Category: American Literature

American Literature, English Classics, English Literature, Robert FrostLeave a comment

Stopping by the Woods on a snowy evening.

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by Robert Frost A little halt among the trees on a snowy evening. All of Robert Frost’s famous poems are short, simple, but profound assessments of life’s realities. One such poem is “Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening,” which translates to “a little halt between the woods on a snowy evening.” Two oft-repeated quotations make this poem immortal.“I have promises to keep.”I have to fulfill promises.“And miles to go before I sleep.”I have a lot to cover before I sleep. The setting of the poem is a winter evening. Darkness falls by 4 p.m. in temperate climate regions … Continue reading Stopping by the Woods on a snowy evening.

American Literature, Short StoryLeave a comment

Rip Van Winkle

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The short novella known as “Rip Van Winkle” was written by the American author Washington Irving and published for the first time in the year 1819. Rip Van Winkle, a Dutch-American peasant living in colonial America, is the protagonist of this story. He travels to the Catskill Mountains, where he meets some mystery Dutchmen, drinks their wine, and then falls asleep. He slept throughout the American Revolution, so when he awoke 20 years later, he found himself in a drastically different world. by Washington Irving In the years leading up to the founding of the United States, a Dutch-American man … Continue reading Rip Van Winkle

American Literature, O. HenryLeave a comment

The Marionettes

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The policeman was standing at the corner of Twenty-fourth Street and a prodigiously dark alley near where the elevated railroad crosses the street. The time was two o’clock in the morning; the outlook a stretch of cold, drizzling, unsociable blackness until the dawn. A man, wearing a long overcoat, with his hat tilted down in front, and carrying something in one hand, walked softly but rapidly out of the black alley. The policeman accosted him civilly, but with the assured air that is linked with conscious authority. The hour, the alley’s musty reputation, the pedestrian’s haste, the burden he carried—these … Continue reading The Marionettes

American Literature, O. Henry, Short StoryLeave a comment

The Dream

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By O.Henry This was the last piece that O. Henry ever produced. After his demise, the incomplete manuscript that he had been working on for  was discovered in his room, on the dusty desk where it had been left. The story of the dream takes place in a jail, where the protagonist, Murray, is awaiting his execution at eight o’clock that evening. The event is shown as taking place in the dream. When we first encounter Murray in the dream, he is interacting with an ant as a toy. The ant is moving about on a sheet of paper, and … Continue reading The Dream

American Literature, O. HenryLeave a comment

A RETRIEVED REFORMATION

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By O. Henry Because of his links to the criminal underworld, Jimmy Valentine only had to serve a little over 10 months of a sentence that was supposed to last for four years. He goes to the flat he had previously lived in, packs up his equipment, and then departs. In the weeks that followed, more robberies involving cash were carried out, and the police officer, Ben Price, who was responsible for landing Valentine in prison in the first place, was assigned to work on the new case. He has come to the conclusion that Jimmy is responsible for the … Continue reading A RETRIEVED REFORMATION

American Literature, Robert FrostLeave a comment

The Road Not Taken

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Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,And sorry I could not travel bothAnd be one traveller, long I stoodAnd looked down one as far as I couldTo where it bent in the undergrowth; Then took the other, as just as fair,And having perhaps the better claim,Because it was grassy and wanted wear;Though as for that the passing thereHad worn them really about the same, And both that morning equally layIn leaves no step had trodden black.Oh, I kept the first for another day!Yet knowing how way leads on to way,I doubted if I should ever come back. I shall be … Continue reading The Road Not Taken

American Literature, O. Henry, Short StoryLeave a comment

The Gift of Magi

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by O. Henry Story in a nutshell: Della Young realises on Christmas Eve that she only has $1.87 to buy a present for her husband Jim. Madame Sofronie, a neighbouring hairdresser, buys Della’s long hair for $20. Della then spends the money to buy Jim’s platinum pocket watch a beautiful chain. Della tells Jim when he gets home from work that she sold her hair to buy him the chain. Jim presents Della with a set of beautiful combs that she will be unable to use until her hair grows back. Della hands Jim the watch chain, and he explains … Continue reading The Gift of Magi

American Literature, O. Henry, Short StoryLeave a comment

HEARTS AND HANDS

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Short Story by O.Henry ‘Hearts and Hands’ features a surprising twist when readers finish the story. A lady named Miss Fairchild is sitting on a train from Denver to the east when two men take the seat facing her. The lady is obviously acquainted with one of the men, and they begin talking immediately. At Denver there was an influx of passengers into the coaches on the eastbound B. & M. express. In one coach there sat a very pretty young woman dressed in elegant taste and surrounded by all the luxurious comforts of an experienced traveler. Among the newcomers … Continue reading HEARTS AND HANDS