Articles written by Holle Abee in Arts & Humanities

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What is Helium

About me - Holle Abee

I am a retired teacher of British Literature, World Literature, and Creative Writing. I also taught grammar and writing skills and adult education at a local technical college and tutored for the English Department at Abraham Baldwin College. I served as

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Arts & Humanities > Poets & Poetry Poetry analysis: The World is Too Much with Us, by William Wordsworth: 1 of 36
"The World is Too Much with Us, " by William Wordsworth, is a sonnet that examines the speaker's feelings about England's Industrial Revolution and how it changed the nation from a bucolic, more innocent existence into one filled with greed, squalor, and crowded cities. The verses are full of passion, expressing the poet's o... More..
Arts & Humanities > Arts & Humanities (Other) Finding the artist in all of us: 3 of 46
Every human born has a spark of creativity living within him, along with a deep-seated desire to express this creativity and to share it with others. This comanding spirit of self-expression emerges when we are very young and continues throughout our lives. How much it develops depends on how much we feed it. What is art? Ac... More..
Arts & Humanities > William Shakespeare Play reviews: Macbeth, by William Shakespeare: 2 of 17
Macbeth is considered Shakespeare's "darkest" play. It was a real thriller to Elizabethan audiences, since it followed on the heels of the Gunpowder Rebellion, when Guy Fawkes and his cronies tried to blow up King James I and parliament in one fell swoop. Seventeenth-century playgoers easily identified with the plot and what... More..
Arts & Humanities > Poets & Poetry Does poetry matter in the 21st century?: 15 of 121
Poetry is a medium that speaks to all mankind, one that transcends time. Humanity will never outgrow the need for beautiful, well crafted verse. It is just as relevant today as it was thousands of years ago, when the first epic poems were passed down orally from one generation to another. Why do we, as a species, need poetry... More..
Arts & Humanities > Thoughts on Writing Why writers write: 27 of 191
I write because if I don't, my head will explode. My tiny brain is bombarded by so many thoughts that they place an excruciating amount of pressure on my cranium. Writing is the valve that releases the pressure. People write for a variety of reasons. Writing is a real stress-reliever for me. If I'm angry, I can write my thou... More..
Arts & Humanities > Arts & Humanities (Other) Dragons: A fierce creature of antiquity: 1 of 7
Dragons have always fascinated me, and apparently, I'm not alone. Many ancient cultures believed in the existence of these fire-breathing behemoths and told of them in legends and epics and depicted them in both crude and elaborate paintings and sculptures. It's amazing that so many of these societies, never in contact with ... More..
Arts & Humanities > British Literature Book reviews: A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens: 1 of 6
I teach "A Christams Carol" every year to my British Literature classes as part of our study of the Victorian era. Luckily, this usally happens to fall in late November or early December, just in time for the holiday season. "A Christmas Carol" is a wonderful story, well knowm by almost everyone through its portrayal in popu... More..
Arts & Humanities > Arts & Humanities (Other) Traumatic public speaking experiences, for speakers and listeners: 4 of 18
What a difference one itty bitty word can make! I learned this first-hand when I went back to college at the age of 29. I took a course in public speaking my first quarter, since it was required for my English major. The class consisted mostly of cowboy types: 18-19 year olds who were fresh off the nearby farms, boisterous a... More..
Arts & Humanities > Historical Literature Book reviews: The Other Boleyn Girl by Phillippa Gregory: 1 of 4
"The Other Boleyn Girl," by Phillippa Gregory, is based on the true story of a power-hungry family and their experiences with Henry VIII, king of England. Set amid the pageantry and pomp of the Tudor dynasty, the book gives readers an up-close view of the workings of courtly life and how it affected the lives of the three Bo... More..
Arts & Humanities > Poets & Poetry Poetry analysis: The Man He Killed, by Thomas Hardy: 1 of 3
"The Man He Killed" was written in 1902 by Thomas Hardy, an English Victorian poet and writer of fiction. The poem, in the form of a dramatic monologue, is a wonderful example of Hardy's belief in meliorism and his anti-war sentiments. The poem is spoken in first person, using a young soldier as the speaker. To summarize, th... More..