Björn's new examination (utom Le Guin och Vonnegut)

"Who in the world am I? Ah, that's the great puzzle."

Alice in Wonderland was written by Lewis Carroll in 1865. The story is about a girl named Alice who one day follows a rabbit and falls down a rabbit hole. Right from the start we follow her peculiar journey where she increases and decreases in size, she meets a speaking cat, and she meets the evil queen of hearts. However, what is so special with the work is how it plays with logic, and by that adults have enjoyed the tale as much as children. The most apparent theme in the novel is growing up. Carroll describes the struggles an innocent young girl feels when she has to approach the adult world. He does this in a surrealistic way of explaining the world from a child's eyes. This can be seen how Alice questions herself "who am I?". At the end of the novel Alice wakes up as she thinks that much that is happening in Wonderland is nonsense, and this refers to her becoming to mature for Wonderland. Another theme is identity, and she is often questioned by the animals she meet who she is. None the least the Caterpillar who constantly challenges her to question her own identity. This quote refers to when Alice had just eaten and grown to become a giant. The quote seems not to just be about that Alice doesn't know who she is in the peculiar Wonderland, but she seems to question her own identity. As Wonderland is just a figment of her own imagination, the growing part seems to refer to her becoming a young woman in the Victorian England. During this time there were assigned gender roles, and young women at the time were considered to behave maintained, calm, and act as a young adult. Women at the time weren't allowed to be thinkers themselves, and this might have been a struggle for Alice. Carroll's absurd phrasing language-wise most likely hide a critic towards the Victorian England that he lived in. The language is overall very simple, but what is common for Carroll is his use of playing with words, and none the least metaphors. The quote is typical of the literary styles that Carroll has. He uses a peculiar, fun, childish language with symbolic meanings. For instance, the puzzle might refer to the puzzle of life, in other words the meaning of life. The entire novel has a symbolic meaning, and therefore the pupils can explore what the meaning of the story is. What does Alice falling down a rabbit-hole mean?

"I saw a high starched collar, white cuffs, a light apalca jacket, snowy trousers, and varnished boots. No hat. Hair parted, brushed, oiled, under a green-lined parasol held in a big white hand...and had a pen holder behind his ear "

Answer: The heart of darkness was written by the writer Joseph Conrad in 1899. The novel is about the sailor Charles Marlow who makes a voyage from the Thames in England along the Congo river. The reader follows Marlow's obsession with meeting the ivory trader Kurtz, his encountering with slaves in Congo, and himself questioning if the colonization really is so logical. In this quote Marlow describes his first meeting with the company chief of the colonization project in Congo, and it is just before this encountering that he meets the natives that he sees are suffering. Marlow comes to the realization of the horrible consequences from the colonization project, and he starts to question whether it is a good work or not. Therefore, one can connect this both to race, but also to colonialism. The Belgian Congo colony, where Heart of Darkness is set, was one of the most brutal and exploited colonial regimes in history. Belgium had figured out that they could make money out of ivory, and Belgium was not afraid to use violence against the Congolese to reach the material. King Leopold was the king of the Belgians between 1865 to 1909 when Congo was being exploited the most. Belgium later left Congo after a lot of international pressure in 1909. More so, why this novel in a sense seems so real is because Conrad himself was a sailor who went to Congo and witnessed the terror. This is just one of many quotes where Conrad describes a scenario into the finest detail, painting up a picture for the audience while reading the novel so that "Heart of darkness" comes to life in the closest way possible. He provides the reader with an image of what is happening, how it is happening, and why it is happening - in other words, Conrad has a rich use of figurative language. Furthermore, what is also very apparent when it comes to Conrad's writing style is that the language is very descriptive, in other words detailed. Not just copia that was mentioned earlier, but that when he explains events, feelings, thoughts, and how the actual environment looks like leaves very little to the reader's imagination. One thing to remark on is that the language can be very hard to follow at times, however the language can almost be seen as poetic because of his use of copia. Conrad never lets his words stand alone with just stating a fact, instead he paints them with a lot of more words to enhance the audience's feelings when reading it.

"I wouldn't have mentioned the fellow to you at all, only it was from his lips that I first heard the name of the man who is so indissolubly connected with the memories of that time. Moreover, I respected the fellow. Yes; I respected his collars, his vast cuffs, his brushed hair. His appearance was certainly that of a hairdresser's dummy; but in the great demoralisation of the land he kept up his appearance"

Answer: The heart of darkness was written by the writer Joseph Conrad in 1899. The novel is about the sailor Charles Marlow who makes a voyage from the Thames in England along the Congo river. The reader follows Marlow's obsession with meeting the ivory trader Kurtz, his encountering with slaves in Congo, and himself questioning if the colonization really is so logical. In this quote Marlow describes his first meeting with the company chief of the colonization project in Congo, and it is just before this encountering that he meets the natives that he sees are suffering. Marlow comes to the realization of the horrible consequences from the colonization project, and he starts to question whether it is a good work or not. Therefore, one can connect this both to race, but also to colonialism. What makes the quote contradictory though is that he idelises him. The Belgian Congo colony, where Heart of Darkness is set, was one of the most brutal and exploited colonial regimes in history. Belgium had figured out that they could make money out of ivory, and Belgium was not afraid to use violence against the Congolese to reach the material. King Leopold was the king of the Belgians between 1865 to 1909 when Congo was being exploited the most. Belgium later left Congo after a lot of international pressure in 1909. More so, why this novel in a sense seems so real is because Conrad himself was a sailor who went to Congo and witnessed the terror. This is just one of many quotes where Conrad describes a scenario into the finest detail, painting up a picture for the audience while reading the novel so that "Heart of darkness" comes to life in the closest way possible. He provides the reader with an image of what is happening, how it is happening, and why it is happening - in other words, Conrad has a rich use of figurative language. Furthermore, what is also very apparent when it comes to Conrad's writing style is that the language is very descriptive, in other words detailed. Not just copia that was mentioned earlier, but that when he explains events, feelings, thoughts, and how the actual environment looks like leaves very little to the reader's imagination. One thing to remark on is that the language can be very hard to follow at times, however the language can almost be seen as poetic because of his use of copia. Conrad never lets his words stand alone with just stating a fact, instead he paints them with a lot of more words to enhance the audience's feelings when reading it.

"It was unearthly, and the men were—No, they were not inhuman. Well, you know, that was the worst of it—this suspicion of their not being inhuman. It would come slowly to one. They howled and leaped, and spun, and made horrid faces; but what thrilled you was just the thought of their humanity— like yours—the thought of your remote kinship with this wild and passionate uproar. Ugly."

Answer: The heart of darkness was written by the writer Joseph Conrad in 1899. The novel is about the sailor Charles Marlow who makes a voyage from the Thames in England along the Congo river. The reader follows Marlow's obsession with meeting the ivory trader Kurtz, his encountering with slaves in Congo, and himself questioning if the colonization really is so logical. In this quote Marlow is describing his experiences from the voyage, and that the Africans were indeed human. However, one can read from the quote that Marlow is reluctant to this, as he doesn't appreciate that they are from the same kind. He does however acknowledge that there isn't much that differ from them both, and that is the worst part according to him. Therefore imperalism and race are relevant themes. The Belgian Congo colony, where Heart of Darkness is set, was one of the most brutal and exploited colonial regimes in history. Belgium had figured out that they could make money out of ivory, and Belgium was not afraid to use violence against the Congolese to reach the material. King Leopold was the king of the Belgians between 1865 to 1909 when Congo was being exploited the most. Belgium later left Congo after a lot of international pressure in 1909. More so, why this novel in a sense seems so real is because Conrad himself was a sailor who went to Congo and witnessed the terror. This is just one of many quotes where Conrad describes a scenario into the finest detail, painting up a picture for the audience while reading the novel so that "Heart of darkness" comes to life in the closest way possible. He provides the reader with an image of what is happening, how it is happening, and why it is happening - in other words, Conrad has a rich use of figurative language. Furthermore, what is also very apparent when it comes to Conrad's writing style is that the language is very descriptive, in other words detailed. Not just copia that was mentioned earlier, but that when he explains events, feelings, thoughts, and how the actual environment looks like leaves very little to the reader's imagination. One thing to remark on is that the language can be very hard to follow at times, however the language can almost be seen as poetic because of his use of copia. Conrad never lets his words stand alone with just stating a fact, instead he paints them with a lot of more words to enhance the audience's feelings when reading it.

"The horror! The horror!"

Answer: The heart of darkness was written by the writer Joseph Conrad in 1899. The novel is about the sailor Charles Marlow who makes a voyage from the Thames in England along the Congo river. The reader follows Marlow's obsession with meeting the ivory trader Kurtz, his encountering with slaves in Congo, and himself questioning if the colonization really is so logical. In this quote it is Kurtz lasts words that Marlow hears him utter before his death, and the quote leaves much room for interpretation. For instance, one thing that it might refer to is that Kurtz has realized that what the wests has done by exploiting Africa and Africans, and that the realization is that what he and the other wests has done is the real horror. One theme that can be applied is idealism in terms of when Marlow hears Kurtz lasts words his idealism dies. Throughout the novel one has followed how people, none the least Marlow, has idealised the grand Kurtz. However, when Marlow met him he realized that he was not a good person at all, so when Kurtz died, so did Marlow's idealism. Another theme is race where one can follow the division between black and white people. For instance, Marlow asks himself if black people really are human. Marlow, as well as the other white people, describe black people as primitive beings that are wild dancing beings. Even though Marlow questions primitivism to some degree, for instance that he thinks it's sad that the black man drowned from the ship, but that he doesn't mourn him as he is not of much human worth and still is a "savage". Another theme can be colonialism. The Belgian Congo colony, where Heart of Darkness is set, was one of the most brutal and exploited colonial regimes in history. Belgium had figured out that they could make money out of ivory, and Belgium was not afraid to use violence against the Congolese to reach the material. King Leopold was the king of the Belgians between 1865 to 1909 when Congo was being exploited the most. Belgium later left Congo after a lot of international pressure in 1909. More so, why this novel in a sense seems so real is because Conrad himself was a sailor who went to Congo and witnessed the terror. One thing to remark on is that the language can be very hard to follow at times, however the language can almost be seen as poetic because of his use of copia. Conrad never lets his words stand alone with just stating a fact, instead he paints them with a lot of more words (see quote 1 below) to enhance the audience's feelings when reading it. When reading "Heart of darkness" it is very apparent that he uses many metaphors in the novel, which once again points to a poetic language. One can find this in the quote below. More so, what contributes to the poetic language is his use of different linguistic styles, for instance anaphors. Furthermore, what is also very apparent when it comes to Conrad's writing style is that the language is very descriptive, in other words detailed. Not just copia that was mentioned earlier, but that when he explains events, feelings, thoughts, and how the actual environment looks like leaves very little to the reader's imagination.

"Exterminate all the brutes!"

Answer: The heart of darkness was written by the writer Joseph Conrad in 1899. The novel is about the sailor Charles Marlow who makes a voyage from the Thames in England along the Congo river. The reader follows Marlow's obsession with meeting the ivory trader Kurtz, his encountering with slaves in Congo, and himself questioning if the colonization really is so logical. Marlow comes to the realization that the only good african is a dead african as there is no way to civilize them, and in this Marlow's idealism disappears. Marlow's epiphany of that the only logical consequence of the colonization of the white man's burden is to kill the africans/genocide. He realizes that Kurtz is not the saviour, he's even worse, he's the level of evil. One theme that can be applied is idealism in terms of after have heard Kurtz lasts words his idealism dies. Throughout the novel one has followed how people, none the least Marlow, has idealised the grand Kurtz. However, when Marlow met him he realized that he was not a good person at all, so when Kurtz died, so did Marlow's idealism. Another theme is race where one can follow the division between black and white people. For instance, Marlow asks himself if black people really are human. Marlow, as well as the other white people, describe black people as primitive beings that are wild dancing beings. Even though Marlow questions primitivism to some degree, for instance that he thinks it's sad that the black man drowned from the ship, but that he doesn't mourn him as he is not of much human worth and still is a "savage". Another theme can be colonialism. The Belgian Congo colony, where Heart of Darkness is set, was one of the most brutal and exploited colonial regimes in history. Belgium had figured out that they could make money out of ivory, and Belgium was not afraid to use violence against the Congolese to reach the material. King Leopold was the king of the Belgians between 1865 to 1909 when Congo was being exploited the most. Belgium later left Congo after a lot of international pressure in 1909. More so, why this novel in a sense seems so real is because Conrad himself was a sailor who went to Congo and witnessed the terror. One thing to remark on is that the language can be very hard to follow at times, however the language can almost be seen as poetic because of his use of copia. Conrad never lets his words stand alone with just stating a fact, instead he paints them with a lot of more words (see quote 1 below) to enhance the audience's feelings when reading it. When reading "Heart of darkness" it is very apparent that he uses many metaphors in the novel, which once again points to a poetic language. One can find this in the quote below. More so, what contributes to the poetic language is his use of different linguistic styles, for instance anaphors. Furthermore, what is also very apparent when it comes to Conrad's writing style is that the language is very descriptive, in other words detailed. Not just copia that was mentioned earlier, but that when he explains events, feelings, thoughts, and how the actual environment looks like leaves very little to the reader's imagination.

"If by your art, my dearest father, you have put the wild waters in this roar, allay them. The sky it seems would pour down stinking pitch, But the sea, mounting to the´ welkin's cheek, Dashes the fire out. O, I have suffered from those that I saw suffer: a brave vessel—Who had, no doubt, some noble creature in her—Dashed all to places! Oh, the cry did knock Against my very heart—pour souls, they perished."

Answer: William Shakespeare wrote the play "The tempest" in 1611, and it is about Prospero and his at the time young daughter Miranda that was exiled and trapped on a deserted island in what is now known as Bermuda. However, Prospero was exiled by his brother and the King of Milan, and because of this betrayal he wants to take revenge for their betrayal, which is one main themes of the play. Another theme that is central to the play, and that can be found it the quote is imprisonment where Miranda asks her father Prospero after have seen the ship wreck if the storm on the island is in fact her father's creation, and if so she begs him to stop as it hurts people, and therefore she hurts too. What is interesting with imprisonment as the theme is how well it suits the historical context. For instance, it is not only Prospero and Miranda that are prisoners at the island, but Prospero holds Caliban as a prisoner too. This situation/relationship is very similar to slavery and colonization, as this was at its peak during the early 1600's (Renaissance). Prospero takes on the role of acting as the "civilizer" to what he considers the wild "savage" Caliban. Moreover, the setting of the play, in terms of Prospero being deserted at the island because of the storm when he was put in a boat. During the 1600's the Englishmen were at the forefront of exploring the world (as mentioned earlier about colonization), and many explorers traveled by ship. Some even say that the plot of the story is influenced by the Bermuda shipwreck where 9 ships were out at sea to explore new territory, and a Captain got lost from his men because of a storm in Bermuda. Some say that the captain got imprisoned at the island. The language traits in the quote is a typical feature of Shakespeare's writing. He uses copia, in other words he never writes in a matter of fact way. For instance, when Miranda addresses her father she speaks in a way that is very unnatural. The lines is written in a iambic pentameter where each line has 5 stressed syllables, and the rhythm is unstressed-stressed throughout. This was a typical literary device during the Renaissance as writers at the time thought that the rhythmic language enhanced the language's beauty when writing this in verses. Shakespeare often lets characters such as Miranda, Prospero etc. that are of higher rank speak in verse whereas characters of lower rank speak in prose.

"Be not afeard. The isle is full of noises, Sounds, and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not. Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments Will hum about mine ears, and sometime voices That, if I then had waked after long sleep Will make me sleep again; and then in dreaming The clouds methought would open and show riches Ready to drop upon me, that when I waked I cried to dream again." (Act III, scene II)"

Answer: William Shakespeare wrote the play "The tempest" in 1611, and it is about Prospero and his at the time young daughter Miranda that was exiled and trapped on a deserted island in what is now known as Bermuda. However, Prospero was exiled by his brother and the King of Milan, and because of this betrayal he wants to take revenge for their betrayal, which is one main themes of the play. In this quote Caliban speaks to Stephano and Trinculo where he tells them that the music they hear is conducted by magic. However, even though Caliban's only encounter with magic throughout most of the play is by Prospero's tyranni, he describes the noises they hear as beautiful creations as well as the wonders that exists on the island - in other words, he's able to appreciate the magic. A theme that applies here is magic, and the biggest source of magic comes from Prospero and Ariel. Ariel is enslaved by Prospero, but not of magic, but of gratitude of him being freed by Sycorax whereas Caliban is indeed enslaved by Prospero's magic. This is because him trying to rape Miranda when she was only a child, and therefore Prospero thinks that he is a monster because of him being uncivil. This situation/relationship is very similar to slavery and colonization, as this was at its peak during the early 1600's (Renaissance). Prospero takes on the role of acting as the "civilizer" to what he considers the wild "savage" Caliban. Moreover, the setting of the play, in terms of Prospero being deserted at the island because of the storm when he was put in a boat. During the 1600's the Englishmen were at the forefront of exploring the world (as mentioned earlier about colonization), and many explorers traveled by ship. Some even say that the plot of the story is influenced by the Bermuda shipwreck where 9 ships were out at sea to explore new territory, and a Captain got lost from his men because of a storm in Bermuda. Some say that the captain got imprisoned at the island. This part is often considered to be the most controversial verse in the entire play as it is so beautiful, yet shakespeare chose to give it to the savage Caliban. More so, the characters that are less of status usually do not speak in verse, but here we can see that Caliban that is considered to be the biggest monster of them all speaks the most beautiful. Shakespeare uses copia as he doesn't like to write in a matter of fact way. Moreover, he uses iambic pentameter where each line has 5 stressed syllables.

"Our revels now are ended. These our actors, As I foretold you, were all spirits, and Are melted into air, into thin air; And, like the baseless fabric of this vision, The cloud-capped towers, the gorgeous palaces, The solemn temples, the great globe itself, Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve; And, like this insubstantial pageant faded, Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff As dreams are made on, and our little life Is rounded with a sleep"

Answer: William Shakespeare wrote the play "The tempest" in 1611, and it is about Prospero and his at the time young daughter Miranda that was exiled and trapped on a deserted island in what is now known as Bermuda. However, Prospero was exiled by his brother and the King of Milan, and because of this betrayal he wants to take revenge for their betrayal, which is one main themes of the play. Prior this quote Prospero he caused a storm as a revenge for his brother Anthony and King Alonso exiled him, and Prospero did not like that Miranda and prince Ferdinand fell in love and tried to stop it. However, now he has accepted their love, and decided to stop with the storm When speaking about the storm it is essential to mention magic as a theme. The biggest source of magic comes from Prospero and Ariel. Ariel is enslaved by Prospero, but not of magic, but of gratitude of him being freed by Sycorax whereas Caliban is indeed enslaved by Prospero's magic. This is because him trying to rape Miranda when she was only a child, and therefore Prospero thinks that he is a monster because of him being uncivil. This situation/relationship is very similar to slavery and colonization, as this was at its peak during the early 1600's (Renaissance). Moreover, the setting of the play, in terms of Prospero being deserted at the island because of the storm when he was put in a boat. During the 1600's the Englishmen were at the forefront of exploring the world (as mentioned earlier about colonization), and many explorers traveled by ship. Some even say that the plot of the story is influenced by the Bermuda shipwreck where 9 ships were out at sea to explore new territory, and a Captain got lost from his men because of a storm in Bermuda. Some say that the captain got imprisoned at the island. The language traits in the quote is a typical feature of Shakespeare's writing. He uses copia, in other words he never writes in a matter of fact way. For instance, when Prospero speaks it is in a way that is very unnatural, however this is because it is the old Elizabethan English that today feel a bit alien. The lines is written in a iambic pentameter where each line has 5 stressed syllables, and the rhythm is unstressed-stressed throughout. This was a typical literary device during the Renaissance as writers at the time thought that the rhythmic language enhanced the language's beauty when writing this in verses. Shakespeare often lets characters such as Miranda, Prospero etc. that are of higher rank speak in verse whereas characters of lower rank speak in prose.

"My strong imagination sees a crown Dropping upon thy head. -- This is a strange repose, to be asleep With eyes wide open; standing, speaking, moving, And yet so fast asleep. -- Thou let'st thy fortune sleep--die, rather; wink'st Whiles thou art waking. -- Thou dost snore distinctly; There's meaning in thy snores."

Answer: William Shakespeare wrote the play "The tempest" in 1611, and it is about Prospero and his at the time young daughter Miranda that was exiled and trapped on a deserted island in what is now known as Bermuda. However, Prospero was exiled by his brother and the King of Milan, and because of this betrayal he wants to take revenge for their betrayal, which is one main themes of the play. This quote is a bit special as it contains not only one speaker, but two. This is a conversation between Antonio and Sebastian after have witnessed that the king and his men have fallen mysteriously asleep. What is strange is that Antonio and Sebastian are the only ones awake, and Antonio sees his shot to persuade Sebastian with fortune and high status if he kills his own brother. A theme that one can connect this to is power. The entire motive for betraying Prospero in the beginning is the power to become duke. More so, in this quote the entire motive is to take the power from King Alonso. However, one can also connect magic as a theme here, as even though it is not directly stated, it is indicated that them all falling asleep is because of a Ariel's music. This situation/relationship is very similar to slavery and colonization, as this was at its peak during the early 1600's (Renaissance). The Englishmen were at the forefront of exploring the world to take control and power over unmarked territory, for instance Captain Cook's settlement in Jamestown, Virginia. In a way power is another theme too, as in a way Prospero takes power over Caliban as he acts uncivilized. The language traits in the quote is a typical feature of Shakespeare's writing. He uses copia, in other words he never writes in a matter of fact way. For instance, when Prospero speaks it is in a way that is very unnatural, however this is because it is the old Elizabethan English that today feel a bit alien. The lines in the tempest is usually written in a iambic pentameter where each line has 5 stressed syllables, and the rhythm is unstressed-stressed throughout. This was a typical literary device during the Renaissance as writers at the time thought that the rhythmic language enhanced the language's beauty when writing this in verses. However, as Shakespeare often lets characters such as Miranda, Prospero etc. that are of higher rank speak in verse, the characters in this quote is of lower rank speak and therefore speaks in prose. More so, Shakespeare uses repetition to enhance the rhythm such as "thou".

"Full fathom five thy father lies; Of his bones are coral made; Those are pearls that were his eyes: Nothing of him that doth fade But doth suffer a sea-change Into something rich and strange. Sea-nymphs hourly ring his knell"

Answer: William Shakespeare wrote the play "The tempest" in 1611, and it is about Prospero and his at the time young daughter Miranda that was exiled and trapped on a deserted island in what is now known as Bermuda. However, Prospero was exiled by his brother and the King of Milan, and because of this betrayal he wants to take revenge for their betrayal, which is one main themes of the play. This quote is a bit special as this is "Ariel's song". It is sung by the spirit Ariel to the King's son Ferdinand who with his father just got shipwrecked. The song implies that Alonso is dead, and this is a scheme by Prospero in order to get his revenge. A theme that one can connect this to is power. The entire motive for betraying Prospero in the beginning is the power to become duke. More so, in this quote the entire motive is to take the power from King Alonso. However, one can also connect revenge as a theme here, as because of the betrayal Prospero wants his revenge. He uses Ariel, whom he has enslaved, to do his dirty work. This situation/relationship is very similar to slavery and colonization, as this was at its peak during the early 1600's (Renaissance). The Englishmen were at the forefront of exploring the world to take control and power over unmarked territory, for instance Captain Cook's settlement in Jamestown, Virginia. In a way power is another theme too, as in a way Prospero takes power over Caliban as he acts uncivilized. The language traits in the quote is a typical feature of Shakespeare's writing. He uses copia, in other words he never writes in a matter of fact way. For instance, when Prospero speaks it is in a way that is very unnatural, however this is because it is the old Elizabethan English that today feel a bit alien. The lines is written in a iambic pentameter where each line has 5 stressed syllables, and the rhythm is unstressed-stressed throughout. This was a typical literary device during the Renaissance as writers at the time thought that the rhythmic language enhanced the language's beauty when writing this in verses. Shakespeare often lets characters such as Miranda, Prospero, Ariel etc. that are of higher rank speak in verse whereas characters of lower rank speak in prose. More so, Shakespeare uses repetition to enhance the rhythm.

"O, wonder! How many goodly creatures are there here! How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world, That has such people in't!"

The "O, wonder"-quote is from The Tempest by William Shakespeare, his last play 1611. The speaker is Miranda, a young girl who lives with her father, Prospero, magician and dispossessed Duke of Milan, on an island in Bermuda. The only other inhabitants of the island are their two servants, the "monster" Caliban, and the fairy-like Ariel. Shortly before this moment, Miranda has encountered a prince (Ferdinand) and fallen in love with him; now, she sees several of the other survivors of the magically arranged shipwreck that opens the play. Never having seen other human beings before, Miranda thinks of this band of traitors and would-be murderers, as beautiful and "goodly creatures", and that the world is a better place for having such people in it. There is nice humour and irony in this, since the audience knows the sordid truth. But it also shows psychological realism: for Miranda, this is of course a wonderful and miraculous event. There are other people besides her old father! On another level one could argue that the desert island trope, and the realization that the world is both big and rich and diverse, and filled with "goodly creatures", was a growing realization during Shakespeare's time, not least in England with its budding colonial aspirations. In that soon-to-be-ugly-context, it is nice to hear Miranda's positive, humanist affirmation, "how beauteous mankind is!" The quote is also a good example of Shakespeare's language and style. The "O"-exclamation is repeated (O, wonder /O brave), as is the chained "How"-affirmation (How many / How beauteous); repetition is also achieved by verbal variation (goodly creatures / beauteous mankind); Shakespeare prefers variation and copia and excess over the bare and singular utterance. Rhythmically, the lines are in iambic pentameter (or blank verse), which is typical when Miranda or Prospero (or other nobility) is speaking. This means that there are five stressed syllables in each line, and that the rhythm is unstressed-stressed throughout. Of course we can only see this clearly in lines two and three, since lines one and four are incomplete; they connect metrically with the lines that go before or after. This cutting up of the lines actually gives the impression of haste and improvisation, without waiting for the other speakers to finish. It strengthens the excitement of this scene.

"When I was praised for my conduct I felt a guilt that in some way I was doing something that was really against the wishes of the white folks, that if they had understood they would have desired me to act just the opposite, that I should have been sulky and mean, and that that really would have been what they wanted, even though they were fooled and thought they wanted me to act as I did."

The quote could be found in Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man, the chapter called Battle Royal, published in 1952. The story is about young black man from the South who is haunted by his grandfather's deathbed warning against conforming to the wishes of white people, because the young man believes that following the white men's voices is the way to be successful just as his grandfather did. However, the narrator gets a first real glimpse at the cruel manipulation of white people when he is invited to the local men's club to read the speech he prepared for his high school graduation. He gives the speech and is rewarded with a briefcase and a scholarship to a black college, but only after he endures the humiliation of performing a boxing match for the heinous white men there. In this scene the narrator explains how his grandfather's words at his deathbed has been haunting him. He feels that everytime he does something good in the eyes of the white man he feels guilty. Not only because of his grandfather's words, but also because he is afraid that the white men will soon know about the words that are haunting him and see him as a traitor. He feels that he is carrying out his grandfather's words despite him not wanting too. He believes that the white men are fooled, and if they knew about his "doubts" and guilt they would have wanting him to act the opposite This quote could be connected to the theme coming of age and identity. He feels lost in his guilt and in pleasing everyone else (he will later realize that the is nobody but himself). He feels guilty of whenever he remembers his grandfather's words, then he feels guilty because he feels that he is carrying them out without really wanting to, then he feels guilty that he is doing something that is seen as bad in the eyes of the white men. The historical context helps us understand. During the time which the story is set, black were constantly disadvantaged due to the Jim Crow laws. For instance, the facilities (such as education, housing etc) that were reserved for black people had lower standard and were inferior to the ones reserved for whites. One way for black people to prosper and accomplish something was to stay in line. Staying in line is exactly what the narrator wants, but now he feels that his guilt is coming in his way. A character trait of Ellison's writing in this quote and the novel is that the language is easy to follow with a varied length on sentences. In this quote he uses a chained that-affirmation

"It took me a long time and much painful boomeranging of my expectations to achieve a realization everyone else appears to have been born with: That I am nobody but myself. But first I had to discover that I am an invisible man!"

The quote could be found in Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man, the chapter called Battle Royal, published in 1952. The story is about young black man from the South who is haunted by his grandfather's deathbed warning against conforming to the wishes of white people, because the young man believes that following the white men's voices is the way to be successful just as his grandfather did. However, the narrator gets a first real glimpse at the cruel manipulation of white people when he is invited to the local men's club to read the speech he prepared for his high school graduation. He gives the speech and is rewarded with a briefcase and a scholarship to a black college, but only after he endures the humiliation of performing a boxing match for the heinous white men there. In this scene, the narrator is looking back at how naive he has been in his younger ages. He was filled with questions, and everytime he asked others to clarify these questions he accepted their answers although he felt that they were self-contradicting. He was searching for himself, but he kept asking everyone else except for himself. It took him long time to realize that he could only be himself. The themes we can find in this quote are coming of age and identity, where the narrator through a racial inequal society tries to find himself and who he truly is. He is stuck between his self-perception and the perceptions others have of him (mostly whites). He later comes to the realization that he is nobody but himself, a realization he came to after learning that he is invisible. The invisibility, that also could be a theme, refers to how he is seen and treated as a "simple black man" and all the stereotypes that comes with that description. Nobody sees him for who he is or is talents, instead they put labels on him because of his skin color. When the narrator calls himself an invisible man he is referring to what I mentioned about nobody seeing him for who he is or is talents, instead they put labels on him because of his skin color. In order to understand the reasons behind the tension between blacks and whites we need to look at the historical context. One social issue that was prominent during this time was the Jim Crow laws. The Jim Crow laws enforced segregation between blacks and white, and although there were supposed to be equal rights between the races, black people were the ones being disadvantaged by the laws. For instance, the facilities (such as education, housing etc) that were reserved for black people had lower standard and were inferior to the ones reserved for whites. Ellison might also have wrote about this due to him becoming fascinated by black literature and the civil rights movement after moving to Harlem, based on that he started to write his own fictional stories. A character trait of Ellison's writing in this quote and the novel is that the language is easy to follow with a varied length on sentences. However, one thing that points out his skills is how descriptive the language is. In this quote he uses the metaphor invisible to illustrate how nobody really sees the narrator for who he is.

"On his deathbed he called my father to him and said, "Son, after I'm gone I want you to keep up the good fight. I never told you, but our life is a war and I have been a traitor all my born days, a spy in the enemy's country ever since I give up my gun back in the Reconstruction. Live with your head in the lion's mouth. I want you to overcome 'em with yeses, undermine 'em with grins, agree 'em to death and destruction, let 'em swoller you till they vomit or bust wide open." They thought the old man had gone out of his mind. He had been the meekest of men."

The quote could be found in Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man, the chapter called Battle Royal, published in 1952. The story is about young black man from the South who is haunted by his grandfather's deathbed warning against conforming to the wishes of white people, because the young man believes that following the white men's voices is the way to be successful just as his grandfather did. However, the narrator gets a first real glimpse at the cruel manipulation of white people when he is invited to the local men's club to read the speech he prepared for his high school graduation. He gives the speech and is rewarded with a briefcase and a scholarship to a black college, but only after he endures the humiliation of performing a boxing match for the heinous white men there. This quote refers to when the narrator explains his great grandparents, after being freed from slavery, and how they believed in that they were going to be treated as equals, and take part of the common goods. So they worked hard, believed in the system. However his grandfather was the troubled one according to the narrator. He called the narrator's father to his deathbed to tell him that he needs to keep fighting and undermine their enemy (the white man). What was shocking according to the narrator was that the grandfather had been the meekest of men, an uncle Tom. One theme that could identify in this quote is realism vs idealism. The grandfather used to play along with the rules, however deep down he believed that the white people didn't care about black people. He probably did this in order to survive, to prosper and to accomplish something with his life. But he knew he was living a lie. Right before this quote, the protagonist says that they were much alike. However, when the protagonist was playing along with the rules he believed that there was a light in the tunnel. He had an idealistic view. Accepting the oppression and playing along with the rules was probably common during the time which the story is set (40s). Although the civil rights movement was on the rise, fighting the system and refusing to accept the segregation and discrimination could have be dangerous. A common punishment for black people during this time was lynching. Also, the KKK, which is a right-wing extremist group, exerted violence against black Americans regularly in order to "purify" the South. Staying in line, and accepting the discrimination could have been life saving. The language in the quote is typical for Ellison's writing. The language is easy to follow, with a varied length on sentences. However, one thing that stands out is the descriptive language. Ellison uses metaphors to decorate his writing, for instance: Live with your head in the lion's mouth. One can almost see the entire scenery in one's own imagination when reading it.

"And all the while the blonde continued dancing, smiling faintly at the big shots who watched her with fascination, and faintly smiling at our fear. I noticed a certain merchant who followed her hungrily, his lips loose and drooling. He was a large man who wore diamond studs in a shirtfront which swelled with the ample paunch underneath, and each time the blonde swayed her undulating hips he ran his hand through the thin hair of his bald head and, with his arms upheld, his posture clumsy like that of an intoxicated panda, wound his belly in a slow and obscene grind."

The quote could be found in Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man, the chapter called Battle Royal, published in 1952. The story is about young black man from the South who is haunted by his grandfather's deathbed warning against conforming to the wishes of white people, because the young man believes that following the white men's voices is the way to be successful just as his grandfather did. However, the narrator gets a first real glimpse at the cruel manipulation of white people when he is invited to the local men's club to read the speech he prepared for his high school graduation. He gives the speech and is rewarded with a briefcase and a scholarship to a black college, but only after he endures the humiliation of performing a boxing match for the heinous white men there. This scene in which this quote refers to is when the young black men and the narrator enter the ballroom at first, and face an audience of white men, smoking chatting etc. And in the middle of the room, there is a blond women- naked. In terms of themes, one can identify the themes white power and race differences in this quote. What illustrates these themes in the quote are the different reactions on the naked women between the races. The narrator says that the blonde was "smiling at our fare" which insinuates that the young black men were scared of the naked white woman. But later the narrator says that he saw a drooling merchant who followed the lady with his gaze hungrily - suggesting that the white men weren't scared. The historical context helps us to understand the different reactions. During the time which the story is set (40s), the segregation between the races made it tabu for white men and women to have romantic relationships with black men and women. A common punishment for this was lynching. Therefore the black men are scared when they are looking at the naked white woman, she is associated with death. The theme white power connects to how the white men are using the female as a bait, to see if the black men will fall for their desires or be loyal to the values. The language in the quote is typical for Ellison's writing. The language is easy to follow, with a varied length on sentences. However, one thing that stands out is the descriptive language. Ellison uses similes to decorate his writing, for instance he writes: his posture clumsy like that of an intoxicated panda. This detailed and delicate description makes it possible to see the entire scenery in one's own imagination when reading it.

"Those who are more thrifty (as I must confess the times require) may flea the carcass; the skin of which, artificially dressed, will make admirable gloves for ladies, and summer boots for fine gentlemen. As to our City of Dublin, shambles may be appointed for this purpose, in the most convenient parts of it, and butchers we may be assured will not be wanting; although I rather recommend buying the children alive, and dressing them hot from the knife, as we do roasting pigs."

This quote could be found in A modest proposal, by Jonathan Swift published 1729. In A modest proposal, Swift offers one solution to Ireland's devastating food shortage, which is eating babies. He argues that the flesh of the newborns will provide the tenderest meat and that their skin will make fine leather. To his defence he provides statistics about overpopulation, famine, and the cost of meat, arguing that the sale of infant children is good for the economy, and a source of income to the lower class, who can't afford to feed their children. In this quote the narrator makes the proposal to make use of all the parts of the children, by making the suggestion that those who need to be more careful with how they spend money can use the childrens carcass to make boots and gloves. This as an argument that people won't just gain the pleasure of eating the kids, but that they will be able to use their carcass for other purposes. This quote could be connected to the themes efficiency and social economic benefits. The narrator makes sure that all parts can be used, so that nothing goes to waste. Another theme we can identify here is the class aspect. The narrator takes the rich people into account and even tries to make the deal easier on their wallet by suggesting that they can flea the carcass as well. But for the poor children, the narrator doesn't show any mercy. Writing cynical and satirical like Swift does here is a way of getting the message across - that the way the rich were treating poor people was wrong, this could be connected to theme morality and ethics. By looking at the historical context we can find out why Swift wrote in this way. A modest proposal was written during the Enlightenment, also called the Age of Reason. The beliefs in human rationality blossomed during this era which is dated the 18th century (ca 1700 ce - 1800 ce). Philosophers from this time protested against the oppression from authorities such as monarchies and the church. It was the positive attitudes on the belief in humans rationality that influenced Swift to write satire where he criticized the catholic church, and people with power. Also, as an author, Swift's strongest asset was his satire, which is also what he is the most famous for.

"A young healthy child well nursed, is, at a year old, a most delicious nourishing and 60 wholesome food"

This quote could be found in A modest proposal, by Jonathan Swift published 1729. In A modest proposal, Swift offers one solution to Ireland's devastating food shortage, which is eating babies. He argues that the flesh of the newborns will provide the tenderest meat and that their skin will make fine leather. To his defence he provides statistics about overpopulation, famine, and the cost of meat, arguing that the sale of infant children is good for the economy, and a source of income to the lower class, who can't afford to feed their children. In this scene Swift claims that he has been assured by a "very well-known American" that young children around the year old, are both very healthy and delicious food, whether they are stewed, baked, boiled and so on, insinuating that they will make delicious food for people with money. This is a obviously a very satirical way of going about the food shortage and poverty that was prevalent in Ireland during this time. Describing the children of poor people in this type of manner can be related to the theme society and class. Rich people with a higher rank in society are not looking at the children as equals - obviously Swift is exaggerating when calling the babies "wholesome food" but Swift wanted to get a message across. That the way the rich were treating poor people was wrong, this could be connected to theme morality and ethics. By looking at the historical context we can find out why Swift wrote in this way. A modest proposal was written during the Enlightenment, also called the Age of Reason. The beliefs in human rationality blossomed during this era which is dated the 18th century (ca 1700 ce - 1800 ce). Philosophers from this time protested against the oppression from authorities such as monarchies and the church. It was the positive attitudes on the belief in humans rationality that influenced Swift to write satire where he criticized the catholic church, and people with power. Also, as an author, Swift's strongest asset was his satire, which is also what he is the most famous for. As for the language, we can see that Swift writes in a way that if the text was a long argumentative text. He is objective and very matter of fact, and there's a clear structure of argumentation. Swift uses logos (intellectual), ethos (moral), pathos (emotional) in the arguments, and in that way he tries to show that he's a trustworthy person, especially as he uses expert sources.

"I can think of no one objection that will possibly be raised against this proposal, unless it should be urged that the number of people will be thereby much lessened in the kingdom."

This quote could be found in A modest proposal, by Jonathan Swift published 1729. In A modest proposal, Swift offers one solution to Ireland's devastating food shortage, which is eating babies. He argues that the flesh of the newborns will provide the tenderest meat and that their skin will make fine leather. To his defence he provides statistics about overpopulation, famine, and the cost of meat, arguing that the sale of infant children is good for the economy, and a source of income to the lower class, who can't afford to feed their children. Right before this quote, Swift has been numbering up numerous of arguments that supports his proposal of allowing poor families to sell their children to rich people who will eat them. He then claims that he cannot think of any counter arguments against his suggestion, besides the fact the number of inhabitants in the kingdom will be lessened. This quote is filled with dark humour, as Swift is taking thousands of children's life so lightly. He cannot think of any disadvantages of taking the life of innocent children - only when the killing clashes with the care of the state. Writing cynical and satirical like Swift does here is a way of getting the message across - that the way the rich were treating poor people was wrong, this could be connected to theme morality and ethics. By looking at the historical context we can find out why Swift wrote in this way. A modest proposal was written during the Enlightenment, also called the Age of Reason. The beliefs in human rationality blossomed during this era which is dated the 18th century (ca 1700 ce - 1800 ce). Philosophers from this time protested against the oppression from authorities such as monarchies and the church. It was the positive attitudes on the belief in humans rationality that influenced Swift to write satire where he criticized the catholic church, and people with power. Also, as an author, Swift's strongest asset was his satire, which is also what he is the most famous for. As for the language, we can see that Swift writes in a way that if the text was a long argumentative text. He is objective and very matter of fact, and there's a clear structure of argumentation. Swift uses logos (intellectual), ethos (moral), pathos (emotional) in the arguments, and in that way he tries to show that he's a trustworthy person, especially as he uses expert sources.

"What has he been thinking - keeping her tethered to him all this time? Forcing her to do his bidding? How selfish he has been! Yes, he loves her: his dear one, his only child. But he knows what she truly wants, and what he owes her. 'To the elements, be free,' he says to her. And, finally, she is."

This quote is taken from the novel Hag-seed by Margaret Atwood published 2016. It tells the story of Felix, a theatre director, who has been removed from his job at a Canadian theatre festival. He later begins teaching Shakespeare at a prison while plotting his revenge against those who betrayed him and ousted him out from the theatre, this while staging a production of The Tempest. The scene in the quote refers to how Felix have been having a hard time letting go if his late daughter that died of illness at the age of three. However at the end of the novel, after Felix gets his revenge and manages to stage his version of The tempest, he feels that he can finally let go of her. Almost like the obsession with the play is an act of grieving to mark the death of his daughter. One theme that we can see in this scene is imprisonment. For instance that Felix are in some sense trapped with never being able to let go of the memory of his daughter Miranda. Furthermore, Miranda has the same role as Ariel in The Tempest in this scene. Ariel was also tethered to and imprisoned by Prospero, and Prospero let him go after the revenge/redemption at the end of the play. Borrowing the theme from a classic like Shakespeare tells us something about the time which Hag-seed was written. For instance, Atwood is not afraid of writing an intertextual novel, and copying from the original. She doesn't feel the need to be entirely original when it comes to the plot and theme, which is a characteristic of postmodern writing. As for the language, we can see in this quote that Atwood uses verbal repetition: he loves her: his dear one. This is typical for Atwood, who uses uses copia by repetition and affirmations. However, she could also write in an matter of fact style.

"Suddenly revenge is so close he can actually taste it. It tastes like steak, rare."

This quote is taken from the novel Hag-seed by Margaret Atwood published in 2016. It tells the story of Felix, a theatre director, who has been removed from his job at a Canadian theatre festival. He later begins teaching Shakespeare at a prison while plotting his revenge against those who betrayed him and ousted him out from the theatre, this while staging a production of The Tempest. The quote refers to the scene in the novel where Felix is having lunch with Estelle, and Estelle tells him that the politicians Tony and Sal are coming to watch the inmates play in order to decide whether the Shakespeare program will receive more funding or not. After hearing this Felix decides that the inmate will put up the play The Tempest and that he'll avenge Tony for what he did 12 years ago. He then feels that his revenge is very close. The most central theme that we can identify in thi quote is revenge. Felix wants to avenge his former co-worker Tony for betraying him and replacing him as the Artistic Director of the Makeshiweg Theatre Festival. This has similarities with how Prospero seeks to avenge Alonso (King of Nepal), Sebastian (the king's brother) and Antonio (Prospero's brother) for their betrayal when they removed Prospero from his position as the Duke of Milan. As for the historical context, the retelling of The Tempest in Hag-seed is a part of The Hogarth Shakespeare Project, launched in October 2015, where famous Shakespeare's works are retold by eight acclaimed and best selling novelists of today. Therefore the themes revenge and imprisonment are taken directly from The tempest. Atwood is not afraid of writing an intertextual novel, and copying from the original. She doesn't feel the need to be entirely original when it comes to the plot and theme, which is a characteristic of postmodern writing. The language in this quote is typical for Atwood's style in the novel. The language in H-G is written mostly in prose with some verses. Atwood uses copia, and she has a very descriptive language. For instance, she doesn't stop with explaining that the revenge is so neat that one could actually taste it, she even describes the taste for us. It's rare - meaning it's bloody, something is going to happen where one part will suffer and so on.

"The island is a theatre. Prospero is a director. He's putting on a play, within which there's another play. If his magic holds and his play is successful, he'll get his heart's desire. But if he fails..."

This quote is taken from the novel Hag-seed by Margaret Atwood published in 2016. It tells the story of Felix, a theatre director, who has been removed from his job at a Canadian theatre festival. He later begins teaching Shakespeare at a prison while plotting his revenge against those who betrayed him and ousted him out from the theatre, this while staging a production of The Tempest. This quote stems from the one where Felix says "maybe the island is magic?" Because after Felix get's a moment for himself he comes to the realization that the island is not just magic, it's actually a theatre! It's a play, and within that Prospero is putting on another play, similar to the plays in Hag-seed. Prospero is not just a victim, he is actually also the director. But the director is dependent on his magic, and it better not fail him. The theme would could find in this quote is reality/illusion. What part of the island is actually real and what is actually an illusion. Is it all a play? Or are some parts real? This theme is prevailing throughout the novel Hag-seed, but also the Tempest . What part of the book is a play, what is illusion and what is actually real life? For Felix, it is all a blur. His life is the tempest, but he is also directing the tempest. Just like prospero. As for the historical context, the retelling of The Tempest in Hag-seed is a part of The Hogarth Shakespeare Project, launched in October 2015, where famous Shakespeare's works are retold by eight acclaimed and best selling novelists of today. Therefore the themes reality/illusion are taken directly from The tempest, where the same theme causes confusion for the characters of the play. Atwood is not afraid of writing an intertextual novel, and copying from the original. She doesn't feel the need to be entirely original when it comes to the plot and theme, which is a characteristic of postmodern writing. The language in this quote is typical for her style in the novel. The language in H-G is written mostly in prose with some verses. Atwood uses copia by repetition and affirmations, but she could also write in an matter of fact style which is the case in this quote. The sentences are short and not over decorated and flowerish. making the message concisely and to the point.

"Why should the other ones in this play get a second chance at life, but not him? Why's he have to suffer so much for being what he is? It's like he's, you know, black or Native or something. Five strikes against him from Day One. He never asked to get born."

This quote is taken from the novel Hag-seed by Margaret Atwood published in 2016. It tells the story of Felix, a theatre director, who has been removed from his job at a Canadian theatre festival. He later begins teaching Shakespeare at a prison while plotting his revenge against those who betrayed him and ousted him out from the theatre, this while staging a production of The Tempest. The quote refers to the scene where team Hag-seed, Leggs, is performing on stage in front of the audience (the politicians). He examines what could have happened to Caliban after Prospero, Miranda and the people from Nepal left the island. Leggs makes a proposal saying that maybe Caliban did come with them on the ship, but he got mistreated in Nepal, got sick and died. Then he asks himself why this terrible faith always is ascribed Caliban; why doesn't he get second chance? One theme in Hag-seed that is prevalent throughout the novel is recognition, for instance Felix recognises himself in Prospero. As for the quote, what is interesting here is that the quote says a lot about how the inmates recognize themselves in Caliban. Many of the inmates in the prison are colored, such as black, native american and hispanic. When Leggs says it's like he (Caliban) is black or native, he is referring to the struggle they face as being colored, and sees a correlation to the struggle of Caliban. "Five strikes against them from day one". He insinuates that it is easier for them to become targeted, both the colored inmates and Caliban. Another interesting event in the novel, which illustrated the theme recognition, was when the inmates were arguing about who would play the role as caliban - clearly they feel connected to him somehow. That Leggs compare the prisoner Caliban to being black or Native becomes more comprehensible when looking at the historical context. It is a common knowledge that mass incarceration of black and hispanic people is a problem in North America, especially the US, today. This is also reflected in Atwood's prison in Hag-seed where the majority of the inmates are non-whites. The prisoner Caliban becomes the embodiment of their struggle. The language in this quote is typical for her style in the novel. The language in H-G is written mostly in prose with some verses. Atwood uses copia by repetition and affirmations, but she could also write in an matter of fact style. For instance, in this quote she uses why-affirmations. But the other parts are quite matter of fact. She doesn't over decorate the words here: Five strikes against him from Day One. He never asked to get born.

"Maybe the island really is magic," he says. "Maybe it's a kind of mirror: each one sees in it a reflection of his inner self. Maybe it brings out who you really are. Maybe it's a place where you're supposed to learn something. But what is each one of those people supposed to learn? And do the learn it?"

This quote is taken from the novel Hag-seed by Margaret Atwood published in 2016. It tells the story of Felix, a theatre director, who has been removed from his job at a Canadian theatre festival. He later begins teaching Shakespeare at a prison while plotting his revenge against those who betrayed him and ousted him out from the theatre, this while staging a production of The Tempest. The scene which the quote is picked from is when Felix goes through Shakespeare's play with the inmates. He goes through each character's experiences of the island and make the conclusion that each person in the play's perception of the island says something about their character. And that the magic is the island's ability to reflect it's viewer/inhabitant. For instance, Antonio and Sebastian see the island as a place of opportunity which gives them the occasion to murder the King of Nepal. The reason why they see the island as a place of opportunity is due them being corrupted and obsessed with power. The theme would could find in this quote is reality/illusion. What part of the island is actually real and what is actually an illusion. This theme is prevailing throughout the novel . What part of the book is a play, what is illusion and what is actually real life? For Felix, it is all a blur. His life is the tempest, but he is also directing the tempest. As for the historical context, the retelling of The Tempest in Hag-seed is a part of The Hogarth Shakespeare Project, launched in October 2015, where famous Shakespeare's works are retold by eight acclaimed and best selling novelists of today. Therefore the themes reality/illusion are taken directly from The tempest, where the same theme causes confusion for the characters of the play. Atwood is not afraid of writing an intertextual novel, and copying from the original. She doesn't feel the need to be entirely original when it comes to the plot and theme, which is a characteristic of postmodern writing. When looking at the language and style, the three first sentences in this quotes starts with have a maybe - affirmation and the sentences have almost the similar length. The language in this quote is typical for her style in the novel. The language in H-G is written mostly in prose with some verses. Atwood uses copia by repetition and affirmations, but she could also write in an matter of fact style.