I stood at the edge of my child’s sleep hearing her breathe; although I could not enter there, I could not leave. Her sleep was a small wood, perfumed with flowers; dark, peaceful, sacred, acred in hours. And she was the spirit that lives in the heart of such woods; without tim

Carole Berry and Janet Lewison Tusitala Conversation (extract)  Janet Both poems significantly give representation to  intensely realized  spaces/places where human beings  are imprisoned  or enslaved by nature, society and even or especially the mind. Little wonder that one of Blake&

Do you sometimes find TALKING about texts better than writing about them? Imagine being able to listen into a lively and original conversation about books or poems you need to write about. IMAGINE  how easy it would be for you  to find lots of ideas and insights…. Tusitala Conve

Carol Ann Duffy’s poetry deals with many different relationships, events and predicaments  She is a time traveller fond of exploring the lost narratives of the past through a range of speakers and characters.  If you are working on your revision ideas for GCSE English or perhaps

You are probably in the middle of your English REVISION and are looking for QUICK  and POWERFUL ways to improve the range of ideas you have for your final examinations.  Do you want a fast and easy way to get better grades?  Look at this video and see how quickly your ideas can get a

The last chapter of Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men resolves the death of Curley’s wife through George’s humane killing of Lennie.  George’s action protects Lennie from Curley’s pursuing vengeance-most likely involving torture and leaves George to find a new

Here is a short  video analysis of the last chapter of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird where I look closely at THREE quotations,  offering at least FOUR very useful interpretations of the text. This technique works as it  pays attention to the original text and gives several

 English Revision Tutorials offer you a powerful opportunity to tackle those problems in your English Studies that need sorting out.  Are your essays a little vague or lacking in inspiration? Do you wish your analyses of poetry were more incisive and clear? Do you find your Creative W

That’s my last Duchess painted on the wall, Looking as if she were alive. I call That piece a wonder, now: Fra Pandolf’s hands Worked busily a day, and there she stands. Will’t please you sit and look at her? I said “Fra Pandolf” by design, for never read Strangers like you that pictu

  As part of my annual spring cleaning binge I decided that the living room bookshelves were long overdue a good dusting, and whilst balancing on top of a chair to get to the very top shelves I rediscovered piles of books that had been sitting neglected up there and were well ove

Would you like a straightforward formula to help make your essay writing  easier? AND better? EVEN better! NOW!!  Then please watch this video if you are a GCSE/GCE or UNDERGRADUATE student.  For this is a super video designed to help you immediately!  And it’s FREE  and you can

Examine the presentation of Susan Hill’s Woman in Black using just THREE quotations.  This question needs careful organisation around just THREE moments in the text. These moments could be chronologically arranged so that the answer reveals the progressive characterization of th

EASTER REVISION – NOT TO BE DREADED AND DEFINITELY NOT TOO EARLY! by Jenny Bennion You may be sat at home thinking that the summer exams are miles away (and Manchester & Bolton’s current weather would forgive you for thinking that!), but in reality there are less than 8 weeks befo

I met a traveller from an antique land Who said: “Two vast and trunkless legs of stone Stand in the desert. Near them on the sand, Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown And wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command Tell that its sculptor well those passions read Which yet

Q: How do you write effectively about Slim’s character  in Steinbeck’s  Of Mice and Men?  A: The character of Slim in Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men   provides the reader with a figure who is consistently  trustworthy and fair. His presence in the novel acts as a yardst

Quickdraw   I wear the two, the mobile and the landline phones, like guns, slung from the pockets on my hips. I’m all alone. You ring, quickdraw, your voice a pellet in my ear, and hear me groan.   You’ve wounded me. Next time, you speak after the tone. I twirl the phone,

Time and time again students ask how can they improve their writing and I always reply with the same imperative. READ! How simple and how empowering! Reading inspires you to write and to write effectively. If you read, you have access to so many different minds, minds equipped with al

This still remains one of the most vivid and revealing dreams of my life! I woke up feeling so protective of my dream companion; deeply affected by  the emotional power and resonance of this strange encounter in the dusky heat of a Roman night.  Who could resist this beautiful arctic

Who told my mother of my shame, Who told my father of my dear? Oh who but Maude, my sister Maude, Who lurked to spy and peer. Cold he lies, as cold as stone, With his clotted curls about his face: The comeliest corpse in all the world And worthy of a queen’s embrace.   &nbs

Demeter had seen her. She had been waiting and now she had seen her.Of course Demeter knew that if she looked for the woman then the woman would not be there. But when she didn’t look in that way, then of course the shape of the golden woman appeared. And how golden she was. The

I am hooked on Father Brown- currently drip feeding myself his adventures  via the iplayer! This new interest has temporarily broken my fixation with another murderous area, Midsomer, whose perfect   prettiness veils  unsettling secrets never laid to rest. Midsomer Murders  like Fathe

I love writing six word tales. They have a intimate compression that ‘leaks’ drama and mystery, adding resonance to a simple idea so that the idea becomes wider and suggestive. Like poetry, the words each have to connect in immediate yet sometimes unexpected ways. It’

They shouted for me when their horses reared at the burning straw and eyes revolved in stately heads. I would pull a frog’s wishbone, tainted by meat, from a puch, a new fear to fight the fear of fire, so I could lead the horses, like helpless children, to safety. In stanza two of And

  ” ‘There they go,’ cried Constance, and then added in a gasp, ‘In Heaven’s name, what are they hunting?’ “It was certainly no mortal fox. It stood more than twice as high, had a short, ugly head, and an enormous thick neck. ” ‘It

They shouted for me when their horses snorted, when restless hooves traced circles in the earth and shimmering muscles refused the plough. My secret was a spongy tissue, pulled bloody from the mouth of a just-born foal, scented with rosemary, cinnamon, a charm to draw the tender giant

Demeter was walking in her favourite wood. She had left school for the dentist and then found no reason in her form diary to return that day. All the golden leaves lay sodden before her like some dismal bridal train. She felt in her duffle pocket and discovered something chipped and r

    At first there were just two. A pair of heavy hands that did things and then suddenly could do nothing at all. Looking back there, I am aware that I am looking at his hands still, reading them as if to decide how much of me he needed, how much I could let go. We were a f

  The December bride who, bored with dancing, skipped from the castle hall to play hide-and-seek, a white bird flickering into the dark . . . The groom, who searched each room, calling her name; then the bridal guests, flame-lit, checking the grounds . . . The fifty Christmases t

Saddled with you for the afternoon,me and Paul ambled across the threadbare field to the bus stop, talking over Sheffield Wednesday’s chances in the cup while you skipped beside us in your ridiculous tank top, spouting six year-old views on Rotherham United Suddenly you froze,said you

Demeter could not easily differentiate between one shape and another. Her toes would stroke over objects at night and she would wonder what she was sleeping with- an old shirt, a newspaper, a biography. Everything seemed differently arranged and she would act surprised and say out lou