Pied Piper Of Hamelin

Hamelin town's in Brunswick,
By famous Hanover city;
The River Weser, deep and wide,
Washes its wall on the southern side;
A pleasanter spot you never spied;
But, when begins my ditty,
Almost five hundred years ago,
To see townsfolk suffer so
From vermin, was a pity.

Rats!
They fought the dogs, and killed the cats,
And bit the babies in the cradles,
And ate the cheeses out of the vats,
And licked the soup from the cook's own ladles,
Split open the kegs of salted sprats,
Made nests inside men's Sunday hats,
And even spoiled the women's chats,
By drowning their speaking
With shrieking and squeaking
In fifty different sharps and flats.

At last the people in a body
To the Town Hall came flocking:
"'Tis clear," cried they, "our Mayor's a noddy;
And as for our Corporation -- shocking
To think we buy gowns lined with ermine
For dolts that can't or won't determine
What's best to rid us of our vermin!
You hope, because you're old and obese,
To find in the furry civic robe ease?
Rouse up, sirs! Give your brains a racking
To find the remedy we're lacking,
Or, sure as fate, we'll send you packing!"
At this the Mayor and Corporation
Quaked with a mighty consternation.

An hour they sate in council,
At length the Mayor broke silence:
"For a guilder I'd my ermine gown sell,
I wish I were a mile hence!
It's easy to bid one rack one's brain --
I'm sure my poor head aches again
I've scratched it so, and all in vain.
Oh for a trap, a trap, a trap!"
Just as he said this, what should hap
At the chamber-door but a gentle tap?
"Bless us," cried the Mayor, "What's that?"
(With the Corporation as he sat,
Looking little though wondrous fat;
Nor brighter was his eye, nor moister
Than a too-long-opened oyster,
Save when at noon his paunch grew mutinous
For a plate of turtle, green and glutinous.)
"Only a scraping of shoes on the mat?
Anything like the sound of a rat
Makes my heart go pit-a-pat!" 

Browning tells the story with a hidden message. Browning talks about the Pied Piper, however he also entwines a message about the government. The two stories match well as he compares the 'Rats!' to the government. Also, in sighting that they are liars. Therefore you read the story knowing that Browning's message is that the government are lying rats as well as actual rats. The metaphor with the rat comparison to the government (mayor) is continuous throughout the poem. 'From vermin, was a pitty' This is where he also refers to the government again, as vermin.

Also,within the stanza's there is enjambment, however even with the break in the stanza's which there is no need for, simply because they all join. The story is continuous throughout the poem. 

BBC News at ten.

BBC News at ten,

here's the story on Ben,

'Just let me have some fun'

'Oh mum, I'm only young'

BBC News at ten,

here we go again

'You're just a little boy'

'What happened to your toy?'

BBC News at ten,

that's the story on Ben.

This poem was written when thinking in the mind of the protective parent. How you will forever and always see your child as young and vulnerable. The style of this poem is very childish, which i believe suited the message and story hidden within the poem itself. The poem is written as if you are hearing half of the argument and then flashing back and forth to how he has ended up on the news. The poem is very sad, how ever it proves that a over protective parent isn't always a bad one.

Porphria's Lover

How is the story told in 'Porphyria's Lover'?

The story is told in first person and also written in Iambic Tetrameter.
Robert Browning has wrote the poem with a middle twist, this twist is where Porphyria has changed from being a loving male to a murderer to his lover. Browning has used Pathetic Fallacy and random rhyming, which helps with the flow of the poem.

The title of the Poem, 'Porphyria's Lover' doesn't suit the type of poem you begin to read. I believe that Brownig has used this type of title to declare Porphyria's innocence. Also, the last line of the poem reads; 'And yet God has not said a word!' Some may see this as Porphyria is waiting to be punished. However, i see it as he is reminding himself that if what he done was wrong, God would have punished him by now. So, overall Porphyria feels he has not done wrong, even in Gods eyes.
I also believe that the reason for his actions, where to gain power and lust. The start of the poem seems that Porphyria's Lover has power over Porphyria. This is shown; 'And made her smooth white shoulder bare'. The fact that the Lover has given her shoulder instead of the usual dominat man giving his, prooves that Porphyria is blinded by her. Also, 'white' shoulder may mean that she has a high class status as people who where generally light skinned where not workers out in the sun all day. This automatically gave me the impression that the situation could be she is uupper class and he is maybe lower. That's why God agree's with the situation as muder is the only way they can be together. After she has been murdered Porphyria says 'Only, this time my shoulder bore'. I believe he enjoys the sense of power he now has over her body, although not her.
At the end they are both peaceful 'not stirr'd' when sleeping together, both methophorical and literal.
So overall, i read the poem leaving satisfied as i do not find it creepy or disturbing the levels he went to to make them both happy. I find it very pretty that love has so much power and the lengths that people will go too to prove it to everyone.

Once

'Once I was living in an orphanage in the mountains and I shouldn't have been and I almost caused a riot' 

This extract is taken from the book 'Once' who's author is Morris Glietzman. I come across this book in my year 8 class at school. Once is a book that has taken me from being ignorant towards literature, too a girl who now enjoys a cheeky book from time to time. 

I have chosen this line because I found it very intriguing as it aroused my curiosity and interest to read on. The line has been written with no comma's and many 'and' which automatically makes me assume it is being said by a very poor alliterated child. To back up my theory of the child I also notice that he/she is very unsure of why they are at the orphanage, as they believe they shouldn't be. 

This then led me to think about why the writer has included the mountains. I began too question how significant the mountains are? Could it be that the Orphanage is in the middle of nowhere, very isolated, in the mountains? And also, why is the child there?

Overall, this very first opening line puzzled me which is why I was very eager to read on and chose it as my a good piece of writing to analyse.

This was the first main book I have ever read front to back, and I highly recommend. It will keep you on your toes!!

Once is a 2005 children's novel by Morris Gleitzman. It is about a Jewish boy named Felix, who lived in Poland. Although Once is a work of fiction, Gleitzman was inspired by the story of Janusz Korczak, the events of World War II, and Hitler's attempt to exterminate the Jewish population of Europe. The sequel to the book is called Then.