Notes, resources, and study guides.
‘The main characters in texts are often in conflict with the world or culture they inhabit.’ In the light of the above statement, compare how the main characters interact with the cultural c...
What you need to compare: whether the texts you are studying reveal a bright or dark outlook on life. Subject matter that reveals a bright/dark outlook – examine what the texts focus on; is...
Macbeth: The subject matter of Macbeth is depressing, focusing on the fall of a great servant to the king due to his ambition. This presents a bleak outlook as it can be argued this is not o...
Characters that share a particular vision of life – challenging obstacles Macbeth: In the play characters challenge obstacles however this reveals a bleak outlook as this is done for selfis...
Impressions created by closing scenes of texts Macbeth: There is a bright outlook at the end of the text as it is suggested that the divided kingdom will return to a unified state, where su...
The Filling Station: Here direct reference can be made to Bishop’s mother being permanently hospitalized for mental illness in 1917 when Bishop was young. There is no mother present in the p...
First Death in Nova Scotia: In First Death in Nova Scotia we meet many detailed images of many sorts, from the domestic ‘marble table’ to a ‘frozen lake’, and it may be seen that such a cont...
Vivid, detailed descriptions of the exotic and familiar The Armadillo: The balloons, while fiery, are familiar; they are objects of the ordinary, known by all audiences and present in all f...
The Fish: The poem is set in free verse. There are short lines with enjambment present, giving the impression of Bishop simply spilling her thoughts out onto the page, such as when Bishop re...
‘The general vision and viewpoint of a text can be determined by the success or failure of a central character in his/ her efforts to achieve fulfilment.’ In the light of the above statement...
