Gunga Din (Rudyard Kipling)

This poem is narrated by a British soldier who expresses admiration for an Indian water carrier who died saving his life. At the beginning of the poem, the soldiers discriminate against the servant, but at the end it is evident that the poem is one of gratitude towards him.

I do not know if this really happened, but it's amazing to see how the poems were dedicated to the servants.

If-- Brother Square- Toes' --- Rewards and Faires (Rudyard Kipling)

This poem has a very positive connotation. Many advices are given throughout the poem on how to live a full life and become a man.It is a poem dedicated to the author's son. 

This poem is a good way to encourage your child to be a good person. 

A Study in Scarlet (Arthur Conan Doyle)

This story is divided into two parts. 

The first part details how Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson met. And also, one of his adventures is presented which is based on the capture of a person who murdered two men in search of revenge. 
The second part details what events led the man to seek revenge. The love and the own justice. 

In the story aspects such as religion, justice, marriage, deduction and others are taken into account to make the story more attractive to readers.

The Signal-Man (Charles Dickens)

The Signal-man is an incredible story based on the Gothic genre. The story begins with a person who meets a signal man who works by monitoring trains that pass daily near a tunnel. However, this worker tells him how a ghost has appeared twice and after the apparitions some tragedy occurs. And, the last time he sees the ghost, he does not know how to report that something is going to happen because he has no tangible evidence, and one day after that, the signal man died in a train accident. This is just a brushstroke of what the story is about.

Dracula's Guess (Bram Stoker)

This short story was originally part of the book Dracula, but the author decided not to include it.Personally, I think it was a good decision because Dracula's book is too long an many people do not read it due to that. However, this short story gives the readers the opportunity to taste a little bit of what the book is about and may encourage them to read it.  

The story is based on an English man who visits Munich and wants to know the place. So, he leaves in a carriage to know the surroundings until he arrives at a place that the driver tells him is dangerous. Without caring the visitor decides to go to investigate and stumble upon many supernatural things and go through difficult situations until he is rescued. In the end, he is surprised because he realizes that Dracula is taking care of him even though he is in another country.

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Robert Louis Stevenson)

This was one of my favorite books read throughout the class. The mystery and suspense that the characters give to the book is contagious. The supernatural, the tragedy, the duality and all the characteristics that this literary work presents make it an amazing book. 

The novella is an exciting story about a doctor who wants to separate his evil side with a potion he created. He did, but this brought him many problems with it. Difficult situations and death was the price. But the book is a beautiful representation of gothic literature for those who like that genre.

A Man's Requirements (Elizabeth Barrett Browning)

This poem looks like another love poem of the time, but in the end it has a funny twist. 
At the beginning the reader express all the ways men want to be loved. However, in the end she explains that men ask a lot and give little in return. This is also another poem of criticism of society.





"Thus, if thou wilt prove me, Dear, 
    Woman's love no fable. 
I will love thee---- half a year----
    As a man is able." 

The Lady's Yes (Elizabeth Barret Browning)

This poem reveals a criticism of all the chauvinist practices of the time. A strong and independent woman is represented when she said yes to a man one night, but the other day she said no. Consequently, this woman also gave her some advice to keep in mind when he is courting a woman. 

"Learn to win a lady's faith 
Nobly, as the thing is high;
Bravely, as for life and death ---
With a loyal gravity." 

Porphyria's Lover (Robert Browning)

This story like others written by Browning have that mystery that surrounds them and give us an unexpected ending. Especially with this, we can see how Porphyria is madly in love with the reader, to the point that it is almost adoration. Then, the reader thinks how nice it is to be adored and begins to think what would happen if his girlfriend stopped loving him that way and comes to the conclusion that the best thing is to kill her and that her life ends in that way loving him madly. And, he convinced himself that she did not feel pain. Then, as with "My Last Duchess", the tragedy is unexpected but it happened. 


"That moment she was mine, mine, fair,
Perfectly pure and good: I found 
A thing to do, and all her hair
In one long yellow string I wound
Tree times her little throat around, 
And strangled her. No pain felt she;
I am quite sure she felt no pain." 

My Last Duchess (Robert Browning)

This poem has a certain mystery behind it. The tragedy is something that at the beginning of the poem is not on the table.However, when the reader began to mention how his wife always smiled at everyone and accepted everything they asked for, tragedy began to be as possible. The reader did not feel as someone important for her due to this issue. Then, this jealousy led him to convince himself that killing her was the best option. 

Agnes Grey (Anne Bronte)

Agnes Gray is a story that in the Victorian era was quite interesting; however, personally, today is not so exciting. It is a story that allows us to know the story of Agnes as a governess, all the problems she had to overcome and, finally, how she found love.

Some controversial issues were present in the story:

Animal abuse: The little boy who kills all those birds making them suffer.

Religion: Agnes mentioned and explained religion many times.

Feminism: The women oppresion was present all over the book.

Significant Quote:

“Reading is my favourite occupation, when I have leisure for it and books to read.” 
Anne Bronte, Agnes Grey.