Esther Racah Writer & Literary Blogger

The Digital Manuscript of Poetry and Literature by Elisabetta

  • Crimson Roses

    Crimson Roses

    Crimson Roses

    There is a garden of crimson roses
    The moon is radiant and bright
    I’m lost in a dark and gloomy oblivion
    Crimson roses are an oasis of delight where my heart rejoices
    Whenever my heart bleeds, the poetry comforts me
    My poetry is the only expression of my soul
    I lose myself in the hollowness
    I seek beauty and sublimity 
    There is a subtle way to connect with my spirit
    It mostly happens in the ethereal world
    Where souls can find a connection
    Life is an abridged burden
    I remain in the hush, and magnificence is in my eyes
    Sorrow and euphoria are my constant companions
    I live in my dreams, and it’s not so arduous to find me
    Distances disappear since, in the intangible world, space annihilates
    In the meantime, I find my bliss in crimson roses and poesy.
    Esther Racah

  • You Can Find Me In The Night

    You Can Find Me In The Night

    You Can Find Me In The Night

    You can find me in the night hiding in the darkness
    My thoughts fluctuate in the evanescence like rose petals
     My heart is in a treasure chest
    They call me the daydreamer
    Dreams and passions permeate my soul
    I’m not what I have but what I accomplish
    In the downfall, I always learn something
    Everything alters me, and I adapt to change
    Suddenly the dusky night gives way to the bright morning
    You can find me in the night in the company of my loneliness
    Like a nocturnal creature, I disappear in the obscurity
    Not at all frightened by the inexorable darkness
    I feel free to fly everywhere I wish
    I swing from the stars
    Careless of the consequences
    Beauty and splendour fill my soul
    Magnificence is everywhere
    I’m delighted in the uncertainty 
    The night is so luscious and exquisite
    I cannot refrain from my joy.
    Esther Racah

  • Without Words

    Without Words

    Without Words

    Without words, I find myself in the deepest and darkest night
    And there is a blankness in my mind
    And I confront my memories
    Struggling to cope with this instability
    Without words, I feel a grip of pain and fear inside my soul
    Without words, I’m trapped inside the abyss of the silence
    All that I have is a fleeting moment that will be forever mine
    No more than a reminiscent burden of my life
    Trapped in the time and bound to a reality that is outside my mind
    I wonder if I’m what I imagine and if I’m real
    I wonder if my fantasies are tangible
    I’m just an illusion and dream made of foolishness
    Without words, I wait for my imagination to become palpable
    Just in a tiny fraction of time, everything changes
    Nothing will be the same anymore
    Worthless and wordless, I remain still and quiet
    My words will be my legacy in this world
    My words will be like tiny water drops carving rocks
    And I have nothing else to say
    The silence came to rescue me.
    Esther Racah

  • The Track Of A Storm – A Tale Of Two Cities Book 3

    The Track Of A Storm – A Tale Of Two Cities Book 3

    The Track Of A Storm is the third book of A Tale Of Two Cities. It is full of suspense and surprises. It is not a dull and ordinary book at all. Indeed, I found it to be a very alluring and breathtaking novel. 

    The Track Of A Storm

    The Track Of A Storm is the third book of the historical novel A Tale of Two Cities. It contains fifteen chapters, and most events occur in Paris. Charles Darnay goes to Paris to rescue one of his noble uncle’s servants, the Marquis St. Evremonde. Unfortunately, he is imprisoned in La Force Prison because he is an aristocrat. Dr Manette and Lucie, with her child and governess, Miss Pross, go to Paris to rescue Darnay. 

    In Paris, we find the vengeful couple Defarge; they will use an old letter from Dr Manette, dating back to his imprisonment, exposing the aristocratic family Evremonde. Since this noble family is guilty of several crimes, the tribunal sends Darnay to the Conciergerie, waiting for his death sentence with the guillotine. 

    The end of the book A Tale of Two Cities is surprising, even though there are sad aspects. Furthermore, I will not reveal what happens at the end. I can only say that I have read the last part twice. Moreover, I have been impressed by the fantasy and the narration of Charles Dickens in this historical novel. Indeed, he is well known for his Oliver Twist and A Christmas Carol. Nevertheless, Dickens wrote several novels, stories, and nonfiction books.

    The Bitter-Sweet Taste of This Novel

    I must admit that at the end of A Tale of Two Cities, I had two simultaneous feelings of bitter discontent and sweet satisfaction. None of them won, but for the very first time, I felt well pleased to have read a book. The happiness of the Darnay family implies the sacrifice of the life of another innocent man. The tribunal’s justice system instituted by people experiencing poverty and plebe shows how much it was unjust this cruel revolution. They did not execute only the aristocrats and nobles but also other poor people who had the misfortune of being weak and vulnerable. 

    The unceasing knitting of the vengeful women corresponds to an unceasing procedure of executions of guilty and innocent people, all together, with a steady and rapid rhythm. The knitting women count each victim of their system with nonchalance. They never interrupt their knitting nor look at the guillotine. Although most of them lost some family members because of an aristocrat or nobleman, their purpose was social justice, where all men should be equal. The problem is that they behave like imperturbable tyrants, similar to that privileged society. At this point, you cannot see where social justice is because it is just a utopia. 

    It is also hard to sympathize with the peasants and the aristocrats. There are several waves of abuse of the aristocracy against people with low incomes. The peasants are so unfortunate that they must beg the aristocrats for food. However, they receive only humiliation and exploitation. This situation leads to an ideal revolution. Once well-organized, the indigent and weak peasants became the most potent force in France, and they did not hesitate to gain social power. They repay torture with torture and oppression with oppression. 

    My previous blog posts are about the first two books of Two Cities of Charles Dickens – First Part and A Tale of Two Cities Book 2 – The Golden Thread. 

  • A Tale Of Two Cities Book 2 – The Golden Thread

    A Tale Of Two Cities Book 2 – The Golden Thread

    A Tale of Two Cities Book 2 – The Golden Thread is the second book by Charles Dickens in A Tale of Two Cities. The title refers to the golden Lucie Manette, the gold strand, because she connects some of this book’s characters, brightening their life.

    The Golden Thread

    The golden thread refers to Lucie Manette, the only daughter of Dr Manette. Her father spent eighteen years in the prison of La Bastille. She has golden blond hair, and she is beautiful. Miss Manette is sweet and kind, and she cares about her father very much. Lucie marries Charles Darnay, the nephew of the cruel and cynic aristocratic Monsieur Evrémonde. She represents a precious girl, as she is very compassionate and full of love for others. Her golden soul is brimful of virtues and far from vicious sins. The Golden Thread is the second book of A Tale of Two Cities and the continuation of the first book – Recalled to Life. 

    Knitting And Revolutionary Women

    In Paris, revolutionary people recognized the couple Defarge as leaders. In particular, Madame Therese Defarge supported this movement to remove the Crown from France. The plan includes the execution of all the nobility and aristocracy. In the same way as Lady Macbeth, in Shakespeare’s tragedy, Madame Defarge is cruel and plans which person must die. Furthermore, at the same time, she is the head of a group of women who knit mostly during the executions. They have a cold, detached, and ruthless mind. The knitting recalls the Greek myth of the Moirae, the three Fates who ruled each human’s life. Indeed, knitting is a metaphor for human fate and destiny, which unexpectedly ends up.

    Women In The Golden Thread

    In The Golden Thread, women have a central role, and they are not mere passive figures. Lucie Manette and Madame Defarge differ in appearance, manners, and spirit. Lucie is beautiful, delicate, feminine, and flawless. The wine shop owner, Madame Defarge, is a woman who seeks revenge. In the novel, she is burly, cold-minded, and pitiless.  

    We could think she is a human monster, but we understand her behavior when we proceed to the end of the third book, The Track of a Storm. After the rape of her sister and the murder of her brother, she is hurt and full of grief. The Marquis St. Evrémonde was the man who committed such ferocious acts when he was young. He is the uncle of Charles Darnay, the husband of Lucie Manette, and he is also guilty of the murder of a child. 

    As ingenious as she is, Lucie does not know all these past events that connect Therese Defarge and her husband, Charles. Nonetheless, her innocence does not move Madame Defarge because she is determined to exterminate all the Evrémonde family, including Charles Darnay. Madame Defarge never stops knitting and never ceases to plan and organize her vengeance against those aristocrats, including their descendants.

    Family And Loyalty

    In The Tale of Two Cities, the family is essential in every type of society, among ordinary people and aristocracy. Some families have a strong connection and love, such as between Lucie and her father. Nevertheless, sometimes the family links are unwelcomed and rejected, like in Charles Darnay’s case with his noble uncle, the cruel and abusive Marquis St. Evrémonde. 

    Loyalty and family do not always walk together; there is no connection between some families’ components. For example, Charles burns all the bridges with his aristocratic and wealthy family. He cannot bear the atrocities that stained his family; hence, he builds a new life in England, renouncing all the privileges coming from his birth and changing his surname. Lucie and Charles married and had a child, little Lucie. 

    The French peasants formed a secret society, which created a big family where people shared the same principles and helped each other with equality. Moreover, they were loyal to their common doctrine of liberty, equality, and fraternity, leading the French Revolution.  

    I cannot avoid recommending this book because it is an authentic masterpiece in its style and content. It is rare to find all these qualities in a novel, and I must confess that it is one of my favorite books. 

  • A Tale Of Two Cities By Charles Dickens – First Part

    A Tale Of Two Cities By Charles Dickens – First Part

    A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens is a brilliant historical novel, which finds its roots in “The French Revolution: A History” by Thomas Carlyle. Dickens published this book in 1859 and his analysis during his travels to Paris had a significant impact in this masterwork.

    The three books inside the book

    A Tale of Two Cities consists of three books: “Book the First: Recalled to Life”, “Book the Second: The Golden Thread” and “Book the Third: The Track of a Storm”. This historical novel takes place in London and Paris, during the French Revolution and the Terror. The main characters are the French doctor Alexandre Manette, his compassionate daughter Lucie, the arrogant Sydney Carton, the revolutionary Madame Defarge, the businessman Jarvis Lorry and, the French aristocrat Charles Darnay. In this novel, the brightness and obscurity represent the virtue and sin personified by the different characters.

    The peculiarity of A Tale of Two Cities

    A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens is a peculiar novel where, at the same time, the reader travels in London and Paris. We find the chronicles of the historical events, which simultaneously occur in these two cities and the personal circumstances of each character’s life. It is the tale of human tragedies inside the grand picture of historical dramas such as the French Revolution. The struggle of each character is a reflection of the tragedies of Dickens’s life in that period. He shows a life’s vision, where humans are victims of misfortunes. In this novel, the villains of this tragedy are the poor and the oppressed ones. Their violence and cruelty is a reaction to all the abuses they had to suffer.

    Part I – Recalled to Life 

    I’m currently reading the first book. I find exciting and unique how Dickens narrates all the life occurrences of the characters such as Jerry Cruncher, who works as a bank employee and brings a message for Jarvis Loris, a bank manager. This message concerns a man, Alexandre Manette, a French doctor, who was finally set free from the Bastille prison. Lorry helps the daughter of Manette, Lucie, to meet her father in France. One of my favourite parts is at the beginning of Chapter Three. Indeed in this section, every human creature is described as a profound secret and mystery. Every house and room enclose secrets, and subsequently, each heart is a secret itself. 

    I’m in the last chapter of this first book, Chapter VI, The Shoemaker. I find fascinating the ambience of this book, a microcosm inside a historical macrocosm. We can consider how fragile and dainty is life mostly when terrible and uncontrolled occurrences happen. And as James Joyce wrote in the Ulysses, “To learn one must be humble. But life is a great teacher”.

  • The lifestyle Of Emma

    The lifestyle Of Emma

    The lifestyle of Emma Woodhouse consists of several social gatherings. She divides her time between dinners, social meetings and parties with friends and acquaintances. Nowadays, she could be the perfect influencer with a large number of followers. Indeed, she fulfils the role of a mentor efficiently since she never refrains from providing advice and guidance; mostly to young women such as Harriet Smith.  

    The character of Emma Woodhouse

    Emma Woodhouse has a polyhedric personality. Undeniably, at the same time, she is a sophisticated and charming young lady. Sometimes Emma shows an immature and naive nature. Indeed, sometimes Emma misjudges her acquaintances, and her glamorous lifestyle includes the time she spends with her father and Mr Knightley, her closest friend.  

    Busy and cheerful as Miss Woodhouse is, she has an engaged life. This beautiful, brilliant, and smart girl (besides being very wealthy) is determined not to get married. She takes care of her father, Mr Woodhouse, who prefers an indoor and reserved life. Emma is a blend between a matchmaker and a life coach, following her excellent intuitive sense, which sometimes fails. 

    Emma is influenced by a society where marriage and economical-social status are essentials. Indeed, she thinks it is essential to classify people because of their financial and social situation. Most of the novel, Emma Woodhouse has a narrow-minded point of view of society. Only, in the end, she realises that she was wrong in her social evaluations. 

    A modern heroine 

    I find Emma character and this novel very modern. Nowadays, society did not change so much in the evaluation of persons. The glamorous lifestyle of Emma Woodhouse is not related to her historical period. Undoubtedly, she is a modern heroine because she could be the perfect influencer with a million followers, a well-known matchmaker, and a life coach as well.

    She is an independent woman, and she always keeps herself busy without taking care so much about the other’s opinion. This young lady is relentless and doesn’t need a man in her life. Emma has all that she needs. Indeed, she is wealthy, and she doesn’t need a profession. Nevertheless, Miss Woodhouse spends her time helping friends and neighbours find their soulmates and giving them the right advice to live a better life.  

    Emma is a winner even when she is wrong in some matchmakings and misjudgments of some friends. She controls her emotions, elegantly, and charmingly. She also has style when she falls into her mistakes and is an unconventional and modern heroine. Occasionally Emma can contradict herself and be naive.

    She never gives up, and she keeps going even without any moral support nor aid. When Mr Knightley tries to correct occasionally her behaviour, she explains her reasons kindly and firmly. She grew up without her mother, with the assistance of her governess and her father. Emma is used to be in solitude, although she is very social. 

    We recognise a woman of our time in all her aspects; indeed, Emma is not strictly related to her Regency period. Miss Woodhouse is feminine but never submissive because she knows her price, and she is proud of herself. Even if Emma Woodhouse is very young, she is conscious that she doesn’t need any man to improve her life and status. Her independence is impressive for a woman who lives during the Regency era. 

    The boundless imagination of Emma

    Emma lives in two parallel worlds. She interacts with the real world, and she lives in an inner world, which is in her mind. Her imagination is endless and boundless, and it gives her a pulse to defends her ideas and points of view because, in the end, there is a balance between her inner world and reality. Her strong temper meets a naivety, which is due to her young age.    

    Sometimes Emma’s imagination collides against the harsh reality. In other occasions, she employs her creativity in her matchmaking, and, in this way, Emma tries to improve the society surrounding her. In that period, it was essential for a woman to marry. Mostly when the lady in question wasn’t so rich, it was more respectful for her and her family to find a husband. 

    I’ve just finished reading the novel, Emma by Jane Austen, and I’ve found that it is a fantastic book, which everyone should read. I identified myself with this heroine, who uses her imagination to escape in another reality and comfort herself from pains until she finds her love.  

  • Thoughts

    Thoughts

    Thoughts

    Unlimited and Endless
    Thoughts overflow my mind
    Surprisingly the past becomes the present
    And the present becomes the past 
    All in an instant
    All in a dream
    Suddenly disappearing like foggy clouds
    My thoughts fly away, leaving me confused and amused
    Like leaves departing from their trees
    My impressions pass through my mind swirling away
    Mistakes, illusions, nightmares, and dreams dance together in my mind
    And I lose the sense of reality 
    Happy and sad 
    Hopeful and disillusioned
    I stand passively waiting for the next mistake or maybe success
    The silence is too loud, and it confuses me
    Astonished and dazed, I find myself in the same place
    Like a pebble bouncing on the water
    I lurch from thought to thought.
    Esther Racah

  • The Book Of Emma By Jane Austen

    The Book Of Emma By Jane Austen

    The book of Emma by Jane Austen is a unique masterwork of British literature. Indeed, it is one of the most read books in history and a marvellous novel. Emma is the second book on my first list of books. 

    Emma in a few lines

    The main character of this book is Emma, who is a twenty-one years old girl. She is a charming, smart, and rich young lady. However, she doesn’t enjoy to study, and she categorises people because of their social-economical status. Nevertheless, she is merciful with the poor, and she loves to match people around her. In the beginning, she is determined to enjoy her life as a single woman because she doesn’t intend to marry.

    On the other side, Mr Knightley is a wealthy close friend who sometimes disapproves Emma’s behaviour, even though he is a kindhearted and benevolent man. Besides Emma and Mr Knightley, the other characters of the novel are Mr and Mrs Weston, Emma’s closest family, the wealthy and jolly Frank Churchill, the selfish and bad-mannered Mr and Mrs Elton, the well-educated and beautiful Jane Fairfax, the beautiful and naive Harriet Smith, and Emma’s father, Mr Woodhouse.

    The marvellous novel of Emma

    I started reading this fabulous novel, which is a book of fifty-five chapters. In the first chapter, there is a description of Emma as the youngest of two daughters living happily in a comfortable house. I use the term marvellous to define this novel because of the book’s happy and cheerful atmosphere.

    The main character is a woman like in Macbeth (check my first and second blog post about Macbeth). Of course, there is a considerable difference since lady Macbeth is a wicked and deceitful woman. Instead, Emma is a good-hearted girl who sometimes can commit some mistakes like every human. They are similar because of their strong personality and leadership. They influence people surrounding them, and they are tenacious in their purposes.  

    One of my favourite books

    Emma is one of my favourite books, and I’m delighted to reread it. Indeed the first time I’ve read Emma was during my adolescence. And I confess that I love Emma Woodhouse’s character because I see in her some traits of my personality. She is a modern heroine, after all, since I can imagine her in today’s society. Although the publication year happened to be 1815, the book of Emma by Jane Austen is a modern romance without any doubt.

    This novel is the most special one among Jane Austen’s books. The independent and outstanding personality of Emma makes her a real modern heroine. Indeed, she relies on her wisdom, which she uses to instruct and guide people around her. She has gracious manners and intelligence; hence she is well considered by most of all her friends. She is a tutor of a girl who must learn how to dive into society because she is still very naive. 

    Even though Emma can appear as snobby and judgemental, she is not selfish because she takes care of the others. Matching couples, and advising with guidelines to her closest friends, in particular women. From time to time, she commits mistakes unintentionally; indeed, Emma is not a wicked woman. Surely, she devotes herself to improve other’s life. She has high self-esteem, which she uses most of the time. I will continue to read this beautiful book. And I will write more in the next blog posts. 

  • The complexity Of Macbeth

    The complexity Of Macbeth

    The complexity of Macbeth is beyond all imagination. Shakespeare’s Macbeth is more than a shallow play. Indeed it is a complex book, which I’ve read with grievous feelings. It was not easy to run through it as I was planning to do. Indeed I’ve been struggling between the archaic English’s difficulty and the dramatic aura of this tragedy. 

    The complex character of Macbeth

    The story of Macbeth is a timeless tragedy. The plot could take place in another historical period. Macbeth’s obsession for power reaches the pinnacle of his psychosis when he loses his mind after committing many murders. Although at the beginning lady Macbeth abets her husband to commit those terrible crimes, in the end, he is in charge of his choices, forgetting the taste of fear.

    The complexity of Shakespeare’s Macbeth is because he is not a typical antihero. In the first part of the book, he is a fearless warlord serving the king loyally. At the end of the drama, he is familiar with his slaughterous thoughts, and at that precise moment, lady Macbeth dies. Her death happens because she realises and regrets all her misdeeds. She is an architect and accomplice of those crimes. 

    Initially, the madness and cruelty of Macbeth are uncontrollable, not realising the brutality of his misconduct. Later, he feels torment and excruciation because of his actions. Even if Macbeth is not afraid of anything ( he even evokes and queries the supernatural forces ), nevertheless, he is weak. He dies in the final fight against Macduff, whose wife and son died at the hands of Macbeth. 

    The immoral traits of Lady Macbeth

    The insanity of Lady Macbeth is evident since the beginning of this tragedy when she urges her husband to murder the king to become a queen.  She is dominant and fierce even though she is a devoted wife. Indeed, she supports her husband’s breakdowns, every time he has pangs of guilt because of the atrocities he commits.

    In the first part of the tragedy, she is the real main character for her dark charisma and tenacity, which lead Macbeth to all his infamous deeds. Nonetheless, she changes embracing the insecurities and madness of her husband. During her nocturnal somnambulism, she tries to wash away the bloodstains from her hands, as proof of her unconscious regret because of all the murders Macbeth committed.  

    If, in the beginning, she was insane and immoral; in the end, her morality emerges. She realises her guilt. She becomes fragile, ending up her life. In this sense, it can be appropriate to define her immorality as moral once she understands her misconduct. On the other hand, Macbeth fights up to the end to defend his status of a king. He disappears in the same way as he appears in the book as a fighting soldier, although an evil one. 

    Macbeth is a masterpiece and classic of the literature, which will remain a landmark in western culture. The complexity of Macbeth is not easy to disengage and explain thoroughly. I just wrote my impressions and not a detailed description and analysis. 

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