Presentation on the text for XI for English for Today.pptx

English for Today

1. Full name: George Gordon Byron (1788–1824). Leading figure of the Romantic Movement . Famous works: Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage , Don Juan . Known for his charm, travels, and scandalous lifestyle. Died young in Greece, fighting for Greek independence.

2. Background Written in 1814 after Byron saw Lady Wilmot Horton at a party. She wore a black dress with sequins, inspiring the poem. Belongs to Romantic poetry: focus on beauty, nature, harmony, emotions .

3. Summary (Stanza 1) Compares woman’s beauty to a starry night. Perfect mix of light and darkness. Her eyes reflect balance, mystery, and grace.

4. Summary (Stanza 2) Even the smallest change would spoil her charm. Her beauty flows through dark hair and soft face. Her calm expression shows pure and serene thoughts.

5. Summary (Stanza 3) Her cheeks and brow glow softly. Smiles reflect a life of virtue and goodness. She has a peaceful mind and an innocent heart.

6. Themes Harmony of light and dark. Inner vs. outer beauty. Romantic ideal of beauty = physical + spiritual purity.

7. American poet (1830–1886). Known for short, compressed, and symbolic poems. Common themes: death, immortality, truth, nature . Style: unusual punctuation, slant rhyme, brevity, and depth. Emily Dickinson

8. Background Written in the mid-19th century. Explores what happens after death. Influenced by Romantic ideals (echo of Keats’ Ode on a Grecian Urn). Themes of truth, beauty, and mortality.

9. Summary (Stanza 1) Speaker has just died for Beauty. Another person, buried nearby, died for Truth. Their tombs are described as “rooms.”

10. Summary (Stanza 2) The man asks why the speaker died. She replies: “For Beauty.”He says: “I died for Truth – They are one.” They recognize themselves as brethren (siblings in ideals).

11. Summary (Stanza 3) They talk like kinsmen at night (symbol of death). Their conversation continues across the tombs. But moss grows, covering their lips and names. Symbolizes silence and forgetfulness over time.

12. Themes Unity of Truth and Beauty. Death and immortality. Fragility of fame – time erases all names. Nature’s power to silence human ideals .