English Literature project class 10 icse

Acknowledgment

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all those who have supported and guided me throughout this project. 

First and foremost, I am deeply grateful to my instructor, [Instructor's Name], whose invaluable guidance, insightful feedback, and constant encouragement have been instrumental in the completion of this project. Their expertise in English Literature has greatly enriched my understanding and analysis.

I would also like to extend my heartfelt thanks to the librarians and staff of [Library/Institution Name], who provided access to essential resources and were always ready to assist with any queries.

A special mention goes to my peers and classmates for their continuous support, thought-provoking discussions, and collaborative spirit, which made the research process both enjoyable and intellectually stimulating.

Last but not least, I am profoundly thankful to my family and friends for their unwavering support, patience, and motivation throughout the duration of this project. Their encouragement has been a constant source of strength.

This project would not have been possible without the collective support and contributions of these individuals, to whom I am deeply indebted.

Drama: (Julius Caesar)

1. Life sketch of Williams Shakespeare with a picture: (150-200 words) 

William Shakespeare, born in April 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon, England, is widely regarded as one of the greatest playwrights and poets in the English language. He was the third of eight children to John Shakespeare, a glove maker, and Mary Arden, a local heiress. Shakespeare likely attended the King's New School in Stratford, where he would have received a comprehensive education in grammar, literature, and Latin.

At 18, Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway, with whom he had three children: Susanna, and twins Hamnet and Judith. By the late 1580s, Shakespeare had moved to London, where he began his career as an actor and playwright. His early works include comedies such as "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and histories like "Richard III."

Shakespeare became a part-owner of the Lord Chamberlain's Men, later known as the King's Men, a leading theatrical company. His oeuvre includes 39 plays, 154 sonnets, and two long narrative poems. His masterpieces, such as "Hamlet," "Othello," "King Lear," and "Macbeth," explore complex themes of human nature, politics, and morality.

Shakespeare retired to Stratford around 1613, where he lived until his death on April 23, 1616. His works continue to be celebrated for their profound impact on literature, theatre, and the English language.

2. Character Analysis: (300 - 350 words) 

Flavius and Marullus Tribunes who wish to protect the plebeians from Caesar's tyranny; they break up a crowd of commoners waiting to witness Caesar's triumph and are "put to silence" during the feast of Lupercal for removing ornaments from Caesar's statues. 

Julius Caesar A successful military leader who wants the crown of Rome. Unfortunately, he is not the man he used to be and is imperious, easily flattered, and overly ambitious. He is assassinated midway through the play; later, his spirit appears to Brutus at Sardis and also at Philippi. 

Casca Witness to Caesar's attempts to manipulate the people of Rome into offering him the crown, he reports the failure to Brutus and Cassius. He joins the conspiracy the night before the assassination and is the first conspirator to stab Caesar.

 

Calphurnia The wife of Julius Caesar; she urges him to stay at home on the day of the assassination because of the unnatural events of the previous night as well her prophetic dream in which Caesar's body is a fountain of blood. 

Marcus Antonius (Mark Antony) He appears first as a confidant and a devoted follower of Caesar, and he offers Caesar a crown during the feast of Lupercal. He has a reputation for sensuous living, but he is also militarily accomplished, politically shrewd, and skilled at oration. He is able to dupe Brutus into allowing him to speak at Caesar's funeral and by his funeral oration to excite the crowd to rebellion. He is one of the triumvirs, and he and Octavius defeat Brutus and Cassius at Philippi. 

A soothsayer He warns Caesar during the celebration of the feast of Lupercal to "beware the ides of March." He again warns Caesar as he enters the Senate House.

 Marcus Brutus A praetor; that is, a judicial magistrate of Rome. He is widely admired for his noble nature. He joins the conspiracy because he fears that Caesar will become a tyrant, but his idealism causes him to make several poor judgements and impedes his ability to understand those who are less scrupulous than he. Brutus defeats Octavius' forces in the first battle at Philippi, but loses the second battle and commits suicide rather than be taken prisoner. 

Cassius The brother-in-law of Brutus and an acute judge of human nature, Cassius organizes the conspiracy against Caesar and recruits Brutus by passionate argument and by deviously placed, forged letters. He argues that Antony should be assassinated along with Caesar, that Antony should not speak at Caesar's funeral, and that he (Cassius) and Brutus should not fight at Philippi, but he eventually defers to Brutus in each instance. He is defeated by Antony at the first battle of Philippi, and he commits suicide when he mistakenly believes that Brutus has been defeated.

 Cicero A senator and a famous orator of Rome. He is calm and philosophical when he meets the excited Casca during the night of portentous tumult proceeding the day of the assassination. The triumvirs have him put to death. 

Cinna The conspirator who urges Cassius to bring "noble" Brutus into the conspiracy; he assists by placing some of Cassius' forged letters where Brutus will discover them.

  Lucius Brutus' young servant; Brutus treats him with understanding, gentleness, and tolerance. Decius Brutus The conspirator who persuades Caesar to attend the Senate on the day of the ides of March by fabricating a flattering interpretation of Calphurnia's portentous dream and by telling Caesar that the Senate intends to crown him king. 

Metellus Cimber The conspirator who attracts Caesar's attention by requesting that his brother's banishment be repealed, allowing the assassins to surround Caesar and thereby giving Casca the opportunity to stab him from behind. 

Trebonius The first of the conspirators to second Brutus' argument that Antony be spared, Trebonius lures Antony out of the Senate House so that the other conspirators can kill Caesar without having to fear Antony's intervention. Consequently, he is the only conspirator who does not actually stab Caesar.

  Portia The wife of Brutus and the daughter of Marcus Cato. She argues that those familial relationships make her strong enough to conceal Brutus' secrets, but on the morning of the assassination, she is extremely agitated by the fear that she will reveal what Brutus has told her. She commits suicide when she realizes that her husband's fortunes are doomed. 

Caius Ligarius No friend of Caesar's, he is inspired by Brutus' nobility to cast off his illness and join the conspirators in the early morning of the ides of March. 

Publius An elderly senator who arrives with the conspirators to escort Caesar to the Capitol. He is stunned as he witnesses the assassination. Brutus sends him out to tell the citizens that no one else will be harmed. 

Artemidorus He gives Caesar a letter as the emperor enters the Capitol; in the letter, he lists the conspirators by name and indicates that they intend to kill him, but Caesar does not read it.

 Popilius Lena The senator who wishes Cassius well in his "enterprise" as Caesar enters the Senate House. This comment intensifies the dramatic tension in the moments immediately prior to the assassination by causing Cassius and Brutus to briefly fear that they have been betrayed. 

Cinna the poet On his way to attend Caesar's funeral, he is caught up in the riot caused by Antony's funeral oration. The mob at first confuses him with Cinna the conspirator, but even after they discover their error, they kill him anyway "for his bad verses."

 Octavius Caesar The adopted son and heir of Julius Caesar; he is one of the triumvirs who rule following the death of Caesar. He and Antony lead the army that defeats Cassius and Brutus at Philippi. 

M. Aemilius Lepidus He joins Antony and Octavius to form the Second Triumvirate to rule the Roman Empire following the assassination of Caesar. He is weak, and Antony uses him essentially to run errands. 

Lucilius The officer who impersonates Brutus at the second battle of Philippi and is captured by Antony's soldiers. Antony admires his loyalty to Brutus and thus he protects him, hoping that Lucilius will choose to serve him as loyally as he did Brutus. 

Pindarus At Philippi, he erroneously tells his master, Cassius, that the scout Titinius has been captured by the enemy when the scout has actually been greeted by the victorious forces of Brutus. Thinking that all is lost, Cassius decides to die; he has Pindarus kill him with the same sword that he used to help slay Caesar. 

Titinius An officer in the army commanded by Cassius and Brutus, he guards the tent at Sardis during the argument between the two generals, and is a scout at Philippi for Cassius. After Cassius commits suicide when he mistakenly believes Titinius to have been taken prisoner by the enemy, Titinius kills himself in emulation of Cassius. 

Messala A soldier serving under Brutus and Cassius, Messala gives information concerning the advance of the triumvirs, and he reports Portia's death to Brutus at Sardis. At Philippi, he hears Cassius confess that he believes in omens. Later, he discovers Cassius' body.

 Varro and Claudius Servants of Brutus, they spend the night in his tent at Sardis. Neither of them observes the ghost of Caesar that appears to Brutus. 

Young Cato The son of Marcus Cato, the brother of Portia, the brother-in-law of Brutus, and a soldier in the army commanded by Brutus and Cassius. He dies during the second battle at Philippi while trying to inspire the army by loudly proclaiming that he is the son of Marcus Cato and that he is still fighting. Clitus and Dardanius Servants of Brutus, they refuse their master's request at Philippi to kill him.

 Volumnius A friend of Brutus and a soldier under his command at Philippi. He refuses to hold a sword for Brutus to impale himself on. 

Strato The loyal servant who holds Brutus' sword so that he may commit suicide. Later, he becomes a servant to Octavius.

Short Stories: (Treasure Chest)

3. With the photographer - Stephen Leacock Summary (200 words) 

The author, Stephen is forty years old at the time of this incidence. He wants to get a photograph of his, to be given to his friends, as a memory to remember him after his death. With this aim, he visits a photographer. The dull, stooping man asks the author to wait and he is kept waiting for an hour. He reads various magazines in the meantime.

On being called, he is asked to sit on a stool. The photographer pulls a huge camera and gets inside it. He is not satisfied with what he sees and so he comes out and removes all the curtains with a rod, perhaps to get more light and air inside the room. 

He goes back into the machine and stays for some time and the author thinks that perhaps he is praying to God to get a good photo. 

He exits the machine with a serious expression and comments that the author’s face is wrong and it would be better if it were more chubby. The author gets hurt by such words, agrees with the man and adds that even the photographer’s face would look better if it were more chubby. He adds that many faces are such that they will look better if they are wider, larger and huge. The photographer goes on to hold the author’s face in his hands, as if to kiss him, he then twists it as far he can and says that the head is not appreciable. He goes inside the machine, asks the author to open the mouth and then to close it. Then he comments that the ears are bad too. He makes the author droop the ears, roll the eyes, bend the neck, squeeze the stomach, etc. to make the face fuller but is not satisfied. As the narrator is about to rise from the stool, a photo is clicked and the photographer says that he has barely managed to capture the right expressions on the author’s face. However, the author revolts by saying that it is his face as God has made and he is aware of its appearance not being attractive. However, he accepts it as it is. Now, as the man has clicked a photo, the author wants to have a look but is asked to return on Saturday because the photographer has to develop the negative and make a proof. On the designated day, the photographer shows him a proof of his photograph which does not resemble the author. On being asked, the photographer reveals that he has used his drawing calibre and a few techniques to improve the photo so that it looks better. The author is disheartened because all he wanted was a photo which looked like him. He says that the photograph was a masterpiece of the photographer’s skills and he must keep it to show to his family and friends. As for the author, it is a worthless thing. With this he leaves the studio, teary eyed.

Poetry: (Treasure Chest)

4. Give an analysis of the Poem: ‘When great trees fall’ by Maya Angelou (200 words).

Introduction

The poem ‘When Great trees Fall’ is emotional as it raises a similarity between nature and humans. The poet equates great trees with great men and wants to say that the loss of great men from the earth is significant just like the destruction of an old tree destabilizes equilibrium of the forest. The poem ends on a positive and comforting note that one can console oneself that once such great men existed around them. We can get inspiration from their lives and aim to be great like them.

Theme of the Poem

The poem highlights the inevitable feeling of sadness accompanied with the loss of great men. Gradually we overcome the loss and recover just like nature recovers from the loss of great trees. A positive outlook and an aim towards a better persona can be set as targets which are inspired by such great lives. 

Stanza One 

This poem opens with the metaphor of the tree that falls. It, of course, symbolizes the loss of a great person. When a great tree falls, it is felt for miles around. In the same way, when a great soul departs, the effects are felt deep and far. The image of the “rocks on distant hills shudder[ing]” symbolizes the ways in which the death causes people, even distant people, to feel despair and shudder. The lions which “hunker down” reflect the way some people will react to the loss. The loss causes a certain amount of fear and the pressing need to hide away and escape to safety. Only, there is no escape from the feeling of despair that comes from losing someone great. The speaker’s use of nature and animals to create the image of the effects of death allows the reader to connect with the feeling through the visual imagery presented. 

Stanza Two

The metaphor continues in this stanza. The speaker, having already revealed the way in which great things are affected by the death of a someone great, now turns her attention to the “small things”. This suggests that the loss of someone great is felt among the great and among the small. This could mean that the physically small, children, feel the effects of the loss as much as their older counterparts. It could also mean that those who are unknown, without fame or political significance, feel the effects of the loss just as as the great minds of their day feel it. The great tree that falls in the forest causes even the small things in the forest to “recoil into silence”. This symbolizes the way people fall into silence in the midst of despair. There are no words of comfort. They are not even sure what they feel for their “senses [are] eroded beyond fear”. This refers to the numbness of heart and soul that often immediately follows the loss of someone great. 

Stanza Three

With the third stanza, the speaker shifts from her use of metaphor to speaking directly about death. Just as the great tree that falls causes ripples for miles, so the great soul departed move affects the hundreds or thousands of hearts he or she has touched during the time they lived. The speaker describes the way in which the air, even, seems to become “light” and “sterile”. It is hard to breathe when one has lost an important loved one. The speaker describes the way in which those affected by loss have a brief moment of “hurtful clarity” in which they are able to see and understand just what a valuable soul has been lost. When loss hits, often a person’s memory is “suddenly sharpened” and they are able to remember the moments spent with the one who has been lost. These memories, though precious, also feel like a dagger to the soul. The speaker then explains the feelings of regret that can often plague a person who has lost someone dear. When one loses a loved one, he or she will sometimes regret “kind words unsaid”. The speaker has clearly experienced the kind of loss which left her desperately longing for more time to express the love she felt in her heart for the person who was taken too soon. She thinks about the walks she promised to take with that loved one. Having never fulfilled those promises leaves her with a gnawing pain of despair and regret. 

Stanza Four 

In this stanza, the speaker gives insight into the mental and emotional effects of losing someone close. In this stanza, the loss of a “great soul” means the loss of a soul that had a great impact on one’s everyday life. She explains the way that loss can truly change a person’s reality. The speaker explains the way that “our souls” can depend on the nurture of another, and when that person dies, it leaves us feeling small, like our very souls have shrunk. She describes the way in which one’s mind can be “informed by their [Great One’s] radiance” and the way those suffering loss can feel as though their minds “fall away”. The speaker identifies with others who have felt this loss when she uses the secondperson point of view and claims, “We are not so much maddened as reduced to the unutterable ignorance of dark, cold caves”. This reveals that the speaker, in the face of loss, is not necessarily angry, though anger can be a part of the feelings that come from this loss. She feels a sense of despair more than anger, however. This despair is described as a “cold dark cave”. The feelings are so strong that they are “unutterable”. The speaker identifies with all who have felt this deep despair as a result of losing someone great. 

Stanza Five

With the final stanza of this poem, the speaker offers hope to all who have suffered loss by revealing the healing that has occurred in the aftermath of the death. The speaker seems to imply that time has allowed for this healing to occur. She explains that “after a period” she was able to feel “peace bloom”. It happened “slowly and always irregularly”. This reveals that she still had moments of despair and anguish even as she was slowly beginning to heal and feel peace. She described the feelings in between the healing as something “with a kind of soothing electric vibration”. In a sense, the pain still buzzed in the background of her very being, and yet the memory of the lost one was soothing and comforting. She explains that eventually her senses were “restored” even if they were “never to be the same”. In the back of her mind and in the background of all that she does, she hears the presence of the one lost. She hears the whisper, “they existed. They existed”. This gives her new meaning and purpose in her life. She claims that because this great one existed, she can “be better”. The ending of this poem offers great hope to all who have experienced loss. The speaker continues to identify with others who have lost loved ones. This also creates a sense in the readers that they are not alone. Even if they will never be the same again, and even if there will always be pain and sadness, there is hope for healing and joy in the midst of great loss