By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University) ‘The Tyger’ is one of the best-known poems of the poet and engraver William Blake (1757-1827), but in many ways it is a mysterious, even inscrutable poem which views the tiger with both awe and horror. A number of lines in the poem carry […]
Author: interestingliterature
20 of the Best Synonyms and Antonyms for ‘Busy’
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University) The word ‘busy’ is commonly used to describe hectic or frenetic activity: someone who is busy has a great deal to do, perhaps too much. They are actively engaged in something and conducting a great deal of activity. The word is from a Germanic […]
A Summary and Analysis of Mary Oliver’s ‘The Summer Day’
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University) ‘The Summer Day’ is a lyric poem by the American poet Mary Oliver (1935-2019), a poet who has perhaps not received as much attention from critics as she deserves. It’s been estimated that she was the bestselling poet in the United States at the […]
The Curious Meaning of ‘Yellow’ by Coldplay
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University) What has a defunct British publication got to do with the genesis of one of Coldplay’s signature songs? ‘Yellow’ was very much the band’s breakthrough hit in the summer of 2000, and is perhaps the best-crafted song on their debut album, Parachutes. But why […]
The Curious Meaning and Origin of the Phrase ‘Banana Republic’
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University) What is a ‘banana republic’, and where does the phrase come from? The origins of this phrase can be found in the work of a popular American writer, although his role in coining this phrase and giving it to the world is not as […]