The Manhust

Sonnet 116

To His Coy Mistress - Andrew Marvell

Great Expectation vs Macbeth

'Kid' - Robin's Revenge

Are we meant to laugh at Batman's downfall or cry? And what is a trochaic rhythm? This podcast raises some issues around the Simon Armitage poem 'Kid'. There is a real tension in the poem created by the humorous form and structure which contrast so strongly with the sad theme.

'On My First Sonne' - Form vs Content

The structure of this noble, controlled poem is very different to the emotions that this poem creates in the reader. This podcast is a general introduction, as well as being an explanation of some of the ideas (conceits) of the poem.

'The Laboratory' - Poison! Poison!

Need help with The Laboratory? It's tricky sometimes! This is not a stanza by stanza guide - you'll get that in class. This is a discussion of some of the themes.

'Anne Hathaway' - The Power of Love!

What a poem! Elsewhere in the collection we have psychotic killers, lady-killers, man-killers, jealousy and hatred. Here we have a beautiful poem about the power of love. Ahhhhh...

This poem used to be an A Level poem, because of the full range of ideas it invokes. Here love (or physical love) is as powerful an act of creation as the creating of a literary text. Also, here the female persona (of Anne Hathaway - Shakespeare's wife)is a co-creator: they appear as equals. Also, there's more sexual innuendo than you can shake-a-pear at (fnah fnah!).

'Havisham' - Mean Love!

Whether you're starting 'Havisham', or coming back to it, there are some interesting ideas here to think about. How shocking is 'Havisham'? You have to have an iron stomach NOT to be appalled by this!

What act is being described in the fourth stanza? Is the mirror in the second stanza symbolic? You need to decide...

'Hitcher' - Who picked who up in Leeds?

This was the first ever podcast I made, so listen with kind ears; there's not even any music, it's that basic. Strange to think that it's four years old. Anyway, back to the poem.

The Hitcher is probably one of the first Simon Armitage poems that you've looked at in class. Here's a few ideas about the poem, and a few things to get you thinking about. After all, who is 'The Hitcher'? You may want to remind yourself about the id/ego, and try and remember what a 'divided self' is.

Piggy in Lord o fthe Flies (1)

Piggy can be ignored by readers at the opening of the story - let's face it: Golding's writing is so skillful that he makes us dislike Piggy intensely! There are many paradoxes and contradictions in Piggy; to find our more you need to listen to this podcast.

Piggy understands that order is needed. The philosopher Rousseau argued that 'Man [that's what he said, it was a sexist time!] is born free and everywhere lives in chains'. He really thought that civilisation was a bad thing: it made us mad. Golding (and Piggy) would disagree!

Lord of the Flies - Fire on the Mountain

Here is the second podcast on Lord of the Flies, and how it foregrounds later events. Think of the fire as deeply symbolic; it unleashes powers that the boys cannot control!

Lord of the Flies - Chapter 1 - An Introduction

Lord of the Flies is William Golding's dark masterpiece. As well as being a story noted for its sumptuous language and eloquent prose, the symbolic meanings and messages of the text are profound and varied. Noticing the symbolism and being able to think about the CONCEPTS behind the story are the key to an A*.

All the symbolism and ideas are the novel are foregrounded in the opening. The motifs that appear all the way through the story will be set up here. This is an opening discussion of some of the important ideas. Have a think about the ideas mentioned here and how they relate to the rest of the story...

Heroes - Chapter One - An Introduction

You're doing 'Heroes' as your novel for the Literature exam? You lucky thing! Your teacher must really like you! This podcast is about the first chapter of the novel 'Heroes'.

Any start to a novel is the most important part - closely followed by the end in order of importance. At the start of 'Heroes', Robert Cormier sets up themes that will run all of the way through the novel. You need to be aware of them - and that's where this podcast comes in.

Key terms you might want to secure are: 'foregrounding' and 'motif'.