The tiny red hand lifted the bottom blind and watched the boy trying to pick up a worm on the path. He looked happy for once and the hand let… Read More »English Tutor Bolton, Bury and Manchester: The Face in the Wall- Climbing Tiles.
Last Saturday I taught this poem and found lots more to say as I realised I had missed so much before. Surely that is the secret of a good poem? It has… Read More »Andrew Forster's Brothers : An Analysis Revisited.
It burnt him. Stung at his open eyes. And even if he found he could blink away the sharp grains, the room still looked odd, far away. He felt tired… Read More »English Tutor/tuition Manchester, Bolton and Bury: The Face in the Wall and the sand.
Nettles by Vernon Scannell My son aged three fell in the nettle bed. ‘Bed’ seemed a curious name for those green spears, That regiment of spite behind the shed: It was… Read More »Vernon Scannell's 'Nettles': An Analysis of the AQA poem.
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… Read More »Andrew Forster’s ‘Brothers’: An Analysis- how casual is betrayal?
Someone famous had once turned their face to the wall and died because they had run out of the words they cared about. The face couldn’t recall who they were and perhaps… Read More »English tutor/tuition Manchester, Bolton and Bury: The Face in the wall remembers George.
After the first phase, after passionate nights and intimate days, only then would he let me trace the frozen river which ran through his face, only then would he let… Read More »Simon Armitage's 'The Manhunt': An Analysis-intimacy as painful awe?
The Farrand Chapelette was gathering dust in the shadowy porch of Marsden Church. And was due to be bundled off to the skip. Or was mine, for a song, if… Read More »Simon Armitage’s ‘Harmonium’: An Analysis-the scent of lost time?
It was late July. Summer Sturridge was watching her brother, Stephen, eat an ice cream for the first time in nearly ten years. Aside from their surname and the fact that their father had… Read More »English Tutor Manchester Bolton and Bury: The Face in The Wall-The Sturridges.
Reading a poem can challenge you. It can take you away from the certainties associated with your understanding. and this can be uncomfortable and exasperating. What is the point you may say?Sometimes however, although… Read More »Carol Ann Duffy’s Hour: An Analysis-finding the key to a poem?
Tightly-folded bud, I have wished you something None of the others would: Not the usual stuff About being beautiful, Or running off a spring Of innocence and love – They… Read More »Philip Larkin’s ‘Born Yesterday’: An Analysis-GCSE English AQA.
Sometimes as you approach the Easter holiday break, the texts you studied seem distant memories, and you feel less confident about your knowledge and essay writing. If this is you… Read More »English GCE, GCSE Revision Bolton, Manchester and Bury.
George leant against the old chair and spoke to the wall. His voice was quiet. Careful. Everyone was asleep, though he could smell smoke from somewhere outside. The eyes watched him,… Read More »English tutoring/tuition Manchester, Bolton and Bury: The Face in The Wall-Smoke and Dust.
Today is a day when we may all feel the hint of the ‘away and see’ part of life. Already at 8-30am there is a soft glow of slow sunshine… Read More »Carol Ann Duffy's 'Away and See': An analysis to feed creative writing!
As Easter approaches students are aware of the nearness of May with the GCSE, A Level and Undergraduate examinations. If you are facing any of these examinations and need a… Read More »English Tuition Manchester, Bolton and Bury: GCSE English Descriptive Writing Boost
Tusi Notes Carol Ann Duffy’s Havisham and Dickens’ Great Expectations. Carol Ann Duffy is an expert at exploring the uneasy aftermath of love. Both her poetry collections Mean Time and… Read More »Carol Ann Duffy's Havisham and Dickens' Great Expectations.
I am not sure if this is a great poem, I rather think it too abrupt and unfinished to linger on in the mind, as great poems tend to do. … Read More »Mary Coleridge's The Moment: An Analysis
The red plasticine figure crouched besides the clock. She had taken her time to get here. But she had lots of time now she was reforming. Her shape and size… Read More »The Red Plasticine Figure: Carla's Revenge.
The hunchback in the park A solitary mister Propped between trees and water From the opening of the garden lock That lets the trees and water enter Until the… Read More »Dylan Thomas 'The Hunchback in the Park': An Analysis
The cemetery car park was choked with cars. Everyone was patient though most of Caroline’s friends were not patient by nature. But this was a sad afternoon and besides that, everyone… Read More »English tuition in Bolton, Manchester and the North West: Caroline's Do.
I have an affinity with rage on this blog! Medusa gets lots of attention and so does Miss Havisham and even David Almond’s The Savage. Perhaps it is the most… Read More »Dylan Thomas: Do not go gentle into that good night(Revisited)
I was walking Frankie, one of my dogs today and met a grandfather out with his brightly adorned grandaughter, who spotting ‘Frankie’ on her lead, held up her string-gloved hands… Read More »Private English tutoring in Bolton, Manchester and Bury: Katherine Mansfield’s At The Bay.
Over the next month this site will start selling Tusi Notes on Amazon Kindle and also as pdf downloads on this site. There is already a very stimulating and powerful… Read More »Robert Louis Stevenson's Kidnapped: Choosing black or white words?
That Saturday afternoon George had gone to Buxton with several friends and his Aunt in her last blue mini. They had stopped on the long hill leading down in Buxton’s centre, and… Read More »The Plasticine Men Five: Nylon and Brahms.
‘ Why is reading so important?’ This question needs a direct answer as it is one of the most important activities any human being, let alone ‘student’ can enjoy. Of course… Read More »Private English Tuition Bolton and Manchester: Why reading Dickens helps writing.
Carol Ann Duffy’s After Mrs Tiresias is a very popular poem at live readings. Females in the audience enjoy the spirited irony of the joke about a man who becomes a… Read More »Carol Ann Duffy's 'From Mrs Tiresias' An Analysis.
Valentine by Carol Ann Duffy is the most searched for Duffy poem on Google. The poem is a cyber space megastar and today I felt I would examine the poem… Read More »Carol Ann Duffy's Valentine: An analysis before a Tusi Note!
Steinbeck’s final moments of his short novel, Of Mice and Men are both tragic and yet hopeful. The reader recognises that Steinbeck is offering a glimpse of an equal, potential… Read More »Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men-How Do we read the ending? A Short Analysis and Tusi Note!
Medusa has been explored several times on this blog and I will be writing a full length, Tusi Note on the poem in the next few days. However Carol Ann… Read More »Carol Ann Duffy’s Medusa Analysis: Rage as petrification-FREE VIDEO!
The face in the wall heard voices through the old plaster. Hoarse voices whose breathing came slowly and hard as if time was short. Houses like these carried memories deep… Read More »The Plasticine Men: The Changeover Day.
