PART 1 : QUOTATIONS

1. HERO
Good Margaret, run thee to the parlor;
There shalt thou find my cousin Beatrice
Proposing with the prince and Claudio:
Whisper her ear and tell her, I and Ursula
Walk in the orchard and our whole discourse
Is all of her; say that thou overheard'st us;
And bid her steal into the pleached bower,
Where honeysuckles, ripen'd by the sun,
Forbid the sun to enter, like favourites,
Made proud by princes, that advance their pride
Against that power that bred it: there will she hide her,
To listen our purpose. This is thy office;
Bear thee well in it and leave us alone.
MARGARET
I'll make her come, I warrant you, presently.

Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare

2. Thomas Gradgrind, sir. A man of realities. A man of facts and calculations. A man who proceeds upon the
principle that two and two are four, and nothing over, and who is not to be talked into allowing for anything over.
Thomas Gradgrind, sir — peremptorily Thomas — Thomas Gradgrind. With a rule and a pair of scales, and the
multiplication table always in his pocket, sir, ready to weigh and measure any parcel of human nature, and tell you
exactly what it comes to. It is a mere question of figures, a case of simple arithmetic. You might hope to get some
other nonsensical belief into the head of George Gradgrind, or Augustus Gradgrind, or John Gradgrind, or Joseph
Gradgrind (all supposititious, non-existent persons), but into the head of Thomas Gradgrind - no, sir!

Hard Times by Charles Dickens

3. This nymph, to the destruction of mankind,

Nourish'd two Locks, which graceful hung behind
In equal curls, and well conspir'd to deck
With shining ringlets the smooth iv'ry neck.
Love in these labyrinths his slaves detains,
And mighty hearts are held in slender chains.
With hairy springes we the birds betray,
Slight lines of hair surprise the finney prey,
Fair tresses man's imperial race ensnare,
And beauty draws us with a single hair.

Th' advent'rous Baron the bright locks admir'd;

He saw, he wish'd, and to the prize aspir'd.
Resolv'd to win, he meditates the way,
By force to ravish, or by fraud betray;
For when success a Lover's toil attends,
Few ask, if fraud or force attain'd his ends.

The Rape of the Lock by Alexander Pope

4. "These were the reflections of my hours of despondency and solitude; but when I contemplated the virtues of the
cottagers, their amiable and benevolent dispositions, I persuaded myself that when they should become acquainted
with my admiration of their virtues, they would compassionate me, and overlook my personal deformity. Could
they turn from their door one, however monstrous, who solicited their compassion and friendship? I resolved, at
least not to despair, but in every way to fit myself for an interview with them which would decide my fate. I
postponed this attempt for some months longer; for the importance attached to its success inspired me with a dread
lest I should fail.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

5. Elizabeth Bennet had been obliged, by the scarcity of gentlemen, to sit down for two dances; and during part of that
time, Mr. Darcy had been standing near enough for her to hear a conversation between him and Mr. Bingley, who
came from the dance for a few minutes, to press his friend to join it.
“Come, Darcy,” said he, “I must have you dance. I hate to see you standing about by yourself in this stupid manner.
You had much better dance.”

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

6. O Attic shape! Fair attitude! with brede

Of marble men and maidens overwrought,
With forest branches and the trodden weed;
Thou, silent form, dost tease us out of thought
As doth eternity: Cold Pastoral!
When old age shall this generation waste,
Thou shalt remain, in midst of other woe
Than ours, a friend to man, to whom thou say’st,
“Beauty is truth, truth beauty,”—that is all
Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.

Ode on a Grecian Urn by John Keats

7. Algernon. How are you, my dear Ernest? What brings you up to town?
Jack. Oh, pleasure, pleasure! What else should bring one anywhere? Eating as usual, I see, Algy!
Algernon. [Stiffly.] I believe it is customary in good society to take some slight refreshment at five o’clock. Where
have you been since last Thursday?
Jack. [Sitting down on the sofa.] In the country.
Algernon. What on earth do you do there?
Jack. [Pulling off his gloves.] When one is in town one amuses oneself. When one is in the country one amuses
other people. It is excessively boring.

The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde

8. “Fallen Cherub, to be weak is miserable,

Doing or suffering: but of this be sure—
To do aught good never will be our task,
But ever to do ill our sole delight,
As being the contrary to His high will
Whom we resist. If then His providence
Out of our evil seek to bring forth good,
Our labour must be to pervert that end,
And out of good still to find means of evil;
Which ofttimes may succeed so as perhaps
Shall grieve him, if I fail not, and disturb
His inmost counsels from their destined aim.
But see! the angry Victor hath recalled
His ministers of vengeance and pursuit

Paradise Lost by John Milton

9. A toad is stone-motion, mould-pride, loam-song—

The jewel in this head is the wisdom of this.
One I heard three notes of a nightingale in a dark wood.
The moon sailed. A pond shone. A fence waited.
A cry that momentarily threatened the earth
Gulped back into a bird the size of an oak-leaf.

Era of Giant Lizards by Ted Hughes

 10. The yellow fog that rubs its back upon the window-panes,
The yellow smoke that rubs its muzzle on the window-panes,
Licked its tongue into the corners of the evening,
Lingered upon the pools that stand in drains,
Let fall upon its back the soot that falls from chimneys,
Slipped by the terrace, made a sudden leap,
And seeing that it was a soft October night,
Curled once about the house, and fell asleep.

The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock by T. S. Eliot

PART 2 : ESSEYS
Q1: In Shakespeare’s Sonnet 130 (“My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun”) how does the speaker
address the Petrarchan convention? How does the couplet affect the reader’s perception of the rest of
the sonnet?
Shakespeare’s sonnets are English in structure although some sonnets retain elements of the Italian
structure. It is connected to Francesco Petrarca (Petrarch) who was a poet and humanist of the Italian
Renaissance. Petrarch saw the beautiful Laura, and though she was already married, he fell in love
with her. Inspired by her beauty and virtues, he composed hundreds of poems dedicated to Laura.
Laura died, but Petrarch continued to compose poems about this idealized and ever-more-abstractly
rendered mistress. The original Italian sonnet form divides the poem's 14 lines so as the Shakespeare’s
“Sonnet 130”. Shakespeare’s sonnet parodies other sonnets of the Elizabethan era which were heavily
into Petrarchan ideals, where the woman is continually praised and seen as beyond reproach. In this
sonnet the mistress's imperfections are praised and it could be argued that the speaker is being more
honest. The speaker sees his lover as a real woman. In the final couplet, the speaker proclaims his love
for his mistress by declaring that he makes no false comparisons. Not only is the speaker being honest
in this sonnet, but also he is being critical of other poets who put forward false claims about woman.
Shakespeare uses Petrarchan imagery while actually undermining it at the same time.
Q2: Describe the Africans in “Heart of Darkness”. What are the qualities they represent? What is their
relationship with Europeans?
Africans in “Heart of Darkness” are shown as not inhuman and unhappy savage people. They are
treated as animals ( fireman who was treated like a dog ). White people used them for hard, exhausting
work, after which they went to their lonely place where they were dying. These people resembled
figures of suffering, loneliness and despair. White people treated this view as part of the Jungle
landscape. They used to the sight of dying slaves. Europeans treated African people like objects. For
them, it was just a free source of money and work. European people looked down on the African
people (the fireman who was “below” Marlow). Africans were only puppets. They were slaves in the
hands of tyrants who could not fight back the colonization of their continent.
Q3: Compare and contrast the images of animals in Ted Hughes’s “Cat and Mouse”. Can you spot any
common themes and similarities?
The Mouse in this poem may be compared to a human being. This human being is aware of the danger
and afraid of taking a step forward. Two feet may symbolise a human who put prayers to the God.
Four feet may symbolise animals (mouse) who put prayers to the Cat. The Cat is someone who is
beyond the control of the Mouse. Actually, it is the Mouse who is dependent on the Cat. Both the Cat
and God are shown as beings who look down on creatures and make decisions about their life.