Describe a poem/literary work that you really like.
You should say:
- what it is
- when you first read it
- how you felt when you first read it
and explain why you like it.
[You will have to talk about the topic for one to two minutes. You have one minute to think about what you’re going to say. You can make some notes to help you if you wish.]
Model Answer 1:
I am fond of poems as well as other great literary works as they help me spend my spare time and give me immense joys. Of course, by saying this, I am in no way suggesting that I am qualified enough to be a good critique of any kind of literary works. But, still, I will go ahead and try my best to talk about a fiction literature work, which I really like, without sounding like a complete layman.
The literary work, I want to talk about, is called “The Old Man and The Sea”. It is a famous novel which was written by the American famous Nobel Laureate Ernest Miller Hemingway in the year of 1952.
I first read it when I was a 2nd-year college student, at a time when I was really depressed and down because of some family problems. But, of course, when I read it for the first time, I couldn’t really understand the philosophical nature of the novel, perhaps because I was a bit too young and restless as a college student. But, as I read it a few more times after that, I figured out that it certainly deserved to be called a classic and allegorical piece of literature.
Anyway, the plot of this classic literature tells the story of an epic struggle between an old, impoverished and seasoned fisherman and the greatest catch of his life. For eighty-four days, Santiago, an aged Cuban fisherman, has set out to sea and returned to the shore empty-handed, even though he caught the biggest fish of his life, only to find it, of course, to be eaten by a huge shark. Essentially, ”The Old Man and the Sea” examines man’s place in the world in a very succinct manner while exploring his need for survival.
Anyway, I like this literary work, primarily because it is a short story, would only take a part of the day if you read it at a stretch, and yet one of the few beautiful stories mankind will ever get a chance to read. Besides, I like this work also because, with every word we read, we actually become silently inspired.
Sample Answer 2:
It is a satirical poem and it deals with the present state of artworks in the world. I heard it from the poet at a meeting held at my university. In fact, the poem was a protest against the current situation of the literary works. This candidate task is interesting and I am happy to have this on my share.
I came to know about the poem at the university conference hall. I was the anchor in the event and had to host the entire event from beginning to the end. When the poet came to deliver the lecture, he recited the poem and I came to know about it. I saw him that he was writing something before delivering the lecture but could not guess what he was writing. Later, when he told about the poem, I was astonished that how a man can compose such a nice poem in a short time. Moreover, each of the lines was impressive. I have never heard or read such an interesting poem before.
And I like the poem based on some grounds. First of all, it was an interesting creation and the theme was about the disastrous condition of the world. The poem also indicated about the deteriorating status of the society and even the literature is being influenced by corruption. Now literature is being used as a tool to serve any specific political purposes instead of entertaining the people. So, people are expressing their reluctance to literary works.
I was really amazed by the poem. Actually, the poem was made to criticize the modern-day activities of the artwork activists. The poet wanted to make it clear that artworks should solely aim to satisfy the common people not to serve the political or other goals.
More Ideas to help you prepare your own answer:
Cue Card Topic: Describe a poem/literary work that you really like.
1. Sonnet 18 of Shakespeare is my favourite poem. I first read it on a book of Sonnets by Shakespeare. The sonnet has something different in it. I liked it for some reasons. The sonnet is about compassion for a woman and the author is comparing the beloved to seasons. Everything changes during the seasons. But the beauty of the beloved will never be changed to the author. I turned emotional by reading the sonnet. It described the love towards the beloved in a unique manner.
2. Very recently I have read a love poem by Elaine Chetty. The poem is about love and titles – Love So Amazing. I first read the poem on a literary website while browsing to read some contemporary poems about love and romanticism. I like the poem because it is short but explained love in a different tone. The author of the poem loves each of his heartbeats. When I read the poem, I was overwhelmed with joy. In fact, the poem described my mental state with all the lines.
3. The literary works of John Donne are always inspiring to me. He is an English writer of the 16th century and Pseudo-Martyr is one of his prominent literary works. The prose contributed greatly that time to the religious pamphlet. I like this literary work because it created some debated at that time. Through this work, John Donne had influenced some elites who praised high of the work. I was in a bit of trouble to decide which side should I take – the church or the royal family. But later, I found that John Donne pointed out some specific issues there.
4. ‘Things Fall Apart’ is one of the most prominent literary work in the world by Chinua Achebe. I read the book first during my college days in New Zealand. I liked the book because it focused on the colonial impacts on some aboriginal people living in a certain part of the world. Their world changed for the penetration of the modernism in their society. My feelings were special after I read the book. I came to know about different interesting matters and manner about the aboriginal people.
5. ‘The Divine Comedy’ is a great resource for Italian literature. This is a long narrative poem divided into three parts. It was authored by Dante Alighieri. I read it for the first time during the last summer. In fact, I love to read poems and my dad inspired me to read it. I liked the travels that Dante made in three different places and their description was so lively that it appeared I also travelled with him. I felt overwhelmed with joy towards the travel to God.