English Authors+Works+Summary (Boerth)

Author: Arthur MillerSummary: The play is about the Salem witch trials. It follows the townspeople's lives as they are put through the witch hunts.

Miller wrote the play as a criticism of the blacklisting that was occurring during the Red Scare.

Author: William BradfordSummary: This story is about the English Pilgrims and their pursuit of religious freedom. The Pilgrims were also called Puritans because they wanted to worship purely; some only wanted to reform the Church of England, but the Separatists preferred to pull away from the Church completely and begin anew somewhere else. This story is about the Separatists' religious struggles in England and Holland, and finally of their sacrifices in America, where they eventually settled.

Author: Anne BradstreetSummary: about a piece of literature she has written that has been taken from her.

She compares her work to her imperfect baby that was stolen from her and how she wasn't "ready to release her imperfect baby into the world yet but it was anyways.

Author: Anne BradstreetSummary: about how her house burns down and all her belongings die with the fire. She is greatly upset because her house represents her life including her family and herself. Even though she is upset over the matter she then realizes that everything she has belongs to god and everything in her world isn't permanent and has no value because in the end she will be leaving all her belongings.

Author: Jonathan EdwardsSummary: It discusses how only the grace of God can save you.

It basically says nothing the people do can change what God thinks. This shows the idea of predestination. In the beginning he gives a good picture of hell. He than goes on to say without God's hand we would "fall." Than it discusses how we are predetermined for hell without God. It also goes on to talk about how nothing is keeping God from punishing all of us.

Author: Andrew MarvellSummary: Marvell begins by telling his mistress that if they had all the time in the world to flirt with each other, he wouldn't mind her coyness. Using hyperbole, he says he could spend 400 years admiring her breasts and another 30,000 years admiring the rest. Then with an indented "But," he changes his tactics by telling her that time is chasing after them and she won't be young and beautiful forever.

Author: John SmithSummary: a lot of sickness, weakness, and lack of food plagued them; ran out of their supplies; blames others.

Captain Smith was appointed the new President and is the hero. Smith doesn't mention God as their savior, but himself. Virginia was founded by joint stock interest, not for religious reasons.

Author: Robert HerrickSummary: speaker is addressing a group of young girls; he tells them that youth is the best times of their life and live while you can because one day you're going to die

Author: Alexander PopeSummary: Pope describes man's awkward status in the "middle state.

" In other words, man's status is neither as high as God's nor as low as rest of the earth's inhabitants.

Author: Alexander PopeSummary: This is a compilation of Pope's epigrams, most of which discuss the ability of the human mind.

Author: Alexis de TocquevilleSummary: Talking about aristocratic nations (countries in Europe) and comparing it to the democratic nations (American colonies in New World). Talks about the idea of the idea of the Great Chain of Being and how it is being broken in the aristocratic nation.

Author: J.

Hector St. Jean de CrevecoeurSummary: Series of twelve letters, describing certain provincial situations, manners, and customs not generally known, and conveying some idea of the late and present interior circumstances of the british colonies in North America.

Author: Thomas JeffersonSummary: In this work, Thomas Jefferson gives his opinion on the debate of the morality of slavery in the United States. He states many concepts that would, in modern times, be considered quite racially insensitive and racist. He comments that blacks are far less physically attractive and cannot possibly comprehend complex emotions such as love like white people can.

Author: Olaudah EquianoSummary: Autobiography about his life on a slave ship and how he was able to stay alive by being sick (he was cared for because of his conditions).

Equiano uses synesthesia to describe his experience on the slave boat thoroughly and engage the reader

Author: Ben FranklinSummary: Written by Ben Franklin using the persona: "Richard Sandars". "Richard" gives the reader advice on life. There are many different aphorisms used to give the advice. the proverbs in this work give advice on different topics like spending and managing one's money.

Author: Ben FranklinSummary: It is his personal algorithm to bettering bad habits and virtues within yourself

Author: William BlakeSummary: This poem is of a young black boy as he compares himself to a white english boy. He claims that his soul is just as white as the white child. His mother explains to him that his skin is of the darker complexion because of constant constant exposure to the sun and that the sun is a gift from god. Finally, he looks forward to the time when color does not play a factor and they could truly love one another.

Author: William BlakeSummary: This poem is about a curious speaker that comes apon a lamb in open field and asks him a series of random questions pertaining to who made this complex universe and how it was created. Obviously, the lamb is unable to respond to the curious child.

Author: William BlakeSummary: This poem is narrated by a chimney sweeper. First he tells the reader about himself and his past. He then tells the reader about Tom Dacre, another chimney sweeper. The narrator then talks about a dream that Tom had one night.

The dream consisted of angels, chimneys and other strange occurrences. The poem finishes with both men waking up and getting back to work.

Author: William BlakeSummary: This poem centers around the creation of a ferocious lion and a frail lamb. The author wonders if they have the same creator.

Author: William BlakeSummary: This poem is a narrative where the speaker is talking about his anger with his foe or enemy.

He never tells his foe he is upset, so his anger grows. When he is alone he cries because he is upset and when he is around his foe he covers his anger with smiles. His hatred grew an apple and it was poison. The foe ate the apple and the speaker was glad to see him dead in the morning

Author: William WordsworthSummary: This poem is about a man(the speaker) who comes upon a little girl.

He asks her how many children are in her family and they being to have an argument about the amount of people in her family. The girl says that there are seven kids, but that two are dead. The man then proceeds to tell the girl that there are now only five people in her family, but the girl disagrees. The man and the girl get into an argument for the remainder of the poem.

Author: William WordsworthSummary: Wordsworth opens the poem by talking about Tintern Abbey and about how he was once there 5 years before.

He talks about specific details that he remembers from the last time he was there, like the "orchard-tufts" and "hedge-rows". He says that the memory of Tintern Abbey makes him happy when he is no longer there. He uses it to "revive" his mind when he is in the city. He then talks about how he was the first time he visited this place. About how he was unappreciative of it's beauty ("flying from something that he dreads, than one who sought something that he loved"). In other words, he used to enjoy nature, but he didn't fully understand it.

Now he is able to sense a deeper meaning to the beauty in it. He sees that everything in nature is interconnected. Wordsworth also talks about using the memories as a "food" for himself throughout the past, present, and future. He then tells us that he brought his sister on the current trip and that he see's his younger self within her.

He hopes that she will come to the same realizations about nature that he did when he was 5 years older. He also imagines that she will later come visit Tintern Abbey when she is older and he is dead and that she will remember him there.

Author: William WordsworthSummary: Wordsworth talks about how joyful he gets, and will always get, when he see's a rainbow. He says that if he ever does not get that feeling, he would want to die. When he says "child is father of the man", he is saying that even as an adult, he still wants to be a child. He ends the poem by saying that he wishes to live out his days connected to the spirit within nature.

("And I could wish my days to be Bound each to each by natural piety").

Author: William WordsworthSummary: This poem is basically about Wordsworth talking about how big of an impact the lake district of England had on him. He refers to the lake, mountains, and fields of daffodils that made his heart soar up. He also talks about how when he feels down he can think of the field of daffodils and then become happy.

Author: William WordsworthSummary: This poem is a tribute to an English poet John Milton. In the poem Wordsworth talks about how he wishes he could bring back John Milton. If he could then Milton would be able to fix all the bad things in London.

Author: William WordsworthSummary: A woman is reaping crops and singing beautifully but the narrator doesn't know what she's singing about but knows it isn't happy.

The narrator remembers the song for long after he heard it.

Author: William WordsworthSummary: The Author states that people have lost its connection with nature and states that he wishes he were a pagan as they seem to have a greater appreciation for nature, seeing their many gods in everything.

Author: Samuel Taylor ColeridgeSummary: Guests are heading towards a wedding. They get stopped by an old mariner and he forces one of the men to listen to his tale.

His tale starts about him leaving england on his boat and they head toward the equator. Lots of fog appears and so does a bird called the "albatross." The mariner shoots the albatross and it dies. Soon after the fog clears and another ghostly ship appears.

On the ship there are two people, one a young woman and a bulky lad. They are playing a game of dice and the woman wins. All the crewmembers except the mariner dies and return as ghostly crew members. The mariner gets guided back to shore on his ship by a spirit underneath the ship after he awakens from a dream where two voices are bickering. He arrives back on shore and meets a merchant.

By this time he has earned a new appreciation of the ocean. He also must tell his story every so often to prevent a pain in his chest.

Author: Samuel Taylor ColeridgeSummary: Poem starts with a description of the palace at Xanadu. Then we learn about the fertile lands around it and the waterfall that flows down into a cavern. The cavern is spooky.

"A place where a widow would weep for her demon lover." Then talks about kubla khan watching the waterfall and thinking of war. The poem then switches to talking about a woman singing a song that could inspire any artist and then ends talking about kubla khan as if he is some deity.