Literature
Here you can discuss books, poetry, short stories, plays, etc., either for your reading pleasure or books that you have to read for A1 class. This forum is for the discussion of books only, whereas discussion of any literature assignments should go in the Language A1 forum.
366 topics in this forum
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I need help!! Can someone give me any pointers about this play? General ideas, themes, motifs, techniques...anything!?
Last reply by Emmi, -
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What were your feelings about the book? Was it as touching to you as it was to me? Has it altered your thinking?
Last reply by Babydolleyes, -
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This is a book that I recently read for IB and will possibly be writing on for my WL assignments either 1 or 2 so I wanted to get some ideas on what people who have also read this book thought of it. Also, what were some major issues that came up as you read it? What do you think the central meaning is?
Last reply by lilianna009, -
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Hey all, This is a topic dedicated to the book Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys. I read it last year for my English A1 (HL) course, and I fell in love with it. Feel free to discuss, ask questions, ask for help, or comment on the book, or on the author. You can also share quotes that you like from the book, or that you think are important in any way. To start it off, here is my favorite quote: 'I sit at my window and the words fly past me like birds- with God's help I catch some' -Daniel Cosway
Last reply by Danbo, -
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What is the most memorable book you have ever read, and why? It doesn't have to necessarily be a good book, but the one that left the darkest mark on you. I have quite a few, but one of the most prominent of mine was called My Brother Bernadette. It was one of the first chapter books (despite the humongous font) that I read and really enjoyed.
Last reply by Jellyio, -
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Hi, I need some help here with my english project. CAn you help me to find the answer of this: THe role of women in SHakespeare`s day. WHat was expected from a daughter/bride? thanks!
Last reply by HiggsHunter, -
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How was the treatment of Algerians by the French???
Last reply by Adrianna Cummings, -
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I was reading Pirandello's Six Characters in Search of an Author and I thoroughly enjoyed it. My English teacher told us of an interesting note of Pirandello's wife. She had suffered from a mental illness which made her violent towards him and their children, and eventually had to be institutionalized. He had previously refused to send her to one because a) He could not afford it b) He wanted to use her as inspiration What effect do you think her illness had on his writing and writing style? Or in fact, any author/poet/playwright who has had close ones afflicted with illnesses such as this? From what I've deduced, it made him want to explore of madness and illusion in hi…
Last reply by thewingedgiraffe, -
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We've been reading Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe in English recently. We've got to Scene II. Anyway, all of the books weve studied during the course (The Sorrows of Young Werther, A Hero of Our Time, The Outsider, Othello etc) have been in one way or another related to how we can know something but that doensn't mean that what we know is true, so really we might know nothing. Today after finishing Scene II we had 5 minutes of class left and were discussing that, so I questioned why were even in school since everything we learn might be false, another person said "Yeah, let's go have an early lunch!" and we all got up and left =) The teacher was left there thinking…
Last reply by Ezak, -
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The Syllabus for English A1 Higher (or Standard, or any language really) should include more of the classics. In the 2 years of the IB the only text I can say that has been assigned that I feel is a classic is Shakespeare's "Hamlet", and that's a play! We should be reading the works of Jules Verne; Oscar Wilde; Arthur Conan Doyle. What do you think?
Last reply by Andyboi, -
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Hello, everyone! So tomorrow begins exams for me, and I should be good for everything except for English. Now, English had been one of my favourite subjects before, and I felt like I was decent at it, but this year not so much. My teacher is very smart and seems to be good at what she does, but she's very harsh with marks. However, we've taken only one practise exam for English and I didn't do very well. It was on analysing poetry, which is what our exam will be on. Does anyone have any tips on how to analyse poetry/prose? Thank you very much!
Last reply by aarti, -
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IB English isn't my favorite class because I've always had trouble retaining knowledge or avoiding the temptation to daydream. So some of my favorite books aren't narratives, and don't really have any literary devices begging to be analyzed. One of my favorite books right now is Mathematics 1001 by Richard Elwes. It's a reference book filled with interesting blurbs about topics of math ranging from arithmetic to Fourier series. For example, the sum of all of reciprocals of the factorials converges to e (though most people doing the Series and Differential Equations option should know this). I highly recommend checking it out if you have even a minute interest in math. Wha…
Last reply by aldld, -
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So, anyone else out there that read One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest in English A2 (or A1 for that matter)? What did you think of it? I liked it, atleast the parts when Chief Bromden wasn't hallucinating (in the fog), I found that confusing and rather dull... The Christ-like figgures in the book were interesting though (jesus and his 12 followers etc.). Cheers
Last reply by Lindsay, -
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I used to really dislike poetry, and wondered why anyone would ever bother with such an ambiguous form of communication. But after studying some more of it this year I've come to respect it a lot more. We were reading some Seamus Haney in class, and for the first time ever I read a poem that might come close to what I would classify as my favourite poem. It was "The Early Purges"; I've never read a poem I could connect with as much as this one. So what about you guys? What are some poems and collections you love and would recommend?
Last reply by Lindsay, -
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For those of you who have read The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera what are your thoughts about it?
Last reply by Stereoisomer, -
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Does anyone have a good topic idea an IOP on Heart of Darkness or All the Pretty Horses?
Last reply by norcalsailor, -
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I have decided to start a topic on the novel The Grass is Signing by Doris Lessing, as I was not able to find one. If you try searching online there are no Sparknotes,Cliffnotes,etc. So for the benefit of eachother, I thought we could start a discussion on themes, characterization, social structure, etc. Here is also a link to a helpful guide:http://dj-english.wi...nging+Notes.pdf
Last reply by DHSBGreen, -
This summer I became completely obsessed with the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer, and I completely fell in love with Edward Cullen!! However, in my Spanish class we read " The Unbearable Lightness of the Being" by Milan Kundera and it changed the way I perceive literature. Now I consider Twilight series to be quite superficial.. good, yet superficial...what do you think?
Last reply by stevens579, -
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I love Shakespeare! Which one is your favorite and why? Be detailed! I want to know cause I haven't read all his plays and you could really open my eyes to his other work. By the way, if you want to recommend any classic literature you can too! I am a huge bookworm!!!!
Last reply by Avan:), -
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In our IB World Literature 2 class we are reading the Great Gatsby. For those of you who are reading the novel as well I figured this forum would be a great way to vent and share our thoughts of the book. Last class we were told to analyze the shirts scene, where Daisy grabs a hold of Gatsby's shirt and mentions how beautiful and bright the colors are. What is your opinion of the book? Any specific details of the book you would like to share with us?
Last reply by LMaxwell, -
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I'm just starting to read The Great Gatsby (bought it an hour ago ) and I started to wonder what do you guys think about this particular book? Is it really such a masterpiece as many have said? Or is it an abstruse piece of literature which you must read for A2 language as some have said? What do you think? Any comments?
Last reply by ninety, -
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does any one know how the author uses humor in the book?
Last reply by crazy girl, -
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Heat and Dust by Ruth Jhabvala is the first school novel which I thoroughly hate (and coincidentally, can't understand). Unfortunately, I have a paper-2 style assessment on Heat and Dust as a whole on tuesday, and I need desperately need help. I seem to have a very superficial understanding of the book which I can't seem to fix with rereadings. Can you guys please help me (and anybody else who needs information on Heat and Dust) by posting what you know about the book below? Thanks!
Last reply by O_____O, -
Anyone ever read the books by Erin Hunter, Warriors? The cat series, yes cat series, of cats that live together in the forest in four seperate clans that compete for their lives and territory? I know that it sounds epically lame and nerdy but it really is a great series!
Last reply by KarenOcean, -
Was curious about what people thought about this. Just organized in a poll-like form I guess... and not comprehensive, just some examples. i.e. for me Best: Ian McEwan's novels Worst: Twilight series; Eragon series What do you think? Dissidents welcome... thumbs up if you agree, down if you don't!
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I'm interested in reading Ulysses, after doing some background reading on [the use of] streams of consciousness, a literary technique I've come to like. Joyce is apparently famous for this narrative form. My question is, are there any prerequisites to reading this work? Wikipedia talks about the parallels between his work and The Odyssey which I am familiar with...kind of (I read parts of it in Grade 9, I think?). How about Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? How much do I need to know about Woolf in order to make sense of Albee's play? I've heard of her before, but I've never read any of her works-if that comes as a shock...I might read something by her soon; …
Last reply by trumperies, -
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What is the purpose of the history lesson in the beginning of the novel? And when and why is nature personified??
Last reply by kinguncaged1, -
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I am doing mt museum project on the symbol of the balcony in The Visit. Can anyone help give ideas as to how and what the balcony is a symbol for?
Last reply by Arrowhead, -
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How does Dostoevsky use Raskolnikov's mental imprisonment as a means to criticize society? I really need help with this question.
Last reply by daxx, -
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Anyone like the Skulduggery Pleasant series ?
Last reply by kim luffy, -
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Anybody read those books. The first book is called The Lightning Thief and it is actually being made into a movie. It's being directed by Chris Columbus (the guy that directed the first 2 Harry Potter movies). Anyways, the point is that my friend bought me the first book, and I was wondering if it was any good???
Last reply by ShootingStars, -
So there was a Harry Potter thread and as much as I LOVE those books (my absolute favourite) I also love other books and thought it would be fun to create a thread for it. Do you consider yourself as a bookworm/bibliophile? What are your favourite books? Least favourite? Any books you think everyone should read? What kind of books do you prefer? What was the last books you read and are you currently reading something? Post everything here I am myself a huge fan of books. My bookcases are filled with novels that I have still yet to read because of time. My favourites (beside Harry Potter...) are; the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer, Pay It Forward by Catherine Ryan H…
Last reply by ShootingStars, -
Who has read this book? I had to read it for a summer reading assignment and it was not only a difficult read but also quite boring. Can anyone help me understand? or outline some significant points of the novel?
Last reply by Sandwich, -
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I'm Asian so I guess it's quite obvious that I like reading Asian Literature but I have to admit that Japanese novels are subtle/slightly weird yet VERY VERY down to earth! My Favourite author is Haruki Murakami (Murakami Haruki for me because I'm Asian). I also love reading Korean novels (yep I'm Korean)! It's a shame that we can't find translated ones here because they are totally worth a read. But I guess translating Korean in English wouldn't capture the sentiment in it at the first place.
Last reply by ecieee, -
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What are the greatest books of all time, in your opinion? Personally I haven't read as much as I feel inclined to, but I was just wondering what some of the really great literature in the world is.
Last reply by Sandwich, -
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I'm writing an essay about the symbolism of the garden in Thousand Cranes. I'm planning on saying that it symbolizes the life and death of kikujis father. I could use some input on other ideas of symbolism of the garden.
Last reply by Austin69, -
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Anyone have any discussion points to talk about for these plays? These are the three plays I am studying for Paper 2.
Last reply by shelby1993, -
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What, in your opinion, are the best dystopian novels? Of course, everyone (as in, dystopian lovers ) worships 1984 and Brave New World - but what else? I personally find Player Piano (Kurt Vonnegut) and Darkness at Noon (Arthur Koestler) to be as good as, if not better than, the famous two
Last reply by CeciliaL, -
Ficciones By Jorge Luis Borges
by Guest Pingg- 0 replies
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Hello ! Currently in my English class we are studying the book Ficciones by Jorge Luis Borges. I just wanted to start a post about the book and see what people think about it. It's so incredibly random that I can't decide whether or not I should like it or not. haha Tell me what you think about it! Which story is your favorite? I like Tlon, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius and The Form of the Sword.
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I'm studying 'Atonement' as one of my HL English books... i'm liking it so far. What do you think about Briony as an unreliable narrator??
Last reply by OverEasy, -
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I am doing a practice oral commentary tomorrow on the short story "A Painful Case" by James Joyce and am utterly confused on what to talk about or what its about or how it relates to the big picture. If anyone has read it/studied it, please please help!
Last reply by Irma18, -
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So, what does everyone think of the book? Has anyone ever read the book Three Cups Of Tea.? My history teacher, aka the snow god, recommended it last week and i'm already half way through. i absolutely love this book and it's fueled my need to travel everywhere and see everything (as if i wasn't already crazy with wanting to leave here). i absolutely love the vocabulary in this book there is one word in the first couple chapters that i've only ever seen used as an adjective or adverb, but this book uses it as a past tense verb and i think it looks so cool
Last reply by SouthernBelle, -
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Hello guys, I am planning to work on "Catcher in the Rye" and one another book related with it in terms of themes or subjects or something else. I have "The Great Gatsby" in my mind that I can compare them in terms of looking at American dream and also "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" is another option in terms of conflict society versus individual. However, I could not decide the topic yet. I'd be glad if you comment on this or recommend some other books.
Last reply by becoming meursault, -
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Hey people, Just wanted to get a few minds together to see what we can come up with pertaining to the book (Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen). I think Mrs. Bennet's behavoir is sometimes adorable but sometimes annoying too. Like when she's constantly gossiping and almost desperately tries to keep her daughters around the men SHE wants them to marry, almost regardless of what they want. What are your views?
Last reply by LiveLaughLove, -
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I've just read it for my English A1 class, and it's a pretty fascinating book. In all my years of reading dreaded novels and books, I think this is the first time I actually read the book not because it was assigned for me to finish but because I actually liked the plot and wanted to read more. My teacher told us that this book will generate different views from each part of the world, and I tend to agree with him. I don't think a person living in say in Asia (since they tend to have extremely intricate traditions and cultures) will interpret this book like another person will in the West. What did you think? I personally think it resembles much of post-revolutionary Ira…
Last reply by Proletariat, -
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My literature teacher chose to work with this book. I didn't really understand her, I didn't even knew the book. However I really enjoyed it. It soon became a really polemic book, upon which we debated fiercely. -Brick's homosexuality (Some people still say he's heterosexual) -The film adaptation (I extremely disliked it) It isn't a well-known book, but I would like to share experiences if someone has been working with it too
Last reply by Grumps, -
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i used to hate writng, now i tend to enjoy writing as long as i choose the topic. i have written 3 books (or at least tried). the thing is that i have dreams that are perfect for books. currently i have had 2 dreams that wer perfect for books and i have started writng one book but i am also plotting out the 2nd. here is what i got so far it involves Prince Fibonacci Giovanni Mussolini the 3rd of Morsael who escaped a military coup when he was 6 with his parents and is raised in new york city as an upper class citizen. he is 17 and his parents tell him of a arranged marriage that had been arranged for him and a princess from Terravida, Princess Roxanne Severo. the book wil…
Last reply by Imma Be, -
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Help! I can't, for the life of me, understand this book. I have two projects due over christmas break on it. What would you say is the most important passage of the novel and why?
Last reply by meghan717, -
Hey, For those of you who don't know 2008 is my first year in IB. Since age seven I've been an avid creative writer, and since last year I've been getting the urge to write something more than a few pages which is what I call a short story. A plot has been brewing in my head for some time now and I have to get it out of my system - if you're a prolific writer like me you'll know what I mean. So I want to start a novella... just when to do it is the problem. I recently discovered NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) and I have been instantly hooked (http://www.nanowrimo.org/). Read all about it if you don't know and you're interested. But all who already understand h…
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I'm looking for a famous poem about family relationships, could be either mother daughter, father son relationships etc. Im just stuck for one more Ive used mother to son by langston hughes and mother any distance by simon armitage Just need one more, help is much appreciated =)
Last reply by Daedalus,