By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University) Few songs of the 1960s, outside of The Beatles’ later output, has perhaps inspired more head-scratching than Procol Harum’s 1967 hit ‘A Whiter Shade of Pale’. Even the band’s name is likely to invite puzzled looks from people who first encounter it. Who, or […]
Literature
A Summary and Analysis of the Trojan Horse Myth
What was the Trojan Horse? The Trojan Horse the hollow wooden horse in which Greek soldiers concealed themselves so they could enter Troy without arousing suspicion. The Trojan Horse was offered to the city of Troy as a gift, but when the Trojans took the wooden horse inside the city […]
The Curious Meaning of ‘Call Me Maybe’ by Carly Rae Jepsen
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University) ‘Call Me Maybe’ is the best-known song by the Canadian singer-songwriter Carly Rae Jepsen. This 2011 song began life as a folk song, written by Jepsen and Tavish Crowe. It’s about a girl who sees a boy she likes; she gives him her phone […]
William Blake’s ‘Tyger’: Themes
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 […]
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 […]