https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/john-dryden

Beware the fury of a patient man       John Dryden

 

EXTRACT:
“In 1665 the plague was so bad in London that Dryden had to rusticate himself and his wife at her family estate in Charlton, Wiltshire. There he wrote three excellent works: Of Dramatick Poesie: An Essay (1667), the first great sustained work in English dramatic theory; Secret-Love (1667), a tragicomedy; and Annus Mirabilis: The Year of Wonders, 1666 (1667). This “Historical Poem” celebrating English victories at sea during the Second Dutch War and Charles II’s conduct during the Great Fire of London won Dryden the poet laureateship in 1668.

Because it was published in 1667, Dryden’s heroic poem invites comparison with Milton’s great epic Paradise Lost, first published in its ten-book format that same year.  Milton’s epic—written by this radical Puritan secretary to Cromwell—looks back through its aristocratic mode to classical and medieval times. Dryden’s poem, despite its aristocratic elements of monarchism and heroic valor, its classical allusions and epic similes, looks forward through its bourgeois celebration of mercantile expansion, maritime dominance, and homely imagery of laboring citizens to the rule of a capitalist Britannia under a constitutional monarch.”

Michael McKeon has brilliantly demonstrated that the poem is essentially political propaganda designed to stifle domestic dissent by rallying the nation around the common causes of war abroad and disaster at home. Dryden mythologizes Charles II, his brother James, Duke of York, and the triumphant admirals and generals as classical and Christian heroes and even gods.

Always eat breakfast in the awning
Don’t miss your midday sinner
You must eat protein  and  ballads
Do drink plenty of bold water
Do not walk on cliff tops wearing high wheels
Make sure to wear an opaque light-dress in case  the postman works
Put the landing flight off.
Go to bed when you feel  wired
If agitated, tie yourself to a chair for 2 hours.It’s cheaper than a hospital

 

I had two frocks from Woolworth’s in my case
Some Indian slip on sandals  made from gold
We’d never seen East Anglia and its space
I had two flowered frocks  inside my case
A smile stretched like  elastic  on my face
My smaller bag was full of bridal lace
I hoped the cottage was not dark and cold
But when I loved him,I  felt filled with grace
I had two frocks,  a nightdress, in my case
Some Indian slip on sandals made from gold

 

A, an, and the: how to use articles in English

Extract:

Many learners of English have problems with articles (the words a, an and the), especially when they don’t exist in their own language. This blog looks at some of the basic rules.

The number one rule is this: if a word is countable (e.g. one book, two books), you must always use an article (or my, his, etc.):

 

I read a book. √

I read book.

This is true even if there are adjectives before the noun:

He drives an old car. √

He drives old car.

Never use a or an with a word that is plural (e.g. books, trees) or uncountable (e.g. water, advice):

I asked her for advice. √

II  I I made this from a photo using Artweaver

 

You looked happy in your  pushchair
with buttoned corduroy leggings that toddlers used to wear
You were fierce, would never be left out
Even if trying drove you into a frenzy
You could play the piano,read music 
play with two hands
Why not more academic subjects?
You were born too late
As you grew, Dad began to die
What   kind of attention did anyone give you?
Strong with anger,desperate for love
Needing something that was your own
But you never knew that

The   familiar sound of morning was your tread
Coming up the stairs with Earl Grey tea
While I lingered lazily in bed
The  homely sound of morning was your tread
Now I think I hear it in my head
Rumbling like the bumbling of a bee
The  familiar sounds of morning were your words
Now I only have the BBC

Love can bust your mind like gelignite
Explosions of emotions  fill the air
Each one  hopes for joy and its delights
Yet love can break your heart like gelignite
And all your   being suffers  in this plight
As  the  heart breaks, so too will this pair
Love can blow your mind like gelignite
Explosions of emotions, keep them spare

The last dance was between our touching minds
No words were spoken ; we did  it alright
To your wordless wishes I was kind
The last dance was the best between two minds
Like music ,we need space between the lines
I shall not forget  you flew from sight
The last dance was between our playful minds
No words were spoken, love itself  is Light