Poetry > D Poetry > by Title (First Letter)

Advantages: very good read
Disadvantages: controversion

John Donne is one of the most fantastically interesting metaphysical poets. Just to give you a brief description of what metaphysical poetry is about: metaphysical poets were a group of poets in the 17th century whose name was given to them after they had been writing by Samuel Johnson. It's hard to describe exactly what a metaphysical poem is just because, well there isn't really a strict pattern they follow as most of them were not famous until ...
...Anyway, the key thing that more or less all of the metaphysical poems contain is an extended metaphor or conceit throughout the poem. For example in John Donne's 'The Flea' the conceit is that he imagines himself and his lover throughout the poem making love inside of the flea, their "marriage temple". Sounds strange, i know but it really is fantastically hilarious if you read the rest of his poems and see that he is essentially trying to chat up ... Read review

Advantages: Easy to read, Funny in places, original (as far as i know!)
Disadvantages: Very anti-men and does not include notes about who these women actually are

...overly enthusiastic; having suffered through the terribly depressing poems of hers that we studied at GCSE. However, I was pleasently surprised as many of them are funny and seem a lot easier to 'analyse'. Ok now here's the review of the book itself: The World's Wife is a clever take on popular characters from mythology, fairytales and real people (all male, of course!) Duffy takes the tales and subverts them so we see these famous stories from ...
...have not had the chance to tell their stories before, including Mrs Midas, Queen Herod and Delilah to name but a few. The poems themselves range from downright funny ('Mrs Faust' and 'Elvis's Twin Sister' to shocking (such as 'The Devil's Wife', which gives a sympathetic view of Myra Hindley) to poignantly sad (See 'Mrs Quasimodo'). In short it covers a wide range of emotions to suit whatever mood one is in. My favourite poems were 'Mrs Aesop' ... Read review

Advantages: Powerful and gripping storyline, Great contributions of all characters
Disadvantages: None that I have found

Written by Arthur Miller in the early 1950s during the time of the McCarthyism when the government blacklisted accused communists. Miller was also summoned in court and he wrote this play as a parable and links the Salem witch-hunt and the McCarthy trials which took place nearly 250 years apart. A very powerful play and an excellent one to study for GCSE English Literature for its revoloutionary work in the theatre and its portrayal of the human ...
...man's struggle to find and do what is right by him. With just 4 Acts and 5 important characters, this truly is a masterpiece. Proctor, a hard-working family man finds in the middle of lying and confessing to witchcraft, both of which go against his newly developed religious beliefs. ... Read review

Advantages: Interesting concept behind the plot
Disadvantages: Slow paced

Author: George Bernard Shaw was an Irish playwright born in 1856, and who died in 1950. Although he write music as well, he most enjoying writng plays, with the prupose of putting across a social message, and making it more memorable with the use of comedy, whilst doing so. Some of his plays addressed the issue of education, religion and government, however one topic he often considered was the exploitation of the working class. As a socialist, ...
...a British socialist movement, writing brochures and leaflets for them. He even married a fellow member of the Society, called Charlotte Payne-Townshend. He was an eloquent orator, and gave speeches on equal rights in politics for men and women, how to live healthy lifestyles, and condemning the attitudes of the rich towards the poor. This socialist attitude of Bernard Shaw influenced many of his writings, including Pygmalion, which has become a classic. ... Read review

Advantages: Strong, powerful story, with characters which readers can identify with
Disadvantages: ----

...written by Arthur Miller during the time of Senator Joseph McCarthy, who stirred strong ant-communist feelings amongst the American people, and used this fear of Communism to his advantage, often attempting to discredit his critics with claims of Communism. Many often falsely confessed, as they realised that their innocence was not worth anything. The plot itself is based around the mass hysteria of the Salem witch-hunts of 1692, with the book itself ...
...not 100% historically accurate, as the ages of John Proctor and Abigail are changed to suit the plot. However, the story is powerful, and captivating, whether read with its historical context, and the allegory of Communism, or whether just as an example of mass hysteria which can grip the public, and tear people's lives apart. The leading character in the play is John Proctor, who is the hero of the story, although readers are aware of his flaw, ... Read review