"Burning of the Books" by Bertolt Brecht | Short Exam Notes

Ring of a Parable

Parabolic telling here,

• why Power and Poetry always Suspect and Dread each other.

Dragging caravan of books, writer's flying.

Writer doubly misunderstood 

• Banishes him - getting his message wrong.
• Reading as mere fiction, another word for lies.

The poem dramatizes a confrontation that is Old and Proverbial.

Book with harmful knowledge - publicly burned.

Oxen - drag - cartloads of books.

A banished writer - one of the best 

Shocked -  his book has been passed over.

Wing of wrath - "Burn Me!", "Flying pen!" 

"Haven't my books always reported the truth?"

Treating me like a Liar.

I command you: Burn Me!

The Open Window by Saki | Short Exam Notes

A Story of Deception

STRUCTURE

• A story within a story.
• The larger Frame Narrative is that of Mr. Nuttel’s arrival at Mrs. Sappleton’s house.
• Within this the next story.

SYMBOLS

• The open window – a symbol
• Mrs. Sappleton’s anguish/ heartbreak.
• Later becomes the sign of deceit itself.
• A symbol of honesty cleverly being used as a symbol of deceit.

NARRATIVE STRUCTURE

• Third person narrative, meaning that – action presented by a person who is not involved in the story.
• This allows the narrator to present different views.
• ‘Tall Tale’ – exaggerated.

THEMES

• Appearances and Reality.
• Deception.
• Imagination

NOTE TO PONDER ON

• Amusement and Shock being a good answer for nervous problem.