Understanding the Proper Usage of Polysyndeton With Examples
Polysyndeton is a stylistic device that is often used in prose and poetry to provide additional dramatic effect. This Buzzle article simplifies its usage by listing out the various examples in literature, movies, songs, etc.
Polysyndeton is a figure of speech, in which a series or list of
words, phrases, or clauses are linked with conjunctions like "and",
"or", "but", and "nor". It is employed to achieve an artistic effect in
poetry or literature. The purpose of polysyndeton is slowing the pace of
the prose, conveying solemnity, or exhibiting ecstasy or childishness.
Mostly, in a sentence, the phrase after "and" is given more importance.
However, the use of polysyndeton ensures equal importance to all the
elements. The tempo and continuity generated due to its use gives a very
dramatic effect.
Difference Between Polysyndeton and Asyndeton
The term "asyndeton" comes from the Greek word asundeton which means unconnected. Polysyndeton is often confused with asyndeton. Although both literary devices are used for the same purpose (managing a long series of words), they are exactly opposite. While polysyndeton includes the usage of conjunctions after every word, the conjunctions are replaced with commas in an asyndeton. It is used to speed up the rhythm of the words, and create an impact on the readers.
An example of asyndeton is, "He tried to betray you, to cheat you, to deceive you."
Polysyndeton Examples and Usage
Examples in Literature
They lived and laughed and loved and left. ― James Joyce, Finnegans Wake
I got into my old rags and my sugar-hogshead again, and was free and satisfied. ― Mark Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
There was a low rumbling of heavy sea-boots among the benches, and a still slighter shuffling of women's shoes, and all was quiet again, and every eye on the preacher. ― Herman Melville, Moby-Dick
We shall live from day to day, and put more locks on the doors, and get a fine fierce dog when the fine fierce bitch next door has pups, and hold on to our handbags more tenaciously; and the beauty of the trees by night, and the raptures of lovers under the stars, these things we shall forego. ― Alan Paton, Cry, the Beloved Country
If there be cords, or knives, or poison, or fire, or suffocating streams, I'll not endure it. ― Shakespeare, Othello
Your love says, like an honest gentleman, and a courteous, and a kind, and a handsome, and, I warrant, a virtuous-where is your mother? ― Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet
Examples in Speeches
And if a beachhead of cooperation may push back the jungle of suspicion, let both sides join in creating a new endeavor, not a new balance of power, but a new world of law, where the strong are just, and the weak secure, and the peace preserved. ― Inaugural Address of President John F. Kennedy
It's got awesome security. And the right apps. It's got everything from Cocoa, and the graphics, and it's got core animation built in, and it's got the audio and video that OSX is famous for. It's got all the stuff we want. ― Steve Jobs, Macworld 2007 Keynote Address
Executives, producers, the directors, my fellow actors out there, we've giggled through love scenes, we've punched, and cried, and spit, and vomited, and blown snot all over one another ... ― Jodie Foster at the Golden Globes
We must change that deleterious environment of the '80s. That environment which was characterized by greed and hatred and selfishness and mega mergers, and debt overhang. ― Barbara Jordan, 1992 Democratic National Convention Keynote Address
In years gone by, there were in every community men and women who spoke the language of duty and morality and loyalty and obligation. ― William F. Buckley
Examples in Movies
Is it that you just don't dare to deal with real experience ... with the things that really go on in real life? Like grief, and betrayal, and love, and unhappiness, and loss ... the loss of people we love. ― David Hare, Wetherby
But all you have to do is knock on any door and say, 'If you let me in, I'll live the way you want me to live, and I'll think the way you want me to think, and all the blinds'll go up, and all the windows will open, and you'll never be lonely, ever again. ― Henry Drummond (Spencer Tracy), Inherit the Wind
Oh, my piglets, we are the origins of war―not history's forces, nor the times, nor justice, nor the lack of it, nor causes, nor religions, nor ideas, nor kinds of government, nor any other thing. We are the killers. We breed wars. ― Katharine Hepburn, The Lion in Winter
And the German will not be able to help themselves from imagining the cruelty their brothers endured at our hands, and our boot heels, and the edge of our knives. And the Germans will be sickened by us. And the Germans will talk about us. And the Germans will fear us. ― Lieutenant Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt), Inglourious Basterds
Examples in Songs
Well, sometimes I go out by myself, and I look across the water, and I think of all the things, what you're doing, and in my head I paint a picture. ― Amy Winehouse, Valerie
And I know that we can be so amazing, and being in your life is gonna change me, and now I can see every single possibility, and someday I know it'll all turn out, and I'll work to work it out, promise you kid I'll give more than I get. ― Michael Buble, Haven't Met You Yet
And I told you to be patient, and I told you to be fine, and I told you to be balanced, and I told you to be kind. ― Bon Iver, Skinny Love
So I bare my skin, and I count my sins, and I close my eyes, and I take it in, and I'm bleeding out ... ― Imagine Dragons, I'm Bleeding Out
Examples in Religious Scripts
And I called for a drought upon the land, and upon the mountains, and upon the corn, and upon the new wine, and upon the oil, and upon that, which the ground bringeth forth, and upon men, and upon cattle, and upon all the labor of the hands. ― Haggai 1:11(KJV)
And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark. ― Genesis 7:23 (KJV)
Or if a soul touch any unclean thing, whether it be a carcass of an unclean beast, or a carcass of unclean cattle, or the carcass of unclean creeping things, and if it be hidden from him; he also shall be unclean, and guilty. ― Leviticus 5:2 (KJV)
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. ― Acts 1:8 (ESV)
Polysyndeton is widely used while giving speeches. When used well, it creates a lasting impact on the listeners and makes the speech unforgettable.
Difference Between Polysyndeton and Asyndeton
The term "asyndeton" comes from the Greek word asundeton which means unconnected. Polysyndeton is often confused with asyndeton. Although both literary devices are used for the same purpose (managing a long series of words), they are exactly opposite. While polysyndeton includes the usage of conjunctions after every word, the conjunctions are replaced with commas in an asyndeton. It is used to speed up the rhythm of the words, and create an impact on the readers.
An example of asyndeton is, "He tried to betray you, to cheat you, to deceive you."
Polysyndeton Examples and Usage
Examples in Literature
They lived and laughed and loved and left. ― James Joyce, Finnegans Wake
I got into my old rags and my sugar-hogshead again, and was free and satisfied. ― Mark Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
There was a low rumbling of heavy sea-boots among the benches, and a still slighter shuffling of women's shoes, and all was quiet again, and every eye on the preacher. ― Herman Melville, Moby-Dick
We shall live from day to day, and put more locks on the doors, and get a fine fierce dog when the fine fierce bitch next door has pups, and hold on to our handbags more tenaciously; and the beauty of the trees by night, and the raptures of lovers under the stars, these things we shall forego. ― Alan Paton, Cry, the Beloved Country
If there be cords, or knives, or poison, or fire, or suffocating streams, I'll not endure it. ― Shakespeare, Othello
Your love says, like an honest gentleman, and a courteous, and a kind, and a handsome, and, I warrant, a virtuous-where is your mother? ― Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet
Examples in Speeches
And if a beachhead of cooperation may push back the jungle of suspicion, let both sides join in creating a new endeavor, not a new balance of power, but a new world of law, where the strong are just, and the weak secure, and the peace preserved. ― Inaugural Address of President John F. Kennedy
It's got awesome security. And the right apps. It's got everything from Cocoa, and the graphics, and it's got core animation built in, and it's got the audio and video that OSX is famous for. It's got all the stuff we want. ― Steve Jobs, Macworld 2007 Keynote Address
Executives, producers, the directors, my fellow actors out there, we've giggled through love scenes, we've punched, and cried, and spit, and vomited, and blown snot all over one another ... ― Jodie Foster at the Golden Globes
We must change that deleterious environment of the '80s. That environment which was characterized by greed and hatred and selfishness and mega mergers, and debt overhang. ― Barbara Jordan, 1992 Democratic National Convention Keynote Address
In years gone by, there were in every community men and women who spoke the language of duty and morality and loyalty and obligation. ― William F. Buckley
Examples in Movies
Is it that you just don't dare to deal with real experience ... with the things that really go on in real life? Like grief, and betrayal, and love, and unhappiness, and loss ... the loss of people we love. ― David Hare, Wetherby
But all you have to do is knock on any door and say, 'If you let me in, I'll live the way you want me to live, and I'll think the way you want me to think, and all the blinds'll go up, and all the windows will open, and you'll never be lonely, ever again. ― Henry Drummond (Spencer Tracy), Inherit the Wind
Oh, my piglets, we are the origins of war―not history's forces, nor the times, nor justice, nor the lack of it, nor causes, nor religions, nor ideas, nor kinds of government, nor any other thing. We are the killers. We breed wars. ― Katharine Hepburn, The Lion in Winter
And the German will not be able to help themselves from imagining the cruelty their brothers endured at our hands, and our boot heels, and the edge of our knives. And the Germans will be sickened by us. And the Germans will talk about us. And the Germans will fear us. ― Lieutenant Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt), Inglourious Basterds
Examples in Songs
Well, sometimes I go out by myself, and I look across the water, and I think of all the things, what you're doing, and in my head I paint a picture. ― Amy Winehouse, Valerie
And I know that we can be so amazing, and being in your life is gonna change me, and now I can see every single possibility, and someday I know it'll all turn out, and I'll work to work it out, promise you kid I'll give more than I get. ― Michael Buble, Haven't Met You Yet
And I told you to be patient, and I told you to be fine, and I told you to be balanced, and I told you to be kind. ― Bon Iver, Skinny Love
So I bare my skin, and I count my sins, and I close my eyes, and I take it in, and I'm bleeding out ... ― Imagine Dragons, I'm Bleeding Out
Examples in Religious Scripts
And I called for a drought upon the land, and upon the mountains, and upon the corn, and upon the new wine, and upon the oil, and upon that, which the ground bringeth forth, and upon men, and upon cattle, and upon all the labor of the hands. ― Haggai 1:11(KJV)
And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark. ― Genesis 7:23 (KJV)
Or if a soul touch any unclean thing, whether it be a carcass of an unclean beast, or a carcass of unclean cattle, or the carcass of unclean creeping things, and if it be hidden from him; he also shall be unclean, and guilty. ― Leviticus 5:2 (KJV)
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. ― Acts 1:8 (ESV)
Polysyndeton is widely used while giving speeches. When used well, it creates a lasting impact on the listeners and makes the speech unforgettable.
List of Pretty Little Liars Books in Chronological Order
If you love reading mystery-thrillers that are mixed with romance, passion, controversy, a scandal, and murder, then the Pretty Little Liars book series is for you. This Buzzle article lists all the books of this series in chronological order.
If you love reading mystery-thrillers that are mixed with romance, passion, controversy, a scandal, and murder, then the Pretty Little Liars book series is for you. This Buzzle article lists all the books of this series in chronological order.
Sara Shepard, the author of this series, is an acclaimed writer who
has many more popular books to her credit. Her other series, The Lying
Game, was also made into a TV series that aired for a brief period. She
attended high school in Pennsylvania, where she currently resides. She
also has a Master's degree in Fine Arts from Brooklyn College. The
following paragraphs are a list of her book series Pretty Little Liars,
set in chronological order, along with brief summaries of each book. The
series is divided into four arks of four books each.
Set in the fictional town of Rosewood, Pretty Little Liars is a
book series about the lives of four pretty little girls telling some
not-so-pretty lies. Emily Fields, Spencer Hastings, Hanna Marin, and
Aria Montgomery, are four rich high schoolers who form a clique, with
the popular and beautiful Alison Di'Laurentis as their leader. She knows
their secrets, and so they can't leave her. But nothing is as it seems,
and soon things begin to get out of control for the liars. With no one
to believe them and someone set out to destroy them forever, what are
they going to do? Read the following list of the series to know more.
Index
Main Characters
ARK ONE
ARK TWO
ARK THREE
ARK FOUR
Accompanying Books
Main Characters Introduction
Alison Di'Laurentis
The story basically revolves around Alison's character. She forms the crux of the plot. Alison Di'Laurentis is a manipulative, extremely-popular, ultra-rich girl, who comes to Rosewood in the seventh grade, and forms a clique with Emily, Hanna, Spencer, and Aria. She knows secrets about them that could very well destroy their lives, so they have no other option but to bend to her dominating ways. The story begins with her disappearance, and then jumps ahead three years, showing how the lives of these four girls change forever.
Hanna Marin
Hanna Marin is a typical teenager who has severe issues with her appearance. In flashback, she is described as an overweight teenager who is desperate to become thin and 'fit in'. Factor in bulimia and anorexia, and her eating issues just become a lot more serious. She is severely prone to stress eating, which is responsible for worsening her bulimia. She is often careless and impulsive, and goes along with everything Alison says or does.
Emily Fields
Emily Fields is a character with many facets to her personality. She is an ace swimmer, a bisexual, comes from an ultra-conservative family who actually try to 'cure' her bisexuality, and she is trying very hard to discover herself. She falls in love with Alison, then with another friend named Maya, then with a boy named Isaac, all the while trying to figure out who she really is. The main aspect of this character is her inner battles, which cause her to do things that harm her and others.
Spencer Hastings
Spencer Hastings is a serious overachiever who does anything to win. She has anger issues, image issues, strives to be the best at everything, and is severely intimidated by her equally-ambitious older sister, Melissa. She is a bit cynical and is very quick to make assumptions about anything or anyone. Her constant friction with Alison shows that she is not someone who will just listen to and go along with what someone else asks her to do.
Aria Montgomery
This character is an independent girl who is dealing with a family crisis involving her parents, and also battling with her love life. She knows of her father's affair and promises to keep it a secret, but consequently ruins her relationship with her mother because of it. She has an attraction to older men instead of guys her own age, which leads to additional problems in her life.
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ARK ONE
Pretty Little Liars
Book One
Released - October 2006
The first book introduces us to the five main characters, Alison, Hanna, Aria, Emily, and Spencer. Alison gets the four together and forms a clique. It shows the experiences the girls have, and also describes their relationships with each other. For example, Hanna completely giving in to whatever Alison says, and Spencer's dislike of Alison, which causes a lot of disagreements between the two. The flashback ends with Alison's mysterious disappearance during a sleepover.
The story then jumps three years ahead, when the four girls are leading separate lives. Aria returns from Iceland, transformed into a sophisticated and classy lady. Hanna loses weight, and she and her best friend Mona Vanderwall become the most popular girls in school. Emily falls in love with a girl called Maya and kisses her, despite having a boyfriend. Spencer begins to have feelings for her sister Melissa's boyfriend Wren.
One day, they all begin getting messages from someone called 'A', threatening to destroy them. This 'A' person knows just a little too much about the girls' pasts, secrets that they would rather take to the grave. They believe that 'A' is their missing friend Alison, until one day, her dead body turns up. The final scene in the book is at Alison's funeral, where the four receive a text from 'A' saying,
I'm still here. And I know everything. - A.
Flawless
Book Two
Released - March 2007
The second book shows the girls still being tormented by 'A'. Now that they know it's not Alison, they begin their hunt to find out his real identity. They suspect that it is Toby, the step-brother of their former schoolmate Jenna, who is accidentally blinded in an incident involving Alison. However, it turns out that they are wrong.
'A' continues to blackmail the girls. He tells Aria to tell her mother about her father's affair with his student. When she doesn't, 'A', of course, does. This shatters Aria's family, and also her mother's trust in her. She is thrown out of her house. He makes Hanna admit her eating problem and her bulimia to her parents. He threatens to tell everyone about Emily's secret kiss with Maya. At the same time, Spencer gets into a relationship with her sister's now ex-boyfriend, causing tension between the two. All the while, the girls are desperately trying to find out who 'A' really is so that they can put an end to his game. But can they find him before he finds them?
Perfect
Book Three
Released - August 2007
In the third book, Aria, who has been dating her teacher Ezra Fritz for a while, goes to live with her boyfriend Sean Ackard. But 'A' reveals the affair between Aria and Ezra to Sean, who then goes to the cops. Ezra is put under surveillance, and Sean asks Aria to leave.
The girls have strict instructions from 'A' not to go to the cops. When Emily tries to, he discloses her kiss with Maya to the whole school. Emily's parents refuse to accept this, and order her to attend a 'de-gaying' program. Spencer steals her sister's essay, which gets nominated for an award. 'A' tells her family about this. Meanwhile, Hanna gets into a fight with her friend Mona, on Mona's birthday. Afterward, Hanna gets a text from 'A'. But this time, it's not a blocked number, it's one she recognizes! She calls the other three and asks them to meet her. But on the way there, she meets with an accident. The book ends with the girls getting a text saying,
She knew too much. - A.
Unbelievable
Book Four
Released - May 2008
In the fourth book, Hanna is in the hospital and does not remember anything of the last two days. Emily makes a round trip to Iowa, to her conservative aunt and uncle, and back home, when her parents decide to accept her as she is. Spencer's relationship with her sister improves, and she also becomes good friends with Mona, much to the relief of Hanna.
Aria, finally having had enough of the threats, tells a cop about 'A'. It turns out that 'A' is threatening Mona as well. Aria runs into Jenna, who tells her the truth behind the entire incident that made her blind, and the real reason for Alison's involvement in it. Another suspect in the hunt for 'A' emerges in the form of Spencer's sister, Melissa. However, in the meantime, while having a chat with Aria and Emily, Hanna suddenly remembers who 'A' really is. She and the other girls text Spencer, asking her to get away. But that night, somebody dies in Rosewood. Is it Spencer? Was she able to get away? Or is it the real 'A'?
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ARK TWO
Wicked
Book Five
Released - November 2008
Either 'A' didn't die, or there is a new 'A' in town. But either way, the threats are still coming, and they are still real. Emily is still as confused as ever when she begins to fall for a guy named Isaac after her split with Maya. Hanna is having trouble getting along with her stepsister Kate, the daughter of the woman her father marries. Aria falls for a guy named Xavier, who meets her mom through a dating site. To save her relationship with her mother from breaking again, Aria moves in with her dad. Spencer begins having issues with her family, which lead her to believe that she may be adopted.
The girls' next suspect as 'A' is Melissa's new husband, Ian Thomas, who had been cheating on her with Alison when they were dating. The four think that he has killed Alison. However, his body is discovered one night in the woods, but when the girls get the cops to the scene, it's not there. Can the liars find out who killed Ian, before they get themselves silenced for good?
Killer
Book Six
Released - June 2009
Although the girls believe that Ian is dead, it may not actually be so. The sixth book shows the girls' relationships with other people. Emily begins dating Isaac, who knows of her bisexuality, but accepts her for who she is. Spencer is scammed by a woman who pretends to be her birth mom and steals all her money. Hanna and Kate both fall for Mike, Aria's brother, and Aria begins having feelings for Jason, Alison's brother.
Emily finds out that Jason was admitted in an institution for troubled youth, and begins to suspect his involvement in his sister's murder. There is a revelation, there is a fire, and Alison returns from the dead! Can the liars trust anyone around them? Will they be able to figure out who is really involved before it is too late?
Heartless
Book Seven
Released - January 2010
Although the girls saw Alison, nobody is ready to trust them on this. They soon begin to gather some clues about Alison's murder. Emily thinks that it was not Ali who really died, but a girl named Leah, who looked like her. Hanna, who is admitted to a clinic for her eating disorder, suspects that Iris, a girl who is also admitted there, may have known Ali and the truth behind who that girl really was. Aria visits a psychic, whose readings make her believe that Ali killed herself. And 'A' hints to Spencer that Ali may really be her half-sister.
However, in the end, they cannot solve the mystery, and Ali's murder is pinned on the four of them. They later realize that 'A' has led them in different directions to find the killer, and has eventually gotten them all falsely implicated. How will the liars convince everyone that they are innocent? Or has 'A' finally triumphed?
Wanted
Book Eight
Released - June 2010
This book takes the readers deeper into the mystery. Alison's twin sister Courtney comes to town. It turns out that she has been in and out of institutions for health reasons, and that she is a part of the troubled youth institution, not her brother Jason. She begins to befriend the girls and tries to fit into Alison's life.
One day, Courtney reveals her true identity! She is the real Alison, and Courtney had her sent off to the institution by pretending to be Ali. Hence, it's Courtney who has died, not Alison. Happy to meet their friend, all five girls make plans to have a sleepover at Ali's Poconos family home. While heading there, Spencer's mom calls and tells her that Melissa is missing. When they reach the house, they find a tied up Melissa and a dead Ian inside. That is when they realize Ali's real intentions, and all the pieces begin to fit together. A's identity is revealed. Suddenly, the house catches fire. The girls escape, but Ali cannot. Her body is never found. Did she survive? Is the girls' nightmare over, or did the game become just a little more dangerous?
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ARK THREE
Twisted
Book Nine
Released - July 2011
The ninth book shows that the girls take a vacation in Jamaica. But something happens there, something awful, and they do not want anybody to know about it. The book also shows the various problems that the girls face in their lives.
An exchange student tries hard to steal Aria's boyfriend Noel; Emily befriends and comes close to Chloe, but Chloe's dad makes a pass on her; Hanna messes up big time during her father's senate campaign and has to steal, lie, and falsely accuse an innocent person to get out of it; and Spencer gets her mother's boyfriend's son into big trouble over a small misunderstanding. 'A' begins texting the girls, threatening them with the Jamaica incident. Then one day, the girls turn on the news, only to realize what a horrible mistake they made. Can they salvage the situation before they get caught?
Ruthless
Book Ten
Released - December 2011
This book describes the tumultuous lives the girls are now leading, owing to all the lies they have told, and the ever-lurking danger that is 'A'. Spencer frames her college roommate Kelsey, to get herself out of drug trouble. Emily and Kelsey meet and hit it off, to the dislike of Spencer. She also begins to suffer from hallucinations due to all the pressure she is under.
Hanna begins dating a guy whose father is also campaigning for the senate, thus making him her own father's rival. She consequently breaks up with him. Meanwhile, Aria gets into an on-off relationship with Noel. The girls try to foil A's plans by telling the truth about their misdoings, but it backfires. 'A' tries to kill Emily by pushing her off a hill, and also sends Spencer an email of the 'Jamaica incident'. They will never find him, he says. Is he right?
Stunning
Book Eleven
Released - June 2012
In the happening town of Rosewood, where nothing is really as it seems, and secrets run deep and dangerous, the four girls have gotten themselves into serious trouble because of their unwillingness to come clean, which keeps taking them deeper and deeper into this treacherous web of lies.
'A' is back with full force in this novel, getting the girls into more and more dangerous situations. A woman named Gayle turns up at Rosewood, and begins hounding the girls. Soon, Hanna, Spencer, and Aria find out that she has a rather unpleasant past with Emily, which involves a payoff and deceit. They begin to think that Gayle is 'A', until she winds up dead. 'A' also sabotages Spencer's trip to her college, Aria's relationship with Noel, and humiliates Hanna in front of everyone. How will the liars be able to stop 'A' and get their lives back?
Burned
Book Twelve
Released - December 2012
The circumstances have led the girls to believe that 'A' may actually be a pair, working together to destroy the girls and make them pay for what they did. One of the suspects is a girl named Naomi, who suspiciously turns up at Gayle's funeral. She is actually the cousin of Madison, a girl who is with Hanna when she meets with an accident. She makes friends with Hanna when all the girls are on a school cruise to the Caribbean.
The second suspect is a guy named Graham, who befriends Aria. Turns out, he is closely related to the 'Jamaica incident'. The girls' lives are in danger once more when their ship blows up. Although they get into a lifeboat and out of the ship, they soon realize that 'A' has messed with the boat, stranding them in the middle of nowhere. They face danger, threats, and a near-death experience. What will the liars do this time? Can they save themselves?
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ARK FOUR
Crushed
Book Thirteen
Released - June 2013
The Rosewood Day prom is fast approaching, but the liars are more keen on finding 'A' than the perfect dress. They begin their search, more determined than before. By now, they are sure that 'A' is a pair, and not just one person. The first on their list is Aria's boyfriend Noel. Though she does not want to believe it, it does seem possible. He has a history with Alison; he was in love with her and would even visit her when she was institutionalized.
Emily talks to Ali's friend Iris, the girl who was in the clinic with Hanna, trying to get more information. At the same time, Spencer finds a blogger who may also know something about Alison. When their boat blows up in 'Burned', Graham survives but suffers serious burns. Hanna volunteers at the burn ward, hoping to get something out of him. But sadly, he dies before he can say anything. At the prom, Noel confesses his love for Ali, which flips Aria out, causing Noel to get a little rough with her. But he runs once the other girls see him. The next day, the four, along with the cops, go to the school shed on receiving a message from 'A'. They find Noel tied to a chair, unconscious. They receive a text saying,
You found nothing; it wasn't Noel. Now you are back where you started.' - A
Deadly
Book Fourteen
Released - December 2013
Alison Di'Laurentis is indeed alive. She is, in fact, working with someone, someone who helped her escape from her burning family home. The girls are contacted by a cop called Agent Fuji, when they are arrested for the previous charges. They finally come clean to the cop about 'A', and ask her to provide them and their families with protection. But 'A' is always a step ahead and frames them for murder. The girls are arrested and let out on bail, set to go on trial the next day.
Once out, the girls meet up and set out to find 'A'. They spot a house next to Mr. Marin's office, and go in to investigate. Suddenly, a man bursts in, pointing a gun at them. His real name is Nick Maxwell, but he has interacted with all the girls pretending to be different people, setting them up. Suddenly, Alison enters with a gun, and the girls realize that Ali and Nick are working together as 'A'. They are taken to the basement by the two, who then wear gas masks and release poisonous gas into the basement. Will the liars survive? Or was this A's last game?
Toxic
Book Fifteen
Released - June 2014
The liars are living their lives, while the trial goes on. Everyone believes that things will be fine now. Nick is caught and arrested, but nobody knows that Alison was there, and nobody wants to believe it.
Hanna has received an offer for a movie about her life, and she has been presented with the lead role. Aria begins to successfully sell her paintings online, and Spencer starts an anti-bullying blog which becomes quite popular, while Emily goes to jail. However, they all know that it isn't over yet; that their worst nightmare is just waiting to repeat itself. What will be A's endgame? And will the liars be able to survive it?
Vicious
Book Sixteen
To Be Released - December 2014.
Aria, Emily, Spencer, and Hanna are on trial. They are being charged with the murder of Alison Di'Laurentis. It is the biggest event Rosewood has experienced to date; a scandal they will be talking about for years after. The girls know the truth, the real murderer, the puppet master of this entire scam; it's just that nobody is ready to believe them.
They try different methods to deal with it. Aria tries to run away, but can't handle it. Spencer finds a way to disappear, but a blast from her past puts her into a dilemma again. Hanna is ready to get married, and Emily is still behind bars. However, they have to stop Alison, turn her own game upon her. They will not be punished for something they haven't done. But can they overthrow 'A'? Will the pretty little liars finally win?
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Accompanying Books
Pretty Little Secrets
Between Unbelievable and Wicked
Released - January 2012
This book is not a part of the main story, but is written from Alison's point of view. It is actually a compilation of four short stories, one each about the four girls. Alison follows each of them during their Christmas vacations, spying on them and keeping a record of all their secrets.
She follows Emily to the mall, where Emily has been spying on four girls, who are pretending to be elves, and have been suspected of vandalizing the mall's property. She follows Hanna to boot camp, and hence knows about Hanna's feelings for her trainer. She follows Spencer all the way to Florida, where she witnesses her affair and then revenge on an older tennis player, who lies to both Spencer and her sister to go out with them. She also follows Aria and her family on their vacation, and then to Atlantic City, where Aria runs off with her old boyfriend and pretends to be older to marry him. In this way, she is able to get all their secrets and blackmail them.
Index
Main Characters
ARK ONE
ARK TWO
ARK THREE
ARK FOUR
Accompanying Books
Main Characters Introduction
Alison Di'Laurentis
The story basically revolves around Alison's character. She forms the crux of the plot. Alison Di'Laurentis is a manipulative, extremely-popular, ultra-rich girl, who comes to Rosewood in the seventh grade, and forms a clique with Emily, Hanna, Spencer, and Aria. She knows secrets about them that could very well destroy their lives, so they have no other option but to bend to her dominating ways. The story begins with her disappearance, and then jumps ahead three years, showing how the lives of these four girls change forever.
Hanna Marin
Hanna Marin is a typical teenager who has severe issues with her appearance. In flashback, she is described as an overweight teenager who is desperate to become thin and 'fit in'. Factor in bulimia and anorexia, and her eating issues just become a lot more serious. She is severely prone to stress eating, which is responsible for worsening her bulimia. She is often careless and impulsive, and goes along with everything Alison says or does.
Emily Fields
Emily Fields is a character with many facets to her personality. She is an ace swimmer, a bisexual, comes from an ultra-conservative family who actually try to 'cure' her bisexuality, and she is trying very hard to discover herself. She falls in love with Alison, then with another friend named Maya, then with a boy named Isaac, all the while trying to figure out who she really is. The main aspect of this character is her inner battles, which cause her to do things that harm her and others.
Spencer Hastings
Spencer Hastings is a serious overachiever who does anything to win. She has anger issues, image issues, strives to be the best at everything, and is severely intimidated by her equally-ambitious older sister, Melissa. She is a bit cynical and is very quick to make assumptions about anything or anyone. Her constant friction with Alison shows that she is not someone who will just listen to and go along with what someone else asks her to do.
Aria Montgomery
This character is an independent girl who is dealing with a family crisis involving her parents, and also battling with her love life. She knows of her father's affair and promises to keep it a secret, but consequently ruins her relationship with her mother because of it. She has an attraction to older men instead of guys her own age, which leads to additional problems in her life.
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ARK ONE
Pretty Little Liars
Book One
Released - October 2006
The first book introduces us to the five main characters, Alison, Hanna, Aria, Emily, and Spencer. Alison gets the four together and forms a clique. It shows the experiences the girls have, and also describes their relationships with each other. For example, Hanna completely giving in to whatever Alison says, and Spencer's dislike of Alison, which causes a lot of disagreements between the two. The flashback ends with Alison's mysterious disappearance during a sleepover.
The story then jumps three years ahead, when the four girls are leading separate lives. Aria returns from Iceland, transformed into a sophisticated and classy lady. Hanna loses weight, and she and her best friend Mona Vanderwall become the most popular girls in school. Emily falls in love with a girl called Maya and kisses her, despite having a boyfriend. Spencer begins to have feelings for her sister Melissa's boyfriend Wren.
One day, they all begin getting messages from someone called 'A', threatening to destroy them. This 'A' person knows just a little too much about the girls' pasts, secrets that they would rather take to the grave. They believe that 'A' is their missing friend Alison, until one day, her dead body turns up. The final scene in the book is at Alison's funeral, where the four receive a text from 'A' saying,
I'm still here. And I know everything. - A.
Flawless
Book Two
Released - March 2007
The second book shows the girls still being tormented by 'A'. Now that they know it's not Alison, they begin their hunt to find out his real identity. They suspect that it is Toby, the step-brother of their former schoolmate Jenna, who is accidentally blinded in an incident involving Alison. However, it turns out that they are wrong.
'A' continues to blackmail the girls. He tells Aria to tell her mother about her father's affair with his student. When she doesn't, 'A', of course, does. This shatters Aria's family, and also her mother's trust in her. She is thrown out of her house. He makes Hanna admit her eating problem and her bulimia to her parents. He threatens to tell everyone about Emily's secret kiss with Maya. At the same time, Spencer gets into a relationship with her sister's now ex-boyfriend, causing tension between the two. All the while, the girls are desperately trying to find out who 'A' really is so that they can put an end to his game. But can they find him before he finds them?
Perfect
Book Three
Released - August 2007
In the third book, Aria, who has been dating her teacher Ezra Fritz for a while, goes to live with her boyfriend Sean Ackard. But 'A' reveals the affair between Aria and Ezra to Sean, who then goes to the cops. Ezra is put under surveillance, and Sean asks Aria to leave.
The girls have strict instructions from 'A' not to go to the cops. When Emily tries to, he discloses her kiss with Maya to the whole school. Emily's parents refuse to accept this, and order her to attend a 'de-gaying' program. Spencer steals her sister's essay, which gets nominated for an award. 'A' tells her family about this. Meanwhile, Hanna gets into a fight with her friend Mona, on Mona's birthday. Afterward, Hanna gets a text from 'A'. But this time, it's not a blocked number, it's one she recognizes! She calls the other three and asks them to meet her. But on the way there, she meets with an accident. The book ends with the girls getting a text saying,
She knew too much. - A.
Unbelievable
Book Four
Released - May 2008
In the fourth book, Hanna is in the hospital and does not remember anything of the last two days. Emily makes a round trip to Iowa, to her conservative aunt and uncle, and back home, when her parents decide to accept her as she is. Spencer's relationship with her sister improves, and she also becomes good friends with Mona, much to the relief of Hanna.
Aria, finally having had enough of the threats, tells a cop about 'A'. It turns out that 'A' is threatening Mona as well. Aria runs into Jenna, who tells her the truth behind the entire incident that made her blind, and the real reason for Alison's involvement in it. Another suspect in the hunt for 'A' emerges in the form of Spencer's sister, Melissa. However, in the meantime, while having a chat with Aria and Emily, Hanna suddenly remembers who 'A' really is. She and the other girls text Spencer, asking her to get away. But that night, somebody dies in Rosewood. Is it Spencer? Was she able to get away? Or is it the real 'A'?
Back
ARK TWO
Wicked
Book Five
Released - November 2008
Either 'A' didn't die, or there is a new 'A' in town. But either way, the threats are still coming, and they are still real. Emily is still as confused as ever when she begins to fall for a guy named Isaac after her split with Maya. Hanna is having trouble getting along with her stepsister Kate, the daughter of the woman her father marries. Aria falls for a guy named Xavier, who meets her mom through a dating site. To save her relationship with her mother from breaking again, Aria moves in with her dad. Spencer begins having issues with her family, which lead her to believe that she may be adopted.
The girls' next suspect as 'A' is Melissa's new husband, Ian Thomas, who had been cheating on her with Alison when they were dating. The four think that he has killed Alison. However, his body is discovered one night in the woods, but when the girls get the cops to the scene, it's not there. Can the liars find out who killed Ian, before they get themselves silenced for good?
Killer
Book Six
Released - June 2009
Although the girls believe that Ian is dead, it may not actually be so. The sixth book shows the girls' relationships with other people. Emily begins dating Isaac, who knows of her bisexuality, but accepts her for who she is. Spencer is scammed by a woman who pretends to be her birth mom and steals all her money. Hanna and Kate both fall for Mike, Aria's brother, and Aria begins having feelings for Jason, Alison's brother.
Emily finds out that Jason was admitted in an institution for troubled youth, and begins to suspect his involvement in his sister's murder. There is a revelation, there is a fire, and Alison returns from the dead! Can the liars trust anyone around them? Will they be able to figure out who is really involved before it is too late?
Heartless
Book Seven
Released - January 2010
Although the girls saw Alison, nobody is ready to trust them on this. They soon begin to gather some clues about Alison's murder. Emily thinks that it was not Ali who really died, but a girl named Leah, who looked like her. Hanna, who is admitted to a clinic for her eating disorder, suspects that Iris, a girl who is also admitted there, may have known Ali and the truth behind who that girl really was. Aria visits a psychic, whose readings make her believe that Ali killed herself. And 'A' hints to Spencer that Ali may really be her half-sister.
However, in the end, they cannot solve the mystery, and Ali's murder is pinned on the four of them. They later realize that 'A' has led them in different directions to find the killer, and has eventually gotten them all falsely implicated. How will the liars convince everyone that they are innocent? Or has 'A' finally triumphed?
Wanted
Book Eight
Released - June 2010
This book takes the readers deeper into the mystery. Alison's twin sister Courtney comes to town. It turns out that she has been in and out of institutions for health reasons, and that she is a part of the troubled youth institution, not her brother Jason. She begins to befriend the girls and tries to fit into Alison's life.
One day, Courtney reveals her true identity! She is the real Alison, and Courtney had her sent off to the institution by pretending to be Ali. Hence, it's Courtney who has died, not Alison. Happy to meet their friend, all five girls make plans to have a sleepover at Ali's Poconos family home. While heading there, Spencer's mom calls and tells her that Melissa is missing. When they reach the house, they find a tied up Melissa and a dead Ian inside. That is when they realize Ali's real intentions, and all the pieces begin to fit together. A's identity is revealed. Suddenly, the house catches fire. The girls escape, but Ali cannot. Her body is never found. Did she survive? Is the girls' nightmare over, or did the game become just a little more dangerous?
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ARK THREE
Twisted
Book Nine
Released - July 2011
The ninth book shows that the girls take a vacation in Jamaica. But something happens there, something awful, and they do not want anybody to know about it. The book also shows the various problems that the girls face in their lives.
An exchange student tries hard to steal Aria's boyfriend Noel; Emily befriends and comes close to Chloe, but Chloe's dad makes a pass on her; Hanna messes up big time during her father's senate campaign and has to steal, lie, and falsely accuse an innocent person to get out of it; and Spencer gets her mother's boyfriend's son into big trouble over a small misunderstanding. 'A' begins texting the girls, threatening them with the Jamaica incident. Then one day, the girls turn on the news, only to realize what a horrible mistake they made. Can they salvage the situation before they get caught?
Ruthless
Book Ten
Released - December 2011
This book describes the tumultuous lives the girls are now leading, owing to all the lies they have told, and the ever-lurking danger that is 'A'. Spencer frames her college roommate Kelsey, to get herself out of drug trouble. Emily and Kelsey meet and hit it off, to the dislike of Spencer. She also begins to suffer from hallucinations due to all the pressure she is under.
Hanna begins dating a guy whose father is also campaigning for the senate, thus making him her own father's rival. She consequently breaks up with him. Meanwhile, Aria gets into an on-off relationship with Noel. The girls try to foil A's plans by telling the truth about their misdoings, but it backfires. 'A' tries to kill Emily by pushing her off a hill, and also sends Spencer an email of the 'Jamaica incident'. They will never find him, he says. Is he right?
Stunning
Book Eleven
Released - June 2012
In the happening town of Rosewood, where nothing is really as it seems, and secrets run deep and dangerous, the four girls have gotten themselves into serious trouble because of their unwillingness to come clean, which keeps taking them deeper and deeper into this treacherous web of lies.
'A' is back with full force in this novel, getting the girls into more and more dangerous situations. A woman named Gayle turns up at Rosewood, and begins hounding the girls. Soon, Hanna, Spencer, and Aria find out that she has a rather unpleasant past with Emily, which involves a payoff and deceit. They begin to think that Gayle is 'A', until she winds up dead. 'A' also sabotages Spencer's trip to her college, Aria's relationship with Noel, and humiliates Hanna in front of everyone. How will the liars be able to stop 'A' and get their lives back?
Burned
Book Twelve
Released - December 2012
The circumstances have led the girls to believe that 'A' may actually be a pair, working together to destroy the girls and make them pay for what they did. One of the suspects is a girl named Naomi, who suspiciously turns up at Gayle's funeral. She is actually the cousin of Madison, a girl who is with Hanna when she meets with an accident. She makes friends with Hanna when all the girls are on a school cruise to the Caribbean.
The second suspect is a guy named Graham, who befriends Aria. Turns out, he is closely related to the 'Jamaica incident'. The girls' lives are in danger once more when their ship blows up. Although they get into a lifeboat and out of the ship, they soon realize that 'A' has messed with the boat, stranding them in the middle of nowhere. They face danger, threats, and a near-death experience. What will the liars do this time? Can they save themselves?
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ARK FOUR
Crushed
Book Thirteen
Released - June 2013
The Rosewood Day prom is fast approaching, but the liars are more keen on finding 'A' than the perfect dress. They begin their search, more determined than before. By now, they are sure that 'A' is a pair, and not just one person. The first on their list is Aria's boyfriend Noel. Though she does not want to believe it, it does seem possible. He has a history with Alison; he was in love with her and would even visit her when she was institutionalized.
Emily talks to Ali's friend Iris, the girl who was in the clinic with Hanna, trying to get more information. At the same time, Spencer finds a blogger who may also know something about Alison. When their boat blows up in 'Burned', Graham survives but suffers serious burns. Hanna volunteers at the burn ward, hoping to get something out of him. But sadly, he dies before he can say anything. At the prom, Noel confesses his love for Ali, which flips Aria out, causing Noel to get a little rough with her. But he runs once the other girls see him. The next day, the four, along with the cops, go to the school shed on receiving a message from 'A'. They find Noel tied to a chair, unconscious. They receive a text saying,
You found nothing; it wasn't Noel. Now you are back where you started.' - A
Deadly
Book Fourteen
Released - December 2013
Alison Di'Laurentis is indeed alive. She is, in fact, working with someone, someone who helped her escape from her burning family home. The girls are contacted by a cop called Agent Fuji, when they are arrested for the previous charges. They finally come clean to the cop about 'A', and ask her to provide them and their families with protection. But 'A' is always a step ahead and frames them for murder. The girls are arrested and let out on bail, set to go on trial the next day.
Once out, the girls meet up and set out to find 'A'. They spot a house next to Mr. Marin's office, and go in to investigate. Suddenly, a man bursts in, pointing a gun at them. His real name is Nick Maxwell, but he has interacted with all the girls pretending to be different people, setting them up. Suddenly, Alison enters with a gun, and the girls realize that Ali and Nick are working together as 'A'. They are taken to the basement by the two, who then wear gas masks and release poisonous gas into the basement. Will the liars survive? Or was this A's last game?
Toxic
Book Fifteen
Released - June 2014
The liars are living their lives, while the trial goes on. Everyone believes that things will be fine now. Nick is caught and arrested, but nobody knows that Alison was there, and nobody wants to believe it.
Hanna has received an offer for a movie about her life, and she has been presented with the lead role. Aria begins to successfully sell her paintings online, and Spencer starts an anti-bullying blog which becomes quite popular, while Emily goes to jail. However, they all know that it isn't over yet; that their worst nightmare is just waiting to repeat itself. What will be A's endgame? And will the liars be able to survive it?
Vicious
Book Sixteen
To Be Released - December 2014.
Aria, Emily, Spencer, and Hanna are on trial. They are being charged with the murder of Alison Di'Laurentis. It is the biggest event Rosewood has experienced to date; a scandal they will be talking about for years after. The girls know the truth, the real murderer, the puppet master of this entire scam; it's just that nobody is ready to believe them.
They try different methods to deal with it. Aria tries to run away, but can't handle it. Spencer finds a way to disappear, but a blast from her past puts her into a dilemma again. Hanna is ready to get married, and Emily is still behind bars. However, they have to stop Alison, turn her own game upon her. They will not be punished for something they haven't done. But can they overthrow 'A'? Will the pretty little liars finally win?
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Accompanying Books
Pretty Little Secrets
Between Unbelievable and Wicked
Released - January 2012
This book is not a part of the main story, but is written from Alison's point of view. It is actually a compilation of four short stories, one each about the four girls. Alison follows each of them during their Christmas vacations, spying on them and keeping a record of all their secrets.
She follows Emily to the mall, where Emily has been spying on four girls, who are pretending to be elves, and have been suspected of vandalizing the mall's property. She follows Hanna to boot camp, and hence knows about Hanna's feelings for her trainer. She follows Spencer all the way to Florida, where she witnesses her affair and then revenge on an older tennis player, who lies to both Spencer and her sister to go out with them. She also follows Aria and her family on their vacation, and then to Atlantic City, where Aria runs off with her old boyfriend and pretends to be older to marry him. In this way, she is able to get all their secrets and blackmail them.
16 Famous Shakespearean Insults With Their Meanings
Forget about Sonnet 18, and all the saccharine "compare thee to a summer's day". We're looking for a William Shakespeare who was bitter, angry, and super-duper-whopper caustic. Buzzle has compiled a list of the best Shakespearean insults to replace your run-of-the-mill ones. Unleash these on your enemies, and simply watch 'em b-u-r-n.
So you'd think with his soft and pellucid declarations of love, the
great William Shakespeare would like the epitaph on his headstone to be
more or less along the same lines. Here's what it actually says:
Good frend for Iesvs sake forbeare,
To digg the dvst encloased heare.
Bleste be the man that spares thes stones,
And cvrst be he that moves my bones.
Hold thee horses, we've got a translation―Good friend, for Jesus' sake forbear, | To dig the dust enclosed here. | Blessed be the man that spares these stones, | And cursed be he that moves my bones.
The whole point of this exercise is this: If you believe Shakespeare to be the romantic of all romantics, the one who gave us the "a rose by any other name..." of Romeo and Juliet, the "to thine ownself be true" of Hamlet―you're going to be in for a shock. We're taking Bardolatry to a whole new high with a comprehensive list of classic Shakespearean insults.
Bard-style bad-assery, all for you. Read on, thou cream-faced loon!
"Let's meet as little as we can."
As You Like It
I can totally imagine a Blair Waldorf-ish character pulling off this insult like she owns it. Subtle, saucy, and worth a million bucks, this one just drives the point home, without so much as making a scene.
Use it on...
Mean in-laws, gossipy colleagues, nosy neighbors―the field is wide open, my friend. Slip this line in as you bid goodbye, and the thrill is sure to last for a long, long time.
"I do desire we may be better strangers."
As You Like It
We all possess this innate urge to obliterate certain individuals from our life. And this Shakespearean gem teaches us how to give someone the old-fashioned heave-ho.
Use it on...
When rank strangers try to strike up a conversation during a long bus ride home, and before you know it, you actually end up knowing way too much about them. It works as a fabulous break up line as well.
Shakespearean insult from Hamlet
"Bloody, bawdy villain! Remorseless, treacherous, lecherous, kindless villain!"
Hamlet
If calling someone a "bloody, bawdy villain" isn't self-explanatory enough, you've got 'remorseless', 'treacherous', 'lecherous', and 'kindless' to spice it up. Insult like a pro.
Use it on...
Shoo away the most annoying Internet troll by hurling this at him. Unless, of course you're arguing on something even remotely Shakespearean. In which case, the troll may as well retaliate with...
"Villain, I have done thy mother."
Titus Andronicus
This is an unabashed yo mama joke, penned in inimitable Shakespearean. It is also below-the-belt nasty, with an adults-only rating. It's better to file this in the brain as an interesting read.
Use it on...
Well, you'd rather not use it, unless you're actually rehearsing for the part of Aaron in Titus Andronicus.
Shakespearean insult from Anthony and Cleopatra
"Sir, sir, thou art so leaky
That we must leave thee to thy sinking."
Anthony and Cleopatra
So there's this little thing called karma, and it's known to be quite the *lady dog*. Therefore, when you encounter someone who is foolish enough to cause his own undoing, just leave him to his sinking.
Use it on...
Witless revenge-seekers are a worthy target. As are teenagers who make you sick with their "YOLO" rantings. And the Rich Kids of Instagram too.
"thy food is such
As hath been belch'd on by infected lungs."
Pericles, Prince of Tyre
Okay, I certainly don't need to explain this one. In fact, this insult is way too comical to even qualify as caustic. 'Belch'd on by infected lungs' ... who even thinks of that? Except the Bard, that is.
Use it on...
The next time you're dining at In-N-Out, and there's just not enough 'animal' in your animal-style fries, you can unleash gastronomical hell.
"The tartness of his face sours ripe grapes."
The Tragedy of Coriolanus
"Hey mister, you ugly!"
Use it on...
Wow. Just wow. I mean, you'd think that having gone through endless Shakespearean insults as a part of my research, nothing would surprise me anymore. But then I land up reading this, and it blows me away―a face so tart that it sours ripe grapes? For the sake of this priceless insult, I hope you do encounter someone to merit it in your lifetime.
Shakespearean insult from Richard III
"Out of my sight! thou dost infect my eyes."
Richard III
I'll keep it short. This line is Elizabethan talk for "scram, you bag of dirt!".
Use it on...
You'd know better, of course. But methinks, this line could work fabulously well on someone using the lousiest pick-up line on you the next time you're out looking for some plain old bar-hopping.
"Thou fresh piece of excellent witchcraft."
The Winter's Tale
Trust the Bard to load a line with just the right amount of razor-sharp sarcasm. 'Fresh pieces of excellent witchcraft' are all around us these days, more so in the dog-eat-dog professional world. But as long as we have Shakespeare on our side, we'll make sure to burn those witches at the proverbial stake.
Use it on...
A colleague who has made it her mission to malign you. A co-worker who has mastered the art of stealing credit for your hard work. A team member who is yearning to strike a "special" equation with the boss. You get the drift.
"Alas, poor ape, how thou sweat'st."
Henry IV
Yes, I do pity you, you sweaty monkey. But then, if you find yourself at the receiving end of an insult like this, you do stand guilty of bringing it on.
Use it on...
In an ideal office, a back-stabbing, tattletale colleague described in the section above would get a deserving dressing down from the boss―following which you'd get to waltz in and hurl this gem at him. But poetic justice rarely occurs in a real office, so that just leaves us to be the sweaty apes.
Shakespearean insult from Troilus and Cressida
"Ay, do, do; thou sodden-witted lord! thou hast no more brain than I have in mine elbows."
Troilus and Cressida
Basically means 'brainless dimwit'.
Use it on...
George W. Bush. Britney Spears. The Kardashian clan. And all the other insufferables who dwell in our times.
"Do thou amend thy face, and I'll amend my life."
Henry IV
Nothing explains this line better than the new-age abbreviation, STFU. It's a jaunty way to say "keep your mind off my business".
Use it on...
Really distant relatives that are encountered only at weddings and anniversaries, those who innocently claim to have only your best interests at heart. Those who always remind you how Cousin Rodney earns 72 cents more than you do. How Cousin Sheila is engaged to a hedge fund manager, whereas you neither have a hedge, nor a fund.
Lash away, my friend. Lash away.
"I scorn you, scurvy companion. What, you poor, base, rascally, cheating, lack-linen mate! Away, you mouldy rogue, away."
Henry IV
If the sheer spite dripping down these words isn't enough, here's an explanation. It's okay to associate 'scurvy' with 'diseased', as you're close enough―it's alternate meaning happens to be 'despicable'. The rest is a gorgeous word play that keeps getting better and better with 'rascally', 'cheating', and my personal favorite, 'mouldy rogue'.
Use it on...
Oh my lovelies, an insult this perfect needs to be reserved especially for that "mouldy rogue" of a boyfriend who cheats on you with your best mate.
Shakespearean insult from King Lear
"Thou art a boil. A plague sore, an embossed carbuncle in my corrupted blood."
King Lear
Ooooh, no one fancies being described as a boil. And not just a plain, old speck of acne―we're talking 'plague-sore-embossed-carbuncle' levels here. This one sure does score high on the meanness meter, which means that you need to reserve it for someone who's worthy of being an 'embossed carbuncle'.
Use it on...
Hmm... well who'd be more worthy than the above-mentioned best pal who though it was fine to score a romp with that mouldy rogue of a boyfriend.
Shakespearean insult from The Merry Wives of Windsor
"Go to hell for an eternal moment or so."
The Merry Wives of Windsor
Now, this insult does not warrant a new-age translation, for obvious reasons. It may not even be as impressive at first glance, seeing as we are equipped with mightier and may I say, ruder options at hand. But just for a minute, picture Maggie Smith as Violet Crawley from Downton Abbey saying this, and you've got an insult to insult all insults.
Use it on...
Well, don't we all know that one annoying schmuck who seems to have the best of everything, and takes a perverse delight in rubbing it in your face? So the next time s/he complains about the bucket seat in their Porsche giving them a backache (while you're stuck with the smelly subway for eternity), give them these subtle yet firm directions to hell.
"They lie deadly that tell you you have good faces."
The Tragedy of Coriolanus
This one roughly translates to, "you've got that kind of a face only your mother could love". But since it is Shakespeare who has authored this line, it's got way more sass than you can ever imagine.
Use it on...
Those annoying public place selfie takers! Ugh! Yes, there are even some inconsiderate maggots who click pictures in a metro just as the doors close in on them. Here's hoping this stops them from spreading their #ugliness all over the Internet.
Good frend for Iesvs sake forbeare,
To digg the dvst encloased heare.
Bleste be the man that spares thes stones,
And cvrst be he that moves my bones.
Hold thee horses, we've got a translation―Good friend, for Jesus' sake forbear, | To dig the dust enclosed here. | Blessed be the man that spares these stones, | And cursed be he that moves my bones.
The whole point of this exercise is this: If you believe Shakespeare to be the romantic of all romantics, the one who gave us the "a rose by any other name..." of Romeo and Juliet, the "to thine ownself be true" of Hamlet―you're going to be in for a shock. We're taking Bardolatry to a whole new high with a comprehensive list of classic Shakespearean insults.
Bard-style bad-assery, all for you. Read on, thou cream-faced loon!
"Let's meet as little as we can."
As You Like It
I can totally imagine a Blair Waldorf-ish character pulling off this insult like she owns it. Subtle, saucy, and worth a million bucks, this one just drives the point home, without so much as making a scene.
Use it on...
Mean in-laws, gossipy colleagues, nosy neighbors―the field is wide open, my friend. Slip this line in as you bid goodbye, and the thrill is sure to last for a long, long time.
"I do desire we may be better strangers."
As You Like It
We all possess this innate urge to obliterate certain individuals from our life. And this Shakespearean gem teaches us how to give someone the old-fashioned heave-ho.
Use it on...
When rank strangers try to strike up a conversation during a long bus ride home, and before you know it, you actually end up knowing way too much about them. It works as a fabulous break up line as well.
Shakespearean insult from Hamlet
"Bloody, bawdy villain! Remorseless, treacherous, lecherous, kindless villain!"
Hamlet
If calling someone a "bloody, bawdy villain" isn't self-explanatory enough, you've got 'remorseless', 'treacherous', 'lecherous', and 'kindless' to spice it up. Insult like a pro.
Use it on...
Shoo away the most annoying Internet troll by hurling this at him. Unless, of course you're arguing on something even remotely Shakespearean. In which case, the troll may as well retaliate with...
"Villain, I have done thy mother."
Titus Andronicus
This is an unabashed yo mama joke, penned in inimitable Shakespearean. It is also below-the-belt nasty, with an adults-only rating. It's better to file this in the brain as an interesting read.
Use it on...
Well, you'd rather not use it, unless you're actually rehearsing for the part of Aaron in Titus Andronicus.
Shakespearean insult from Anthony and Cleopatra
"Sir, sir, thou art so leaky
That we must leave thee to thy sinking."
Anthony and Cleopatra
So there's this little thing called karma, and it's known to be quite the *lady dog*. Therefore, when you encounter someone who is foolish enough to cause his own undoing, just leave him to his sinking.
Use it on...
Witless revenge-seekers are a worthy target. As are teenagers who make you sick with their "YOLO" rantings. And the Rich Kids of Instagram too.
"thy food is such
As hath been belch'd on by infected lungs."
Pericles, Prince of Tyre
Okay, I certainly don't need to explain this one. In fact, this insult is way too comical to even qualify as caustic. 'Belch'd on by infected lungs' ... who even thinks of that? Except the Bard, that is.
Use it on...
The next time you're dining at In-N-Out, and there's just not enough 'animal' in your animal-style fries, you can unleash gastronomical hell.
"The tartness of his face sours ripe grapes."
The Tragedy of Coriolanus
"Hey mister, you ugly!"
Use it on...
Wow. Just wow. I mean, you'd think that having gone through endless Shakespearean insults as a part of my research, nothing would surprise me anymore. But then I land up reading this, and it blows me away―a face so tart that it sours ripe grapes? For the sake of this priceless insult, I hope you do encounter someone to merit it in your lifetime.
Shakespearean insult from Richard III
"Out of my sight! thou dost infect my eyes."
Richard III
I'll keep it short. This line is Elizabethan talk for "scram, you bag of dirt!".
Use it on...
You'd know better, of course. But methinks, this line could work fabulously well on someone using the lousiest pick-up line on you the next time you're out looking for some plain old bar-hopping.
"Thou fresh piece of excellent witchcraft."
The Winter's Tale
Trust the Bard to load a line with just the right amount of razor-sharp sarcasm. 'Fresh pieces of excellent witchcraft' are all around us these days, more so in the dog-eat-dog professional world. But as long as we have Shakespeare on our side, we'll make sure to burn those witches at the proverbial stake.
Use it on...
A colleague who has made it her mission to malign you. A co-worker who has mastered the art of stealing credit for your hard work. A team member who is yearning to strike a "special" equation with the boss. You get the drift.
"Alas, poor ape, how thou sweat'st."
Henry IV
Yes, I do pity you, you sweaty monkey. But then, if you find yourself at the receiving end of an insult like this, you do stand guilty of bringing it on.
Use it on...
In an ideal office, a back-stabbing, tattletale colleague described in the section above would get a deserving dressing down from the boss―following which you'd get to waltz in and hurl this gem at him. But poetic justice rarely occurs in a real office, so that just leaves us to be the sweaty apes.
Shakespearean insult from Troilus and Cressida
"Ay, do, do; thou sodden-witted lord! thou hast no more brain than I have in mine elbows."
Troilus and Cressida
Basically means 'brainless dimwit'.
Use it on...
George W. Bush. Britney Spears. The Kardashian clan. And all the other insufferables who dwell in our times.
"Do thou amend thy face, and I'll amend my life."
Henry IV
Nothing explains this line better than the new-age abbreviation, STFU. It's a jaunty way to say "keep your mind off my business".
Use it on...
Really distant relatives that are encountered only at weddings and anniversaries, those who innocently claim to have only your best interests at heart. Those who always remind you how Cousin Rodney earns 72 cents more than you do. How Cousin Sheila is engaged to a hedge fund manager, whereas you neither have a hedge, nor a fund.
Lash away, my friend. Lash away.
"I scorn you, scurvy companion. What, you poor, base, rascally, cheating, lack-linen mate! Away, you mouldy rogue, away."
Henry IV
If the sheer spite dripping down these words isn't enough, here's an explanation. It's okay to associate 'scurvy' with 'diseased', as you're close enough―it's alternate meaning happens to be 'despicable'. The rest is a gorgeous word play that keeps getting better and better with 'rascally', 'cheating', and my personal favorite, 'mouldy rogue'.
Use it on...
Oh my lovelies, an insult this perfect needs to be reserved especially for that "mouldy rogue" of a boyfriend who cheats on you with your best mate.
Shakespearean insult from King Lear
"Thou art a boil. A plague sore, an embossed carbuncle in my corrupted blood."
King Lear
Ooooh, no one fancies being described as a boil. And not just a plain, old speck of acne―we're talking 'plague-sore-embossed-carbuncle' levels here. This one sure does score high on the meanness meter, which means that you need to reserve it for someone who's worthy of being an 'embossed carbuncle'.
Use it on...
Hmm... well who'd be more worthy than the above-mentioned best pal who though it was fine to score a romp with that mouldy rogue of a boyfriend.
Shakespearean insult from The Merry Wives of Windsor
"Go to hell for an eternal moment or so."
The Merry Wives of Windsor
Now, this insult does not warrant a new-age translation, for obvious reasons. It may not even be as impressive at first glance, seeing as we are equipped with mightier and may I say, ruder options at hand. But just for a minute, picture Maggie Smith as Violet Crawley from Downton Abbey saying this, and you've got an insult to insult all insults.
Use it on...
Well, don't we all know that one annoying schmuck who seems to have the best of everything, and takes a perverse delight in rubbing it in your face? So the next time s/he complains about the bucket seat in their Porsche giving them a backache (while you're stuck with the smelly subway for eternity), give them these subtle yet firm directions to hell.
"They lie deadly that tell you you have good faces."
The Tragedy of Coriolanus
This one roughly translates to, "you've got that kind of a face only your mother could love". But since it is Shakespeare who has authored this line, it's got way more sass than you can ever imagine.
Use it on...
Those annoying public place selfie takers! Ugh! Yes, there are even some inconsiderate maggots who click pictures in a metro just as the doors close in on them. Here's hoping this stops them from spreading their #ugliness all over the Internet.
List of Romeo and Juliet Characters in Order of Appearance
'For never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo.' Romeo and Juliet ranks amongst the Bard's most famous works, if not the finest. This Buzzle article draws up a list of characters in Romeo and Juliet in order of appearance.
'For never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo.' Romeo and Juliet ranks amongst the Bard's most famous works, if not the finest. This Buzzle article draws up a list of characters in Romeo and Juliet in order of appearance.
"Two households, both alike in dignity,
In fair Verona where we lay our scene,
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life..."
And thus begins the most famous tale of tragic love ever penned―by one of the most prolific writers no less. The play opens with this poetic prologue―delivered by a resounding chorus. The first characters to arrive on stage are Sampson and Gregory, both servants to the Capulets, who break into a fight with the serving men, Abram and Balthazar, who belong to the family of Montague. The scene fulfills the purpose of introducing the audience to the deep-rooted hatred harbored for each other by the two clans.
Before we move on to the list of characters in the order they appeared in the play, here is a short introduction of the main players, sorted by family allegiance.
List of Characters in Romeo and Juliet
House of Capulet
Capulet - patriarch and father of Juliet
Lady Capulet - matriarch and mother of Juliet
Juliet - female protagonist and daughter of Capulet
Tybalt - cousin of Juliet
Nurse - Juliet's personal attendant and confidante
Peter - servant of the Capulets
Gregory - servant of the Capulets
Sampson - servant of the Capulets
Anthony - servant of the Capulets
Potpan - servant of the Capulets
Unnamed servants
House of Montague
Montague - patriarch and father of Romeo
Lady Montague - matriarch and mother of Romeo
Romeo - male protagonist and son of Montague
Benvolio - Romeo's cousin and best friend
Balthazar - servant of the Montagues
Abram - servant of the Montagues
House of Escalus
Prince Escalus - the ruling Prince of Verona
Count Paris - kinsman of Escalus and Juliet's potential suitor
Mercutio - kinsman of Escalus and a friend of Romeo
Other Characters
Friar Laurence - a Franciscan friar, and Romeo's confidant
Friar John - delivers Friar Laurence's letter to Romeo
Chorus - reads a prologue in each of the first two acts
Apothecary - poor potion maker of Mantua
Watchmen - witnesses in the murder and suicide scene
Musicians - performers at Juliet's wedding
Citizens of Verona
List of Characters in Order of Appearance
1. Chorus
2. Servants
3. Gregory
4. Abram
5. Sampson
6. Benvolio
7. Citizens
8. Capulet
9. Lady Capulet
10. Montague
11. Lady Montague
12. Prince
13. Romeo
14. Paris
15. Tybalt
16. Nurse
17. Juliet
18. Mercutio
19. Servant
20. Servant
21. Servant
22. Friar Laurence
23. Peter
24. Citizen
25. Musicians
26. Balthazar
27. Apothecary
28. Friar John
29. Watchmen
Brief Description of Main Characters
Romeo and Juliet as we now know, is among William Shakespeare's most renowned tragedies. A story of 'star-crossed lovers', its literary impact has influenced several creative heads in the centuries that followed. The play seemed to have struck a chord, especially with those, like the protagonists, who have begun to experience the first flushes of young love.
Juliet Capulet
"O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?
Deny thy father and refuse thy name;
Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,
And I'll no longer be a Capulet."
Shakespeare's Juliet is documented to be a 13-going-on-30 kind of a character, seeing as she instantaneously makes the shift from a doe-eyed teenager to a tragic heroine with effortless ease. Juliet remains in the know about the apparent foolhardiness of their love, saying,
"It is too rash, too unadvis'd, too sudden."
She is also chillingly aware of her predicament when Romeo kills her cousin Tybalt for having slain his friend Mercutio:
"My husband lives, that Tybalt would have slain,
And Tybalt's dead, that would have slain my husband.
All this is comfort."
And yet, remains steadfastly loyal to the love of her life―her beloved Romeo.
Romeo Montague
Romeo's immaturity provides a generous dose of comic relief in the first act―he has eyes only for Rosaline in the beginning, and ends up being besotted by Juliet while on a mission to catch a glimpse of the former. He seems to be shaken out of his imprudence the moment he sets eyes upon Juliet,
"Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! / For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night."
His attempted suicide upon hearing of his banishment gives us another peek into his stuck-up self. It takes a bit of prodding from Friar Laurence for Romeo to think of Juliet―particularly about their future together, and for him to continue living for her sake.
As he gets the news of Juliet's death, his only wish remains to join her in eternal rest,
"Well Juliet, I will lie with thee tonight."
So, was it ill-fated lovers or ill-fated timing? Our fast-paced lives today can make a mockery of the sublimeness that is Romeo and Juliet. All said and done, it still remains one of Shakespeare's most popular plays till date―and with its palpable element of pathos no wonder that it is.
Nothings sums up this figure of speech better than this quote by Thomas Gibbons, the renowned British writer. Oxymoron brings two words with contradictory meanings together, the end result of which is a phrase which is inadvertently funny ... in most cases. Some of the best examples of oxymoron are act naturally, clearly confused, known secret, and small crowd.
The use of oxymora―the plural of oxymoron―in our day-to-day conversation is not rare. In fact, if you have a keen ear for this figure of speech, you will notice some hilarious things people say―not just the people around you, but some prominent personalities as well―intentionally or unintentionally.
Famous Oxymoron Quotes
Though not all, most of the quotes containing oxymoron examples are hilarious to the core. While Parting is such sweet sorrow., one of the famous quotes from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, may not leave you in splits, Yogi Berra's Nobody goes to Miami in the Winter. It's too crowded. surely will. Given below are a few quotes, some of which are very funny and some ... not so funny.
A joke is a very serious thing. ― Winston Churchill
Hegel was right when he said that we learn from history that man can never learn anything from history. ― George Bernard Shaw
Oxymoron quotes - Oscar Wilde
I can resist anything, except temptation. ― Oscar Wilde
Simplicity is not a simple thing. ― Charles Chaplin
I love humanity, but I hate people. ― Edna St. Vincent Millay
Always and never are two words you should always remember never to use. ― Wendell Johnson
Oxymoron quotes - W. C. Fields
The best cure for insomnia is to get a lot of sleep. ― W.C. Fields
Always be sincere, even when you don't mean it. ― Irene Peter
Responsible Drinking? Now that's an Oxymoron. ― Aaron Howard
If I could drop dead right now, I'd be the happiest man alive. ― Samuel Goldwyn
Oxymoron quotes - Samuel Goldwyn
I never liked you, and I always will. ― Samuel Goldwyn
The building was pretty ugly and a little big for its surroundings. ― Steinbeck
I find nothing more depressing than optimism. ― Paul Fussell
If you fall and break your legs, don't come running to me. ― Samuel Goldwyn
Oxymoron quotes - Mark Twain
The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco. ― Mark Twain
To lead the people, walk behind them. ― Lao-Tzu
I take it that a successful therapy is an oxymoron. ― Harold Bloom
I am a deeply superficial person. ― Andy Warhol
Oxymoron quotes - Anonymous
I keep telling myself that I am a pathological liar, but I am not sure if I believe it. ― Anonymous
I always advise people never to give advice. ― P.G. Wodehouse
First, I have the privilege of being Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee. It is not an oxymoron I assure you. ― Pat Roberts
The history of mankind has seen some of the most influential people in various areas, and reading their autobiographies and biographies can benefit you in innumerable ways. Not only are they immensely inspirational, but they also help you change your outlook towards life. The stories of these people, who have struggled and striven for success, motivate the readers to follow their dreams. Unlike fiction, these books give readers the satisfaction of actually being inside the subject's life, and relive the events that have happened for real. Autobiographies and biographies of those who are pioneers in their field act as guides to those who intend to get into those areas. On the other hand, those people who faced a lot of hardships due to their mistakes in life help the readers to learn their lessons. Some of the most famous biographies and autobiographies are those about famous politicians, authors, historical figures, and celebrities.
BEST-SELLING AUTOBIOGRAPHIES
Long Walk to Freedom
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela (July 18, 1918 - December 5, 2013) was the first black president of South Africa who served from 1994 to 1999. He was an anti-apartheid revolutionary who brought an end to apartheid in South Africa. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 for his contribution to global peacemaking. Mandela, who was the president of the African National Congress in 1940, fought for racial equality through various protests and armed resistance. This resulted in his imprisonment on the Robben Island for nearly three decades. Long Walk to Freedom is the story of his triumph after a series of setbacks. It takes us through his heartwarming journey from being the son of a tribal chief to being the President of his country. Apart from the story itself, the quotes and passages in the book are intensely inspirational. For example, the book ends beautifully with, "But I can rest only for a moment, for with freedom come responsibilities, and I dare not linger, for my long walk is not yet ended."
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou (April 4, 1928 - May 28, 2014), an African-American, was an award-winning author, poet, dancer, actress, and singer. She played an important role in the Civil Rights Movement in the United States and worked with Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X. During her lifetime, she published seven autobiographies and an enormous collection of essays and poetry. She received a number of awards and nearly 50 honorary degrees for her contribution to the fields of literature and entertainment. She became a writer after trying her hand at several occupations like a fry cook, prostitute, and a nightclub dancer. The first out of her seven autobiographies, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, portrays her life from the age of three to seventeen. It tells the touching story of how she was raped at the age of eight, had to deal with its consequences, and how she later learned to love herself, as well as others. It also portrays the beautiful relationship that she shared with her brother, Bailey, after being abandoned by their parents twice. In all, the book talks about her fight against sexual abuse, racial prejudice, prostitution, violence, and an unwanted pregnancy.
The Story of My Experiments With Truth
Mahatma Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi (2 October 1869 - 30 January 1948) was an Indian leader who played a very important role in the fight for India's freedom, from the British rule. His non-violent civil disobedience movement ultimately led to India's independence in 1947, and also influenced several movements for civil rights across the world. Gandhi, who had studied law in London, fought for people's rights in both South Africa (where he worked as a legal representative for the Muslim Indian Traders) as well as India. He led nationwide movements to expand women's rights, eradicating untouchability and other socio-economic issues. He also opposed child marriages, sati, and purdah system in India. In My Experiments with Truth, Gandhi narrates the story of his childhood, his life in London and South Africa, the Indian independence movement, and how he used non-violence as a weapon against the Britishers.
The Story of My Life
Helen Keller
Helen Keller (June 27, 1880 - June 1, 1968), born in Tuscumbia, Alabama, was an American author, lecturer, political activist, and co-founder of the American Civil Liberties Union. During her lifetime, she fought for various causes like women's suffrage and labor rights as a member of the Socialist Party of America and the Industrial Workers of the World. She was the first deaf and blind person to have ever earned a Bachelor's degree. When she was just 2 years old, she had contracted a fever, which later left her deaf and blind. At the age of 7, she started learning from Anne Sullivan who was appointed as her tutor by her parents. She was a quick learner and began to speak by the age of 10. At 20, she got into Radcliffe College where she compiled her struggles into her autobiography The Story of My Life. Apart from the efforts that she had to take to reawaken her ability to speak, the book focuses on her relationship with Miss Sullivan and how she persuaded Helen to write.
The Diary of a Young Girl
Anne Frank
Anne Frank (June 12, 1929 - early March 1945) was a writer who was a victim of Nazi brutality during the World War II. She was one of the million Jewish children who died in the Holocaust. Anne was born in Frankfurt, Germany and lived in Amsterdam with her family during the war. However, to escape from the increasing persecution of the Jews, the family went into hiding in Amsterdam for two years. It was then that Frank penned down her experiences in her diary, which was posthumously released as The Diary of a Young Girl in 1947. This book is the story of her life from June 12, 1942 until August 1, 1944, and describes the events of the war in detail. It is a representation of how other Jewish families lived and coped during the war. The autobiography has been translated into almost 70 languages so far.
Dreams From My Father
Barack Obama
Barack Obama was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, on August 4, 1961. He is the 44th and current president of the United States, and the first African-American to serve as the US president. He is a Columbia University and Harvard Law School graduate who was a civil rights lawyer and teacher before pursuing a political career. He was elected to the Illinois State Senate in 1996, serving from 1997 to 2004. After being sworn to presidency on November 4, 2008, he won a second term in 2012. Dreams From My Father, published in 2004, describes Obama's journey from his childhood in Hawaii and Indonesia, his life and community work in Chicago, and his journey to meet his father's family in Kenya. He also recalls how he came to terms with his father's death, and how it was to be raised by his white grandparents. It gives an overview of American race relations, from the perspective of someone who belongs to both the worlds. In 2011, the Time Magazine listed the book on its top 100 non-fiction books written in English since 1923.
Other Autobiographies to Read
It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life - Lance Armstrong
Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China - Jung Chang
Eat, Pray, Love - Elizabeth Gilbert
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin - Benjamin Franklin
Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life - Steve Martin
I Am Malala - Malala Yousafzai
Losing My Virginity - Richard Branson
Mother Teresa: In My Own Words - Mother Teresa
My Story - Marilyn Monroe, Ben Hecht, Joshua Green
Mein Kampf - Adolf Hitler
BEST-SELLING BIOGRAPHIES
Steve Jobs
Walter Isaacson
The authorized biography of Steve Jobs, Steve Jobs was published by Walter Issacson in 2011. Jobs was an American entrepreneur, co-founder, and the CEO of Apple Inc. It is the story of Steve Jobs' rise from being a college dropout to one of the most sensational entrepreneurs of the 20th century. It takes us into his journey from finding the NeXT, Inc. to the return of Apple, through a series of interviews with him, his family, friends, and colleagues. The book is one of the best reads mainly because of Issacson's narrative way of writing. The book is an engaging story of Job's life instead of a listing of facts and figures. Although the writer seems to be positively biased to Jobs, it hasn't stopped him from exploring his darker side. The presentation of both the sides lets the reader search for his own opinion about the icon. The book is currently running under the title iSteve: The Book of Jobs.
Diana: Her True Story
Andrew Morton
In Diana: Her True Story, Morton has examined Diana's life through her own words. The book is a compilation of her personal recollection of her years at school and personal memories. Written with the cooperation of her family and friends, the book presents facts about Princess Diana and her royal marriage. In the 1992 edition (after Diana's death), Morton included the transcriptions of Diana's answers to Morton's questions, which she had recorded secretly. The most interesting part of the book is the author's note, where he admits having smuggled the list of questions to Diana, who would smuggle her recorded answers back to him. The book also includes some of the unseen photographs of the royal family. Other interesting biographies of Diana include Diana by Sarah Bradford, Diana: Story of a Princess by Tim Clayton and Phil Craig, and The Diana Chronicles by Tina Brown.
Walt Disney
Neal Gabler
Walt Disney (December 5, 1901 - December 15, 1966) was an American animator, producer, director, and voice artist. He is famous as the founder of cartoon films and more importantly, as the creator of Disneyland. He created various fictional characters including Mickey Mouse, Goofy, and Donald Duck. Disney completely transformed the world of animation with his feature films like Bambi, Fantasia, Snow White, and Pinocchio. During his lifetime, he received a number of awards for his contribution to the world of entertainment. Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination was published by Neal Gabler in 2006 and describes Disney's journey from being a contributing cartoonist for the school paper to the creator of Disney. Gabler has brilliantly managed to explain why Walt Disney did what he did, and what drove him to build the Disney empire. A must-read biography for all Disney fans!
Enchantment: The Life of Audrey Hepburn
Donald Spoto
Audrey Hepburn (May 4, 1929 - January 20, 1993) was an award-winning actress, fashion model, and humanitarian. After working in a number of British films, she rose to fame with a lead role in Roman Holiday in 1953. She was the most sensational beauties of her time, who had a reputation of being humble and kind. Enchantment: The Life of Audrey Hepburn was published by Donald Spoto in 2006. The biography provides details of her upbringing, struggles during World War II in Nazi Holland, her dancing career, and eventually her rise to stardom. It also discusses her life with UNICEF, and her humanitarian efforts. The book has explored her love life in detail. Her life has been explained in a chronological order, which makes it even easier to follow.
Coco Chanel
Various Authors
Coco Chanel (August 19, 1883 - January 10, 1971) was born in Saumur, France. She was a fashion designer and founder of the Chanel brand who became popular for her signature scent Chanel no. 5, and little black dresses. A lot has been written on the life of this amazing designer and entrepreneur. However, there are four exceptionally well-written biographies of Chanel that are absolute must-reads for all her followers. First is Chanel and Her World: Friends, Fashion, and Fame by her official biographer Edmonde Charles-Roux. First published in 1979, the book, which has a lot of unseen photographs of Chanel, helps us understand her personality a lot better. The second one, Coco Chanel: An Intimate Life, published by Lisa Chaney in 2011, is Chanel's most thoroughly researched biography till date. The book, which focuses on her origins and secret sufferings, also reveals her addiction to drugs, and the truth about her lesbian affairs.
The third biography, Sleeping With The Enemy: Coco Chanel, Nazi Agent is a treat for history lovers. It was published by Hal Vaughan in 2011, and documents her collaboration with Hitler's officials and other activities during the World War II in France. The author tells us how Chanel became a German spy, escaped an arrest in France, and lived in Switzerland for nine years, before returning to Paris and reestablishing her name. It also gives details about her love affair with Baron von Dincklage, a German soldier. The last one on the list is Justine Picardie's Coco Chanel: The Legend and the Life which was published in 2010. The book tells us how Chanel was abandoned as a child and spent her early years in a convent orphanage. The biography covers her strengths as well as weaknesses, and sheds light on the sad truth behind her glamorous life.
Other Biographies to Read
Secrets of the Flesh: A Life of Colette - Judith Thurman
The Zookeeper's Wife - Diane Ackerman
Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. - Ron Chernow
Einstein: His Life and Universe - Walter Isaacson
Cleopatra: A Life - Stacy Schiff
Wild Swans - Jung Chang
Tolstoy - Henri Troyat
Virginia Woolf - Quentin Bell
Oscar Wilde - Richard Ellmann
Michael Jackson: The Magic and the Madness - J. Randy Taraborrelli
Some of them inspire you to follow your dreams, while some of them teach you various lessons. Reading these stories of successful people can change you as a person in more than one way. So, just pick one, get inspired, and make your life's journey a success.
In fair Verona where we lay our scene,
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life..."
And thus begins the most famous tale of tragic love ever penned―by one of the most prolific writers no less. The play opens with this poetic prologue―delivered by a resounding chorus. The first characters to arrive on stage are Sampson and Gregory, both servants to the Capulets, who break into a fight with the serving men, Abram and Balthazar, who belong to the family of Montague. The scene fulfills the purpose of introducing the audience to the deep-rooted hatred harbored for each other by the two clans.
Before we move on to the list of characters in the order they appeared in the play, here is a short introduction of the main players, sorted by family allegiance.
List of Characters in Romeo and Juliet
House of Capulet
Capulet - patriarch and father of Juliet
Lady Capulet - matriarch and mother of Juliet
Juliet - female protagonist and daughter of Capulet
Tybalt - cousin of Juliet
Nurse - Juliet's personal attendant and confidante
Peter - servant of the Capulets
Gregory - servant of the Capulets
Sampson - servant of the Capulets
Anthony - servant of the Capulets
Potpan - servant of the Capulets
Unnamed servants
House of Montague
Montague - patriarch and father of Romeo
Lady Montague - matriarch and mother of Romeo
Romeo - male protagonist and son of Montague
Benvolio - Romeo's cousin and best friend
Balthazar - servant of the Montagues
Abram - servant of the Montagues
House of Escalus
Prince Escalus - the ruling Prince of Verona
Count Paris - kinsman of Escalus and Juliet's potential suitor
Mercutio - kinsman of Escalus and a friend of Romeo
Other Characters
Friar Laurence - a Franciscan friar, and Romeo's confidant
Friar John - delivers Friar Laurence's letter to Romeo
Chorus - reads a prologue in each of the first two acts
Apothecary - poor potion maker of Mantua
Watchmen - witnesses in the murder and suicide scene
Musicians - performers at Juliet's wedding
Citizens of Verona
List of Characters in Order of Appearance
1. Chorus
2. Servants
3. Gregory
4. Abram
5. Sampson
6. Benvolio
7. Citizens
8. Capulet
9. Lady Capulet
10. Montague
11. Lady Montague
12. Prince
13. Romeo
14. Paris
15. Tybalt
16. Nurse
17. Juliet
18. Mercutio
19. Servant
20. Servant
21. Servant
22. Friar Laurence
23. Peter
24. Citizen
25. Musicians
26. Balthazar
27. Apothecary
28. Friar John
29. Watchmen
Brief Description of Main Characters
Romeo and Juliet as we now know, is among William Shakespeare's most renowned tragedies. A story of 'star-crossed lovers', its literary impact has influenced several creative heads in the centuries that followed. The play seemed to have struck a chord, especially with those, like the protagonists, who have begun to experience the first flushes of young love.
Juliet Capulet
"O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?
Deny thy father and refuse thy name;
Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,
And I'll no longer be a Capulet."
Shakespeare's Juliet is documented to be a 13-going-on-30 kind of a character, seeing as she instantaneously makes the shift from a doe-eyed teenager to a tragic heroine with effortless ease. Juliet remains in the know about the apparent foolhardiness of their love, saying,
"It is too rash, too unadvis'd, too sudden."
She is also chillingly aware of her predicament when Romeo kills her cousin Tybalt for having slain his friend Mercutio:
"My husband lives, that Tybalt would have slain,
And Tybalt's dead, that would have slain my husband.
All this is comfort."
And yet, remains steadfastly loyal to the love of her life―her beloved Romeo.
Romeo Montague
Romeo's immaturity provides a generous dose of comic relief in the first act―he has eyes only for Rosaline in the beginning, and ends up being besotted by Juliet while on a mission to catch a glimpse of the former. He seems to be shaken out of his imprudence the moment he sets eyes upon Juliet,
"Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! / For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night."
His attempted suicide upon hearing of his banishment gives us another peek into his stuck-up self. It takes a bit of prodding from Friar Laurence for Romeo to think of Juliet―particularly about their future together, and for him to continue living for her sake.
As he gets the news of Juliet's death, his only wish remains to join her in eternal rest,
"Well Juliet, I will lie with thee tonight."
So, was it ill-fated lovers or ill-fated timing? Our fast-paced lives today can make a mockery of the sublimeness that is Romeo and Juliet. All said and done, it still remains one of Shakespeare's most popular plays till date―and with its palpable element of pathos no wonder that it is.
List of Famous Dr. Seuss Characters with Their Brief Description
Theodore Seuss Geisel was a prominent writer and cartoonist, who was primarily known for his children's books which he wrote under the name of Dr. Seuss. Most of these books were written in rhyme, and were filled with imaginative characters. In this article, we'll have a look at the most famous of these characters, and the thought that went behind the creation of each character.
Theodore Seuss Geisel was a prominent writer and cartoonist, who was primarily known for his children's books which he wrote under the name of Dr. Seuss. Most of these books were written in rhyme, and were filled with imaginative characters. In this article, we'll have a look at the most famous of these characters, and the thought that went behind the creation of each character.
The USP of any Dr. Seuss book is the unique characters featured in
them. Geisel created the characters which had either bizarre looks or
personalities, or a combination of both. Characters such as the Lorax,
Grinch, Horton the Elephant, Cat in the Hat, and Yertle the Turtle have
captured the imaginations of children and adults across the world, and
some of these powerful characters have even been featured on the silver
screen.
Let's have a look at the most famous Dr. Seuss Characters, followed by a list of all the other characters that he created in his lifetime.
The Lorax
The Lorax is an extremely popular character, and is the protagonist of the book with the same name. He is a creature of short stature, with brownish orange mossy fur and an enormous mustache. He is said to have a sharp and bossy voice. Dr. Seuss created this character to express his views on preventing pollution and saving the environment, and as such, the story depicts the Lorax as a representative of the beautiful Truffula trees, who are victims to the greed of the industrialist named the Once-ler. He repeatedly warns and informs the Once-ler about the effects of his rampant destruction of the Truffula trees, until one by one, all the wild creatures such as the Brown Barbaloots, Swomee-Swans, and the Humming Fish leave to find new pastures. Finally, when the last tree is cut down, the Lorax goes too, leaving behind a rock with the word 'unless' marked on it, signifying that unless people care enough, the situation will not get better.
Fun Fact: The story of the Lorax offended people involved with the occupation of logging. In return, they created their own book called The Truax, showing their point of view.
The Grinch
The Grinch is the antagonist of the books 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas' and 'The Grinch Meets his Max'. He has a pear-shaped body with a bulging stomach, and long toes and fingers, like the other Whos. He is covered in green hair, and excess fur makes his fingers look longer than usual. While normally his mouth seems small and expressionless, it stretches into an extremely wide smile when he is happy. He also seems to have pockets in the fur over his belly, where he frequently puts his hands. He is a Who in Whoville, who lives on Mount Crumpit away from civilization, with his dog 'Max'. The Grinch is an extremely grouchy character with a poor attitude and a bad temper. He usually visits Whoville only during the holidays, and delights in ruining the fun for everyone else by stealing and hiding the presents or some other mischief. However, he always has a change of heart by the end of the story, to save the day he had ruined in the first place. He is known to be skilled with his hands, as he has built his home and several contraptions by himself. He has a crush on Martha May Who, and hates the Mayor of Whoville who was a bully as a child.
Fun Fact: The Grinch series of books were so popular that the stories were adapted as a television series, and also a movie in which actor Jim Carrey played the role of the Grinch.
Horton the Elephant
Horton is a gray-colored elephant in the books and white in the animated movie. He is known by his wing-shaped ears and round body. He also has a tuft of dark hair on his head. Horton is a character who has a great personality; he is kind, big-hearted, and always honors his commitments, no matter how adverse the situation is or how much ridicule he has to go through, as seen in the books 'Horton Hears a Who!' and 'Horton Hatches the Egg'. In the former, he goes through enormous challenges as he tries to protect the speck which holds Whoville from the other animals, saying, "A person's a person, no matter how small." Through Horton, Geisel subtly expressed his thoughts about the plight of the Japanese after World War Two, and how people like Horton the Elephant should stand up to defend smaller and weaker people.
Fun Fact: Horton's quote "I meant what I said, and I said what I meant; an elephant's faithful one hundred percent", is from the book 'Horton Hatches the Egg'. However, it was used in the movie 'Horton Hears a Who' (2008).
The Cat in the Hat
The Cat in the Hat is a comical character in his books 'The Cat in the Hat' and 'The Cat in the Hat Comes Back'. He is as tall as an average human, slight in build and has a slightly protruding belly. Although his face is always white different versions of the books and movies show his belly to be white, black, or dark gray. He is found to be wearing a red and white striped top hat, white gloves, and a red bow tie. The cat has a unique personality like many characters in books written by Seuss. He is a little eccentric, slightly proud creature who almost seems oblivious to the chaos and carnage created by him. Any trouble caused by him stems from good intentions of trying to cheer up the children in the story. He usually rectifies all his mistakes by the end, which might lead readers to think that he could be kind-hearted in nature.
Fun Fact: The Cat in the Hat was written by Dr. Seuss because he felt that the reading material for young readers at the time was super boring.
Thing 1 and Thing 2
These are two characters in 'The Cat in the Hat' book. Thing 1 and Thing 2 are mischievous sidekicks to the cat in the tale. They are brought out of a box by the cat, to help the children to clear up the mess in the house. Instead, the Things fly kites and create more chaos and confusion by knocking down everything in their path. Their rampage is only stopped when a boy named Conrad catches them with a net, after which the cat puts them back in the box. Thing 1 and Thing 2 wear orange-colored jumpsuits, which have the logos 'Thing 1' and 'Thing 2', respectively. They also have large manes of bright-blue hair, and constant expressions of mischief on their faces.
Fun Fact: Thing 1 and Thing 2 were very popular, so much so that they have their own merchandise and attractions at Disney World.
Sam-I-Am
This character is the protagonist of the book 'Green Eggs and Ham'. He can be recognized as a thin, white cat, who has no ears or tail. He wears a red hat and a yellow shirt which comes to his knees. He does not wear shoes or pants. He is seen to be a persistent and persuasive character, who repeatedly tries to convince his unnamed fellow character to eat a plate of green eggs and ham, and ultimately succeeds, without losing his patience or temper despite so many failures. He was created by Seuss to encourage the thought of trying new things in life, and to not always stick to something just because it is familiar.
Fun Fact: Seuss wrote this book after a wager with his publisher to write a book using only 50 words from a particular list.
Gerald McGrew
Gerald is the lead character of the book 'If I Ran the Zoo'. The boy wears a red zoo keeper hat, a white shirt, a black coat, a red tie, and a pair of pinstriped trousers. He is an imaginative kid who thinks about the things that he would do if he owned the zoo. His personality might indicate that he does not like anything that is ordinary or regular. His plans for the zoo include setting all the existing animals free, because they are apparently 'not good enough' for him. Instead, he would catch and bring in some really bizarre and exotic varieties, such as a ten-legged lion, an elephant cat, Bippo-no Bungus, etc. Although, these thoughts can also mean that Gerald is a dreamer, and a boastful one at that.
Fun Fact: 'If I Ran the Zoo' is the first known piece of literature which uses the word 'nerd'.
Yertle the Turtle
In the book 'Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories', Yertle is the antagonist of the tale. He is a blue-shelled turtle with a tuft of black hair on his head, who is substantially larger than the others in the pond. He is a dictatorial king, whose insatiable desire to see and rule more than he has causes pain and suffering for his followers. He orders the other turtles to stack themselves under him, so that he can see farther and rule over all he can see. When a small turtle named 'Mack', who is at the very bottom of the turtle pile, asks for some rest, Yertle just snaps at him and instead adds more turtles to his throne. However, when Yertle aims to go higher than the moon, Mack gets fed up and burps, causing the king to fall from his perch into the mud, ending his rule and freeing the other turtles.
Fun Fact: Although the story had political overtones of comparing Yertle to Adolf Hitler, the publishers had more of a problem with the burping of Mack, as the word 'burp' had never been used in a children's book before.
The Sneetches
This group of characters are a species of yellow bird-like creatures. They have tufts of black hair on their heads, and rings of hair around their long necks. They also have a white-feathered collar, where the necks join rotund bodies. Some of the Sneetches have green stars on their bellies, while others don't. The ones with stars consider themselves to be superior, and hence, exclude the starless Sneetches from all the activities in the group. However, when a trickster called Sylvester McMonkey McBean promises to attach or remove stars for a price, confusion reigns. In the end, with all their money spent, the Sneetches realize that all of them are the same, regardless of the stars, so they bond together and live happily ever after.
Fun Fact: Contrary to common belief, this story is more about discrimination through possession of objects or money, rather than looks and appearance. Dr. Seuss felt that all kinds of discrimination are equally bad.
Old Man From the Desert of Drize
Wearing a long sky-blue robe and a golden necklace, the old man is partially bald with a little white hair and mustache. He sits on a prickly cactus of the desert, and advises a sad young boy called 'Duckie' to put aside his worries, because he is luckier than many other people in the world. He proceeds to tell the sad, but hilarious stories of these unfortunate people to the boy, and tries his best to cheer him up. He is the epitome of the thought, 'to be happy and grateful for what one has, rather than being sad for what one doesn't have.'
Fun Fact: The book 'Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are?' has been published as an app in iOS and Android platforms.
Here are some of his other characters which definitely merit a mention in a list form.
The Once-ler
Cindy Lou Who
Citizens of Whoville
Sally
The Zax
The Fish
Gertrude McFuzz
Sour Kangaroo
Max
The Once-ler's Family
Mayzie
Conrad
Vlad Vladikoff
Guy in the Hat
The Wickershams
Elephant Bird
Zizzer-Zazzer-Zuzz
Sylvester McMonkey McBean
Mr. Knox
Bippo-No-Bungus
Fox in Socks
Gerald McBoing-Boing
Thidwick
Icabod and Izzy
Rosy Robin Ross
Bartholomew Cubbins
Foona-Lagoona Baboona
The Singing Thing
Jill-ikka-Jast
Yolanda Yorgenson
The Vipper of Vipp
Mr. Brown
Ziggy Zozzfozzel
Yop
The Wet Pet
The Birthday Bird
Ruffle-Necked Sala-ma-goox
The Boy with a Wocket in His Pocket
The Bumble-Tub Club
Ying
Duck Dog
Benjamin B. Bicklebaum
Waldo Woo
Flannel-Wing Jay
Zanzibar Buck Buck McFate
Flummox
Fritz
King Derwin
Marvin K. Mooney
The Nook
Peter T. Hooper
Conrad Cornelius o'Donaldo' Dell
Fred the Dog
The Dawf
King Birtram
The Bolster
Blogg
Ned
The Bombastic Aghast
Gox
Miss Fuddle-Dee Duddle
Glotz
Gack
Zans
Colliding-collusion Racer
Zizzy Zozzfozzel
Hooey the Parrot
The Foot Guy
Beagle-beaked Bald-headed Grinch
Mr. Sneelock
Goo Goose
Liz Hooper
Chippendale Mupp
Organ-McOrgan-McGurkus
Mack the Turtle
Pup the Puppy
Pop the Bear
Happy Hunch
Eric
Traveling Bass Player
Marco
Doorman of Solla Sollew
Morris McGurk
Traveling Tuba Player
Theodore Seuss Geisel published 44 books, with a huge number of weird and amusing characters. His bestsellers include Green Eggs and Ham, Hop on Pop, The Cat in the Hat, The Lorax, One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins, Horton Hears a Who!, Fox in Socks, The King's Stilts, Thidwick the Big-Hearted Moose, How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, and Horton Hatches the Egg.
Let's have a look at the most famous Dr. Seuss Characters, followed by a list of all the other characters that he created in his lifetime.
The Lorax
The Lorax is an extremely popular character, and is the protagonist of the book with the same name. He is a creature of short stature, with brownish orange mossy fur and an enormous mustache. He is said to have a sharp and bossy voice. Dr. Seuss created this character to express his views on preventing pollution and saving the environment, and as such, the story depicts the Lorax as a representative of the beautiful Truffula trees, who are victims to the greed of the industrialist named the Once-ler. He repeatedly warns and informs the Once-ler about the effects of his rampant destruction of the Truffula trees, until one by one, all the wild creatures such as the Brown Barbaloots, Swomee-Swans, and the Humming Fish leave to find new pastures. Finally, when the last tree is cut down, the Lorax goes too, leaving behind a rock with the word 'unless' marked on it, signifying that unless people care enough, the situation will not get better.
Fun Fact: The story of the Lorax offended people involved with the occupation of logging. In return, they created their own book called The Truax, showing their point of view.
The Grinch
The Grinch is the antagonist of the books 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas' and 'The Grinch Meets his Max'. He has a pear-shaped body with a bulging stomach, and long toes and fingers, like the other Whos. He is covered in green hair, and excess fur makes his fingers look longer than usual. While normally his mouth seems small and expressionless, it stretches into an extremely wide smile when he is happy. He also seems to have pockets in the fur over his belly, where he frequently puts his hands. He is a Who in Whoville, who lives on Mount Crumpit away from civilization, with his dog 'Max'. The Grinch is an extremely grouchy character with a poor attitude and a bad temper. He usually visits Whoville only during the holidays, and delights in ruining the fun for everyone else by stealing and hiding the presents or some other mischief. However, he always has a change of heart by the end of the story, to save the day he had ruined in the first place. He is known to be skilled with his hands, as he has built his home and several contraptions by himself. He has a crush on Martha May Who, and hates the Mayor of Whoville who was a bully as a child.
Fun Fact: The Grinch series of books were so popular that the stories were adapted as a television series, and also a movie in which actor Jim Carrey played the role of the Grinch.
Horton the Elephant
Horton is a gray-colored elephant in the books and white in the animated movie. He is known by his wing-shaped ears and round body. He also has a tuft of dark hair on his head. Horton is a character who has a great personality; he is kind, big-hearted, and always honors his commitments, no matter how adverse the situation is or how much ridicule he has to go through, as seen in the books 'Horton Hears a Who!' and 'Horton Hatches the Egg'. In the former, he goes through enormous challenges as he tries to protect the speck which holds Whoville from the other animals, saying, "A person's a person, no matter how small." Through Horton, Geisel subtly expressed his thoughts about the plight of the Japanese after World War Two, and how people like Horton the Elephant should stand up to defend smaller and weaker people.
Fun Fact: Horton's quote "I meant what I said, and I said what I meant; an elephant's faithful one hundred percent", is from the book 'Horton Hatches the Egg'. However, it was used in the movie 'Horton Hears a Who' (2008).
The Cat in the Hat
The Cat in the Hat is a comical character in his books 'The Cat in the Hat' and 'The Cat in the Hat Comes Back'. He is as tall as an average human, slight in build and has a slightly protruding belly. Although his face is always white different versions of the books and movies show his belly to be white, black, or dark gray. He is found to be wearing a red and white striped top hat, white gloves, and a red bow tie. The cat has a unique personality like many characters in books written by Seuss. He is a little eccentric, slightly proud creature who almost seems oblivious to the chaos and carnage created by him. Any trouble caused by him stems from good intentions of trying to cheer up the children in the story. He usually rectifies all his mistakes by the end, which might lead readers to think that he could be kind-hearted in nature.
Fun Fact: The Cat in the Hat was written by Dr. Seuss because he felt that the reading material for young readers at the time was super boring.
Thing 1 and Thing 2
These are two characters in 'The Cat in the Hat' book. Thing 1 and Thing 2 are mischievous sidekicks to the cat in the tale. They are brought out of a box by the cat, to help the children to clear up the mess in the house. Instead, the Things fly kites and create more chaos and confusion by knocking down everything in their path. Their rampage is only stopped when a boy named Conrad catches them with a net, after which the cat puts them back in the box. Thing 1 and Thing 2 wear orange-colored jumpsuits, which have the logos 'Thing 1' and 'Thing 2', respectively. They also have large manes of bright-blue hair, and constant expressions of mischief on their faces.
Fun Fact: Thing 1 and Thing 2 were very popular, so much so that they have their own merchandise and attractions at Disney World.
Sam-I-Am
This character is the protagonist of the book 'Green Eggs and Ham'. He can be recognized as a thin, white cat, who has no ears or tail. He wears a red hat and a yellow shirt which comes to his knees. He does not wear shoes or pants. He is seen to be a persistent and persuasive character, who repeatedly tries to convince his unnamed fellow character to eat a plate of green eggs and ham, and ultimately succeeds, without losing his patience or temper despite so many failures. He was created by Seuss to encourage the thought of trying new things in life, and to not always stick to something just because it is familiar.
Fun Fact: Seuss wrote this book after a wager with his publisher to write a book using only 50 words from a particular list.
Gerald McGrew
Gerald is the lead character of the book 'If I Ran the Zoo'. The boy wears a red zoo keeper hat, a white shirt, a black coat, a red tie, and a pair of pinstriped trousers. He is an imaginative kid who thinks about the things that he would do if he owned the zoo. His personality might indicate that he does not like anything that is ordinary or regular. His plans for the zoo include setting all the existing animals free, because they are apparently 'not good enough' for him. Instead, he would catch and bring in some really bizarre and exotic varieties, such as a ten-legged lion, an elephant cat, Bippo-no Bungus, etc. Although, these thoughts can also mean that Gerald is a dreamer, and a boastful one at that.
Fun Fact: 'If I Ran the Zoo' is the first known piece of literature which uses the word 'nerd'.
Yertle the Turtle
In the book 'Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories', Yertle is the antagonist of the tale. He is a blue-shelled turtle with a tuft of black hair on his head, who is substantially larger than the others in the pond. He is a dictatorial king, whose insatiable desire to see and rule more than he has causes pain and suffering for his followers. He orders the other turtles to stack themselves under him, so that he can see farther and rule over all he can see. When a small turtle named 'Mack', who is at the very bottom of the turtle pile, asks for some rest, Yertle just snaps at him and instead adds more turtles to his throne. However, when Yertle aims to go higher than the moon, Mack gets fed up and burps, causing the king to fall from his perch into the mud, ending his rule and freeing the other turtles.
Fun Fact: Although the story had political overtones of comparing Yertle to Adolf Hitler, the publishers had more of a problem with the burping of Mack, as the word 'burp' had never been used in a children's book before.
The Sneetches
This group of characters are a species of yellow bird-like creatures. They have tufts of black hair on their heads, and rings of hair around their long necks. They also have a white-feathered collar, where the necks join rotund bodies. Some of the Sneetches have green stars on their bellies, while others don't. The ones with stars consider themselves to be superior, and hence, exclude the starless Sneetches from all the activities in the group. However, when a trickster called Sylvester McMonkey McBean promises to attach or remove stars for a price, confusion reigns. In the end, with all their money spent, the Sneetches realize that all of them are the same, regardless of the stars, so they bond together and live happily ever after.
Fun Fact: Contrary to common belief, this story is more about discrimination through possession of objects or money, rather than looks and appearance. Dr. Seuss felt that all kinds of discrimination are equally bad.
Old Man From the Desert of Drize
Wearing a long sky-blue robe and a golden necklace, the old man is partially bald with a little white hair and mustache. He sits on a prickly cactus of the desert, and advises a sad young boy called 'Duckie' to put aside his worries, because he is luckier than many other people in the world. He proceeds to tell the sad, but hilarious stories of these unfortunate people to the boy, and tries his best to cheer him up. He is the epitome of the thought, 'to be happy and grateful for what one has, rather than being sad for what one doesn't have.'
Fun Fact: The book 'Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are?' has been published as an app in iOS and Android platforms.
Here are some of his other characters which definitely merit a mention in a list form.
The Once-ler
Cindy Lou Who
Citizens of Whoville
Sally
The Zax
The Fish
Gertrude McFuzz
Sour Kangaroo
Max
The Once-ler's Family
Mayzie
Conrad
Vlad Vladikoff
Guy in the Hat
The Wickershams
Elephant Bird
Zizzer-Zazzer-Zuzz
Sylvester McMonkey McBean
Mr. Knox
Bippo-No-Bungus
Fox in Socks
Gerald McBoing-Boing
Thidwick
Icabod and Izzy
Rosy Robin Ross
Bartholomew Cubbins
Foona-Lagoona Baboona
The Singing Thing
Jill-ikka-Jast
Yolanda Yorgenson
The Vipper of Vipp
Mr. Brown
Ziggy Zozzfozzel
Yop
The Wet Pet
The Birthday Bird
Ruffle-Necked Sala-ma-goox
The Boy with a Wocket in His Pocket
The Bumble-Tub Club
Ying
Duck Dog
Benjamin B. Bicklebaum
Waldo Woo
Flannel-Wing Jay
Zanzibar Buck Buck McFate
Flummox
Fritz
King Derwin
Marvin K. Mooney
The Nook
Peter T. Hooper
Conrad Cornelius o'Donaldo' Dell
Fred the Dog
The Dawf
King Birtram
The Bolster
Blogg
Ned
The Bombastic Aghast
Gox
Miss Fuddle-Dee Duddle
Glotz
Gack
Zans
Colliding-collusion Racer
Zizzy Zozzfozzel
Hooey the Parrot
The Foot Guy
Beagle-beaked Bald-headed Grinch
Mr. Sneelock
Goo Goose
Liz Hooper
Chippendale Mupp
Organ-McOrgan-McGurkus
Mack the Turtle
Pup the Puppy
Pop the Bear
Happy Hunch
Eric
Traveling Bass Player
Marco
Doorman of Solla Sollew
Morris McGurk
Traveling Tuba Player
Theodore Seuss Geisel published 44 books, with a huge number of weird and amusing characters. His bestsellers include Green Eggs and Ham, Hop on Pop, The Cat in the Hat, The Lorax, One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins, Horton Hears a Who!, Fox in Socks, The King's Stilts, Thidwick the Big-Hearted Moose, How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, and Horton Hatches the Egg.
Remarkable Quotes from The Great Gatsby
Nothing encapsulated the OTT exuberance of the Roaring Twenties quite like F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic, The Great Gatsby. This Buzzle article is not just a compilation of some wonderful quotes from the novel, but an ode of sorts to the fine authorship of the master himself.
Did You Know?
F. Scott Fitzgerald began working on this concept in 1923, but discarded much of his earlier material, which made its way into one of his short stories. Also, even though Gatsby is considered to be a quintessential American story, Fitzgerald wrote it while he was living in France.
Baz Luhrmann's opulent outing in last summer's The Great Gatsby is probably the only interaction that most youngsters had with this literary classic. While the merits of the movie can be dissected another day, the real hero of this story remains Fitzgerald's unfettered and sublime prose. Delicate, heart-wrenching, and vividly honest to the core, the narrative of the novel is its soul. Fitzgerald weaved a wonderful tale of heartbreak against the backdrop of the Roaring Twenties―a time when priorities bent towards the practical, and wealth always scored over love.
The novel's narrator, Nick Carraway is a young man from Minnesota goes to New York to build his life, after being educated at Yale and fighting in World War I. Nick is Daisy Buchanan's cousin, and is instrumental in rekindling the romance between her and Jay Gatsby. The Great Gatsby is told entirely through Nick's eyes; his thoughts and perceptions mold and paint the story.
Quotes from The Great Gatsby
Nick Carraway
"I am still a little afraid of missing something if I forget that, as my father snobbishly suggested, and I snobbishly repeat, a sense of the fundamental decencies is parceled out unequally at birth."
"When I came back from the East last autumn I felt that I wanted the world to be in uniform and at a sort of moral attention forever; I wanted no more riotous excursions with privileged glimpses into the human heart. Only Gatsby, the man who gives his name to this book, was exempt from my reaction―Gatsby, who represented everything for which I have an unaffected scorn."
"He hadn't once ceased looking at Daisy, and I think he revalued everything in his house according to the measure of response it drew from her well-loved eyes. Sometimes, too, he stared around at his possessions in a dazed way, as though in her actual and astounding presence none of it was any longer real. Once he nearly toppled down a flight of stairs."
"And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer."
"There are only the pursued, the pursuing, the busy, and the tired."
Gatsby quote about loneliness
"I was within and without, simultaneously enchanted and repelled by the inexhaustible variety of life."
"In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I've been turning over in my mind ever since.
"Whenever you feel like criticizing any one," he told me, "just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had."
"It's a great advantage not to drink among hard drinking people. You can hold your tongue, and, moreover, you can time any little irregularity of your own so that everybody else is so blind that they don't see or care."
"So we drove on toward death through the cooling twilight."
"His heart beat faster and faster as Daisy's white face came up to his own. He knew that when he kissed this girl, and forever wed his unutterable visions to her perishable breath, his mind would never romp again like the mind of God. So he waited, listening for a moment longer to the tuning-fork that had been struck upon a star. Then he kissed her. At his lips' touch she blossomed like a flower and the incarnation was complete."
"Every one suspects himself of at least one of the cardinal virtues, and this is mine: I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known."
"The exhilarating ripple of her voice was a wild tonic in the rain."
"Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgiastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that's no matter―tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther.... And one fine morning―So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."
"For a moment the last sunshine fell with romantic affection upon her glowing face; her voice compelled me forward breathlessly as I listened - then the glow faded, each light deserting her with lingering regret, like children leaving a pleasant street at dusk."
"The city seen from the Queensboro Bridge is always the city seen for the first time, in its first wild promise of all the mystery and the beauty in the world."
Gatsby quote about New York
"His dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it. He did not know that it was already behind him."
"A stirring warmth flowed from her, as if her heart was trying to come out to you concealed in one of those breathless, thrilling words."
"They were careless people, Tom and Daisy―they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made."
"Dishonesty in a woman is a thing you never blame deeply."
Daisy Buchanan
"I hope she'll be a fool―that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool."
"Ah," she cried, "you look so cool."
Their eyes met, and they stared together at each other, alone in space. With an effort she glanced down at the table.
You always look so cool," she repeated.
"Do you ever wait for the longest day of the year and then miss it? I always wait for the longest day of the year and then miss it!"
"It makes me sad because I've never seen such―such beautiful shirts before."
Jordan Baker
"And I like large parties. They're so intimate. At small parties there isn't any privacy."
Gatsby quote about life
"Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall."
"They'll keep out of my way," she insisted. "It takes two to make an accident."
Meyer Wolfsheim
"Let us learn to show our friendship for a man when he is alive and not after he is dead."
The Owl-Eyed Man
"I've been drunk for about a week now, and I thought it might sober me up to sit in a library."
Jay Gatsby
"And what's more, I love Daisy too. Once in a while I go off on a spree and make a fool of myself, but I always come back, and in my heart I love her all the time."
If Baz Luhrmann's Gatsby is the only one you're acquainted with, these words should have provided enough juice to reach out for Fitzgerald's original―read it and be mesmerized.
F. Scott Fitzgerald began working on this concept in 1923, but discarded much of his earlier material, which made its way into one of his short stories. Also, even though Gatsby is considered to be a quintessential American story, Fitzgerald wrote it while he was living in France.
Baz Luhrmann's opulent outing in last summer's The Great Gatsby is probably the only interaction that most youngsters had with this literary classic. While the merits of the movie can be dissected another day, the real hero of this story remains Fitzgerald's unfettered and sublime prose. Delicate, heart-wrenching, and vividly honest to the core, the narrative of the novel is its soul. Fitzgerald weaved a wonderful tale of heartbreak against the backdrop of the Roaring Twenties―a time when priorities bent towards the practical, and wealth always scored over love.
The novel's narrator, Nick Carraway is a young man from Minnesota goes to New York to build his life, after being educated at Yale and fighting in World War I. Nick is Daisy Buchanan's cousin, and is instrumental in rekindling the romance between her and Jay Gatsby. The Great Gatsby is told entirely through Nick's eyes; his thoughts and perceptions mold and paint the story.
Quotes from The Great Gatsby
Nick Carraway
"I am still a little afraid of missing something if I forget that, as my father snobbishly suggested, and I snobbishly repeat, a sense of the fundamental decencies is parceled out unequally at birth."
"When I came back from the East last autumn I felt that I wanted the world to be in uniform and at a sort of moral attention forever; I wanted no more riotous excursions with privileged glimpses into the human heart. Only Gatsby, the man who gives his name to this book, was exempt from my reaction―Gatsby, who represented everything for which I have an unaffected scorn."
"He hadn't once ceased looking at Daisy, and I think he revalued everything in his house according to the measure of response it drew from her well-loved eyes. Sometimes, too, he stared around at his possessions in a dazed way, as though in her actual and astounding presence none of it was any longer real. Once he nearly toppled down a flight of stairs."
"And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer."
"There are only the pursued, the pursuing, the busy, and the tired."
Gatsby quote about loneliness
"I was within and without, simultaneously enchanted and repelled by the inexhaustible variety of life."
"In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I've been turning over in my mind ever since.
"Whenever you feel like criticizing any one," he told me, "just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had."
"It's a great advantage not to drink among hard drinking people. You can hold your tongue, and, moreover, you can time any little irregularity of your own so that everybody else is so blind that they don't see or care."
"So we drove on toward death through the cooling twilight."
"His heart beat faster and faster as Daisy's white face came up to his own. He knew that when he kissed this girl, and forever wed his unutterable visions to her perishable breath, his mind would never romp again like the mind of God. So he waited, listening for a moment longer to the tuning-fork that had been struck upon a star. Then he kissed her. At his lips' touch she blossomed like a flower and the incarnation was complete."
"Every one suspects himself of at least one of the cardinal virtues, and this is mine: I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known."
"The exhilarating ripple of her voice was a wild tonic in the rain."
"Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgiastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that's no matter―tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther.... And one fine morning―So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."
"For a moment the last sunshine fell with romantic affection upon her glowing face; her voice compelled me forward breathlessly as I listened - then the glow faded, each light deserting her with lingering regret, like children leaving a pleasant street at dusk."
"The city seen from the Queensboro Bridge is always the city seen for the first time, in its first wild promise of all the mystery and the beauty in the world."
Gatsby quote about New York
"His dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it. He did not know that it was already behind him."
"A stirring warmth flowed from her, as if her heart was trying to come out to you concealed in one of those breathless, thrilling words."
"They were careless people, Tom and Daisy―they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made."
"Dishonesty in a woman is a thing you never blame deeply."
Daisy Buchanan
"I hope she'll be a fool―that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool."
"Ah," she cried, "you look so cool."
Their eyes met, and they stared together at each other, alone in space. With an effort she glanced down at the table.
You always look so cool," she repeated.
"Do you ever wait for the longest day of the year and then miss it? I always wait for the longest day of the year and then miss it!"
"It makes me sad because I've never seen such―such beautiful shirts before."
Jordan Baker
"And I like large parties. They're so intimate. At small parties there isn't any privacy."
Gatsby quote about life
"Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall."
"They'll keep out of my way," she insisted. "It takes two to make an accident."
Meyer Wolfsheim
"Let us learn to show our friendship for a man when he is alive and not after he is dead."
The Owl-Eyed Man
"I've been drunk for about a week now, and I thought it might sober me up to sit in a library."
Jay Gatsby
"And what's more, I love Daisy too. Once in a while I go off on a spree and make a fool of myself, but I always come back, and in my heart I love her all the time."
If Baz Luhrmann's Gatsby is the only one you're acquainted with, these words should have provided enough juice to reach out for Fitzgerald's original―read it and be mesmerized.
Oxymoron Quotes
What we have for you here is a compilation of some oxymoron quotes from some of the most famous people in the world. These will make the concept easier for you to understand. Also, some of these quotes guarantee to leave you in splits, so don't miss them.Nothings sums up this figure of speech better than this quote by Thomas Gibbons, the renowned British writer. Oxymoron brings two words with contradictory meanings together, the end result of which is a phrase which is inadvertently funny ... in most cases. Some of the best examples of oxymoron are act naturally, clearly confused, known secret, and small crowd.
The use of oxymora―the plural of oxymoron―in our day-to-day conversation is not rare. In fact, if you have a keen ear for this figure of speech, you will notice some hilarious things people say―not just the people around you, but some prominent personalities as well―intentionally or unintentionally.
Famous Oxymoron Quotes
Though not all, most of the quotes containing oxymoron examples are hilarious to the core. While Parting is such sweet sorrow., one of the famous quotes from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, may not leave you in splits, Yogi Berra's Nobody goes to Miami in the Winter. It's too crowded. surely will. Given below are a few quotes, some of which are very funny and some ... not so funny.
A joke is a very serious thing. ― Winston Churchill
Hegel was right when he said that we learn from history that man can never learn anything from history. ― George Bernard Shaw
Oxymoron quotes - Oscar Wilde
I can resist anything, except temptation. ― Oscar Wilde
Simplicity is not a simple thing. ― Charles Chaplin
I love humanity, but I hate people. ― Edna St. Vincent Millay
Always and never are two words you should always remember never to use. ― Wendell Johnson
Oxymoron quotes - W. C. Fields
The best cure for insomnia is to get a lot of sleep. ― W.C. Fields
Always be sincere, even when you don't mean it. ― Irene Peter
Responsible Drinking? Now that's an Oxymoron. ― Aaron Howard
If I could drop dead right now, I'd be the happiest man alive. ― Samuel Goldwyn
Oxymoron quotes - Samuel Goldwyn
I never liked you, and I always will. ― Samuel Goldwyn
The building was pretty ugly and a little big for its surroundings. ― Steinbeck
I find nothing more depressing than optimism. ― Paul Fussell
If you fall and break your legs, don't come running to me. ― Samuel Goldwyn
Oxymoron quotes - Mark Twain
The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco. ― Mark Twain
To lead the people, walk behind them. ― Lao-Tzu
I take it that a successful therapy is an oxymoron. ― Harold Bloom
I am a deeply superficial person. ― Andy Warhol
Oxymoron quotes - Anonymous
I keep telling myself that I am a pathological liar, but I am not sure if I believe it. ― Anonymous
I always advise people never to give advice. ― P.G. Wodehouse
First, I have the privilege of being Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee. It is not an oxymoron I assure you. ― Pat Roberts
Best Autobiographies and Biographies Everyone Should Read
A biography is an account of an individual's life presented by someone other than the subject, whereas an autobiography is written by the subject himself. This Buzzle article compiles a list of the best-selling autobiographies and biographies of all time.
A biography is an account of an individual's life presented by someone other than the subject, whereas an autobiography is written by the subject himself. This Buzzle article compiles a list of the best-selling autobiographies and biographies of all time.
The history of mankind has seen some of the most influential people
in various areas, and reading their autobiographies and biographies can
benefit you in innumerable ways. Not only are they immensely
inspirational, but they also help you change your outlook towards life.
The stories of these people, who have struggled and striven for success,
motivate the readers to follow their dreams. Unlike fiction, these
books give readers the satisfaction of actually being inside the
subject's life, and relive the events that have happened for real.
Autobiographies and biographies of those who are pioneers in their field
act as guides to those who intend to get into those areas. On the other
hand, those people who faced a lot of hardships due to their mistakes
in life help the readers to learn their lessons. Some of the most famous
biographies and autobiographies are those about famous politicians,
authors, historical figures, and celebrities.
BEST-SELLING AUTOBIOGRAPHIES
Long Walk to Freedom
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela (July 18, 1918 - December 5, 2013) was the first black president of South Africa who served from 1994 to 1999. He was an anti-apartheid revolutionary who brought an end to apartheid in South Africa. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 for his contribution to global peacemaking. Mandela, who was the president of the African National Congress in 1940, fought for racial equality through various protests and armed resistance. This resulted in his imprisonment on the Robben Island for nearly three decades. Long Walk to Freedom is the story of his triumph after a series of setbacks. It takes us through his heartwarming journey from being the son of a tribal chief to being the President of his country. Apart from the story itself, the quotes and passages in the book are intensely inspirational. For example, the book ends beautifully with, "But I can rest only for a moment, for with freedom come responsibilities, and I dare not linger, for my long walk is not yet ended."
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou (April 4, 1928 - May 28, 2014), an African-American, was an award-winning author, poet, dancer, actress, and singer. She played an important role in the Civil Rights Movement in the United States and worked with Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X. During her lifetime, she published seven autobiographies and an enormous collection of essays and poetry. She received a number of awards and nearly 50 honorary degrees for her contribution to the fields of literature and entertainment. She became a writer after trying her hand at several occupations like a fry cook, prostitute, and a nightclub dancer. The first out of her seven autobiographies, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, portrays her life from the age of three to seventeen. It tells the touching story of how she was raped at the age of eight, had to deal with its consequences, and how she later learned to love herself, as well as others. It also portrays the beautiful relationship that she shared with her brother, Bailey, after being abandoned by their parents twice. In all, the book talks about her fight against sexual abuse, racial prejudice, prostitution, violence, and an unwanted pregnancy.
The Story of My Experiments With Truth
Mahatma Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi (2 October 1869 - 30 January 1948) was an Indian leader who played a very important role in the fight for India's freedom, from the British rule. His non-violent civil disobedience movement ultimately led to India's independence in 1947, and also influenced several movements for civil rights across the world. Gandhi, who had studied law in London, fought for people's rights in both South Africa (where he worked as a legal representative for the Muslim Indian Traders) as well as India. He led nationwide movements to expand women's rights, eradicating untouchability and other socio-economic issues. He also opposed child marriages, sati, and purdah system in India. In My Experiments with Truth, Gandhi narrates the story of his childhood, his life in London and South Africa, the Indian independence movement, and how he used non-violence as a weapon against the Britishers.
The Story of My Life
Helen Keller
Helen Keller (June 27, 1880 - June 1, 1968), born in Tuscumbia, Alabama, was an American author, lecturer, political activist, and co-founder of the American Civil Liberties Union. During her lifetime, she fought for various causes like women's suffrage and labor rights as a member of the Socialist Party of America and the Industrial Workers of the World. She was the first deaf and blind person to have ever earned a Bachelor's degree. When she was just 2 years old, she had contracted a fever, which later left her deaf and blind. At the age of 7, she started learning from Anne Sullivan who was appointed as her tutor by her parents. She was a quick learner and began to speak by the age of 10. At 20, she got into Radcliffe College where she compiled her struggles into her autobiography The Story of My Life. Apart from the efforts that she had to take to reawaken her ability to speak, the book focuses on her relationship with Miss Sullivan and how she persuaded Helen to write.
The Diary of a Young Girl
Anne Frank
Anne Frank (June 12, 1929 - early March 1945) was a writer who was a victim of Nazi brutality during the World War II. She was one of the million Jewish children who died in the Holocaust. Anne was born in Frankfurt, Germany and lived in Amsterdam with her family during the war. However, to escape from the increasing persecution of the Jews, the family went into hiding in Amsterdam for two years. It was then that Frank penned down her experiences in her diary, which was posthumously released as The Diary of a Young Girl in 1947. This book is the story of her life from June 12, 1942 until August 1, 1944, and describes the events of the war in detail. It is a representation of how other Jewish families lived and coped during the war. The autobiography has been translated into almost 70 languages so far.
Dreams From My Father
Barack Obama
Barack Obama was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, on August 4, 1961. He is the 44th and current president of the United States, and the first African-American to serve as the US president. He is a Columbia University and Harvard Law School graduate who was a civil rights lawyer and teacher before pursuing a political career. He was elected to the Illinois State Senate in 1996, serving from 1997 to 2004. After being sworn to presidency on November 4, 2008, he won a second term in 2012. Dreams From My Father, published in 2004, describes Obama's journey from his childhood in Hawaii and Indonesia, his life and community work in Chicago, and his journey to meet his father's family in Kenya. He also recalls how he came to terms with his father's death, and how it was to be raised by his white grandparents. It gives an overview of American race relations, from the perspective of someone who belongs to both the worlds. In 2011, the Time Magazine listed the book on its top 100 non-fiction books written in English since 1923.
Other Autobiographies to Read
It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life - Lance Armstrong
Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China - Jung Chang
Eat, Pray, Love - Elizabeth Gilbert
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin - Benjamin Franklin
Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life - Steve Martin
I Am Malala - Malala Yousafzai
Losing My Virginity - Richard Branson
Mother Teresa: In My Own Words - Mother Teresa
My Story - Marilyn Monroe, Ben Hecht, Joshua Green
Mein Kampf - Adolf Hitler
BEST-SELLING BIOGRAPHIES
Steve Jobs
Walter Isaacson
The authorized biography of Steve Jobs, Steve Jobs was published by Walter Issacson in 2011. Jobs was an American entrepreneur, co-founder, and the CEO of Apple Inc. It is the story of Steve Jobs' rise from being a college dropout to one of the most sensational entrepreneurs of the 20th century. It takes us into his journey from finding the NeXT, Inc. to the return of Apple, through a series of interviews with him, his family, friends, and colleagues. The book is one of the best reads mainly because of Issacson's narrative way of writing. The book is an engaging story of Job's life instead of a listing of facts and figures. Although the writer seems to be positively biased to Jobs, it hasn't stopped him from exploring his darker side. The presentation of both the sides lets the reader search for his own opinion about the icon. The book is currently running under the title iSteve: The Book of Jobs.
Diana: Her True Story
Andrew Morton
In Diana: Her True Story, Morton has examined Diana's life through her own words. The book is a compilation of her personal recollection of her years at school and personal memories. Written with the cooperation of her family and friends, the book presents facts about Princess Diana and her royal marriage. In the 1992 edition (after Diana's death), Morton included the transcriptions of Diana's answers to Morton's questions, which she had recorded secretly. The most interesting part of the book is the author's note, where he admits having smuggled the list of questions to Diana, who would smuggle her recorded answers back to him. The book also includes some of the unseen photographs of the royal family. Other interesting biographies of Diana include Diana by Sarah Bradford, Diana: Story of a Princess by Tim Clayton and Phil Craig, and The Diana Chronicles by Tina Brown.
Walt Disney
Neal Gabler
Walt Disney (December 5, 1901 - December 15, 1966) was an American animator, producer, director, and voice artist. He is famous as the founder of cartoon films and more importantly, as the creator of Disneyland. He created various fictional characters including Mickey Mouse, Goofy, and Donald Duck. Disney completely transformed the world of animation with his feature films like Bambi, Fantasia, Snow White, and Pinocchio. During his lifetime, he received a number of awards for his contribution to the world of entertainment. Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination was published by Neal Gabler in 2006 and describes Disney's journey from being a contributing cartoonist for the school paper to the creator of Disney. Gabler has brilliantly managed to explain why Walt Disney did what he did, and what drove him to build the Disney empire. A must-read biography for all Disney fans!
Enchantment: The Life of Audrey Hepburn
Donald Spoto
Audrey Hepburn (May 4, 1929 - January 20, 1993) was an award-winning actress, fashion model, and humanitarian. After working in a number of British films, she rose to fame with a lead role in Roman Holiday in 1953. She was the most sensational beauties of her time, who had a reputation of being humble and kind. Enchantment: The Life of Audrey Hepburn was published by Donald Spoto in 2006. The biography provides details of her upbringing, struggles during World War II in Nazi Holland, her dancing career, and eventually her rise to stardom. It also discusses her life with UNICEF, and her humanitarian efforts. The book has explored her love life in detail. Her life has been explained in a chronological order, which makes it even easier to follow.
Coco Chanel
Various Authors
Coco Chanel (August 19, 1883 - January 10, 1971) was born in Saumur, France. She was a fashion designer and founder of the Chanel brand who became popular for her signature scent Chanel no. 5, and little black dresses. A lot has been written on the life of this amazing designer and entrepreneur. However, there are four exceptionally well-written biographies of Chanel that are absolute must-reads for all her followers. First is Chanel and Her World: Friends, Fashion, and Fame by her official biographer Edmonde Charles-Roux. First published in 1979, the book, which has a lot of unseen photographs of Chanel, helps us understand her personality a lot better. The second one, Coco Chanel: An Intimate Life, published by Lisa Chaney in 2011, is Chanel's most thoroughly researched biography till date. The book, which focuses on her origins and secret sufferings, also reveals her addiction to drugs, and the truth about her lesbian affairs.
The third biography, Sleeping With The Enemy: Coco Chanel, Nazi Agent is a treat for history lovers. It was published by Hal Vaughan in 2011, and documents her collaboration with Hitler's officials and other activities during the World War II in France. The author tells us how Chanel became a German spy, escaped an arrest in France, and lived in Switzerland for nine years, before returning to Paris and reestablishing her name. It also gives details about her love affair with Baron von Dincklage, a German soldier. The last one on the list is Justine Picardie's Coco Chanel: The Legend and the Life which was published in 2010. The book tells us how Chanel was abandoned as a child and spent her early years in a convent orphanage. The biography covers her strengths as well as weaknesses, and sheds light on the sad truth behind her glamorous life.
Other Biographies to Read
Secrets of the Flesh: A Life of Colette - Judith Thurman
The Zookeeper's Wife - Diane Ackerman
Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. - Ron Chernow
Einstein: His Life and Universe - Walter Isaacson
Cleopatra: A Life - Stacy Schiff
Wild Swans - Jung Chang
Tolstoy - Henri Troyat
Virginia Woolf - Quentin Bell
Oscar Wilde - Richard Ellmann
Michael Jackson: The Magic and the Madness - J. Randy Taraborrelli
Some of them inspire you to follow your dreams, while some of them teach you various lessons. Reading these stories of successful people can change you as a person in more than one way. So, just pick one, get inspired, and make your life's journey a success.
BEST-SELLING AUTOBIOGRAPHIES
Long Walk to Freedom
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela (July 18, 1918 - December 5, 2013) was the first black president of South Africa who served from 1994 to 1999. He was an anti-apartheid revolutionary who brought an end to apartheid in South Africa. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 for his contribution to global peacemaking. Mandela, who was the president of the African National Congress in 1940, fought for racial equality through various protests and armed resistance. This resulted in his imprisonment on the Robben Island for nearly three decades. Long Walk to Freedom is the story of his triumph after a series of setbacks. It takes us through his heartwarming journey from being the son of a tribal chief to being the President of his country. Apart from the story itself, the quotes and passages in the book are intensely inspirational. For example, the book ends beautifully with, "But I can rest only for a moment, for with freedom come responsibilities, and I dare not linger, for my long walk is not yet ended."
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou (April 4, 1928 - May 28, 2014), an African-American, was an award-winning author, poet, dancer, actress, and singer. She played an important role in the Civil Rights Movement in the United States and worked with Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X. During her lifetime, she published seven autobiographies and an enormous collection of essays and poetry. She received a number of awards and nearly 50 honorary degrees for her contribution to the fields of literature and entertainment. She became a writer after trying her hand at several occupations like a fry cook, prostitute, and a nightclub dancer. The first out of her seven autobiographies, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, portrays her life from the age of three to seventeen. It tells the touching story of how she was raped at the age of eight, had to deal with its consequences, and how she later learned to love herself, as well as others. It also portrays the beautiful relationship that she shared with her brother, Bailey, after being abandoned by their parents twice. In all, the book talks about her fight against sexual abuse, racial prejudice, prostitution, violence, and an unwanted pregnancy.
The Story of My Experiments With Truth
Mahatma Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi (2 October 1869 - 30 January 1948) was an Indian leader who played a very important role in the fight for India's freedom, from the British rule. His non-violent civil disobedience movement ultimately led to India's independence in 1947, and also influenced several movements for civil rights across the world. Gandhi, who had studied law in London, fought for people's rights in both South Africa (where he worked as a legal representative for the Muslim Indian Traders) as well as India. He led nationwide movements to expand women's rights, eradicating untouchability and other socio-economic issues. He also opposed child marriages, sati, and purdah system in India. In My Experiments with Truth, Gandhi narrates the story of his childhood, his life in London and South Africa, the Indian independence movement, and how he used non-violence as a weapon against the Britishers.
The Story of My Life
Helen Keller
Helen Keller (June 27, 1880 - June 1, 1968), born in Tuscumbia, Alabama, was an American author, lecturer, political activist, and co-founder of the American Civil Liberties Union. During her lifetime, she fought for various causes like women's suffrage and labor rights as a member of the Socialist Party of America and the Industrial Workers of the World. She was the first deaf and blind person to have ever earned a Bachelor's degree. When she was just 2 years old, she had contracted a fever, which later left her deaf and blind. At the age of 7, she started learning from Anne Sullivan who was appointed as her tutor by her parents. She was a quick learner and began to speak by the age of 10. At 20, she got into Radcliffe College where she compiled her struggles into her autobiography The Story of My Life. Apart from the efforts that she had to take to reawaken her ability to speak, the book focuses on her relationship with Miss Sullivan and how she persuaded Helen to write.
The Diary of a Young Girl
Anne Frank
Anne Frank (June 12, 1929 - early March 1945) was a writer who was a victim of Nazi brutality during the World War II. She was one of the million Jewish children who died in the Holocaust. Anne was born in Frankfurt, Germany and lived in Amsterdam with her family during the war. However, to escape from the increasing persecution of the Jews, the family went into hiding in Amsterdam for two years. It was then that Frank penned down her experiences in her diary, which was posthumously released as The Diary of a Young Girl in 1947. This book is the story of her life from June 12, 1942 until August 1, 1944, and describes the events of the war in detail. It is a representation of how other Jewish families lived and coped during the war. The autobiography has been translated into almost 70 languages so far.
Dreams From My Father
Barack Obama
Barack Obama was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, on August 4, 1961. He is the 44th and current president of the United States, and the first African-American to serve as the US president. He is a Columbia University and Harvard Law School graduate who was a civil rights lawyer and teacher before pursuing a political career. He was elected to the Illinois State Senate in 1996, serving from 1997 to 2004. After being sworn to presidency on November 4, 2008, he won a second term in 2012. Dreams From My Father, published in 2004, describes Obama's journey from his childhood in Hawaii and Indonesia, his life and community work in Chicago, and his journey to meet his father's family in Kenya. He also recalls how he came to terms with his father's death, and how it was to be raised by his white grandparents. It gives an overview of American race relations, from the perspective of someone who belongs to both the worlds. In 2011, the Time Magazine listed the book on its top 100 non-fiction books written in English since 1923.
Other Autobiographies to Read
It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life - Lance Armstrong
Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China - Jung Chang
Eat, Pray, Love - Elizabeth Gilbert
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin - Benjamin Franklin
Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life - Steve Martin
I Am Malala - Malala Yousafzai
Losing My Virginity - Richard Branson
Mother Teresa: In My Own Words - Mother Teresa
My Story - Marilyn Monroe, Ben Hecht, Joshua Green
Mein Kampf - Adolf Hitler
BEST-SELLING BIOGRAPHIES
Steve Jobs
Walter Isaacson
The authorized biography of Steve Jobs, Steve Jobs was published by Walter Issacson in 2011. Jobs was an American entrepreneur, co-founder, and the CEO of Apple Inc. It is the story of Steve Jobs' rise from being a college dropout to one of the most sensational entrepreneurs of the 20th century. It takes us into his journey from finding the NeXT, Inc. to the return of Apple, through a series of interviews with him, his family, friends, and colleagues. The book is one of the best reads mainly because of Issacson's narrative way of writing. The book is an engaging story of Job's life instead of a listing of facts and figures. Although the writer seems to be positively biased to Jobs, it hasn't stopped him from exploring his darker side. The presentation of both the sides lets the reader search for his own opinion about the icon. The book is currently running under the title iSteve: The Book of Jobs.
Diana: Her True Story
Andrew Morton
In Diana: Her True Story, Morton has examined Diana's life through her own words. The book is a compilation of her personal recollection of her years at school and personal memories. Written with the cooperation of her family and friends, the book presents facts about Princess Diana and her royal marriage. In the 1992 edition (after Diana's death), Morton included the transcriptions of Diana's answers to Morton's questions, which she had recorded secretly. The most interesting part of the book is the author's note, where he admits having smuggled the list of questions to Diana, who would smuggle her recorded answers back to him. The book also includes some of the unseen photographs of the royal family. Other interesting biographies of Diana include Diana by Sarah Bradford, Diana: Story of a Princess by Tim Clayton and Phil Craig, and The Diana Chronicles by Tina Brown.
Walt Disney
Neal Gabler
Walt Disney (December 5, 1901 - December 15, 1966) was an American animator, producer, director, and voice artist. He is famous as the founder of cartoon films and more importantly, as the creator of Disneyland. He created various fictional characters including Mickey Mouse, Goofy, and Donald Duck. Disney completely transformed the world of animation with his feature films like Bambi, Fantasia, Snow White, and Pinocchio. During his lifetime, he received a number of awards for his contribution to the world of entertainment. Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination was published by Neal Gabler in 2006 and describes Disney's journey from being a contributing cartoonist for the school paper to the creator of Disney. Gabler has brilliantly managed to explain why Walt Disney did what he did, and what drove him to build the Disney empire. A must-read biography for all Disney fans!
Enchantment: The Life of Audrey Hepburn
Donald Spoto
Audrey Hepburn (May 4, 1929 - January 20, 1993) was an award-winning actress, fashion model, and humanitarian. After working in a number of British films, she rose to fame with a lead role in Roman Holiday in 1953. She was the most sensational beauties of her time, who had a reputation of being humble and kind. Enchantment: The Life of Audrey Hepburn was published by Donald Spoto in 2006. The biography provides details of her upbringing, struggles during World War II in Nazi Holland, her dancing career, and eventually her rise to stardom. It also discusses her life with UNICEF, and her humanitarian efforts. The book has explored her love life in detail. Her life has been explained in a chronological order, which makes it even easier to follow.
Coco Chanel
Various Authors
Coco Chanel (August 19, 1883 - January 10, 1971) was born in Saumur, France. She was a fashion designer and founder of the Chanel brand who became popular for her signature scent Chanel no. 5, and little black dresses. A lot has been written on the life of this amazing designer and entrepreneur. However, there are four exceptionally well-written biographies of Chanel that are absolute must-reads for all her followers. First is Chanel and Her World: Friends, Fashion, and Fame by her official biographer Edmonde Charles-Roux. First published in 1979, the book, which has a lot of unseen photographs of Chanel, helps us understand her personality a lot better. The second one, Coco Chanel: An Intimate Life, published by Lisa Chaney in 2011, is Chanel's most thoroughly researched biography till date. The book, which focuses on her origins and secret sufferings, also reveals her addiction to drugs, and the truth about her lesbian affairs.
The third biography, Sleeping With The Enemy: Coco Chanel, Nazi Agent is a treat for history lovers. It was published by Hal Vaughan in 2011, and documents her collaboration with Hitler's officials and other activities during the World War II in France. The author tells us how Chanel became a German spy, escaped an arrest in France, and lived in Switzerland for nine years, before returning to Paris and reestablishing her name. It also gives details about her love affair with Baron von Dincklage, a German soldier. The last one on the list is Justine Picardie's Coco Chanel: The Legend and the Life which was published in 2010. The book tells us how Chanel was abandoned as a child and spent her early years in a convent orphanage. The biography covers her strengths as well as weaknesses, and sheds light on the sad truth behind her glamorous life.
Other Biographies to Read
Secrets of the Flesh: A Life of Colette - Judith Thurman
The Zookeeper's Wife - Diane Ackerman
Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. - Ron Chernow
Einstein: His Life and Universe - Walter Isaacson
Cleopatra: A Life - Stacy Schiff
Wild Swans - Jung Chang
Tolstoy - Henri Troyat
Virginia Woolf - Quentin Bell
Oscar Wilde - Richard Ellmann
Michael Jackson: The Magic and the Madness - J. Randy Taraborrelli
Some of them inspire you to follow your dreams, while some of them teach you various lessons. Reading these stories of successful people can change you as a person in more than one way. So, just pick one, get inspired, and make your life's journey a success.
Best Autobiographies and Biographies Everyone Should Read
A biography is an account of an individual's life presented by someone other than the subject, whereas an autobiography is written by the subject himself. This Buzzle article compiles a list of the best-selling autobiographies and biographies of all time.
A biography is an account of an individual's life presented by someone other than the subject, whereas an autobiography is written by the subject himself. This Buzzle article compiles a list of the best-selling autobiographies and biographies of all time.
The history of mankind has seen some of the most influential people in various areas, and reading their autobiographies and biographies can benefit you in innumerable ways. Not only are they immensely inspirational, but they also help you change your outlook towards life. The stories of these people, who have struggled and striven for success, motivate the readers to follow their dreams. Unlike fiction, these books give readers the satisfaction of actually being inside the subject's life, and relive the events that have happened for real. Autobiographies and biographies of those who are pioneers in their field act as guides to those who intend to get into those areas. On the other hand, those people who faced a lot of hardships due to their mistakes in life help the readers to learn their lessons. Some of the most famous biographies and autobiographies are those about famous politicians, authors, historical figures, and celebrities.
BEST-SELLING AUTOBIOGRAPHIES
Long Walk to Freedom
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela (July 18, 1918 - December 5, 2013) was the first black president of South Africa who served from 1994 to 1999. He was an anti-apartheid revolutionary who brought an end to apartheid in South Africa. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 for his contribution to global peacemaking. Mandela, who was the president of the African National Congress in 1940, fought for racial equality through various protests and armed resistance. This resulted in his imprisonment on the Robben Island for nearly three decades. Long Walk to Freedom is the story of his triumph after a series of setbacks. It takes us through his heartwarming journey from being the son of a tribal chief to being the President of his country. Apart from the story itself, the quotes and passages in the book are intensely inspirational. For example, the book ends beautifully with, "But I can rest only for a moment, for with freedom come responsibilities, and I dare not linger, for my long walk is not yet ended."
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou (April 4, 1928 - May 28, 2014), an African-American, was an award-winning author, poet, dancer, actress, and singer. She played an important role in the Civil Rights Movement in the United States and worked with Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X. During her lifetime, she published seven autobiographies and an enormous collection of essays and poetry. She received a number of awards and nearly 50 honorary degrees for her contribution to the fields of literature and entertainment. She became a writer after trying her hand at several occupations like a fry cook, prostitute, and a nightclub dancer. The first out of her seven autobiographies, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, portrays her life from the age of three to seventeen. It tells the touching story of how she was raped at the age of eight, had to deal with its consequences, and how she later learned to love herself, as well as others. It also portrays the beautiful relationship that she shared with her brother, Bailey, after being abandoned by their parents twice. In all, the book talks about her fight against sexual abuse, racial prejudice, prostitution, violence, and an unwanted pregnancy.
The Story of My Experiments With Truth
Mahatma Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi (2 October 1869 - 30 January 1948) was an Indian leader who played a very important role in the fight for India's freedom, from the British rule. His non-violent civil disobedience movement ultimately led to India's independence in 1947, and also influenced several movements for civil rights across the world. Gandhi, who had studied law in London, fought for people's rights in both South Africa (where he worked as a legal representative for the Muslim Indian Traders) as well as India. He led nationwide movements to expand women's rights, eradicating untouchability and other socio-economic issues. He also opposed child marriages, sati, and purdah system in India. In My Experiments with Truth, Gandhi narrates the story of his childhood, his life in London and South Africa, the Indian independence movement, and how he used non-violence as a weapon against the Britishers.
The Story of My Life
Helen Keller
Helen Keller (June 27, 1880 - June 1, 1968), born in Tuscumbia, Alabama, was an American author, lecturer, political activist, and co-founder of the American Civil Liberties Union. During her lifetime, she fought for various causes like women's suffrage and labor rights as a member of the Socialist Party of America and the Industrial Workers of the World. She was the first deaf and blind person to have ever earned a Bachelor's degree. When she was just 2 years old, she had contracted a fever, which later left her deaf and blind. At the age of 7, she started learning from Anne Sullivan who was appointed as her tutor by her parents. She was a quick learner and began to speak by the age of 10. At 20, she got into Radcliffe College where she compiled her struggles into her autobiography The Story of My Life. Apart from the efforts that she had to take to reawaken her ability to speak, the book focuses on her relationship with Miss Sullivan and how she persuaded Helen to write.
The Diary of a Young Girl
Anne Frank
Anne Frank (June 12, 1929 - early March 1945) was a writer who was a victim of Nazi brutality during the World War II. She was one of the million Jewish children who died in the Holocaust. Anne was born in Frankfurt, Germany and lived in Amsterdam with her family during the war. However, to escape from the increasing persecution of the Jews, the family went into hiding in Amsterdam for two years. It was then that Frank penned down her experiences in her diary, which was posthumously released as The Diary of a Young Girl in 1947. This book is the story of her life from June 12, 1942 until August 1, 1944, and describes the events of the war in detail. It is a representation of how other Jewish families lived and coped during the war. The autobiography has been translated into almost 70 languages so far.
Dreams From My Father
Barack Obama
Barack Obama was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, on August 4, 1961. He is the 44th and current president of the United States, and the first African-American to serve as the US president. He is a Columbia University and Harvard Law School graduate who was a civil rights lawyer and teacher before pursuing a political career. He was elected to the Illinois State Senate in 1996, serving from 1997 to 2004. After being sworn to presidency on November 4, 2008, he won a second term in 2012. Dreams From My Father, published in 2004, describes Obama's journey from his childhood in Hawaii and Indonesia, his life and community work in Chicago, and his journey to meet his father's family in Kenya. He also recalls how he came to terms with his father's death, and how it was to be raised by his white grandparents. It gives an overview of American race relations, from the perspective of someone who belongs to both the worlds. In 2011, the Time Magazine listed the book on its top 100 non-fiction books written in English since 1923.
Other Autobiographies to Read
It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life - Lance Armstrong
Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China - Jung Chang
Eat, Pray, Love - Elizabeth Gilbert
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin - Benjamin Franklin
Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life - Steve Martin
I Am Malala - Malala Yousafzai
Losing My Virginity - Richard Branson
Mother Teresa: In My Own Words - Mother Teresa
My Story - Marilyn Monroe, Ben Hecht, Joshua Green
Mein Kampf - Adolf Hitler
BEST-SELLING BIOGRAPHIES
Steve Jobs
Walter Isaacson
The authorized biography of Steve Jobs, Steve Jobs was published by Walter Issacson in 2011. Jobs was an American entrepreneur, co-founder, and the CEO of Apple Inc. It is the story of Steve Jobs' rise from being a college dropout to one of the most sensational entrepreneurs of the 20th century. It takes us into his journey from finding the NeXT, Inc. to the return of Apple, through a series of interviews with him, his family, friends, and colleagues. The book is one of the best reads mainly because of Issacson's narrative way of writing. The book is an engaging story of Job's life instead of a listing of facts and figures. Although the writer seems to be positively biased to Jobs, it hasn't stopped him from exploring his darker side. The presentation of both the sides lets the reader search for his own opinion about the icon. The book is currently running under the title iSteve: The Book of Jobs.
Diana: Her True Story
Andrew Morton
In Diana: Her True Story, Morton has examined Diana's life through her own words. The book is a compilation of her personal recollection of her years at school and personal memories. Written with the cooperation of her family and friends, the book presents facts about Princess Diana and her royal marriage. In the 1992 edition (after Diana's death), Morton included the transcriptions of Diana's answers to Morton's questions, which she had recorded secretly. The most interesting part of the book is the author's note, where he admits having smuggled the list of questions to Diana, who would smuggle her recorded answers back to him. The book also includes some of the unseen photographs of the royal family. Other interesting biographies of Diana include Diana by Sarah Bradford, Diana: Story of a Princess by Tim Clayton and Phil Craig, and The Diana Chronicles by Tina Brown.
Walt Disney
Neal Gabler
Walt Disney (December 5, 1901 - December 15, 1966) was an American animator, producer, director, and voice artist. He is famous as the founder of cartoon films and more importantly, as the creator of Disneyland. He created various fictional characters including Mickey Mouse, Goofy, and Donald Duck. Disney completely transformed the world of animation with his feature films like Bambi, Fantasia, Snow White, and Pinocchio. During his lifetime, he received a number of awards for his contribution to the world of entertainment. Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination was published by Neal Gabler in 2006 and describes Disney's journey from being a contributing cartoonist for the school paper to the creator of Disney. Gabler has brilliantly managed to explain why Walt Disney did what he did, and what drove him to build the Disney empire. A must-read biography for all Disney fans!
Enchantment: The Life of Audrey Hepburn
Donald Spoto
Audrey Hepburn (May 4, 1929 - January 20, 1993) was an award-winning actress, fashion model, and humanitarian. After working in a number of British films, she rose to fame with a lead role in Roman Holiday in 1953. She was the most sensational beauties of her time, who had a reputation of being humble and kind. Enchantment: The Life of Audrey Hepburn was published by Donald Spoto in 2006. The biography provides details of her upbringing, struggles during World War II in Nazi Holland, her dancing career, and eventually her rise to stardom. It also discusses her life with UNICEF, and her humanitarian efforts. The book has explored her love life in detail. Her life has been explained in a chronological order, which makes it even easier to follow.
Coco Chanel
Various Authors
Coco Chanel (August 19, 1883 - January 10, 1971) was born in Saumur, France. She was a fashion designer and founder of the Chanel brand who became popular for her signature scent Chanel no. 5, and little black dresses. A lot has been written on the life of this amazing designer and entrepreneur. However, there are four exceptionally well-written biographies of Chanel that are absolute must-reads for all her followers. First is Chanel and Her World: Friends, Fashion, and Fame by her official biographer Edmonde Charles-Roux. First published in 1979, the book, which has a lot of unseen photographs of Chanel, helps us understand her personality a lot better. The second one, Coco Chanel: An Intimate Life, published by Lisa Chaney in 2011, is Chanel's most thoroughly researched biography till date. The book, which focuses on her origins and secret sufferings, also reveals her addiction to drugs, and the truth about her lesbian affairs.
The third biography, Sleeping With The Enemy: Coco Chanel, Nazi Agent is a treat for history lovers. It was published by Hal Vaughan in 2011, and documents her collaboration with Hitler's officials and other activities during the World War II in France. The author tells us how Chanel became a German spy, escaped an arrest in France, and lived in Switzerland for nine years, before returning to Paris and reestablishing her name. It also gives details about her love affair with Baron von Dincklage, a German soldier. The last one on the list is Justine Picardie's Coco Chanel: The Legend and the Life which was published in 2010. The book tells us how Chanel was abandoned as a child and spent her early years in a convent orphanage. The biography covers her strengths as well as weaknesses, and sheds light on the sad truth behind her glamorous life.
Other Biographies to Read
Secrets of the Flesh: A Life of Colette - Judith Thurman
The Zookeeper's Wife - Diane Ackerman
Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. - Ron Chernow
Einstein: His Life and Universe - Walter Isaacson
Cleopatra: A Life - Stacy Schiff
Wild Swans - Jung Chang
Tolstoy - Henri Troyat
Virginia Woolf - Quentin Bell
Oscar Wilde - Richard Ellmann
Michael Jackson: The Magic and the Madness - J. Randy Taraborrelli
Some of them inspire you to follow your dreams, while some of them teach you various lessons. Reading these stories of successful people can change you as a person in more than one way. So, just pick one, get inspired, and make your life's journey a success.
Funny Short Story Ideas
So you are looking for some funny short story ideas to form your script on! Well, writing a funny story with some unconventional characters can be quite a bit of a challenge. It requires a lot of time and creativity, plus some incredible sense of humor. If you are looking for some boosting ideas, then this Buzzle article will help you with the same.
✎ One Important Tip
Take note of the things around you, especially those that tickle your funny bone. The funny appearance of a neighbor, a funny accent, a favorite story that could have used more humor? It is nothing but creativity and observation that you need in order to write your own hilarious masterpiece!
When it comes to writing funny stories, long or short, one should be very careful about the characters and the way the story idea is presented to the readers. Keep in mind that what may seem funny to you, may end up hurting someone else's feelings and sentiments. For example, creating a character that is physically unfit and making fun of that particular character for making the story funny, would rather portray your insensitivity instead of your sense of humor. You will be honored and appreciated for your ideas only when you are able to tickle the funny bone of your readers without creating a "soft target". Take the animated show South Park for example, they make fun of each and everything on this planet, which is why the show is dealing with a lot of controversies. So make sure that the stories you create should be such that everyone reads them without getting offended.
Interesting Funny Short Story Ideas for Kids
Well, there are many themes on which you can base the story on. You can either create fictional characters, like we see in stories of Superheroes, Archie Comics, etc., or go for a completely unrealistic, fairytale like story―a princess, a knight, a dragon―but with a twist! If that seems to be too much, you can keep the characters quite normal, like the people you come across everyday, and show how their normal everyday life is filled with humor and laughter. An example for the same would be series such as Two and a Half Men, Friends, etc.
The real challenge comes when you have to give the readers something new and unexpected. Refreshment is what makes a story popular and demanding. You can also just build a story on some situation and jot down the humor that arises from the confusion residing in the situation. Another way to ensure the reader's interest in your story is to bring in some amazing twist and turn to a plot that has become somewhat clichéd with time. Have a look at the following ideas to understand what we're trying to imply.
Funny short story idea based on a price and a dragon love story
#1 Prince Charming passes through blistering storms and scorching heat, starves for days and nights only to rescue his true love from a dragon-guarded tower. But, wait, he ends up falling in love with the dragon itself! Use humor and funny narrative style to compose the story and how it has a "funnily ever after".
#2 An old witch ended up creating a magic broom accidentally while she was laughing at a joke. It was a very powerful broom indeed that could fly, sweep, write, and perform all sorts of activities. But it listened to the witch only when she made the broom laugh with a funny spell. Every command should be delivered through a spell that made the broom laugh. Otherwise it would go out of control and laugh and ruin everything around. Build a story surrounding this plot.
#3 Once there was a dragon, one look of which was enough to scare off the bravest of knights in the region. The only way to walk past this monster was to bring to him a female dragon who has a great sense of humor. One knight managed to find such a mate for the fierce dragon. However, this female dragon turned out to be a vegetarian! Build a story covering the series of events that took place in finding this female dragon, and how her sense of humor and vegetarianism changes things around for everyone.
#4 The land of Peaceville went haywire when Mr. Singaway stepped on it, for he had the power to tickle everyone in the vicinity with his singing abilities. The vibration that came from his singing made everyone whacky and they just couldn't stop laughing. Laughter is the best medicine, they say. Create a story where humor is the element used to end this humorous hassle.
#5 There was once a bunny whose name was funny. Although this bunny was very serious in general and hated to laugh, everything it did or said ended up making everyone around laugh hilariously. What could be the reason that this bunny seems funny to others? Is it a funny voice? A funny way of talking? Build a story based on the bunny's attempt to make a serious impression on others.
Funny short story idea based on an encounter between aliens and a human
#6 Once a man was walking on the road reading a newspaper. He found the alien comic strip really funny, and while he was walking his way off laughing, he tumbled into a pothole and to his surprise, found a bunch of aliens having their secret headquarter underground. These aliens could only be communicated through the language of laughter. Write about the funny and adventurous experience the man had with the aliens.
#7 If we look back to the earlier times, the era when the early man lived, there are quite a lot of things that we find hilarious about that way of living. Let's turn the table now. Write a story based on the early man's experience in the modern world today. And how he finds today's technology unusually funny.
#8 Far away in the jungle of Giranga, there was a lazy lion. He was fat and lacked the agility to hunt. Therefore, he would order other animals to hunt for him. Another young and powerful lion heard of this incompetent king, and decided to challenge him for a fight. But he couldn't win for the king used his mental sharpness and wit to defeat this challenger. Write a story of how he won by putting in bits and pieces of intelligence and a whole large scoop of laughter.
#9 Vikings are known to be brave and fearless, but there was one viking who was afraid of everything. To get rid of this unsuitable member, the villagers sent him to a distant mountain where lived a dragon. This dragon was suffering from insomnia and lived in a castle that was filled with treasure. When the feeble viking entered the castle, the dragon seemed to be bothered by his inability to sleep. Write a story of how the feeble viking helps the dragon and becomes a hero, not using his strength but his wit.
#10 Meet Mr. Goofup! His problem is that he can never remember anything. People usually put Post-Its on him so ensure that he remembers. Now, write an interesting short story where Mr. Goofup mixes up the things to do and creates an uproarious chaos around.
Little Red Riding Hood story with a twist
#11 Poor Little Red Riding Hood! This innocent and gullible girl has suffered enough because of this cunning wolf who ate her grandma and even her! Why not create a smarter version of this girl, who isn't as naïve as she was once? Write an interesting tale of how she ends up fooling the wolf and captures him to save herself and her grandma, of course with a touch of fun and humor!
#12 A prince on his quest to become the most powerful ruler in the kingdom, has to obtain a magic tooth from an old dragon. In order to do so, he must compel the dragon to laugh, cough, or sneeze seven times. After that the dragon will release the magic tooth which he must wear as a locket. This will bring him all the glory and success in the world. Write a story based on the encounter between the prince and the dragon. How he makes it laugh, cough, and sneeze and eventually wins his reward.
#13 Have you ever wondered how Christmas would be if Rudolph and Santa exchanged their roles? Assume that the Grinch managed to get hold of a magic spell through which he exchanged the souls of Santa and Rudolph. Write a story of how Santa uses Rudolph's four legs and Rudolph uses Santa's heftiness to make things right and defeat the Grinch while reversing the effects of the spell and making everything back to normal.
#14 Vampires do make some interesting stories, don't they? Take the famous series by Stephanie Meyers, Twilight for instance. Doesn't the apple on its book seems to capture your attention? Now, think of this: Once a bat caught hold of this book and aspired to become a vampire so as to fall in love with a human. He goes to meet the forest witch who tells him to eat the apple from the tallest branch of the huge apple tree located on the top of the mountain. Write a story as to how the bat experiences a different world from what was written in the book and manages to find his love―human or not!
#15 An evil teacher would torture her students to write a poem on her everyday and pamper her with nice words. Fed up with this everyday nuisance, the students decided to teach her a lesson through the words of their poems. Write a funny story based on these clues on how the teacher learned a lesson for life.
To be honest, the ideas are only confined to the scope of your imagination. The aforementioned prompts were just some examples to show you how you can mix up the ideas from the things you've learned both literally and literary. To help you further when it comes to formulating such writing prompts, it would be useful to understand the approaches that you must adapt. The same are listed in the following sections.
How to Formulate Unrealistic Ideas
By unrealistically funny short story ideas, we don't mean to write stories based on characters, themes, and locations that simply may not make the readers believe you, and how do you expect them to find the story funny if the basic element is missing, which is the 'believing or convincing' element? However, when we read stories or comics with characters that can fly, lift buildings and mountains, and speak all funny dialogs to make us laugh, we definitely believe the story in spite of knowing that these characters are just a figment of the writer's imagination. Not only this, an advantage that the writer has in writing unrealistic stories is that he/she can make the character extremely unique and interestingly funny by adding some elements that cannot be added otherwise.
An example for the same would be stories such as Ratatouille, wherein a rat named Remy wanted to be a chef and could talk to the great chef Gusteau in his mind. His journey in reaching the biggest restaurant in the city from the ratholes not only shows a great sense of inspiration, but also the writing style shows a great degree of humor. On the other hand, stories like Madagascar with funny characters such as King Julian, Moto-Moto, and the adorable Penguins, make their serious journey turn into a journey of fun and frolic, making you laugh almost all the time.
How to Formulate Reality Based Ideas
By funny short story ideas based on realistic approach, we mean that writers should take inspiration from characters based on real life. You are not talking about a rat who can cook better than humans, or a bunch of penguins who can ride anything from a car to a ship to a plane. We are talking about real characters and humor based on reality. By using this approach, the writers can also make the readers widen their horizon and sense humor in some tensed situation. If, through your story, you can teach people as to why laughter is known as the best medicine, there can be nothing more rewarding than that. You can find a lot of humor even in some critical situations, and with the gift of writing, you can actually turn your observation into a beautifully written funny short story. An example for the same would be this:
Once there was an old man who was flying from Boston to Denver with his cat. The cat was obviously kept in the pet section along with other pets. When the old man arrived in Denver, he didn't get his cat along with the luggage and was extremely worried about it. "I want my cat back or else I am going to sue this airline", the old man shouted at the airline worker. The baggage department was in a chaos and were wondering where did the cat go! Alas, they found the cat in its cage, but to their surprise, the cat was dead. The baggage authorities were already feeling guilty of making their valuable customer upset. "He will blow the airport if he finds out that his cat is dead", an airline employee told another. So they decided to replace the dead cat with a live one. With lots of troubles, the airline finally got the cat back to the old man. The old man looked at the cat and screamed, "This ain't my cat, you morons! My cat was dead and I brought him home to get him buried!"
This is what you call a funny short story idea with a twist! Funny wasn't it? You can also get a lot of interesting ideas just by looking at your daily life and the people in it. What is it that makes you laugh your teeth out? What is it that you think of and can't help but laugh? The best and most convincing funny stories are the ones that are inspired from your own experiences.
Think about it, make characters which are inspired from the real life, create some situations which will make the character act or talk funnily, and create a story based on your imagination. It is also advisable to start and complete the story at a single sitting or else you may end up losing the flow of the story. It shouldn't be a problem for you because this is a short story you are writing and not a huge essay! So start looking around, try and widen your imagination, think of the moments that made you laugh the most, and write all of these in the form of a funny story that turns out to be the best story ever, so that everyone goes on laughing at its narration. All the best!
Take note of the things around you, especially those that tickle your funny bone. The funny appearance of a neighbor, a funny accent, a favorite story that could have used more humor? It is nothing but creativity and observation that you need in order to write your own hilarious masterpiece!
When it comes to writing funny stories, long or short, one should be very careful about the characters and the way the story idea is presented to the readers. Keep in mind that what may seem funny to you, may end up hurting someone else's feelings and sentiments. For example, creating a character that is physically unfit and making fun of that particular character for making the story funny, would rather portray your insensitivity instead of your sense of humor. You will be honored and appreciated for your ideas only when you are able to tickle the funny bone of your readers without creating a "soft target". Take the animated show South Park for example, they make fun of each and everything on this planet, which is why the show is dealing with a lot of controversies. So make sure that the stories you create should be such that everyone reads them without getting offended.
Interesting Funny Short Story Ideas for Kids
Well, there are many themes on which you can base the story on. You can either create fictional characters, like we see in stories of Superheroes, Archie Comics, etc., or go for a completely unrealistic, fairytale like story―a princess, a knight, a dragon―but with a twist! If that seems to be too much, you can keep the characters quite normal, like the people you come across everyday, and show how their normal everyday life is filled with humor and laughter. An example for the same would be series such as Two and a Half Men, Friends, etc.
The real challenge comes when you have to give the readers something new and unexpected. Refreshment is what makes a story popular and demanding. You can also just build a story on some situation and jot down the humor that arises from the confusion residing in the situation. Another way to ensure the reader's interest in your story is to bring in some amazing twist and turn to a plot that has become somewhat clichéd with time. Have a look at the following ideas to understand what we're trying to imply.
Funny short story idea based on a price and a dragon love story
#1 Prince Charming passes through blistering storms and scorching heat, starves for days and nights only to rescue his true love from a dragon-guarded tower. But, wait, he ends up falling in love with the dragon itself! Use humor and funny narrative style to compose the story and how it has a "funnily ever after".
#2 An old witch ended up creating a magic broom accidentally while she was laughing at a joke. It was a very powerful broom indeed that could fly, sweep, write, and perform all sorts of activities. But it listened to the witch only when she made the broom laugh with a funny spell. Every command should be delivered through a spell that made the broom laugh. Otherwise it would go out of control and laugh and ruin everything around. Build a story surrounding this plot.
#3 Once there was a dragon, one look of which was enough to scare off the bravest of knights in the region. The only way to walk past this monster was to bring to him a female dragon who has a great sense of humor. One knight managed to find such a mate for the fierce dragon. However, this female dragon turned out to be a vegetarian! Build a story covering the series of events that took place in finding this female dragon, and how her sense of humor and vegetarianism changes things around for everyone.
#4 The land of Peaceville went haywire when Mr. Singaway stepped on it, for he had the power to tickle everyone in the vicinity with his singing abilities. The vibration that came from his singing made everyone whacky and they just couldn't stop laughing. Laughter is the best medicine, they say. Create a story where humor is the element used to end this humorous hassle.
#5 There was once a bunny whose name was funny. Although this bunny was very serious in general and hated to laugh, everything it did or said ended up making everyone around laugh hilariously. What could be the reason that this bunny seems funny to others? Is it a funny voice? A funny way of talking? Build a story based on the bunny's attempt to make a serious impression on others.
Funny short story idea based on an encounter between aliens and a human
#6 Once a man was walking on the road reading a newspaper. He found the alien comic strip really funny, and while he was walking his way off laughing, he tumbled into a pothole and to his surprise, found a bunch of aliens having their secret headquarter underground. These aliens could only be communicated through the language of laughter. Write about the funny and adventurous experience the man had with the aliens.
#7 If we look back to the earlier times, the era when the early man lived, there are quite a lot of things that we find hilarious about that way of living. Let's turn the table now. Write a story based on the early man's experience in the modern world today. And how he finds today's technology unusually funny.
#8 Far away in the jungle of Giranga, there was a lazy lion. He was fat and lacked the agility to hunt. Therefore, he would order other animals to hunt for him. Another young and powerful lion heard of this incompetent king, and decided to challenge him for a fight. But he couldn't win for the king used his mental sharpness and wit to defeat this challenger. Write a story of how he won by putting in bits and pieces of intelligence and a whole large scoop of laughter.
#9 Vikings are known to be brave and fearless, but there was one viking who was afraid of everything. To get rid of this unsuitable member, the villagers sent him to a distant mountain where lived a dragon. This dragon was suffering from insomnia and lived in a castle that was filled with treasure. When the feeble viking entered the castle, the dragon seemed to be bothered by his inability to sleep. Write a story of how the feeble viking helps the dragon and becomes a hero, not using his strength but his wit.
#10 Meet Mr. Goofup! His problem is that he can never remember anything. People usually put Post-Its on him so ensure that he remembers. Now, write an interesting short story where Mr. Goofup mixes up the things to do and creates an uproarious chaos around.
Little Red Riding Hood story with a twist
#11 Poor Little Red Riding Hood! This innocent and gullible girl has suffered enough because of this cunning wolf who ate her grandma and even her! Why not create a smarter version of this girl, who isn't as naïve as she was once? Write an interesting tale of how she ends up fooling the wolf and captures him to save herself and her grandma, of course with a touch of fun and humor!
#12 A prince on his quest to become the most powerful ruler in the kingdom, has to obtain a magic tooth from an old dragon. In order to do so, he must compel the dragon to laugh, cough, or sneeze seven times. After that the dragon will release the magic tooth which he must wear as a locket. This will bring him all the glory and success in the world. Write a story based on the encounter between the prince and the dragon. How he makes it laugh, cough, and sneeze and eventually wins his reward.
#13 Have you ever wondered how Christmas would be if Rudolph and Santa exchanged their roles? Assume that the Grinch managed to get hold of a magic spell through which he exchanged the souls of Santa and Rudolph. Write a story of how Santa uses Rudolph's four legs and Rudolph uses Santa's heftiness to make things right and defeat the Grinch while reversing the effects of the spell and making everything back to normal.
#14 Vampires do make some interesting stories, don't they? Take the famous series by Stephanie Meyers, Twilight for instance. Doesn't the apple on its book seems to capture your attention? Now, think of this: Once a bat caught hold of this book and aspired to become a vampire so as to fall in love with a human. He goes to meet the forest witch who tells him to eat the apple from the tallest branch of the huge apple tree located on the top of the mountain. Write a story as to how the bat experiences a different world from what was written in the book and manages to find his love―human or not!
#15 An evil teacher would torture her students to write a poem on her everyday and pamper her with nice words. Fed up with this everyday nuisance, the students decided to teach her a lesson through the words of their poems. Write a funny story based on these clues on how the teacher learned a lesson for life.
To be honest, the ideas are only confined to the scope of your imagination. The aforementioned prompts were just some examples to show you how you can mix up the ideas from the things you've learned both literally and literary. To help you further when it comes to formulating such writing prompts, it would be useful to understand the approaches that you must adapt. The same are listed in the following sections.
How to Formulate Unrealistic Ideas
By unrealistically funny short story ideas, we don't mean to write stories based on characters, themes, and locations that simply may not make the readers believe you, and how do you expect them to find the story funny if the basic element is missing, which is the 'believing or convincing' element? However, when we read stories or comics with characters that can fly, lift buildings and mountains, and speak all funny dialogs to make us laugh, we definitely believe the story in spite of knowing that these characters are just a figment of the writer's imagination. Not only this, an advantage that the writer has in writing unrealistic stories is that he/she can make the character extremely unique and interestingly funny by adding some elements that cannot be added otherwise.
An example for the same would be stories such as Ratatouille, wherein a rat named Remy wanted to be a chef and could talk to the great chef Gusteau in his mind. His journey in reaching the biggest restaurant in the city from the ratholes not only shows a great sense of inspiration, but also the writing style shows a great degree of humor. On the other hand, stories like Madagascar with funny characters such as King Julian, Moto-Moto, and the adorable Penguins, make their serious journey turn into a journey of fun and frolic, making you laugh almost all the time.
How to Formulate Reality Based Ideas
By funny short story ideas based on realistic approach, we mean that writers should take inspiration from characters based on real life. You are not talking about a rat who can cook better than humans, or a bunch of penguins who can ride anything from a car to a ship to a plane. We are talking about real characters and humor based on reality. By using this approach, the writers can also make the readers widen their horizon and sense humor in some tensed situation. If, through your story, you can teach people as to why laughter is known as the best medicine, there can be nothing more rewarding than that. You can find a lot of humor even in some critical situations, and with the gift of writing, you can actually turn your observation into a beautifully written funny short story. An example for the same would be this:
Once there was an old man who was flying from Boston to Denver with his cat. The cat was obviously kept in the pet section along with other pets. When the old man arrived in Denver, he didn't get his cat along with the luggage and was extremely worried about it. "I want my cat back or else I am going to sue this airline", the old man shouted at the airline worker. The baggage department was in a chaos and were wondering where did the cat go! Alas, they found the cat in its cage, but to their surprise, the cat was dead. The baggage authorities were already feeling guilty of making their valuable customer upset. "He will blow the airport if he finds out that his cat is dead", an airline employee told another. So they decided to replace the dead cat with a live one. With lots of troubles, the airline finally got the cat back to the old man. The old man looked at the cat and screamed, "This ain't my cat, you morons! My cat was dead and I brought him home to get him buried!"
This is what you call a funny short story idea with a twist! Funny wasn't it? You can also get a lot of interesting ideas just by looking at your daily life and the people in it. What is it that makes you laugh your teeth out? What is it that you think of and can't help but laugh? The best and most convincing funny stories are the ones that are inspired from your own experiences.
Think about it, make characters which are inspired from the real life, create some situations which will make the character act or talk funnily, and create a story based on your imagination. It is also advisable to start and complete the story at a single sitting or else you may end up losing the flow of the story. It shouldn't be a problem for you because this is a short story you are writing and not a huge essay! So start looking around, try and widen your imagination, think of the moments that made you laugh the most, and write all of these in the form of a funny story that turns out to be the best story ever, so that everyone goes on laughing at its narration. All the best!
Famous Quotes by J.K. Rowling
Celebrated author J.K. Rowling is rarely known to give interviews; she lets her work do most of the talking. But when she does say something, rest assured that the world sits up and takes notice. Buzzle brings you the very best of J.K. Rowling - her quotes and musings.
Celebrated author J.K. Rowling is rarely known to give interviews; she lets her work do most of the talking. But when she does say something, rest assured that the world sits up and takes notice. Buzzle brings you the very best of J.K. Rowling - her quotes and musings.
This is what J.K. Rowling had to say to all the grieving fans at
the premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2, the final
installment of the series:
"Never say never. It is my baby and if I want to bring it out to play again, I will."
With that, hope reigned for the millions of Pottermaniacs. 7 phenomenal novels and 8 equally successful movies later, her fans were hungry for more, and hung on to Rowling's statement for dear life. We do know how that turned out (Robert Galbraith and all), but it just goes to prove the impact of Rowling's words; people do hang on to every word of hers.
Ms Rowling's life has been nothing short of miraculous, really, and it would be utterly fascinating to get our hands on her autobiography. But before that happens, we only have a few of her quotes in the form of snippets, extracted from the few interviews she's given over the course of the last 15-odd years.
J.K. Rowling's Famous Quotes
On writing...
"My readers have to work with me to create the experience. They have to bring their imaginations to the story. No one sees a book in the same way, no one sees the characters the same way. As a reader you imagine them in your own mind. So, together, as author and reader, we have both created the story."
J.K. Rowling at book launch
"No story lives unless someone wants to listen. So thank you all of you."
"I'll be writing until I can't write anymore. It's a compulsion with me. I love writing."
"Be ruthless about protecting writing days, i.e., do not cave in to endless requests to have "essential" and "long overdue" meetings on those days. The funny thing is that, although writing has been my actual job for several years now, I still seem to have to fight for time in which to do it. Some people do not seem to grasp that I still have to sit down in peace and write the books, apparently believing that they pop up like mushrooms without my connivance. I must therefore guard the time allotted to writing as a Hungarian Horntail guards its firstborn egg."
On the pressures of looking good
"Fat' is usually the first insult a girl throws at another girl when she wants to hurt her.
I mean, is 'fat' really the worst thing a human being can be? Is 'fat' worse than 'vindictive', 'jealous', 'shallow', 'vain', 'boring' or 'cruel'? Not to me; but then, you might retort, what do I know about the pressure to be skinny? I'm not in the business of being judged on my looks, what with being a writer and earning my living by using my brain..."
"I found it very difficult when I first became well-known to read criticism of how I looked: how messy my hair was ... you can go one of two ways: you can be the person I probably admire more, and say 'well I don't care, I will continue not to bother to brush my hair,' or you can be a weak-willed person like me and think 'Oh, I'd better get my act together', maybe I do need to tie my hair back and tidy myself up a bit."
"It must be so nice to be a man and just think 'which of my three suits will I wear today?'"
On the Harry Potter Series
"Whether you come back by page or by the big screen, Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home."
"The wizards represent all that the true 'muggle' most fears: They are plainly outcasts and comfortable with being so. Nothing is more unnerving to the truly conventional than the unashamed misfit!"
"It's a bittersweet ending. But that's perfect, because that is what happens to our heroes. We're human. I kept arguing that 'love is the most important force, love is the most important force.' So I wanted to show him loving. Sometimes it's dramatic: it means you lay down your life. But sometimes it means making sure someone's trunk is packed and hoping they'll be O.K. at school."
On Ron and Hermione
"I wrote the Hermione-Ron relationship as a form of wish fulfillment. That's how it was conceived, really.
"For reasons that have very little to do with literature and far more to do with me clinging to the plot as I first imagined it, Hermione ended up with Ron.
"I know, I'm sorry, I can hear the rage and fury it might cause some fans, but if I'm absolutely honest, distance has given me perspective on that. It was a choice I made for very personal reasons, not for reasons of credibility."
"Just like her creator, she has a real weakness for a funny man. These uptight girls, they do like them funny ... It's such a relief from being so intense yourself - you need someone who takes life, or appears to take life, a little more lightheartedly."
"In my absolute heart of hearts of hearts―although I did seriously consider killing ... Ron."
"Maybe she and Ron will be alright with a bit of counselling, you know. I wonder what happens at wizard marriage counselling? They'll probably be fine. He needs to work on his self-esteem issues and she needs to work on being a little less critical ..."
Rowling's musings
"It's so difficult to describe depression to someone who's never been there, because it's not sadness. I know sadness. Sadness is to cry and to feel. But it's that cold absence of feeling- that really hollowed-out feeling."
J.K. Rowling
"Rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life."
"I mean, you could claim that anything's real if the only basis for believing in it is that nobody's proved it doesn't exist!"
"We have to remember, sometimes the most important history is the history we're making today."
"It is impossible to live without failing at something. Unless you've lived so cautiously that you might as well not lived at all. In which case, you fail by default."
"Personal happiness lies in knowing that life is not a checklist of acquisition. Your qualifications are not your life."
"Love is the strongest power there is."
On being a single parent
"There was still no escaping the single parent tag; it followed me to financial stability and fame just as it had clung to me in poverty and obscurity. I became Single Parent Writes Award-Winning Children's Book/Earns Record American Advance/Gets Film Deal. One of the first journalists to interview me asked me whether I hadn't felt I ought to be out looking for a job rather than 'sitting at home writing a novel.' By some miracle I resisted the almost overwhelming temptation to punch him and subsequently decided to channel my frustration a little more positively by becoming a Patron of what was then called the National Council for One Parent Families (now Gingerbread)."
"In the meantime, I would say to any single parent currently feeling the weight of stereotype or stigmatization that I am prouder of my years as a single mother than of any other part of my life. Yes, I got off benefits and wrote the first four Harry Potter books as a single mother, but nothing makes me prouder than what Jessica told me recently about the first five years of her life: 'I never knew we were poor. I just remember being happy.'"
On Robert Galbraith
"I was yearning to go back to the beginning of a writing career in this new genre, to work without hype or expectation and to receive totally unvarnished feedback. It was a fantastic experience and I only wish it could have gone on a little longer."
"I successfully channeled my inner bloke!"
On The Casual Vacancy
"I think that I have had a very odd life and that I've moved through, economically speaking, I've been through virtually every variation you can have. It left me with me with an abiding, several abiding feelings about how we talk about the poor, how we discuss them, what it feels like to be poor, which can be a humiliating experience in ways well beyond those you may imagine if you've never been in that situation. And all of that experience, though this is not a biography or memoir, could be used in this book."
"People have sex in the book, but they don't enjoy it,"
"I'm interested in that drive, that rush to judgment, that is so prevalent in our society," Rowling says. "We all know that pleasurable rush that comes from condemning, and in the short term it's quite a satisfying thing to do, isn't it?"
"We're a phenomenally snobby society, and it's such a rich seam. The middle class is so funny, it's the class I know best, and it's the class where you find the most pretension, so that's what makes the middle classes so funny."
"In the end you reach a very healthy point, I think, where you disconnect. You really do. And I am there. And it's been glorious for five years, it's been thrilling, the sheer freedom. I am the freest author in the world. I can do whatever the hell I like. My bills are paid - we all know I can pay my bills - I was under contract to no one, and the feeling of having all of these characters in my head and knowing that no one else knew a damned thing about them was amazing. It was just blissful. Pagford was mine, just mine, for five years. I loved that. I wrote this novel as exactly what I wanted to write. And I loved it."
On the sudden rise to fame and being rich
"You don't expect the kind of problems it brings with it. I am so grateful for what happened that this should not be taken in any way as a whine, but you don't expect the pressure of it, in the sense of being bombarded by requests. I felt that I had to solve everyone's problems. I was hit by this tsunami of demands. I felt overwhelmed. And I was really worried that I would mess up."
"I just hate meetings. Though it's true that once you've made a lot of money people around you might be full of ideas about ways to make lots more money and might be disappointed that you don't want to seize every opportunity to do so."
"Never say never. It is my baby and if I want to bring it out to play again, I will."
With that, hope reigned for the millions of Pottermaniacs. 7 phenomenal novels and 8 equally successful movies later, her fans were hungry for more, and hung on to Rowling's statement for dear life. We do know how that turned out (Robert Galbraith and all), but it just goes to prove the impact of Rowling's words; people do hang on to every word of hers.
Ms Rowling's life has been nothing short of miraculous, really, and it would be utterly fascinating to get our hands on her autobiography. But before that happens, we only have a few of her quotes in the form of snippets, extracted from the few interviews she's given over the course of the last 15-odd years.
J.K. Rowling's Famous Quotes
On writing...
"My readers have to work with me to create the experience. They have to bring their imaginations to the story. No one sees a book in the same way, no one sees the characters the same way. As a reader you imagine them in your own mind. So, together, as author and reader, we have both created the story."
J.K. Rowling at book launch
"No story lives unless someone wants to listen. So thank you all of you."
"I'll be writing until I can't write anymore. It's a compulsion with me. I love writing."
"Be ruthless about protecting writing days, i.e., do not cave in to endless requests to have "essential" and "long overdue" meetings on those days. The funny thing is that, although writing has been my actual job for several years now, I still seem to have to fight for time in which to do it. Some people do not seem to grasp that I still have to sit down in peace and write the books, apparently believing that they pop up like mushrooms without my connivance. I must therefore guard the time allotted to writing as a Hungarian Horntail guards its firstborn egg."
On the pressures of looking good
"Fat' is usually the first insult a girl throws at another girl when she wants to hurt her.
I mean, is 'fat' really the worst thing a human being can be? Is 'fat' worse than 'vindictive', 'jealous', 'shallow', 'vain', 'boring' or 'cruel'? Not to me; but then, you might retort, what do I know about the pressure to be skinny? I'm not in the business of being judged on my looks, what with being a writer and earning my living by using my brain..."
"I found it very difficult when I first became well-known to read criticism of how I looked: how messy my hair was ... you can go one of two ways: you can be the person I probably admire more, and say 'well I don't care, I will continue not to bother to brush my hair,' or you can be a weak-willed person like me and think 'Oh, I'd better get my act together', maybe I do need to tie my hair back and tidy myself up a bit."
"It must be so nice to be a man and just think 'which of my three suits will I wear today?'"
On the Harry Potter Series
"Whether you come back by page or by the big screen, Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home."
"The wizards represent all that the true 'muggle' most fears: They are plainly outcasts and comfortable with being so. Nothing is more unnerving to the truly conventional than the unashamed misfit!"
"It's a bittersweet ending. But that's perfect, because that is what happens to our heroes. We're human. I kept arguing that 'love is the most important force, love is the most important force.' So I wanted to show him loving. Sometimes it's dramatic: it means you lay down your life. But sometimes it means making sure someone's trunk is packed and hoping they'll be O.K. at school."
On Ron and Hermione
"I wrote the Hermione-Ron relationship as a form of wish fulfillment. That's how it was conceived, really.
"For reasons that have very little to do with literature and far more to do with me clinging to the plot as I first imagined it, Hermione ended up with Ron.
"I know, I'm sorry, I can hear the rage and fury it might cause some fans, but if I'm absolutely honest, distance has given me perspective on that. It was a choice I made for very personal reasons, not for reasons of credibility."
"Just like her creator, she has a real weakness for a funny man. These uptight girls, they do like them funny ... It's such a relief from being so intense yourself - you need someone who takes life, or appears to take life, a little more lightheartedly."
"In my absolute heart of hearts of hearts―although I did seriously consider killing ... Ron."
"Maybe she and Ron will be alright with a bit of counselling, you know. I wonder what happens at wizard marriage counselling? They'll probably be fine. He needs to work on his self-esteem issues and she needs to work on being a little less critical ..."
Rowling's musings
"It's so difficult to describe depression to someone who's never been there, because it's not sadness. I know sadness. Sadness is to cry and to feel. But it's that cold absence of feeling- that really hollowed-out feeling."
J.K. Rowling
"Rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life."
"I mean, you could claim that anything's real if the only basis for believing in it is that nobody's proved it doesn't exist!"
"We have to remember, sometimes the most important history is the history we're making today."
"It is impossible to live without failing at something. Unless you've lived so cautiously that you might as well not lived at all. In which case, you fail by default."
"Personal happiness lies in knowing that life is not a checklist of acquisition. Your qualifications are not your life."
"Love is the strongest power there is."
On being a single parent
"There was still no escaping the single parent tag; it followed me to financial stability and fame just as it had clung to me in poverty and obscurity. I became Single Parent Writes Award-Winning Children's Book/Earns Record American Advance/Gets Film Deal. One of the first journalists to interview me asked me whether I hadn't felt I ought to be out looking for a job rather than 'sitting at home writing a novel.' By some miracle I resisted the almost overwhelming temptation to punch him and subsequently decided to channel my frustration a little more positively by becoming a Patron of what was then called the National Council for One Parent Families (now Gingerbread)."
"In the meantime, I would say to any single parent currently feeling the weight of stereotype or stigmatization that I am prouder of my years as a single mother than of any other part of my life. Yes, I got off benefits and wrote the first four Harry Potter books as a single mother, but nothing makes me prouder than what Jessica told me recently about the first five years of her life: 'I never knew we were poor. I just remember being happy.'"
On Robert Galbraith
"I was yearning to go back to the beginning of a writing career in this new genre, to work without hype or expectation and to receive totally unvarnished feedback. It was a fantastic experience and I only wish it could have gone on a little longer."
"I successfully channeled my inner bloke!"
On The Casual Vacancy
"I think that I have had a very odd life and that I've moved through, economically speaking, I've been through virtually every variation you can have. It left me with me with an abiding, several abiding feelings about how we talk about the poor, how we discuss them, what it feels like to be poor, which can be a humiliating experience in ways well beyond those you may imagine if you've never been in that situation. And all of that experience, though this is not a biography or memoir, could be used in this book."
"People have sex in the book, but they don't enjoy it,"
"I'm interested in that drive, that rush to judgment, that is so prevalent in our society," Rowling says. "We all know that pleasurable rush that comes from condemning, and in the short term it's quite a satisfying thing to do, isn't it?"
"We're a phenomenally snobby society, and it's such a rich seam. The middle class is so funny, it's the class I know best, and it's the class where you find the most pretension, so that's what makes the middle classes so funny."
"In the end you reach a very healthy point, I think, where you disconnect. You really do. And I am there. And it's been glorious for five years, it's been thrilling, the sheer freedom. I am the freest author in the world. I can do whatever the hell I like. My bills are paid - we all know I can pay my bills - I was under contract to no one, and the feeling of having all of these characters in my head and knowing that no one else knew a damned thing about them was amazing. It was just blissful. Pagford was mine, just mine, for five years. I loved that. I wrote this novel as exactly what I wanted to write. And I loved it."
On the sudden rise to fame and being rich
"You don't expect the kind of problems it brings with it. I am so grateful for what happened that this should not be taken in any way as a whine, but you don't expect the pressure of it, in the sense of being bombarded by requests. I felt that I had to solve everyone's problems. I was hit by this tsunami of demands. I felt overwhelmed. And I was really worried that I would mess up."
"I just hate meetings. Though it's true that once you've made a lot of money people around you might be full of ideas about ways to make lots more money and might be disappointed that you don't want to seize every opportunity to do so."
How to Become an Actor With No Experience
How do you crack auditions without any prior acting experience? It is only by drawing from the best teacher of them all, your life experiences. Here's how you can capitalize on your reservoir of past memories and experiences to become an actor.
How do you crack auditions without any prior acting experience? It is only by drawing from the best teacher of them all, your life experiences. Here's how you can capitalize on your reservoir of past memories and experiences to become an actor.
All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts.
- William Shakespeare (As You Like It)
In this verse, the great playwright has provided clues for aspiring artists, while also expounding a very profound philosophy about life and acting in general. The very life you live is abundant with experiences that you can draw from when acting onstage or on camera. Though you might think that you have no experience in acting or any entertainment job, you have loads of it on the real stage of life itself, playing multiple roles of a son, father, brother or daughter, mother, sister, and so on. Nothing can prepare you for acting, better than life.
That's the seed of the central idea to grasp, to master acting. In this article, I have expounded this idea some more, which has been already developed into the form of a 'method acting' technique, by theater greats like Constantin Stanislavski and furthered by Lee Strasberg and others in USA. I do not claim authority on this subject. The point of this article is to share with you all; whatever little I learned from my teachers.
How to Become an Actor Without Experience?
What is acting really? They say it's 'make believe', but I call it living an alternative reality. It lets you explore the various possibilities of what you could be. Just being your own self can be boring at times. Acting gives you an opportunity to be someone else for a while. It is voluntarily entering into the psyche of another personality and thinking according to a different set of values and constraints. It lets you explore the many parts of you, which you thought never existed. It lets you deeply explore what it means to be human. Some people dub theater as an experimental lab for psychology. I agree with them, but I consider it to be a 'truth' lab, where you explore the meaning of being human.
One of the best ways to begin your own acting studies is to start reading some good plays. Select your favorite role, from one of your favorite plays and prepare to act it out in front of an audience. To learn to act, you must act.
Understand Your Character Thoroughly
"With any part you play, there is a certain amount of yourself in it. There has to be, otherwise it's just not acting. It's lying." - Johnny Depp
To play a part or a role, you need to temporarily shed the inhibitions and prejudices that make you. To act a part, you must embrace the character that you are playing with open arms. Understand the plot of the play, as well as the psyche of your character. Understand the circumstances in which the person you are going to play, finds himself. Try to understand why your character behaves the way it does. You must try and embrace the idiosyncrasies of the character and try to relate with it. This is the part of acting, which you deal mostly with your 'brains'. Firstly, understand the rationale behind the play and the character.
Learn the lines or dialogues thoroughly and explore the thought behind every sentence. This will help you picture the circumstances in which the character finds itself. It's reading between the lines. Some actors go as far as 'living' as that person for a while, to understand him or her. They even maintain a diary of a life lived as that character. The idea is to go as close as possible to being that person.
Draw From Your Emotional Memory
"Find in yourself those human things which are universal." - Sanford Meisner
Rest of the process for preparing a role is all heart. To be that person, there is no way you can live a life that he or she has. But you can draw parallels from your own life, which will help you relate to the person.
In psychological terms, it is about delving deeper into your emotional memory. You have to draw parallels from your own experience and actually try to feel what the character feels. Say the dialogues only when you 'feel', the way your character does. Let it come out naturally. Let it flow.
No Substitute for Practice
"For most actors, success is achieved through study, struggle, preparation, infinite trial and error, training, discipline, experience and work!" - Robert Cohen
The process of transformation from being yourself, to being that character is gradual. It may be that after weeks and months of practice, just a few hours before your performance, in a moment of reflection, you understand who that person really is. You are going to get closer to actually be that person, only through practice. Acting techniques differ a lot. You will develop your own process with experience.
Enjoy the Process and Go With the Flow
"An actor has to burn inside with an outer ease." - Michael Chekhov
You don't need to be worried about having no actual acting experience, as long as you have lived your life with awareness and sensitivity. Enjoy the drama and process of acting and go with the flow. All the rest will follow.
Join a Local Theatre Group
"Work for the actor lies essentially in two areas: the ability to consistently create reality and the ability to express that reality." - Lee Strasberg
In almost every US city, there are theatre groups looking for new talent. Join one and audition for a role, if they have any to offer. You have got to start somewhere and take a chance. Your big break might not happen right away. There will be disappointments early on as you are just getting into the groove of what acting takes, but with dedication, being open to feedback, and the willingness to learn, you will do better.
Enrol For a Good Acting Class
"Study, find all the good teachers and study with them, get involved in acting to act, not to be famous or for the money. Do plays. It's not worth it if you are just in it for the money. You have to love it." - Philip Seymour Hoffman
There are several theatre and film veterans who are willing to share their expertise with newbies, through their own workshops and classes. Find one and get enrolled. You will definitely benefit from their experience. Finding a good teacher, whom you totally trust, is half the battle won. Trust the training program he plans out for you and give it your best. Maintaining a positive frame of mind is exceedingly important.
Prepare a Few Performances
"The [Great] Actor is able to approach in himself a cosmic dread as large as life. He is able to go from his dread to a joy so sweet that it is without limit. Only then will the actor have direct access to the life that moves in him, which is as free as his breathing. And like his breathing, he doesn't cause it to happen. He doesn't contain it, and it doesn't contain him." - Joseph Chaikin
To sell yourself as an actor, besides your portfolio of photographs and resume detailing your past acting experience, what you need are some ready performances of your own. Through these performances, you can showcase the acting talent you possess, to the world. They may be your favorite parts from a play, a famous monologue, a film scene you enjoy performing, or even a self-written stand-up piece. It is essential that you develop such performances and be ready to present them at any moment. In fact, engaging stand-up pieces can even get you a gig somewhere.
Never Miss an Opportunity to Perform
"An actor must interpret life, and in order to do so he must be willing to accept all experiences that life can offer." - Marlon Brando
To develop confidence in your acting abilities and overcome stage fright is to go up on stage and perform, as frequently as you can. Every venture on-stage and in front of the camera is going to boost your confidence to higher levels and will also help you fine tune your performance.
Observe and Learn
"One of the most important things I've learned about acting is that you can't separate how you live your life and how you practice your art." - Larry Moss
As a student of acting, you need to always be a sponge, ready to absorb, learn, and observe the performances of great actors, to learn the nuances of the craft. While watching movies, plays, and any performance, study the nuances of a role played by any actor, and especially the masters. By just keeping your eyes open, you can pick up a lot of things.
It Becomes Easier With Love
"Great acting is virtually always heroic and confident. It seems spiritual, easy and profoundly connected. Great actors seem like they are channeling the Gods." - Anonymous
You need to question why you are here. Why do you want to act? Is it for money, fame, mere validation of the ego, or genuine love for the art. Would you do it if you were not paid for it? If the answer and your motivation is love for the craft and the medium, you are bound to eventually succeed, for only love perseveres when all else fails.
When you need advice, it is always best to go to masters like Stanislavski. His books - 'An Actor Prepares', 'Creating a Role', and 'Building a Character' are highly recommended reading for anybody who wants to seriously learn acting. I wish you all the very best in your endeavors in the future. Your experience offstage and the awareness with which you live your life, is the key you need to unlock your acting potential. Confidence, sincerity, and the ability to let go of yourself will translate into a great acting performance.
And all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts.
- William Shakespeare (As You Like It)
In this verse, the great playwright has provided clues for aspiring artists, while also expounding a very profound philosophy about life and acting in general. The very life you live is abundant with experiences that you can draw from when acting onstage or on camera. Though you might think that you have no experience in acting or any entertainment job, you have loads of it on the real stage of life itself, playing multiple roles of a son, father, brother or daughter, mother, sister, and so on. Nothing can prepare you for acting, better than life.
That's the seed of the central idea to grasp, to master acting. In this article, I have expounded this idea some more, which has been already developed into the form of a 'method acting' technique, by theater greats like Constantin Stanislavski and furthered by Lee Strasberg and others in USA. I do not claim authority on this subject. The point of this article is to share with you all; whatever little I learned from my teachers.
How to Become an Actor Without Experience?
What is acting really? They say it's 'make believe', but I call it living an alternative reality. It lets you explore the various possibilities of what you could be. Just being your own self can be boring at times. Acting gives you an opportunity to be someone else for a while. It is voluntarily entering into the psyche of another personality and thinking according to a different set of values and constraints. It lets you explore the many parts of you, which you thought never existed. It lets you deeply explore what it means to be human. Some people dub theater as an experimental lab for psychology. I agree with them, but I consider it to be a 'truth' lab, where you explore the meaning of being human.
One of the best ways to begin your own acting studies is to start reading some good plays. Select your favorite role, from one of your favorite plays and prepare to act it out in front of an audience. To learn to act, you must act.
Understand Your Character Thoroughly
"With any part you play, there is a certain amount of yourself in it. There has to be, otherwise it's just not acting. It's lying." - Johnny Depp
To play a part or a role, you need to temporarily shed the inhibitions and prejudices that make you. To act a part, you must embrace the character that you are playing with open arms. Understand the plot of the play, as well as the psyche of your character. Understand the circumstances in which the person you are going to play, finds himself. Try to understand why your character behaves the way it does. You must try and embrace the idiosyncrasies of the character and try to relate with it. This is the part of acting, which you deal mostly with your 'brains'. Firstly, understand the rationale behind the play and the character.
Learn the lines or dialogues thoroughly and explore the thought behind every sentence. This will help you picture the circumstances in which the character finds itself. It's reading between the lines. Some actors go as far as 'living' as that person for a while, to understand him or her. They even maintain a diary of a life lived as that character. The idea is to go as close as possible to being that person.
Draw From Your Emotional Memory
"Find in yourself those human things which are universal." - Sanford Meisner
Rest of the process for preparing a role is all heart. To be that person, there is no way you can live a life that he or she has. But you can draw parallels from your own life, which will help you relate to the person.
In psychological terms, it is about delving deeper into your emotional memory. You have to draw parallels from your own experience and actually try to feel what the character feels. Say the dialogues only when you 'feel', the way your character does. Let it come out naturally. Let it flow.
No Substitute for Practice
"For most actors, success is achieved through study, struggle, preparation, infinite trial and error, training, discipline, experience and work!" - Robert Cohen
The process of transformation from being yourself, to being that character is gradual. It may be that after weeks and months of practice, just a few hours before your performance, in a moment of reflection, you understand who that person really is. You are going to get closer to actually be that person, only through practice. Acting techniques differ a lot. You will develop your own process with experience.
Enjoy the Process and Go With the Flow
"An actor has to burn inside with an outer ease." - Michael Chekhov
You don't need to be worried about having no actual acting experience, as long as you have lived your life with awareness and sensitivity. Enjoy the drama and process of acting and go with the flow. All the rest will follow.
Join a Local Theatre Group
"Work for the actor lies essentially in two areas: the ability to consistently create reality and the ability to express that reality." - Lee Strasberg
In almost every US city, there are theatre groups looking for new talent. Join one and audition for a role, if they have any to offer. You have got to start somewhere and take a chance. Your big break might not happen right away. There will be disappointments early on as you are just getting into the groove of what acting takes, but with dedication, being open to feedback, and the willingness to learn, you will do better.
Enrol For a Good Acting Class
"Study, find all the good teachers and study with them, get involved in acting to act, not to be famous or for the money. Do plays. It's not worth it if you are just in it for the money. You have to love it." - Philip Seymour Hoffman
There are several theatre and film veterans who are willing to share their expertise with newbies, through their own workshops and classes. Find one and get enrolled. You will definitely benefit from their experience. Finding a good teacher, whom you totally trust, is half the battle won. Trust the training program he plans out for you and give it your best. Maintaining a positive frame of mind is exceedingly important.
Prepare a Few Performances
"The [Great] Actor is able to approach in himself a cosmic dread as large as life. He is able to go from his dread to a joy so sweet that it is without limit. Only then will the actor have direct access to the life that moves in him, which is as free as his breathing. And like his breathing, he doesn't cause it to happen. He doesn't contain it, and it doesn't contain him." - Joseph Chaikin
To sell yourself as an actor, besides your portfolio of photographs and resume detailing your past acting experience, what you need are some ready performances of your own. Through these performances, you can showcase the acting talent you possess, to the world. They may be your favorite parts from a play, a famous monologue, a film scene you enjoy performing, or even a self-written stand-up piece. It is essential that you develop such performances and be ready to present them at any moment. In fact, engaging stand-up pieces can even get you a gig somewhere.
Never Miss an Opportunity to Perform
"An actor must interpret life, and in order to do so he must be willing to accept all experiences that life can offer." - Marlon Brando
To develop confidence in your acting abilities and overcome stage fright is to go up on stage and perform, as frequently as you can. Every venture on-stage and in front of the camera is going to boost your confidence to higher levels and will also help you fine tune your performance.
Observe and Learn
"One of the most important things I've learned about acting is that you can't separate how you live your life and how you practice your art." - Larry Moss
As a student of acting, you need to always be a sponge, ready to absorb, learn, and observe the performances of great actors, to learn the nuances of the craft. While watching movies, plays, and any performance, study the nuances of a role played by any actor, and especially the masters. By just keeping your eyes open, you can pick up a lot of things.
It Becomes Easier With Love
"Great acting is virtually always heroic and confident. It seems spiritual, easy and profoundly connected. Great actors seem like they are channeling the Gods." - Anonymous
You need to question why you are here. Why do you want to act? Is it for money, fame, mere validation of the ego, or genuine love for the art. Would you do it if you were not paid for it? If the answer and your motivation is love for the craft and the medium, you are bound to eventually succeed, for only love perseveres when all else fails.
When you need advice, it is always best to go to masters like Stanislavski. His books - 'An Actor Prepares', 'Creating a Role', and 'Building a Character' are highly recommended reading for anybody who wants to seriously learn acting. I wish you all the very best in your endeavors in the future. Your experience offstage and the awareness with which you live your life, is the key you need to unlock your acting potential. Confidence, sincerity, and the ability to let go of yourself will translate into a great acting performance.
Quotes about Missing Someone
When someone you love has left your side, there's this feeling of missing a part of yourself. True to this intense feeling, Buzzle puts forth a compilation of quotes on missing that one person, who is the light of your life.
Express Through Songs
Miss You - Aaliyah
I'll be Missing You - Puff Daddy
Missin' You - Trey Songz
I Miss You - Miley Cyrus
Not everything in life comes easy, neither in love. When you miss the person you love the most, when distance tears you apart, your emotions run strong, and you long for the separation to end. There are many ways to tell your partner you miss his/her presence in your life, and words are the best way to express your state of mind.
So, no matter if you're missing someone who is temporarily away, pining for a lost love that you pray you can win back, or paying tribute to your parents who are far away from you, the quotes on this list might help you keep that lonely feeling away and prevent it from darkening your days. These collection of quotes about missing someone reflect the true emotions of suffering and hope. We hope these quotes will ease the loneliness that you may feel.
Missing Your Loved One
Sometimes, when one person is missing, the whole world seems depopulated.
― Alphonse de Lamartine
lamartine quote on feeling lonely
I miss you more than the sun misses the sky at night.
― Unknown
Time goes by a lot slower when you miss the one you love.
― Unknown
Missing you could turn from pain to pleasure, if I knew you were missing me too.
― Unknown
If I had a single flower for every time I think about you, I could walk forever in my garden.
― Claudia Adrienne Grandi
claudia grandi quote on missing someone
Parting is all we know of heaven, and all we need of hell.
― Emily Dickinson
You know you love someone when the mere thought of losing them brings you to tears.
― Unknown
I've been laying here all night, listening to the rain. Talking to my heart and trying to explain. Why sometimes I catch myself wondering what might have been. Yes I do think about you, every now and then.
― Unknown
Another day, another pang that you are afar.
― Byron Caldwell Smith
byron smith quote on missing your loved one
Absence from whom we love is worse than death, and frustrates hope severer than despair.
― William Cowper
Missing someone gets easier everyday. Because, even though it is one day further from the last time you saw each other, it is one day closer to the next time you will.
― Unknown
If I never met you, I wouldn't like you. If I didn't like you, I wouldn't love you. If I didn't love you, I wouldn't miss you. But I did, I do, and I will.
― Unknown
Within you I lose myself... Without you I find myself wanting to be lost again.
― Unknown
The silence isn't so bad, till I look at my hands and feel sad. Because the spaces between my fingers are right where yours fit perfectly.
― Owl City
owl city lyrics on missing someone
Waiting for a specific person to text you, but every time the phone vibrates, it's everyone else but that person.
― Unknown
The joy of meeting pays the pangs of absence; else who could bear it?
― Nicholas Rowe
I miss him in so many ways, but right now I miss him in the way you always miss someone when you're single among a room full of couples.
― Emily Giffin
If you think missing me is hard, then you should try missing you.
― Unknown
Absence diminishes little passions and increases great ones, as the wind extinguishes candles and fans a fire.
― François, duc de La Rochefoucauld
francois quote on missing someone
You may be out of my sight but never out of my mind.
― Unknown
Time may tick along at its pace but without you minutes feel like hours and when you are with me...days pass away like a second. I need you so bad, come back soon.
― Unknown
Love is missing someone whenever you're apart, but somehow feeling warm inside because you're close in heart.
― Kay Knudsen
Your absence has gone through me
Like thread through a needle.
Everything I do is stitched with its color.
― W.S. Merwin
merwin quote on missing someone
It's true we don't know what we've got until its gone, but we don't know what we've been missing until it arrives.
― Unknown
Love reckons hours for months, and days for years; and every little absence is an age.
― John Dryden
Ever absent, ever near; Still I see thee, still I hear; Yet I cannot reach thee, dear!
― Francis Kazinczy
When I miss you, I don't have to go far ... I just have to look inside my heart because that's where I'll find you.
― Unknown
Missing you is like breathing...it just comes naturally.
― Unknown
It pains in places I never knew existed, missing you.
― Unknown
quote on missing someone
I miss the laugh that made me smile and the eyes that said they care.
― Unknown
There is a place in my heart where you reside, and it is where I run and hide every time that you're away.
― Unknown
Missing someone is a part of loving them. If your never apart then you will never know how strong your heart really is.
― Unknown
When I wake up to the empty bedside in the morning it's then that the pain of you not being around me hits me hardest.
― Unknown
Missing Parents Quotes
This section of quotes is dedicated to those who live far away from their families and miss them dearly. Sometimes, we are so engaged in our lives, that we don't get the chance to share important events with our parents. We need to move back towards our parents, our childhood home―the place that was always comforting, familiar, and filled with people who loved and cared for you. Why not move closer and express to your parents how much you miss them? It would be unwise not to take advantage of this opportunity.
Parents are the stars that guide you,
In their love and care, they hide you.
It pains when they are far away,
But they are in your thoughts always.
― Unknown
quote on missing parents
Of all the gifts that life has to offer, loving parents is the greatest of them all. I miss you mom and dad. I wish you were by my side now.
― Unknown
I miss my home, my parents ... I miss staying close to you Mom and Dad. No matter where I stay, a home is not a home without you.
― Unknown
Some people are valued when they are away,
when they're not around to ease your way.
Such is a bond you share with the two―Mom and Dad, I really miss you.
― Unknown
The fingers that held me when I felt lost,
the support that stood by me at any cost.
Dear mum and dad, you're always in my heart,
even though I'm away for life's new start.
― Unknown
daughter missing parents quote
Having the childhood I had was the greatest gift for me.
If not for parents like you, I don't know where I would be.
Thank you for being my life.
I will miss you always.
― Unknown
When I needed a hug, your arms were always open.
When I needed a friend, you were right there hearing me out.
When I needed a boost, you encouraged me.
You made me who I am today.
What would I do without you, Mom and Dad?
I truly miss you.
― Unknown
Mom and Dad, you both are the reason I'm so strong,
With you two steering the way, nothing could go wrong.
Thank you both for always being there,
And showing me that you care.
Words can never explain how I feel about you,
But I hope you know that I truly miss you two!
Miss You - Aaliyah
I'll be Missing You - Puff Daddy
Missin' You - Trey Songz
I Miss You - Miley Cyrus
Not everything in life comes easy, neither in love. When you miss the person you love the most, when distance tears you apart, your emotions run strong, and you long for the separation to end. There are many ways to tell your partner you miss his/her presence in your life, and words are the best way to express your state of mind.
So, no matter if you're missing someone who is temporarily away, pining for a lost love that you pray you can win back, or paying tribute to your parents who are far away from you, the quotes on this list might help you keep that lonely feeling away and prevent it from darkening your days. These collection of quotes about missing someone reflect the true emotions of suffering and hope. We hope these quotes will ease the loneliness that you may feel.
Missing Your Loved One
Sometimes, when one person is missing, the whole world seems depopulated.
― Alphonse de Lamartine
lamartine quote on feeling lonely
I miss you more than the sun misses the sky at night.
― Unknown
Time goes by a lot slower when you miss the one you love.
― Unknown
Missing you could turn from pain to pleasure, if I knew you were missing me too.
― Unknown
If I had a single flower for every time I think about you, I could walk forever in my garden.
― Claudia Adrienne Grandi
claudia grandi quote on missing someone
Parting is all we know of heaven, and all we need of hell.
― Emily Dickinson
You know you love someone when the mere thought of losing them brings you to tears.
― Unknown
I've been laying here all night, listening to the rain. Talking to my heart and trying to explain. Why sometimes I catch myself wondering what might have been. Yes I do think about you, every now and then.
― Unknown
Another day, another pang that you are afar.
― Byron Caldwell Smith
byron smith quote on missing your loved one
Absence from whom we love is worse than death, and frustrates hope severer than despair.
― William Cowper
Missing someone gets easier everyday. Because, even though it is one day further from the last time you saw each other, it is one day closer to the next time you will.
― Unknown
If I never met you, I wouldn't like you. If I didn't like you, I wouldn't love you. If I didn't love you, I wouldn't miss you. But I did, I do, and I will.
― Unknown
Within you I lose myself... Without you I find myself wanting to be lost again.
― Unknown
The silence isn't so bad, till I look at my hands and feel sad. Because the spaces between my fingers are right where yours fit perfectly.
― Owl City
owl city lyrics on missing someone
Waiting for a specific person to text you, but every time the phone vibrates, it's everyone else but that person.
― Unknown
The joy of meeting pays the pangs of absence; else who could bear it?
― Nicholas Rowe
I miss him in so many ways, but right now I miss him in the way you always miss someone when you're single among a room full of couples.
― Emily Giffin
If you think missing me is hard, then you should try missing you.
― Unknown
Absence diminishes little passions and increases great ones, as the wind extinguishes candles and fans a fire.
― François, duc de La Rochefoucauld
francois quote on missing someone
You may be out of my sight but never out of my mind.
― Unknown
Time may tick along at its pace but without you minutes feel like hours and when you are with me...days pass away like a second. I need you so bad, come back soon.
― Unknown
Love is missing someone whenever you're apart, but somehow feeling warm inside because you're close in heart.
― Kay Knudsen
Your absence has gone through me
Like thread through a needle.
Everything I do is stitched with its color.
― W.S. Merwin
merwin quote on missing someone
It's true we don't know what we've got until its gone, but we don't know what we've been missing until it arrives.
― Unknown
Love reckons hours for months, and days for years; and every little absence is an age.
― John Dryden
Ever absent, ever near; Still I see thee, still I hear; Yet I cannot reach thee, dear!
― Francis Kazinczy
When I miss you, I don't have to go far ... I just have to look inside my heart because that's where I'll find you.
― Unknown
Missing you is like breathing...it just comes naturally.
― Unknown
It pains in places I never knew existed, missing you.
― Unknown
quote on missing someone
I miss the laugh that made me smile and the eyes that said they care.
― Unknown
There is a place in my heart where you reside, and it is where I run and hide every time that you're away.
― Unknown
Missing someone is a part of loving them. If your never apart then you will never know how strong your heart really is.
― Unknown
When I wake up to the empty bedside in the morning it's then that the pain of you not being around me hits me hardest.
― Unknown
Missing Parents Quotes
This section of quotes is dedicated to those who live far away from their families and miss them dearly. Sometimes, we are so engaged in our lives, that we don't get the chance to share important events with our parents. We need to move back towards our parents, our childhood home―the place that was always comforting, familiar, and filled with people who loved and cared for you. Why not move closer and express to your parents how much you miss them? It would be unwise not to take advantage of this opportunity.
Parents are the stars that guide you,
In their love and care, they hide you.
It pains when they are far away,
But they are in your thoughts always.
― Unknown
quote on missing parents
Of all the gifts that life has to offer, loving parents is the greatest of them all. I miss you mom and dad. I wish you were by my side now.
― Unknown
I miss my home, my parents ... I miss staying close to you Mom and Dad. No matter where I stay, a home is not a home without you.
― Unknown
Some people are valued when they are away,
when they're not around to ease your way.
Such is a bond you share with the two―Mom and Dad, I really miss you.
― Unknown
The fingers that held me when I felt lost,
the support that stood by me at any cost.
Dear mum and dad, you're always in my heart,
even though I'm away for life's new start.
― Unknown
daughter missing parents quote
Having the childhood I had was the greatest gift for me.
If not for parents like you, I don't know where I would be.
Thank you for being my life.
I will miss you always.
― Unknown
When I needed a hug, your arms were always open.
When I needed a friend, you were right there hearing me out.
When I needed a boost, you encouraged me.
You made me who I am today.
What would I do without you, Mom and Dad?
I truly miss you.
― Unknown
Mom and Dad, you both are the reason I'm so strong,
With you two steering the way, nothing could go wrong.
Thank you both for always being there,
And showing me that you care.
Words can never explain how I feel about you,
But I hope you know that I truly miss you two!
50 Famous Quotes by Plato
Plato is perhaps one of the most influential Classical philosophers of all time. Buzzle brings you a selection of some of the most famous quotes by Plato.
"There are two things a person should never be angry at, what they can help, and what they cannot."
― Plato
Plato was a 4th century BCE Greek philosopher, known for his outstanding works such as the Republic and the Symposium, amongst others. He was also a renowned mathematician and rhetorician. Considered to be one of the most important people who helped in founding a solid base for the Western philosophical tradition, Plato inspired the world with his sophisticated understanding of politics, and continues to do so even today. In fact, historical references tell us that Plato hailed from one of the most affluent and politically active Athenian families, a social background that is reflected through most of his writings. There is an entire philosophical school of thought, known as Platonism, which is based on his ideals and doctrines.
Buzzle has compiled some of the most striking and famous quotes by Plato in this write-up. We hope that these quotes inspire you to understand politics, love, and life in a better way.
Plato's Quotes from "The Republic"
Quote on work
The heaviest penalty for declining to rule is to be ruled by someone inferior to yourself.
If women are expected to do the same work as men, we must teach them the same things.
I am the wisest man alive, for I know one thing, and that is that I know nothing.
The beginning is the most important part of the work.
Musical innovation is full of danger to the State, for when modes of music change, the laws of the State always change with them.
Quote on liberty
The soul takes nothing with her to the next world but her education and her culture. At the beginning of the journey to the next world, one's education and culture can either provide the greatest assistance, or else act as the greatest burden, to the person who has just died.
Bodily exercise, when compulsory, does no harm to the body; but knowledge which is acquired under compulsion obtains no hold on the mind.
There is in every one of us, even those who seem to be most moderate, a type of desire that is terrible, wild, and lawless.
The society we have described can never grow into a reality or see the light of day, and there will be no end to the troubles of states, or indeed, my dear Glaucon, of humanity itself, till philosophers become rulers in this world, or till those we now call kings and rulers really and truly become philosophers, and political power and philosophy thus come into the same hands.
Either we shall find what it is we are seeking or at least we shall free ourselves from the persuasion that we know what we do not know.
Quote on money-makers
Excess of liberty, whether it lies in state or individuals, seems only to pass into excess of slavery.
Nothing beautiful without struggle.
Any one who has common sense will remember that the bewilderments of the eyes are of two kinds, and arise from two causes, either from coming out of the light or from going into the light, which is true of the mind's eye, quite as much as of the bodily eye.
It is only just that anything that grows up on its own should feel it has nothing to repay for an upbringing which it owes no one.
Money-makers are tiresome company, as they have no standard but cash value.
Plato's Quotes About Politics
Quote on rulers
The price good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men.
In politics we presume that everyone who knows how to get votes knows how to administer a city or a state. When we are ill ... we do not ask for the handsomest physician, or the most eloquent one.
Dictatorship naturally arises out of democracy, and the most aggravated form of tyranny and slavery out of the most extreme liberty.
Tyranny naturally arises out of democracy.
Our object in the construction of the state is the greatest happiness of the whole, and not that of any one class.
Quote on democracy
Whatever deceives men seems to produce a magical enchantment.
The rulers of the state are the only persons who ought to have the privilege of lying, either at home or abroad; they may be allowed to lie for the good of the state.
We are twice armed if we fight with faith.
Those who tell the stories rule society.
Democracy... is a charming form of government, full of variety and disorder; and dispensing a sort of equality to equals and unequals alike.
Plato on Philosophy, Love, and More ...
Quote on kindness
Wise men speak because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something.
Every heart sings a song, incomplete, until another heart whispers back. Those who wish to sing always find a song. At the touch of a lover, everyone becomes a poet.
Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.
Books are immortal sons defying their sires.
Ignorance, the root and stem of every evil.
Quote on life
The madness of love is the greatest of heaven's blessings.
Human behavior flows from three main sources: desire, emotion, and knowledge.
There are three classes of men; lovers of wisdom, lovers of honor, and lovers of gain.
Courage is knowing what not to fear.
Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a harder battle.
Quote on life
Necessity is the mother of invention.
"Excellence" is not a gift, but a skill that takes practice. We do not act "rightly" because we are "excellent"; in fact we achieve "excellence" by acting "rightly".
People are like dirt. They can either nourish you and help you grow as a person or they can stunt your growth and make you wilt and die.
A hero is born among a hundred, a wise man is found among a thousand, but an accomplished one might not be found even among a hundred thousand men.
We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.
Quote on love
Poets utter great and wise things which they do not themselves understand.
Man is a being in search of meaning.
False words are not only evil in themselves, but they infect the soul with evil.
Those who are able to see beyond the shadows and lies of their culture will never be understood, let alone believed, by the masses.
Poetry is nearer to vital truth than history.
Quote on wealth
True friendship can exist only between equals.
Beauty of style and harmony and grace and good rhythm depend on simplicity.
Ideas are the source of all things.
Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, a charm to sadness, gaiety and life to everything. It is the essence of order and lends to all that is good and just and beautiful.
Wealth is the parent of luxury and indolence, and poverty of meanness and viciousness, and both of discontent.
Plato breathed his last sometime in the middle of the 4th century BCE. Sources tell us that he died at the age of 80. While there is no conclusive theory on how the philosopher might have actually died, the world definitely lost one of the most enlightened minds that walked our planet. Nevertheless, Plato's works in different fields still motivates and influences us, and will surely continue doing so in the years to come.
― Plato
Plato was a 4th century BCE Greek philosopher, known for his outstanding works such as the Republic and the Symposium, amongst others. He was also a renowned mathematician and rhetorician. Considered to be one of the most important people who helped in founding a solid base for the Western philosophical tradition, Plato inspired the world with his sophisticated understanding of politics, and continues to do so even today. In fact, historical references tell us that Plato hailed from one of the most affluent and politically active Athenian families, a social background that is reflected through most of his writings. There is an entire philosophical school of thought, known as Platonism, which is based on his ideals and doctrines.
Buzzle has compiled some of the most striking and famous quotes by Plato in this write-up. We hope that these quotes inspire you to understand politics, love, and life in a better way.
Plato's Quotes from "The Republic"
Quote on work
The heaviest penalty for declining to rule is to be ruled by someone inferior to yourself.
If women are expected to do the same work as men, we must teach them the same things.
I am the wisest man alive, for I know one thing, and that is that I know nothing.
The beginning is the most important part of the work.
Musical innovation is full of danger to the State, for when modes of music change, the laws of the State always change with them.
Quote on liberty
The soul takes nothing with her to the next world but her education and her culture. At the beginning of the journey to the next world, one's education and culture can either provide the greatest assistance, or else act as the greatest burden, to the person who has just died.
Bodily exercise, when compulsory, does no harm to the body; but knowledge which is acquired under compulsion obtains no hold on the mind.
There is in every one of us, even those who seem to be most moderate, a type of desire that is terrible, wild, and lawless.
The society we have described can never grow into a reality or see the light of day, and there will be no end to the troubles of states, or indeed, my dear Glaucon, of humanity itself, till philosophers become rulers in this world, or till those we now call kings and rulers really and truly become philosophers, and political power and philosophy thus come into the same hands.
Either we shall find what it is we are seeking or at least we shall free ourselves from the persuasion that we know what we do not know.
Quote on money-makers
Excess of liberty, whether it lies in state or individuals, seems only to pass into excess of slavery.
Nothing beautiful without struggle.
Any one who has common sense will remember that the bewilderments of the eyes are of two kinds, and arise from two causes, either from coming out of the light or from going into the light, which is true of the mind's eye, quite as much as of the bodily eye.
It is only just that anything that grows up on its own should feel it has nothing to repay for an upbringing which it owes no one.
Money-makers are tiresome company, as they have no standard but cash value.
Plato's Quotes About Politics
Quote on rulers
The price good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men.
In politics we presume that everyone who knows how to get votes knows how to administer a city or a state. When we are ill ... we do not ask for the handsomest physician, or the most eloquent one.
Dictatorship naturally arises out of democracy, and the most aggravated form of tyranny and slavery out of the most extreme liberty.
Tyranny naturally arises out of democracy.
Our object in the construction of the state is the greatest happiness of the whole, and not that of any one class.
Quote on democracy
Whatever deceives men seems to produce a magical enchantment.
The rulers of the state are the only persons who ought to have the privilege of lying, either at home or abroad; they may be allowed to lie for the good of the state.
We are twice armed if we fight with faith.
Those who tell the stories rule society.
Democracy... is a charming form of government, full of variety and disorder; and dispensing a sort of equality to equals and unequals alike.
Plato on Philosophy, Love, and More ...
Quote on kindness
Wise men speak because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something.
Every heart sings a song, incomplete, until another heart whispers back. Those who wish to sing always find a song. At the touch of a lover, everyone becomes a poet.
Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.
Books are immortal sons defying their sires.
Ignorance, the root and stem of every evil.
Quote on life
The madness of love is the greatest of heaven's blessings.
Human behavior flows from three main sources: desire, emotion, and knowledge.
There are three classes of men; lovers of wisdom, lovers of honor, and lovers of gain.
Courage is knowing what not to fear.
Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a harder battle.
Quote on life
Necessity is the mother of invention.
"Excellence" is not a gift, but a skill that takes practice. We do not act "rightly" because we are "excellent"; in fact we achieve "excellence" by acting "rightly".
People are like dirt. They can either nourish you and help you grow as a person or they can stunt your growth and make you wilt and die.
A hero is born among a hundred, a wise man is found among a thousand, but an accomplished one might not be found even among a hundred thousand men.
We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.
Quote on love
Poets utter great and wise things which they do not themselves understand.
Man is a being in search of meaning.
False words are not only evil in themselves, but they infect the soul with evil.
Those who are able to see beyond the shadows and lies of their culture will never be understood, let alone believed, by the masses.
Poetry is nearer to vital truth than history.
Quote on wealth
True friendship can exist only between equals.
Beauty of style and harmony and grace and good rhythm depend on simplicity.
Ideas are the source of all things.
Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, a charm to sadness, gaiety and life to everything. It is the essence of order and lends to all that is good and just and beautiful.
Wealth is the parent of luxury and indolence, and poverty of meanness and viciousness, and both of discontent.
Plato breathed his last sometime in the middle of the 4th century BCE. Sources tell us that he died at the age of 80. While there is no conclusive theory on how the philosopher might have actually died, the world definitely lost one of the most enlightened minds that walked our planet. Nevertheless, Plato's works in different fields still motivates and influences us, and will surely continue doing so in the years to come.
Monologues for Women
There are several forms and types of monologues for women that can be used to bring out their talent. This following Buzzle piece will give you an assorted choice of monologues written for women.
There are several forms and types of monologues for women that can be used to bring out their talent. This following Buzzle piece will give you an assorted choice of monologues written for women.
"A conversation is a dialogue, not a monologue. That's why there
are so few good conversations: due to scarcity, two intelligent talkers
seldom meet."
― Truman Capote
A monologue is a form of speech used to describe a situation wherein a character gives a speech all by himself/herself without being interrupted by any other character's speech or dialogs. This speech need not necessarily be said out loud to an audience, but could also be his/her internal thought process. Depending on the situation in which the speech is given, different names are allotted to the same, like soliloquy, for instance.
Monologues are important for people who want to showcase their talent as actors. In this article, we will be concentrating on monologues for women. Since a monologue is delivered by an individual, there is complete scope for her to exhibit her acting skills and get noticed. That's why, picking the right kind of monologue becomes crucial. Refer to the article that follows and take your pick from among the monologues that are listed below.
Comedic Monologues
Boy is it tough to get one's comic timing right. Not an easy task at all. But then a comic act is something that has such a wide fan following that it gets one noticed very easily. Here are some funny monologues that you can choose from.
Confessions of a Shopaholic
In this 2001 novel, Becky Bloomwood, the protagonist is shown as a girl obsessed with shopping. One who borders on an obsessive compulsive disorder, almost. Neglecting everything around for its sake―friends, family, her job, and responsibilities. It makes for a very quirky character to say the least. The novel was turned into a major motion picture in the year 2009.
The following confessions of a shopaholic monologue is given by Rebecca Bloomwood to explain the hypocrisy and incompetence of the Flagstaff Life Bank.
Rebecca
Let's ... suppose I'm in a clothes shop! I'm in a clothes shop and I've chosen a wonderful cashmere Nicole Farhi coat. Okay? Okay, so imagine I'm standing in the checkout queue, minding my own business, when a sales assistant comes up to me and says, "Why not buy this other coat instead? It's better quality-and I'll throw in a free bottle of perfume." I've got no reason to distrust the sales assistant, so I think, wonderful, and I buy the other coat. But when I get outside, I discover that this other coat isn't Nicole Farhi and isn't real cashmere. I go back in-and the shop won't give me a refund. I was ripped off. And the point is, so were thousands of Flagstaff Life customers. They were persuaded out of their original choice of investment, into a fund which left them £20,000 worse off. Perhaps Flagstaff Life didn't break the law. Perhaps they didn't contravene any regulations. But there's a natural justice in this world, and they didn't just break that, they shattered it. Those customers deserved that windfall. They were loyal, long-standing customers and they deserved it. And if you're honest, Luke Brandon, you know they deserved it.
While You Were Sleeping
This romantic comedy that released in the year 1995 is one of my personal favorites. The protagonist Lucy Moderatz is an orphan who gets herself in a situation that leads people to believe she's engaged to be married to a man she has never even spoken to.
The following monologue is given by Lucy when she goes to meet Peter at the hospital. He's in a coma and this is her monologue for him.
Lucy
I bet you were wondering what I'm doing here in the middle of the night. Well, I thought I should introduce myself. My name is Lucy. Lucy Elenore Moderatz. Umm ... I think you should know that your family thinks we're engaged. I've never been engaged before. This is very sudden for me. Umm, what I really came here to tell was that I didn't mean for this to happen. I don't know what to do. If you were awake, I wouldn't be in this mess. Oh God, not that I'm blaming you. I'm sorry. It's just that when I was a kid, I always imagined what I would be like or what I would have when I got older. And you know, it was normal stuff. I'd have a house and a family and things like that. It's not that I'm complaining or anything, because I do have a cat. I have an apartment. I have the sole possession of a remote control. That's very important. It's just that I've never met anybody that I could laugh with. Do you believe in love at first sight? I bet you don't. You're probably too sensible for that. Or have you ever seen somebody and you know that if that person really knew you, they'd dump the perfect model that they were with and realize that you were the one that they wanted to grow old with? Have you ever fallen in love with somebody that you haven't even talked to? Have you ever been so alone that you spend the night confusing a man in a coma?
Romantic Monologues
There are usually moments guaranteed in romantic comedies that promise a monologue sometime during the film. The unique feature about these is that, while they have the romantic theme running in the background, the speech comes from a deep, emotional depth―meaning that there's a lot of scope for showing one's acting talents through these romantic comedy monologues.
The Notebook
After all those years of being separated by fate, Allie is torn between her love of the past and the man she's engaged to. This monologue has her reminiscing about her past and the love she once had.
Allie
Do you remember sneaking over here the first time you told me about this place? I got home late that evening, and my parents were furious when I finally came in. I can still picture my daddy standing in the living room, my mother on the sofa, staring straight ahead. I swear, they looked as if a family member had died. That was the first time my parents knew I was serious about you, and my mother had a long talk with me later that night. She said to me, "Sometimes, our future is dictated by who we are, not what we want." And I know it was wrong of her to keep your letters from me, but just try to understand. Once we left, she probably thought it would be easier for me to just let go. In her mind, she was trying to protect my feelings, and she probably thought the best way to do that was to hide the letters you sent. Not that any of it matters, now that I have Lon. He's handsome, charming, successful. He's kind to me, he makes me laugh, and I know he loves me in his own special way ... but there's always going to be something missing in our relationship―the kind of love we had that summer.
10 Things I Hate About You
This 1999 romantic comedy had a rebel couple in the fighting. This monologue shows how the walls finally fall and how love shines through.
Kat
I hate the way you talk to me. And the way you cut your hair. I hate the way you drive my car. I hate it when you stare. I hate your big dumb combat boots. And the way you read my mind. I hate you so much it makes me sick―it even makes me rhyme. I hate the way you're always right. I hate it when you lie. I hate it when you make me laugh―even worse when you make me cry. I hate it that you're not around. And the fact that you didn't call. But mostly I hate the way I don't hate you―not even close, not even a little bit, not even at all.
Dramatic Monologues
Drama does not necessarily mean over-the-top. Drama could be used just as wisely for conveying a message about something more serious and making a comment about a flaw in society. Here are some of the dramatic monologues that you can use.
Irreconcilable Differences
This monologue strikes a chord because it seems rather simple, but as you come to the end of it, you realize just how deep it is. The things that are being conveyed are grave things said in the most simple terms.
Casey
I'm just a kid, and I don't know what I'm doing sometimes. But I think you should know better when you're all grown up. I think you should know how to act, and how to treat people. And I think if you once loved someone enough to marry them, you should at least be nice to them, even if you don't love 'em any more. And I think if you have a child, you should treat that child like a human being and not like a pet. Not like you treat your dog or somethin'. You know, when you have a dog sometimes you forget he's there, and then when you get lonely suddenly you remember him, and you remember how cute he is and stuff, and you kiss him a lot, but then the next day when you're busy again you don't notice him. That's how I've been treated for the past four years, and you don't treat your kid like your dog. It's not right.
Million Dollar Baby
This monologue gives us an insight into human nature and psychology―of how one fights through the downs of society to achieve something, and the fear one feels when the fame is threatened to be taken away.
Maggie
I can't be like this, Frankie. Not after what I've done. I've seen the world. People chanted my name. Well, not my name, some damn name you gave me. But they were chanting for me. I was in magazines. You think I ever dreamed that'd happen? I was born at two pounds, one-and-a-half ounces. Daddy used to tell me I fought into this world, and I'd fight my way out. That's all I wanna do, Frankie. I just don't wanna fight you to do it. I got what I needed. I got it all. Don't let 'em keep taking it away from me. Don't let me lie here 'till I can't hear those people chanting no more.
Never Been Kissed
This film, though a romantic comedy, makes for a great comment on society and other relations. Through the character of Josie Gellar, who gets a chance to re-live her high school terms all over again, there is a distinct statement made on issues like peer pressure and groupism.
The following is a prom monologue given by Josie Gellar at the high school prom in a way to stand up for her friend and discard all that is wrong.
Josie
Let me tell you something, I don't care about being your stupid prom queen. I'm 25 years old. I'm an undercover reporter for the Chicago Sun Times and I've been beating my brains out trying to impress you people. Let me tell you something Gibby, Kirsten, Kristin, you will spend your lives trying to keep others down because it makes you feel more important. Why her? Let me tell you about this girl she is unbelievable. I was new here and she befriended me, no questions asked. But you, you were only my friend after my brother, Rob, posed as a student and told you to like me. All of you people, there is a big world out there ... bigger than prom, bigger than high school and it won't matter if you were the prom queen, the quarterback of the football team, or the biggest nerd in school. Find out who you are and try not to be afraid of it.
Under Her Spell
This one's a little different. It's written by Ava Lindt and talks about Anna, a girl who's just realized that the person she loves, loves someone else―her old best friend. I chose to share this monologue because I think it has the scope to bring out the feelings of pain and hurt all in one. Try to see if you get what I'm saying through the following monologue.
Anna
Today I felt beautiful. Not the kind of all-knowing beautiful, just beautiful like they say in the movies and in our dreams. When the guy is sitting at the bar talking to some other scum and saying, "She's so beautiful." This is how I felt. I don't know what beauty is. I never really have gotten the lure of a girl with the crazy green eyes and reddish dyed hair. I always thought it was just because she was pretty. And everyone with a platonic brain over their necks for her knew that. But she was mad and mean. And she held nothing of value for me except the scattered words in her poems.
There was something there though. And I don't know if he sees that something or if he's another one of those guys that sees her and wants to die with lust. I don't know these things. But I sit here trying to think all philosophically about it when I know that I am just another one of those people that can fall under spells. Like the rest of them. Fall under the spells of the starry eyes and then you forget that those people have no conscience. They've been built up with big egos to look in mirrors and make themselves out to be fishes. And her. With her roses and raves and vegan food. I don't know. These things don't mean anything in the scheme of things. She needs to be untouchable. Like some face on a Versace advertisement. Like some girl on the cover of Teen. Mysterious, but you know the story behind her. Beauty. My mind is mixed up. Sometimes I wonder how people like him can be in love with people like her. How we're all obsessed with beauty. We're all obsessed with trying. But she's the girl who can wake up and still look gorgeous. She's the girl who tried so hard to get where she is and she's still failing with anything and everything else but her looks. And I can see that. He can't.
― Truman Capote
A monologue is a form of speech used to describe a situation wherein a character gives a speech all by himself/herself without being interrupted by any other character's speech or dialogs. This speech need not necessarily be said out loud to an audience, but could also be his/her internal thought process. Depending on the situation in which the speech is given, different names are allotted to the same, like soliloquy, for instance.
Monologues are important for people who want to showcase their talent as actors. In this article, we will be concentrating on monologues for women. Since a monologue is delivered by an individual, there is complete scope for her to exhibit her acting skills and get noticed. That's why, picking the right kind of monologue becomes crucial. Refer to the article that follows and take your pick from among the monologues that are listed below.
Comedic Monologues
Boy is it tough to get one's comic timing right. Not an easy task at all. But then a comic act is something that has such a wide fan following that it gets one noticed very easily. Here are some funny monologues that you can choose from.
Confessions of a Shopaholic
In this 2001 novel, Becky Bloomwood, the protagonist is shown as a girl obsessed with shopping. One who borders on an obsessive compulsive disorder, almost. Neglecting everything around for its sake―friends, family, her job, and responsibilities. It makes for a very quirky character to say the least. The novel was turned into a major motion picture in the year 2009.
The following confessions of a shopaholic monologue is given by Rebecca Bloomwood to explain the hypocrisy and incompetence of the Flagstaff Life Bank.
Rebecca
Let's ... suppose I'm in a clothes shop! I'm in a clothes shop and I've chosen a wonderful cashmere Nicole Farhi coat. Okay? Okay, so imagine I'm standing in the checkout queue, minding my own business, when a sales assistant comes up to me and says, "Why not buy this other coat instead? It's better quality-and I'll throw in a free bottle of perfume." I've got no reason to distrust the sales assistant, so I think, wonderful, and I buy the other coat. But when I get outside, I discover that this other coat isn't Nicole Farhi and isn't real cashmere. I go back in-and the shop won't give me a refund. I was ripped off. And the point is, so were thousands of Flagstaff Life customers. They were persuaded out of their original choice of investment, into a fund which left them £20,000 worse off. Perhaps Flagstaff Life didn't break the law. Perhaps they didn't contravene any regulations. But there's a natural justice in this world, and they didn't just break that, they shattered it. Those customers deserved that windfall. They were loyal, long-standing customers and they deserved it. And if you're honest, Luke Brandon, you know they deserved it.
While You Were Sleeping
This romantic comedy that released in the year 1995 is one of my personal favorites. The protagonist Lucy Moderatz is an orphan who gets herself in a situation that leads people to believe she's engaged to be married to a man she has never even spoken to.
The following monologue is given by Lucy when she goes to meet Peter at the hospital. He's in a coma and this is her monologue for him.
Lucy
I bet you were wondering what I'm doing here in the middle of the night. Well, I thought I should introduce myself. My name is Lucy. Lucy Elenore Moderatz. Umm ... I think you should know that your family thinks we're engaged. I've never been engaged before. This is very sudden for me. Umm, what I really came here to tell was that I didn't mean for this to happen. I don't know what to do. If you were awake, I wouldn't be in this mess. Oh God, not that I'm blaming you. I'm sorry. It's just that when I was a kid, I always imagined what I would be like or what I would have when I got older. And you know, it was normal stuff. I'd have a house and a family and things like that. It's not that I'm complaining or anything, because I do have a cat. I have an apartment. I have the sole possession of a remote control. That's very important. It's just that I've never met anybody that I could laugh with. Do you believe in love at first sight? I bet you don't. You're probably too sensible for that. Or have you ever seen somebody and you know that if that person really knew you, they'd dump the perfect model that they were with and realize that you were the one that they wanted to grow old with? Have you ever fallen in love with somebody that you haven't even talked to? Have you ever been so alone that you spend the night confusing a man in a coma?
Romantic Monologues
There are usually moments guaranteed in romantic comedies that promise a monologue sometime during the film. The unique feature about these is that, while they have the romantic theme running in the background, the speech comes from a deep, emotional depth―meaning that there's a lot of scope for showing one's acting talents through these romantic comedy monologues.
The Notebook
After all those years of being separated by fate, Allie is torn between her love of the past and the man she's engaged to. This monologue has her reminiscing about her past and the love she once had.
Allie
Do you remember sneaking over here the first time you told me about this place? I got home late that evening, and my parents were furious when I finally came in. I can still picture my daddy standing in the living room, my mother on the sofa, staring straight ahead. I swear, they looked as if a family member had died. That was the first time my parents knew I was serious about you, and my mother had a long talk with me later that night. She said to me, "Sometimes, our future is dictated by who we are, not what we want." And I know it was wrong of her to keep your letters from me, but just try to understand. Once we left, she probably thought it would be easier for me to just let go. In her mind, she was trying to protect my feelings, and she probably thought the best way to do that was to hide the letters you sent. Not that any of it matters, now that I have Lon. He's handsome, charming, successful. He's kind to me, he makes me laugh, and I know he loves me in his own special way ... but there's always going to be something missing in our relationship―the kind of love we had that summer.
10 Things I Hate About You
This 1999 romantic comedy had a rebel couple in the fighting. This monologue shows how the walls finally fall and how love shines through.
Kat
I hate the way you talk to me. And the way you cut your hair. I hate the way you drive my car. I hate it when you stare. I hate your big dumb combat boots. And the way you read my mind. I hate you so much it makes me sick―it even makes me rhyme. I hate the way you're always right. I hate it when you lie. I hate it when you make me laugh―even worse when you make me cry. I hate it that you're not around. And the fact that you didn't call. But mostly I hate the way I don't hate you―not even close, not even a little bit, not even at all.
Dramatic Monologues
Drama does not necessarily mean over-the-top. Drama could be used just as wisely for conveying a message about something more serious and making a comment about a flaw in society. Here are some of the dramatic monologues that you can use.
Irreconcilable Differences
This monologue strikes a chord because it seems rather simple, but as you come to the end of it, you realize just how deep it is. The things that are being conveyed are grave things said in the most simple terms.
Casey
I'm just a kid, and I don't know what I'm doing sometimes. But I think you should know better when you're all grown up. I think you should know how to act, and how to treat people. And I think if you once loved someone enough to marry them, you should at least be nice to them, even if you don't love 'em any more. And I think if you have a child, you should treat that child like a human being and not like a pet. Not like you treat your dog or somethin'. You know, when you have a dog sometimes you forget he's there, and then when you get lonely suddenly you remember him, and you remember how cute he is and stuff, and you kiss him a lot, but then the next day when you're busy again you don't notice him. That's how I've been treated for the past four years, and you don't treat your kid like your dog. It's not right.
Million Dollar Baby
This monologue gives us an insight into human nature and psychology―of how one fights through the downs of society to achieve something, and the fear one feels when the fame is threatened to be taken away.
Maggie
I can't be like this, Frankie. Not after what I've done. I've seen the world. People chanted my name. Well, not my name, some damn name you gave me. But they were chanting for me. I was in magazines. You think I ever dreamed that'd happen? I was born at two pounds, one-and-a-half ounces. Daddy used to tell me I fought into this world, and I'd fight my way out. That's all I wanna do, Frankie. I just don't wanna fight you to do it. I got what I needed. I got it all. Don't let 'em keep taking it away from me. Don't let me lie here 'till I can't hear those people chanting no more.
Never Been Kissed
This film, though a romantic comedy, makes for a great comment on society and other relations. Through the character of Josie Gellar, who gets a chance to re-live her high school terms all over again, there is a distinct statement made on issues like peer pressure and groupism.
The following is a prom monologue given by Josie Gellar at the high school prom in a way to stand up for her friend and discard all that is wrong.
Josie
Let me tell you something, I don't care about being your stupid prom queen. I'm 25 years old. I'm an undercover reporter for the Chicago Sun Times and I've been beating my brains out trying to impress you people. Let me tell you something Gibby, Kirsten, Kristin, you will spend your lives trying to keep others down because it makes you feel more important. Why her? Let me tell you about this girl she is unbelievable. I was new here and she befriended me, no questions asked. But you, you were only my friend after my brother, Rob, posed as a student and told you to like me. All of you people, there is a big world out there ... bigger than prom, bigger than high school and it won't matter if you were the prom queen, the quarterback of the football team, or the biggest nerd in school. Find out who you are and try not to be afraid of it.
Under Her Spell
This one's a little different. It's written by Ava Lindt and talks about Anna, a girl who's just realized that the person she loves, loves someone else―her old best friend. I chose to share this monologue because I think it has the scope to bring out the feelings of pain and hurt all in one. Try to see if you get what I'm saying through the following monologue.
Anna
Today I felt beautiful. Not the kind of all-knowing beautiful, just beautiful like they say in the movies and in our dreams. When the guy is sitting at the bar talking to some other scum and saying, "She's so beautiful." This is how I felt. I don't know what beauty is. I never really have gotten the lure of a girl with the crazy green eyes and reddish dyed hair. I always thought it was just because she was pretty. And everyone with a platonic brain over their necks for her knew that. But she was mad and mean. And she held nothing of value for me except the scattered words in her poems.
There was something there though. And I don't know if he sees that something or if he's another one of those guys that sees her and wants to die with lust. I don't know these things. But I sit here trying to think all philosophically about it when I know that I am just another one of those people that can fall under spells. Like the rest of them. Fall under the spells of the starry eyes and then you forget that those people have no conscience. They've been built up with big egos to look in mirrors and make themselves out to be fishes. And her. With her roses and raves and vegan food. I don't know. These things don't mean anything in the scheme of things. She needs to be untouchable. Like some face on a Versace advertisement. Like some girl on the cover of Teen. Mysterious, but you know the story behind her. Beauty. My mind is mixed up. Sometimes I wonder how people like him can be in love with people like her. How we're all obsessed with beauty. We're all obsessed with trying. But she's the girl who can wake up and still look gorgeous. She's the girl who tried so hard to get where she is and she's still failing with anything and everything else but her looks. And I can see that. He can't.
A List of Popular Iyanla Vanzant Books
Iyanla Vanzant's body of work spans over three decades that includes many books, CDs, television appearances, and radio performances. Buzzle presents a list of popular books by this truly inspiring person.
Iyanla Vanzant's body of work spans over three decades that includes many books, CDs, television appearances, and radio performances. Buzzle presents a list of popular books by this truly inspiring person.
I can promise you that if you take this journey with me, you will
learn a great deal about yourself, and that is always a good thing. I
can also promise that if you hang in there with me, you will begin to
see yourself, your life, your every experience, and every person in your
life from a new point of view.
―Iyanla Vanzant in 'Forgiveness Kit'
Well-known as an inspirational speaker, a spiritual teacher, and television personality, Iyanla Vanzant has to her credit a host of books. Vanzant, who has been a student of Medgar Evers College and Virginia Union University, is blessed with the ability to touch people's hearts through her words. Apart from being a dynamic speaker, she is a profound writer and a dynamic spiritual guide.
Even though Vanzant comes across as a woman of passion, vision, and purpose, she remains grounded and connected to the people she serves. She is also a Yoruba priestess and an ordained New Thought minister who promoted the ideas of Infinite Intelligence. In all her books, Vanzant offers her readers, ancient yet contemporary wisdom and common sense, leading them in and out of their dark experiences. Her books include:
Popular Books By Iyanla Vanzant
One Day My Soul Just Opened Up
40 Days And 40 Nights Toward Spiritual Strength And Personal Growth
Published January 5th 1998 by Touchstone (first published January 1st 1998)
In the Meantime
Finding Yourself and the Love You Want
Published September 14th 1999 by Touchstone (first published 1998)
Yesterday, I Cried
Celebrating the Lessons of Living and Loving
Published March 2nd 2000 by Simon & Schuster (first published 1998)
Acts of Faith 1998 Calendar
Daily Meditations for People of Color
Published by Simon & Schuster in 1997
Faith in the Valley
Lessons for Women on the Journey to Peace
Published May 8th 1996 by Touchstone
Interiors
A Black Woman's Healing in Progress
Published May 1st 1996 by Writers and Readers (first published November 1st 1995)
The Big Book of Faith
Published November 1st 1997 by Fireside
The Spirit of a Man
A Vision of Transformation for Black Men and the Women Who Love Them
Published May 9th 1997 by HarperOne (first published 1996)
Don't Give It Away!
A Workbook of Self-Awareness and Self-Affirmations for Young Women (with Almasi Wilcots)
Published July 6th 1999 by Touchstone
Acts of Faith
Meditations for People of Color
Published November 12th 1993 by Touchstone
The Value in the Valley
A Black Woman's Guide Through Life's Dilemmas.
Published November 7th 1996 by Touchstone (first published 1995)
Living Through the Meantime
Learning to Break the Patterns of the Past and Begin the Healing Process
Published August 14th 2001 by Touchstone (first published 2001)
Until Today!
Daily Devotions for Spiritual Growth and Peace of Mind
Published August 14th 2001 by Touchstone (first published 2000)
Tips for Daily Living
A 50-Card Deck
Published by Hay House Incorporated, May 01 2003
Every Day I Pray
Prayers for Awakening to the Grace of Inner Communion
Published November 4th 2002 by Touchstone (first published September 25th 2001)
Up From Here
Reclaiming the Male Spirit: A Guide to Transforming Emotions Into Power and Freedom
Published June 3rd 2003 by HarperOne (first published April 30th 2002)
Tapping the Power Within
A Path to Self-Empowerment for Women
Published May 1st 1992 by Writers & Readers Publishing
A Woman Knows Things
Published by Hay House UK, Limited in 2010
Peace from Broken Pieces
How to Get through What You're Going Through
Published (first published September 15th 2010)
Lessons Waiting to be Learned
Interiors: A Black Woman's Healing in Progress
A thought-provoking book, fit to be called a memoir, Interiors: A Black Woman's Healing in Progress, is Vanzant's story of suffering and recovery. The book is a testimony of the author's strength and willingness to break through her suffering and mistakes. It makes the reader delve deeper into oneself, and confront the thoughts that would otherwise be considered disturbing.
Faith in the Valley: Lessons for Women on the Journey to Peace
Faith in the Valley is designed to help you find your way when you need it the most. It is akin to a guiding light that aids one to find faith in oneself, especially when one is clueless and confused. Vanzant promotes the need for a healthy foundation for living in the modern world. The book speaks about overcoming imbalances that often plague us, to find the way through the valley of life.
Yesterday, I Cried
"After all I had experienced and learned, I had to revisit my own past, which was filled with bitter tears, in order to move into the future." ―Iyanla Vanzant in Yesterday, I Cried
Dwelling on the past to draw out lessons is what Iyanla Vanzant does through this book. Like her other books, this book shows how hardships can be transformed into lessons that aid in spiritual growth, healing, and love.
Tapping the Power Within: Introduction to Self-Empowerment for Black Women
Tapping the Power Within is a means to resurrect faith in oneself. You can call on the book as an instructional manual to seek strength from yourself. The book is centered around techniques that help achieve spiritual growth by tapping the immense power stored within an individual.
Peace from Broken Pieces
Peace from Broken Pieces is an account of the author's life in the last decade. It speaks about the spiritual journey and the lessons learned in the process. It covers a path of discovery, understanding, and acceptance of reality.
Her books are a medium to open your life and begin a journey of healing and well-being. Her words are more of an inspiration that give you the desired spiritual push.
―Iyanla Vanzant in 'Forgiveness Kit'
Well-known as an inspirational speaker, a spiritual teacher, and television personality, Iyanla Vanzant has to her credit a host of books. Vanzant, who has been a student of Medgar Evers College and Virginia Union University, is blessed with the ability to touch people's hearts through her words. Apart from being a dynamic speaker, she is a profound writer and a dynamic spiritual guide.
Even though Vanzant comes across as a woman of passion, vision, and purpose, she remains grounded and connected to the people she serves. She is also a Yoruba priestess and an ordained New Thought minister who promoted the ideas of Infinite Intelligence. In all her books, Vanzant offers her readers, ancient yet contemporary wisdom and common sense, leading them in and out of their dark experiences. Her books include:
Popular Books By Iyanla Vanzant
One Day My Soul Just Opened Up
40 Days And 40 Nights Toward Spiritual Strength And Personal Growth
Published January 5th 1998 by Touchstone (first published January 1st 1998)
In the Meantime
Finding Yourself and the Love You Want
Published September 14th 1999 by Touchstone (first published 1998)
Yesterday, I Cried
Celebrating the Lessons of Living and Loving
Published March 2nd 2000 by Simon & Schuster (first published 1998)
Acts of Faith 1998 Calendar
Daily Meditations for People of Color
Published by Simon & Schuster in 1997
Faith in the Valley
Lessons for Women on the Journey to Peace
Published May 8th 1996 by Touchstone
Interiors
A Black Woman's Healing in Progress
Published May 1st 1996 by Writers and Readers (first published November 1st 1995)
The Big Book of Faith
Published November 1st 1997 by Fireside
The Spirit of a Man
A Vision of Transformation for Black Men and the Women Who Love Them
Published May 9th 1997 by HarperOne (first published 1996)
Don't Give It Away!
A Workbook of Self-Awareness and Self-Affirmations for Young Women (with Almasi Wilcots)
Published July 6th 1999 by Touchstone
Acts of Faith
Meditations for People of Color
Published November 12th 1993 by Touchstone
The Value in the Valley
A Black Woman's Guide Through Life's Dilemmas.
Published November 7th 1996 by Touchstone (first published 1995)
Living Through the Meantime
Learning to Break the Patterns of the Past and Begin the Healing Process
Published August 14th 2001 by Touchstone (first published 2001)
Until Today!
Daily Devotions for Spiritual Growth and Peace of Mind
Published August 14th 2001 by Touchstone (first published 2000)
Tips for Daily Living
A 50-Card Deck
Published by Hay House Incorporated, May 01 2003
Every Day I Pray
Prayers for Awakening to the Grace of Inner Communion
Published November 4th 2002 by Touchstone (first published September 25th 2001)
Up From Here
Reclaiming the Male Spirit: A Guide to Transforming Emotions Into Power and Freedom
Published June 3rd 2003 by HarperOne (first published April 30th 2002)
Tapping the Power Within
A Path to Self-Empowerment for Women
Published May 1st 1992 by Writers & Readers Publishing
A Woman Knows Things
Published by Hay House UK, Limited in 2010
Peace from Broken Pieces
How to Get through What You're Going Through
Published (first published September 15th 2010)
Lessons Waiting to be Learned
Interiors: A Black Woman's Healing in Progress
A thought-provoking book, fit to be called a memoir, Interiors: A Black Woman's Healing in Progress, is Vanzant's story of suffering and recovery. The book is a testimony of the author's strength and willingness to break through her suffering and mistakes. It makes the reader delve deeper into oneself, and confront the thoughts that would otherwise be considered disturbing.
Faith in the Valley: Lessons for Women on the Journey to Peace
Faith in the Valley is designed to help you find your way when you need it the most. It is akin to a guiding light that aids one to find faith in oneself, especially when one is clueless and confused. Vanzant promotes the need for a healthy foundation for living in the modern world. The book speaks about overcoming imbalances that often plague us, to find the way through the valley of life.
Yesterday, I Cried
"After all I had experienced and learned, I had to revisit my own past, which was filled with bitter tears, in order to move into the future." ―Iyanla Vanzant in Yesterday, I Cried
Dwelling on the past to draw out lessons is what Iyanla Vanzant does through this book. Like her other books, this book shows how hardships can be transformed into lessons that aid in spiritual growth, healing, and love.
Tapping the Power Within: Introduction to Self-Empowerment for Black Women
Tapping the Power Within is a means to resurrect faith in oneself. You can call on the book as an instructional manual to seek strength from yourself. The book is centered around techniques that help achieve spiritual growth by tapping the immense power stored within an individual.
Peace from Broken Pieces
Peace from Broken Pieces is an account of the author's life in the last decade. It speaks about the spiritual journey and the lessons learned in the process. It covers a path of discovery, understanding, and acceptance of reality.
Her books are a medium to open your life and begin a journey of healing and well-being. Her words are more of an inspiration that give you the desired spiritual push.
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