English Literature with Prasanna

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“The Thing Around Your Neck” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie shows that it follows a chronological plot structure. The narrative is circular, beginning with Akunna’s trip from Nigeria to America and ending with her return to Nigeria.

The main characters are Akunna and her boyfriend. The story is focused on the ups and downs of their relationship, leading to their eventual breakup.

The physical setting for the main part of the story is Connecticut, America. The social setting tackles ideas such as stereotyping and prejudices.

The story is told from the point of view of the main character, Akunna, but using a second-person narrator. This enhances the readers’ empathy with Akunna.

The language is neutral. The style of language is casual and conversational. The story introduces words of Nigerian origin, which add authenticity to the events.
In "The Thing Around Your Neck, Akunna wins the "American visa lottery" and travels to live with her uncle in America. When her uncle tries to abuse her s*xually, Akunna takes a bus to a small town in Connecticut and gets a job in a restaurant. A white boy begins visiting and tries to talk to Akunna about Africa. They soon begin a relationship, but the boy is rich and condescending. He doesn't understand why Akunna is upset that he doesn't correct waiters who assume that she's not his girlfriend. Akunna finally writes home and learns that her father has died. She flies home alone.

The title of the story, “the thing around your neck”, creates an expectation of unpleasantness from the very beginning. In the context of the story, it becomes a metaphor for the anxiety and isolation which Akunna has to deal with in America, mostly because of her difficulty in connecting with her new environment.
In the story the second-person narrator says, "The thing that wrapped itself around your neck, that nearly choked you ... started to loosen." "The thing" is a metaphor for anxiety, or dread, and causes troubled sleep. It is a feeling shared by many characters in the stories.

"The Thing Around Your Neck" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is written in the second person. The second-person point of view uses the pronoun “you” to make the audience a character in the story. This increases the reader's empathy with the main character, Akunna.

Lines 1-2
Quarterly, is it, money reproaches me:
‘Why do you let me lie here wastefully?

The adjective ‘Quarterly’ immediately introduces the reader to the numerical constraints of money. The use of quatrains further enforces this. Life is conveyed as quantifiable. Through the use of the verb ‘reproached’, we can see the speaker’s disdain for money and disapproval of materialistic modern values. Money itself is personified as it directly addresses the speaker: ‘Why do you let me lie here wastefully?’. Larkin is making a satirical comment on the futility of saving, emphasized through the adverb ‘wastefully’.

Lines 3-4
I am all you never had of goods and s*x.
You could get them still by writing a few cheques.’

Money continues its apostrophe to the speaker, stating that the speaker is missing out on modern indulgences such as ‘goods and s*x’, as a result of saving. Here, Larkin is making a satirical comment on the materialistic pleasures and hedonistic excesses that dominate society. The use of sibilance creates a tone of temptation as ‘money’ is urging the speaker to spend his earnings – he too could indulge in a life of materialism with ‘just a few cheques’.

Lines 5-6
So I look at others, what they do with theirs:
(…)

Here the speaker takes on the role of observer – he is reflecting on how society does spend their money. A conflict between the speaker’s ideological values and the materialistic values of society is created through the antithesis of the first person pronoun ‘I’ and the third person pronoun ‘their’. The adverb ‘certainly’ further enforces this disparity. The speaker recognizes that it is not a societal ‘norm’ to save money through his subtle allusion to consumer culture.

Lines 7-8
(…)
Clearly money has something to do with life

A syndetic list is employed to exaggerate the over-consumption of modern luxuries: ‘a second house and car and wife’. Society’s spending is depicted as superfluous. The realization that money is what governs the world is emphasized through the adverb ‘clearly’. There is a semantic field of domesticity that furthers the idea that this is the view that society blindly follows – it has been ingrained in us through socialization.

Lines 9-10
– In fact, they’ve a lot in common, if you enquire:
(….)

Here, the speaker is comparing money to life: both are there to be spent. The use of a caesura at the start of the stanza creates an effect of realisation. It further acts as a volta in the poem. Prior to this, the speaker was pondering on how society spends money and how he should be spending his. Now, the speaker is experiencing an almost epiphanic understanding that ultimately, money is worthless when you are dead. The futile act of saving results in a misspent youth. The antithesis between the adjective ‘young’ and the idea of retirement, further emphasizes this change of perspective.

Lines 11-12
(…)
Won’t in the end buy you more than a shave.

A metaphor for money is employed through the noun ‘screw’, which has connotations of workmanship and hard-earned cash. The speaker also refers to death through the euphemism ‘shave’, which is alluding to the final shave of a co**se in death in preparation for the coffin. Here the transitory nature of both money and life is explored as the author basically states that money is useless in death.

Lines 13-14
(…)
From long french windows at a provincial town,

Again, money is personified as the speaker hears it ‘singing’ – an innate appeal to the human aesthetic. It is all-consuming and showcased across society. A theme of capitalism is invoked through the simile of the ‘long French windows’, connotating wealth and prestige. This starkly juxtaposes the ‘slums’ of the next stanza, emphasizing the socio-economic effects of money and the inequality it creates within society.

Lines 15-16
The slums, the canal, the churches ornate and mad
In the evening sun. It is intensely sad.

Here, the speaker is extending the simile of looking through the ‘long french windows….in the evening sun’. An asyndetic list is employed to emphasize all of the institutions that are affected by money’s unjust distribution. The hypocrisy of the church is further enforced through its personification of it being ‘ornate and mad’ in stark juxtaposition to the dirty slums that lay alongside it. The simple sentence that ends the poem summarises the speaker’s view of money and the way it governs peoples’ lives as ‘intensely sad’

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The Remains Of The Day Summary

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro is a thought-provoking novel that explores themes of duty, loyalty, and regret. Set in post-World War II England, the story is narrated by Stevens, a butler who dedicates his life to serving his employer, Lord Darlington. As the narrative unfolds, Stevens reflects on his past and the choices he made, ultimately questioning the meaning of his life and the sacrifices he has made.

The Remains of the Day follows Stevens, a highly devoted and professional butler who has spent the majority of his life in service at Darlington Hall. The novel begins with Stevens receiving a letter from Miss Kenton, a former housekeeper at Darlington Hall. The letter sparks a series of memories as Stevens embarks on a road trip to meet Miss Kenton after many years.
Throughout the journey, Stevens reminisces about his time at Darlington Hall during the 1930s. He recalls the years leading up to World War II, where Lord Darlington played a significant role in international politics. However, it becomes evident that Darlington’s actions were misguided, as he sympathized with N**i Germany and believed in appeasement.

As Stevens reflects on his loyalty to Lord Darlington, he begins to question the moral implications of his service. Miss Kenton, who was once a potential love interest for Stevens, also comes into focus. Through their interactions and the letters they exchange, it becomes apparent that Stevens missed out on a chance for personal happiness due to his unwavering dedication to his profession.

Eventually, Stevens reaches his destination and reunites with Miss Kenton, now Mrs. Benn. The encounter brings a mix of joy and regret, as they reminisce about their shared past and what could have been. Miss Kenton expresses her own disappointments with her marriage, revealing that she had hoped Stevens would intervene and prevent her from leaving Darlington Hall.
In the end, Stevens returns to Darlington Hall, fully aware of the mistakes he has made and the missed opportunities for personal fulfillment. The novel concludes with Stevens pondering the meaning of his life and the value of his unwavering loyalty.

Remember me when I am gone away,
Gone far away into the silent land

Christina Rossetti’s poem “Remember” has a monologue addressed to the lover in the opening quatrain. It deals with the subject of death and aims to convince her lover that he doesn’t need to remember her even after she passes away. In the opening line, the poet uses a euphemism to speak to her own passing, and he uses a metaphor to equate dying to the idea of setting off on a journey. In line 2, she employs yet another metaphor to describe the idea of perpetual existence as a “silent land” that alludes to the broken link between the living and the dead. The sonnet’s wording is so straightforward and profound that readers may immediately apply it to their own lives. This sonnet attempts to convey the idea that although death is inevitable, it must not consume those who are still alive.

When you can no more hold me by the hand,

Nor I half turn to go yet turning stay.


The speaker of Christina Rossetti’s poem “Remember” explains why her lover should keep her in mind in these two lines. He won’t be able to take her by the hand when he leaves this worldly weight behind. She is also unable to turn around halfway and return to her love. The argument is compelling but also sentimental. The speaker’s tone conveys both a feeling of realism and a fear of dying. However, the poet presents physical contact as a sign of confidence by mentioning holding hands. Additionally, the poet longs to go back when she is about to pass away since he was always there to hold her hands. On this journey, they were never by themselves. As a result, she will later be unhappy about her lonesome descent into oblivion.

Remember me when no more day by day
You tell me of our future that you plann'd:

The two lines of “Remember” imply that Rossetti and her partner should have wed in order to publicly declare their love for one another. She begs him to keep the times they spent together in memory, telling him that the days after her death won’t be the same without her. It’s odd that the word “planned” is used because dying is an unanticipated journey that everyone must do at some time in their lives. Mortals can make plans for things over which they appear to have some control, but since death is absolute, it is both unmanageable and unconquerable. When death comes knocking, one must not only answer the door but also depart from her earthly home

Only remember me; you understand

It will be late to counsel then or pray.


The poem serves as a reminder that her beloved can only reflect on the past, thus there is no use in offering advice or praying afterward. Rossetti made the decision to use the word “remember” repeatedly throughout the poem to let the reader fully grasp what he is asking. Each of the four stanzas is distinguished by a single poem that uses the word “remember” in it. As has been described in other Romantic-era poetry, the narrator believes that overcoming death may be accomplished via memory. The real beauty of poetry was how the lines it contained could make one eternal.
Yet if you should forget me for a while
And afterwards remember, do not grieve:

This poem, which is gentle and melodic, is read to a loved one who is dying. The poem’s volta, when the primary topics abruptly shift and the narrator accepts being forgotten by her loves, is a crucial part. Thoughts like “yet if you forgot me for a while, it would not be a terrible thing” cause her to pause near this volta, and the speaker eventually gets over her dread of being forgotten to concede that this would be the perfect circumstance for them. She worries that he would temporarily forget her and then pretend to recall her by lamenting her passing.

For if the darkness and corruption leave

A vestige of the thoughts that once I had,


Christina uses a euphemism to describe death as corruption and gloom in her opening statement. Even though she won’t be present to see or feel her boyfriend, the poet is nonetheless delighted and worried about him. Before writing the poem, she contemplated death several times, and when she passes away, her beloved would have “A vestige of the thoughts” she once had. This sentence demonstrates the poet’s love and devotion to her beloved as well as how deeply she contemplated the ultimate before penning the poem.

Better by far you should forget and smil
Than that you should remember and be sad.

Rossetti advises to “forget and smile” in “Remember.” “Better by far that you forget and smile / Than that you remember and be sad,” she continues. Here, the poet imparts advice to her beloved, telling him to go on with his life and stop dwelling on her passing. He ought to “…forget and smile…than remember and be sad.”

The Dumb Waiter
The drama ‘The Dumb Waiter’ is written by Harold Pinter in 1957. He has written plays for the commercial stage, radio, television as well as film scripts produced by some of the best directors of his time. In the same year, he wrote the one act the Room and The Birthday Party.

This drama ‘The Dumb Waiter’ belongs to the theatre of absurd. Theatre of the absurd is the 20th century theatre which holds the belief that it is itself in absurd and meaninglessness. Meaninglessness can be represented in the dramatic elements like setting, plot, characters and dialogue.

Setting: Setting refers to the time and space in which the play takes place. In the traditional drama setting sets the mood temperament and environment. Mostly identifiable settings are chosen for the drama but this drama, does not accord with traditional notion of the setting. Ben and Gus are limited to a tiny basement room. All of their activities are limited there. The limitation of the setting in the basement room shows the limitation of the human life itself. Like Ben and Gus, we all are limited in the narrow space. The scene of flushing toilet, reading newspaper, putting on shoes in the room, a serving hatch and having Gyaratte packet are the things which are included in this drama. These things in the setting are unarranged or muddled. From this type of muddled condition, we can claim that this is the drama of the absurdist. The drama begins with the room, goes continuous and ends within the room. From this point of view comparing to our life, it also begins, continues and ends in the circle of space as shown in the drama.
Plot: The plot refers to the order of the events happen in a play. Plot is “The imitation of the action as well as the arrangement of the incident” for Aristotle. In the traditional drama, plot is made up of recognizable beginning, middle and end. One event is closely linked with the other. But this drama challenges the traditional notion of the plot too. The events are jumbled together. One event has no connection with another event. There are different events like receiving of the newspaper story, arrival of car, receiving and sending the messages, waiting for a girl, discussion of a figurative language and reminiscence of the mother and so on. All those events are not connected with each other and they are narrated frequently and repeatedly. And the plotlessness of the drama reminds us about the plotlessness of the human life. Life is without plot, coherence, sequence, and routine. Things happen randomly there as in the drama an envelope has been put there but having nothing. That means as an empty envelop.

Dialogue: In the traditional drama dialogue is a means for communication. But in this drama, dialogue itself has blocked the communication. The dialogue is laconic and repetitious. For example, Ben asks ‘light the kettle’ to the Gus but Gus does not understand. It is obviously understood that one wants other to do something else. But instead of performing anything they discuss about the nature of this sentence and about who uses and who does not use this cannot be language or dialogue. This formal communication does not move ahead rather it belongs to the question itself. In the Drama the dialogue for example,

BEN – Stand behind the door.

GUS – Stand Behind the door.

BEN – If there is a known on the door you don’t answer it.

GUS – He won’t see you the door I don’t answer it.

BEN – He won’t see me.

Character: “The person presented in a dramatic or narrative work, who are interpreted by the reader as being endowed with particular moral, intellectual and emotional qualities that are expressed in what they say-the dialogue-and by what they do-the action” Abram (1993). In the conventional play characters are life like and they are easily identifiable. At least in the traditional drama we can identify the relationship between the characters. Sometimes we get an impression that Ben and Gus are the two friends who are sharing the same room. But other time they raise the question of senior and junior which destroys our earlier impression. We do not know who is there in upstairs, nor do we know anything about the relationship between the one upstairs and them downstairs.

This absurd drama symbolically represents the nature of the human existence. In the life we all are free to make choices but once we choose life becomes repetitions and that repetitions produces boredom and it is in the state of the boredom there lies in the human existence. Ben and Gus are free in their life and in this free life they want to choose a job. Like the Dumb Waiter they want to follow the orders in this sense they themselves are the Dumb waiter. We all of us are the Dumb waiter.

The Chimney Sweeper
The poem “the Chimney Sweeper” starts by a chimney sweeper himself, who is telling about his work. Afterwards, he dwells in the story of his fellow Tom Darcre, how he saw a strange dream.

Stanza 1

The speaker starts telling us in the start of the poem that his mother died when he was a small boy. He also confesses how his father sold him when he did not even know how to speak, indicating that he was probably a toddler at that time. In the eighteenth and nineteenth century, people used to put little boys to clean chimneys because they could ideally fit in there. The boy then tells us how he is used to sleep in soot every night, caught from cleaning all day.
Stanza 2

Now, the chimney sweeper introduces us to his friend Tom. Starting with how his hairs that got shaved because he had white and curly hairs, getting dirty often. When his head gets shaved the small boy Tom cries helplessly. The speaker then tells us that he consoled Tom and told him to stop crying and worrying about his hair because it is a good thing. He will no longer have to worry about all that nasty soot getting into his hair.

Stanza 3

Here the speaker further explains that on the same night his friend Tom saw a strange dream. He saw a lot of sweepers probably thousands of them locked up in some black coffins and the names were written on the few of them such as Dick, Joe and Nick.

Black coffins refer to the black soot how every chimney sweeper is covered in black soot around the world and how every chimney sweeper is the same. This is how chimney sweepers sleep as well, covered in soot

Stanza 4

In this stanza, Tom stops seeing the dreading black coffins. Instead, there comes an angle with a bright key and sets all the sweepers free.

It can be related to how the only escape from this job for chimney sweepers is death. They can only be free when they die and then they will be shinning like the bright sun.

Stanza 5

Now, Tom’s dream gets weirder as we come to know that all the sweepers are clean, naked and flying on the clouds. They are playing in the wind as if they are finally free of all that burden of working. An angel comes to Tom and tells him that if he remains good, then the God will become his permanent father. It sounds strange, but it is a metaphor of desire. If you do good, God will give you all you desire for.

Stanza 6

Finally, the dream ends. Tom and his sweeper friend wake up early morning, going straight to work. It is too early and cold to work but they are working hard. Tom is shown happy with his work after his dream last night, why?

Tom thinks that if will work hard everything will be good and he will get all his desires.

Here Blake is telling us that these children suffer mentally as well thinking that they have to work no matter what.

Eveline........
is a young woman living in Dublin with her father. Her mother is dead. Dreaming of a better life beyond the shores of Ireland, Eveline plans to elope with Frank, a sailor who is her secret lover (Eveline’s father having forbade Eveline to see Frank after the two men fell out), and start a new life in Argentina.

With her mother gone, Eveline is responsible for the day-to-day running of the household: her father is drunk and only reluctantly tips up his share of the weekly housekeeping money, and her brother Harry is busy working and is away a lot on business (another brother, Ernest, has died).

Eveline herself keeps down a job working in a shop. On Saturday nights, when she asks her father for some money, he tends to unleash a tirade of verbal abuse, and is often drunk. When he eventually hands over his housekeeping money, Eveline has to go to the shops and buy the food for the Sunday dinner at the last minute.

Eveline is tired of this life, and so she and Frank book onto a ship leaving for Argentina. But as she is just about to board the ship, Eveline suffers a failure of resolve, and cannot go through with it. She wordlessly turns round and goes home, leaving Frank to board the ship alone

The Tempest
Title: The Tempest
Author: William Shakespeare
Year Published: 1610-1611
Genre: Comedy
Type of Work: Play
Original language: English
Themes: Authority and betrayal, illusion, otherness, and nature
Characters: Prospero, Miranda, Ariel, Caliban, Ferdinand, Gonzalo, Antonio
Fun Fact: The Tempest is thought to be one of the last plays Shakespeare wrote on his own

Plot Summary
Set on a near-deserted island, The Tempest tells the story of the magician Prospero’s attempts to gain back his dukedom from his deceitful brother Antonio, who banished Prospero and his infant daughter Miranda to an island. Decades later, when Duke Antonio, King Alonso, Prince Ferdinand, and their courtiers happen to sail near the island, Prospero conjures a storm and wrecks their ship. He is sure to separate the sailors into small groups, so each thinks they’re the only survivors. While King Alonso weeps for his son, Prospero orders Ariel, his fairy servant, to secretly lure Ferdinand to Miranda, and the two quickly fall in love.
Meanwhile, two Italian sailors have found the remains of the ship’s rum and happen upon Caliban, the hated and hateful enslaved person of Prospero. Drunk, the three of them plot to overcome Prospero and become kings of the island. However, Ariel eavesdrops and warns the all-powerful Prospero, who easily overcomes them. Meanwhile, Prospero has Ariel taunt Alonso and Antonio’s retinue with elaborate displays of fairy magic, only to remind them of their betrayal years ago.

Finally, Prospero has Ariel lead the confused sailors to his palace. Alonso tearfully reunites with his son, and gives his blessing to his marriage with Miranda. With his brother so firmly under his power and his daughter marrying into the royal line, Prospero takes back his dukedom. Power restored, Prospero gives up his magical powers, sets Ariel and Caliban free, and sails back to Italy.