Mary Smith
Location South East London
Activity
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Mary Smith made a comment
I've enjoyed going through the course again and many of the comments have been really helpful. I've not added much as I've had to rush through the course to make it to the end! I'm not too keen to read any of the four books but have made a note of some of the classics that I had forgotten about and will now endeavour to read.
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Mary Smith made a comment
The character I remember most is Ethan Frome but that is probably because the book is so well written by Edith Wharton.
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Mary Smith made a comment
It is difficult to give just one favourite novel and those that come to mind are all very different. There's Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton, We Have Always Lived In The Castle by Shirley Jackson, Rogue Male by Geoffrey Household and A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry. There must be something in all of them that makes me remember them and to recommend them to...
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Mary Smith made a comment
I was in London when I did the course the first time but I am now in Bournemouth. I always read and wanted to do the course again to remind myself what I learnt the first time but seem to have forgotten!
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Mary Smith made a comment
Just received an email to say this course was running again. I did it some time ago so happy to have a refresher and interested to learn about the 4 books mentioned.
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Mary Smith made a comment
He was still in control but used Edmund Dudley to make sure his subjects were this purpose. As has been said in earlier comments he was more concerned about the forgiveness of God than a wish to be loved by his subjects. But equally he would have wanted to be known as a good and just King.
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Mary Smith made a comment
Neither, it should have been Edward V.
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Mary Smith made a comment
The 2012 dig was important as it answered questions as to how Richard was killed and his physical appearance. Shakespeare was not a journalist reporting facts but an author and playwright so his inaccurate description of Richard may have been to make the story more interesting and play upon theories at the time that physical appearance was a reflection of...
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Mary Smith made a comment
Politic and military alliances were no doubt of great importance to the outcome of this battle. It might also be said that Henry was a better strategist than Richard who having the larger army should have been victorious. He seems to have been reckless and that more than anything caused him to lose his Crown and his life.
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Mary Smith made a comment
It will surely remain a mystery unless some evidence comes to light. Richard did though make sure the brothers were kept together in the Tower so he must have a motive for doing this. He was only King for a short period so however he took the Crown there was no chance to find out if he would have been a good King even if he did have murder on his hands so...
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Mary Smith made a comment
If I was taught about Henry VII, and I must have been taught something because I can remember Richard III, then I have forgotten it all. His legitimacy, his right to rule, the fact that he had never even lived in England, the fact that his mother was only 13 when he was born. In many ways more interesting that Henry VIII but seems to be overlooked apart from...
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Mary Smith made a comment
I've been to Hampton Court and also Eltham Palace, both of them steeped in history.
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Mary Smith made a comment
It has been some years since I visited but I remember how knowledgeable the Beefeaters are and of course, seeing the Crown Jewels.
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Mary Smith made a comment
The reformation of the Church, moving from Latin to English meant that the Bible was accessible to so many more people. They did not all have to rely on the monks' interpretation but could read it for themselves. The establishment of the Navy allowed the country to defend itself from then until WWII which is no mean feat bearing in mind all the wars taking...
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Mary Smith made a comment
The Battle of Bosworth because without that there would have been no Tudors so the history of England would have been very different. And then Henry VIII becoming Supreme Head of the Church of England. It was also a time of turbulent change all over the world, most of which I was not aware of but which had a massive impact.
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Mary Smith made a comment
Henry VIII but they are all interesting in their own ways.
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Mary Smith made a comment
Henry VIII and Elizabeth I come to mind immediately. I recently watched Mary Queen of Scots which sparked my interest again in the Tudor period. Looking forward to learning a lot and also reading the discussion notes.
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Mary Smith made a comment
I do not want to write poetry nor do I want to write about poetry. I joined the course so that I could understand poetry that I already have. Now I have a better understanding and also have some read great poetry so can now start a new adventure into the world of poetry. Thanks to everyone for their contributions.
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Mary Smith made a comment
I would need to read the poems myself to make any sense of them. J T Welsch's explanation was helpful. I liked Kit Fan's reading the best but would still need to read the poem to make sense of it. This has been an interesting course and has helped me to understand poetry though I still have a lot of work to do.
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Mary Smith made a comment
I have learnt a lot about poetry. In fact I realise I knew virtually nothing about poetry. The comments have been helpful and interesting and I now have some poems to go back to that I would never have known about if it was not for this course.
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Mary Smith made a comment
Very helpful advice.
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Mary Smith made a comment
I have kept the exercise to do later on. I do not have enough time left on the course to complete it now.
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Mary Smith made a comment
I have not turned to poetry but may start looking more as this course has given me a lot of think about.
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Mary Smith made a comment
There must be a reason why poetry has lasted for so long. It can be used in so many ways that perhaps novels or paintings cannot. It enables the poet to express thoughts and feelings and for the reader to work out what it means to them, and it may be completely different to someone else's view.
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Mary Smith made a comment
I can't imagine I would ever write about poetry but the article does give me some ideas of how to go about understanding what the poem is about, or what it means to me.
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Mary Smith made a comment
I was not expecting to write any poetry so it will be interesting to see where this week leads to.
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Mary Smith made a comment
Everything has been new to me. Almost all of it challenging but I have found some really lovely poems as we have gone through the week.
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Mary Smith made a comment
Some interesting poems here.
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Mary Smith made a comment
I have never heard of this before so have no examples. I may have got it wrong but understood that the poet has used various types of art to support or inspire the poem.
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Mary Smith made a comment
I suppose we have to accept that what Anne Sexton wrote was what she saw in the painting but it is not what I see and her poem would not encourage me to seek out the painting. However I always seek out Van Gogh's paintings but would probably not seek out Anne Sexton's poems.
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Mary Smith made a comment
The poem was far too long for me to read it all. That said I think the poem is more important that the art. It is its effect on the poet that is important. Every painting will be interpreted by the individual seeing it, perhaps the poem might help or even highlight a painting that the reader was not aware of.
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Mary Smith made a comment
WH Auden's poem is lovely. I realise that I would probably only investigate the meaning behind a poem if I actually like the poem without knowing anything about it. I cannot imagine that I would ever be able to amass as much information as Professor Hugh Haughton has given us but then his knowledge is far greater than mine. I have hardly read any poetry at...
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Mary Smith made a comment
The explanation was very helpful. I had never given any thought to translation before but do believe the translator should be as accurate as possible in getting across the meaning of the words. It seems that any translation is going to alter the original meaning of the poem so the reader should be aware of this and understand that the translation will change...
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Mary Smith made a comment
I am not sure what the purpose of this poem is. I recognise some of the names and could go and do some research but even then I am not sure I would be able to discover the meaning. However the title has been taken from the last lines of the poem Ars Poetica by Archibald McLeish which in turn has the same title as Horace's Ars Poetica which offers a list of...
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Mary Smith made a comment
I liked the poem just as it is. I can only imagine you would need to be very highly read and also very aware of the classics to be able to pick up on the intertexts. All these passed me by.
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Mary Smith made a comment
A very clear explanation of intertextuality.
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Mary Smith made a comment
I had never heard of intertextuality but I am getting a lot from the comments here from some very well read and aware contributors.
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Mary Smith made a comment
I know nothing about intertextuality so this will be another interesting week.
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Mary Smith made a comment
I've enjoyed reading the poems. The comments are always helpful especially when I have struggled to understand some of the more challenging aspects.
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Mary Smith made a comment
An interesting week and I have learnt that I really do not know much about poems.
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Mary Smith made a comment
The sun bursts hazel on my shoulders.
The feathers in my eye spoke outwards.
She is the accident that happens.
She is the point of any sky.
She is away. -
Mary Smith made a comment
Interesting and more to think about when reading a poem. But can we be sure it is the poet's wish for the poem to be displayed in a certain way or does the typesetter take liberties and choose what to do with it I wonder.
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Mary Smith made a comment
I am not sure I would have known what the poem was about at first reading without noting that it is shown as a poem about motherhood in the Poetry Foundation's website. However once I did I noted it was 2 stanzas of 9 lines and 9 months is the length of pregnancy. By adding You're to the beginning of most lines it became obvious that she was writing to her...
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Mary Smith made a comment
I have not grasped this at all and will need more time to go over it until I get some kind of understanding.
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Mary Smith made a comment
It will take me some time to understand that, it is very complicated.
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Mary Smith made a comment
I am not familiar with metre but now it has been explained I will be able to look for it in the poetry I read.
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Mary Smith made a comment
A very helpful video detailing the 5 things to look out for, none of which I was aware of. I think they all lead to understanding the meaning of the poem and all of them are valid.
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Mary Smith made a comment
I was not sure about the form of Anne Bradstreet's poem so had to do some research. She has written in the closed couplet form of 12 lines with a regular rhyme scheme of AA BB CC DD. She also uses anaphora and metaphors. The poem is written to her husband who she loves very much.
Shakespeare's Sonnet 18 is obviously a sonnet of 14 lines using his rhyme...
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Mary Smith made a comment
Penny Boxall's article on form was really helpful to me. Now when I read poems I can look more closely at its form before even reading it. With so many forms available, all of them standing the test of time, I think that form gives a structure for the poet to use and it can only help the reader understand it. What is a poem if it has no form?
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Mary Smith made a comment
I was surprised that I knew as many forms as I did, I just had not realised they are in fact poetric forms.
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Mary Smith made a comment
I had never heard of the Ghazal form before. I was finding it difficult to understand though had learned it was formed of 2 couplets and has no fewer than 5 couplets and may have up to 15 couplets. Each couplet ends on the same word or phrase and is preceded by the couplet's rhyming word. The last couplet includes a proper name. I then found Hip-Hop Ghazal...
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Mary Smith made a comment
The poetic form of the sonnet has lasted so long because it works. Simple and yet complex, it gives poets a framework to express their ideas. And as readers we can identify the form easily but still have to work to understand the poem.
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I am not familiar with forms in poetry so happy to learn of a few this week.
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Mary Smith made a comment
Looking forward to learning about poetic form this week.
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Mary Smith made a comment
Difficult at times but always interesting.
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Mary Smith made a comment
A very enjoyable and interesting week.
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Mary Smith made a comment
This week has been a revelation. I had no idea how complex poetry is. I was pleased to learn that sometimes it is the sound rather than the meaning of a poem that attracts as I often do not get the meaning.
As a complete novice and because I enjoy Robert Frost's poems I am happy to quote "Robert Frost once famously remarked that he regarded the practice...
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Mary Smith made a comment
As I am learning from this course my understanding of poetry is less than basic so I cannot really comment. However as I read more poetry I do think that having knowledge of tradition can only help to understand what the poet is trying to convey.
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Mary Smith made a comment
Although I enjoyed the poem I would obviously have missed so much of what was being conveyed as I really have no knowledge nor understanding of Greek mythology.
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Mary Smith made a comment
I am glad I am doing this course as I had no idea that a sonnet was 14 lines! What did they teach us at school all those years ago?
There must be a reason why the sonnet format has worked so well for so many years. I do not think that it constrains but in fact helps the poet to shape the verse.
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The toolbox and link are going to be very helpful as I go through the course. I had absolutely no idea of the various forms.
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Mary Smith made a comment
I have heard of the epic poems but have never read them. Although we studied poetry in school and although it was a long time ago I have no recall of being taught about tradition. Although they may be difficult to understand and interpret there is a reason why they are still alive and read today and are sometimes the basis of poems today.
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Mary Smith made a comment
My favourite is Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening by Robert Frost. It is not very long but it is full of atmosphere, mystery and the cold seeps into your bones. And then he travels on but no-one knows where to.
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Mary Smith made a comment
How clever to use tea to link the grandmothers while treating them as individuals with their own quirks and hardships. A seemingly simple poem but it says so much. Lovely descriptions interwoven throughout the poem and all the grandmothers treated with equal respect.
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The poet says it about trees and the title is "Two Trees" so maybe the poet is just writing a poem about trees but he has written it in such as way that each reader can come to their own conclusions.
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Mary Smith made a comment
I wonder if the poets wants us to understand what they are saying or are happy for us to reach our own conclusions.
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Mary Smith made a comment
As I tend to not understand most poems I read it was very helpful that Vahni Capildeo said it is not always necessary to understand to enjoy the poem.
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Mary Smith made a comment
I based my answer on the few poems I read from time to time. I don't have wide experience of different types of poems but hope to learn during the course.
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Mary Smith made a comment
Having recently been made redundant but taking the opportunity to retire I now have time to widen my understanding of poetry. I can't say I go to poetry for inspiration but that will no doubt change after this course.
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Mary Smith made a comment
I really know nothing about poetry so I am delighted to learn about poetry from such a wide range of educators and poets.
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Mary Smith made a comment
I know I learnt poetry in school as I have just found some very old course work. And I like Robert Frost but most of his poetry is daunting. I'm looking forward to learning a lot more during this course.
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Mary Smith made a comment
I have really enjoyed the course. The latter section using Ducks, Newburyport I found really difficult and perhaps because of it I have not been able to grasp geographical settings in relation to that novel as well as other sections.
I have been grateful for the many interesting and insightful comments posted. along the way. They have helped my...
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Mary Smith made a comment
I did not read the novel, only the extracts used in the course. While it has not changed my mind about reading the book, the interview with Lucy Ellman has made me think more kindly of it and maybe this interview would have been more helpful at the beginning rather than the end!
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Mary Smith made a comment
I have only read the extracts here. The style of writing does not work for me and I would not read the novel. Whatever Lucy Ellman was attempting to do has not struck a chord with me.
I am pleased I have done this course. It has been very challenging but I have learnt a lot. The comments posted are insightful and made me realise that perhaps I have just...
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Mary Smith made a comment
I only read part of the extract. I really don't like the style of writing and could not engage enough with the narrator to keep reading. Perhaps there will be enough people willing to engage with the style to 'get' what the author is saying.
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Mary Smith made a comment
Another interesting week. This course is making me aware of what I am reading. Looking forward to week 4.
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Mary Smith made a comment
I had not heard of Helon Habila and haven't read the book but this interview was considered and helpful, especially to others on the course who want to write. He was happy to explain how he writes and gives credit to other writers which is not something I was aware of before. I will add the book to my reading list.
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Mary Smith made a comment
Having not read the story and only going by what we are told here, the dialogue indicates people who know each other well. They do not need long explanations or polite conversation, just straight to the point questions and there is humour there too. Gina asking lots of questions, the narrator asking her to slow down, not annoyed just accepting that is how...
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Mary Smith made a comment
I cannot recall reading a novel that uses dialect or maybe I glossed over it because it was too difficult to understand. I will pay more attention in future not just to the words but why the dialect is being used.
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Mary Smith made a comment
Allowing the character to use dialect takes some control away from the narrator. As long as it's not to difficult to understand it could help the reader to connect to the character, get to know their thoughts and emotions.
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Mary Smith made a comment
I can how use of dialect can help to define the character/s but that too much would be distracting and difficult to follow. However in Trainspotting where dialect is used all the time then as long as you can invest in the characters and plot eventually you would begin to settle in and follow the dialect without too much difficulty.
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Mary Smith made a comment
I have only read the extracts. It seems strange that Dilly's birthday party is attended only by her own family and friends of Mummy. Is it because she has doesn't have any friends or because Mummy does not approve of them. The boys don't really seem to notice her and her sister does but not in a good away. Bearing in mind it's her birthday no-one is making...
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Mary Smith replied to Anna Girling
Having read the extract and also the article I cannot say I like the use of 'you', It seems to me that the writer knows something about me which they obviously do not. Not at all keen on this style. I don't think I was aware of it before and now that I do, I would probably avoid it.
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Mary Smith made a comment
I can' think of one character in particular. I think I like or dislike them when I'm reading the book but they don't stay with me though the actual book will do.
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Mary Smith made a comment
I have really enjoyed this week learning how authors use different techniques to tell the story and to take the reader along the road they want us to follow.. Looking forward to learning a lot more in the coming weeks.
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Mary Smith made a comment
Having only read the extracts here and reading the various reviews I would say that Edna O'Brien has used her extensive writing skills to write a book based on Maryam's experiences and those of other girls she interviewed. Maryam as narrator cannot be anything other than unreliable as she has probably blocked out a lot of what has happened to her. Edna...
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Mary Smith made a comment
Using the first person narrator allows the author to tell the story of many condensed into one person but also allows her to add her voice and opinions.
She writes about repression from way back in the 1950s in Ireland and sees the repression of the girls taken by the Boka Harim as one and the same. Men and religion decided what women can do and how they...
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Mary Smith made a comment
Having not read the novel I can't say where else information has been withheld but it does seem strange that we are not told as Mayram must have known where she is. I cannot see why we have not been told they are entering Abuja. Never having been there knowing where it is and how it is would have been helpful bearing in mind this is supposed to be based on...
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Mary Smith made a comment
Having read comments here and reviews of the book I have decided just to concentrate on the different narrative styles used by Edna O'Brien. The short paragraphs giving a sense of urgency while the later descriptions are more leisurely and more detailed though she has added some of the inner turmoil Maryam is feeling. I wasn't inclined to read the book...
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Mary Smith made a comment
It is interesting to read how these short sentences convey urgency and panic and of things happening at the same time which confuse and startle Maryam.
I will be more aware of sentence structure in future. I have probably got a sense of what is happening before without actually realising what the author is doing.
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Mary Smith made a comment
"I write this sitting in the kitchen sink. That is, my feet are in it; the rest of me is on the draining board, which I have padded with our dog's blanket and the tea-cosy. I can't say that I am really comfortable, and there is a depressing smell of carbolic soap, but this is the only part of the kitchen where there is any daylight left."
This is the...
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Mary Smith made a comment
I've just had a look at my bookcase, I tend to only keep books I really like. Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton is a favourite. It's so atmospheric, she makes you feel as if you are there and whilst it is not the happiest of stories it does stay with me. I also like Shirley Jackson. We Have Always Lived In The Castle is great and I've got The Haunting Of Hill...
