racial and financial limitations. Therefore, the feeble plant links to the members of the family that are devoid of hope, and Mama routinely watering the plant signifies that she is the sole figure that nurtures the family to help them persevere through the hardships. Moreover Ruth refers to the house as a “rat-trap”. This metaphor suggests how entrapped the family feels inside this house, hence highlighting themes of disillusionment and poverty. 

The neighbourhood that the apartment is situated in is pivotal in accentuating the themes of the play. The African-American family lives in the south of chicago, a predominantly black locality. This expresses how the blacks were ostracised in the 1950s and evinces the racial divide that pervaded in America back then, because of which African Americans were subjected to being placed far away from the posh locality of the whites. Consequently, Hansberry uses the setting to amplify the theme of racism that is integral in this play. 

Lastly, the house is a depiction of the family’s struggles, for their condition only deteriorates when they are confined inside a house, while complying with the norms set by the whites. However, as they transcend the barriers set around them due to the prevalent racism and move to Clybourne Park, a predominantly white neighbourhood, a new beam of hope illuminates their previously dejected spirits, and consequently the significant themes of hope and pride are underlined.