Month: September 2018

Genesis and Catastrophe.

Genesis and Catastrophe.

Roald Dahl.

September 2018.

Short Story.

Roald Dahl is an author with the ability to create a story which however bizarre and unique it is, he is still able to create a love for his writing in his readers through his intelligent techniques and interesting relevance. This particular story is based on real events and is formed on a man’s beginning who many know little about despite knowing the name so well, Adolf Hitler. Dahl’s ability to command such strong feelings of sorrow and compassion for such an evil and hated man shows the extent to which he can expand his literary merits and the wonderful distinctness of his stories.

There are many distinctive features in the story, being the extensive use of dialogue, the use of outside knowledge to further engage the reader, and the overall plot twist. The short story is compiled mainly of dialogue, leaving the reader to decipher the deeper intentions of the words. Klara, the distressed mother who asks about the baby’s health so many times catches the reader’s feelings and due to her unfavourable past we feel deep sorrow and compassionate for her. Without Dahl’s selective choice of words we would not feel so deeply for her and his intention would not come through so throughly during the plot twist. With the abrupt reveal of the baby’s identity it is difficult to comprehend the full meaning of the revelation at first. Once it sets in as a reader I began to struggle with the flood of links and thoughts I had about Adolf Hitler and the immediate contrast to the thoughts I had about the innocent baby. As humans we are prone to judgement and negativity. The realisation that we as readers, can feel such sorrow for a terrible man brings us down to the roots of our humanity and really challenges our ability to disregard our prejudice defences and evaluate a person on account of their present being.

By the end I was left with mixed emotions as the harrowing short story disturbed and unsettled me. I wondered if Hitler was a product of his terrible upbringing, yet still struggled to feel any sympathy for such a man. While I did not particularly enjoy it, it gave me another insight into Dahl’s more unexplored writings as well as his character. Having grown up knowing and loving Roald Dahl’s playful and light-hearted humour in his children’s books, I went into this short story expecting something quite different to this dark and ominous piece. 


Sixteen trees of Somme.

Sixteen trees of Somme.

Lars Mytting. 

July 2018.

Novel.

Sixteen trees of Somme, a coming of age story set in remote Norway with a mystery intertwined through three generations of a family. Edvard, the protagonist, lost his parents under mysterious circumstances in France when he was a young boy. He grew up with his loving but reserved and reticent grandfather, and due to the nation which he fought for in the second world war, Edvard suffered continuous judgement and prejudice from the villagers throughout his childhood. In this storyline, Lars Mytting wrote a novel which revolves around a likeable and wholesome character, while still maintaining significant reference to modern society.  I enjoyed this novel primarily because I related strongly to this main character and his quest to find his place in the world.  

Edvard as a central character experienced and battled with milestones and difficulties which come hand in hand with coming of age and discovering ones central self. After the death of his grandfather, he set off on a journey to find his place among long lost family and within the wider world. Discovering one’s direction and intentions with our lives is a turmoil which as students we battle with as we near our later years of education. Following Edvard through his journey gave me hope and the urge to continue to strive for my own content. His story will undoubtedly spark the same reaction among others. The portrayal of Edvard felt honest and realistic, he was a young and fallible man who was unsure of himself, made mistakes and acted impulsively. He felt wholesome and although fictional, I became immersed in his predicament and willed for him to solve the mystery. The novel is set many years ago, but if we look forward to the 21st century to an age where personal relationships and interpersonal skills are falling to the blow of instant communication, and a life behind screens has become the norm. In this day and age, young adults still struggle with their own acceptance and place in society and new technology often seems to highlight and in some cases amplify their struggles.

The pace and meandering nature of the story was a subtle change to the usual fast paced novel on the bookshelf of a young reader like myself. While there was a continual undertow of urgency to solve the mystery, the author also provided space for the reader to develop an intimate relationship with Edvard. The language was also used to describe moods and places and was  emotive and perceptive. This often carried a subtle connection to wood and the craftsmanship of carving adding another satisfying layer to the reading experience. I found the idea of wood being at the centre of this mystery intriguing. It’s not something I’ve considered before and I was surprised by the value and reverence placed on rare and beautiful wood by different societies throughout history. The idea of uniquely grained walnut trees growing in Somme as a result of being soaked in the blood spilled during the war was disturbing. The death and suffering which leads to spilled blood is all as a result of futile wars which countries offer their young men up to fight for. These young protectors are fuelled by nationalism, anger and fear which seeps through many generations much like the walnut trees growing through these generations. The direct links to the great wars of the world have faded in my own society, yet the prejudice which lingers in our lives remains very present. As in Schlinder’s List, I myself had to challenge my prejudices of which I assumed the worst of the German people on account of the Nazi’s actions, and the people of Edvard’s village could not see past the family’s history and failed to judge Edvard for who he really is. Prejudice still exists in today’s society, as it is embedded in the nature of humans and this novel shows the receiving end of this hatred, in an interesting and different story. Mytting’s ability to formulate a unique story while still incorporating aspects of modern society which he used as a warning and call for attention around this issue is extremely pressing.

Who knew the significance of a walnut tree and a small town Norwegian boy could take the readers through an intriguing adventure and challenge its audience while maintaining a slow paced, detailed read. Mytting’s ability to craft a novel with such literary excellence and deeper meaning entails a more thorough appreciation of the writing.

‘Crash’ background work.

2005, America is still reeling at the magnitude of the 9/11 attacks and racial debates were at an all time high. Middle eastern people were particularly suffering from the continuing discrimination on account of the terrorists  actions. In crash, the brutal racism can be seen towards Farhad, a Persian shopkeeper is the poster child for misplaced anger within the movie and helped to portray the aspect of anger and racial unsettlement at the time. 

Los Angeles is known for its ethnic diversity and being America’s 2nd largest populous city, millions of people all living in the sprawling metropolis of LA. Los Angeles, originally settled in and founded by Spanish, and won over in the Mexican war of Independence, evauntually being purchased by the US. 

1984

‘1984’ provided an engaging read and a great storyline but the underlying purpose served more important value for me as the reader. George Orwell’s insightful ideas offered another take on the twisted society which we live in and forced me to consider the core truths which I have never put under scrutiny. I would recommend this novel under the direction of reading between the lines and would encourage the reader to discover the ideas from Orwell’s intuitive prophecy.

“War is Peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.” The citizens of Oceania have learnt to live by this three piece statement in the totalitarian society which they exist in. Headed by Big Brother and the Party, Winston Smith and millions of his fellow human beings live in continuing fear and ignorance where the past is altered and their private lives are under constant surveillance. George Orwell’s take on the future world sparked a re-evaluation of the importance of compromise in the context of conflict. The post war themes within the society of Airstrip One came about at a time of war and suffering and was still an open wound for many across the world. The direct approach to an apparent future for the reader undoubtedly caused them deep unsettlement. Orwell wrote the novel in hope of triggering deeper thought into the futility of war and has truly inspired change which has been at the forefront of the new world.

As the world was bombarded with fast-paced technology and society as they knew it was falling down and being rebuilt by machines, Orwell was constructing a novel to combat and warn of an apparent future which he saw the world descending into. Although the extreme society in which Winston lives in, some of the important aspects have been seen to develop into an issue for my generation. The inability to have privacy plays among the concerns of many in the decade of video surveillance and internet. I live with the knowledge of instant contact and the burden of being locatable around the clock and this extensive theme in 1984 was highlighted by Orwell as a warning of a society which has indeed come upon us. The novel is not only an excellent piece of literature but a warning, a prophecy which offers us a number of debates, philosophical thoughts and a critic to our society.

“Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.” The continual altering of the past, present and no doubt the future, builds a society of lies and dominance by ignorance to the truth. The consistent war which rages between the three superpowers appears to have always been between the current enemy yet when peace is found and war is waged with the other power, the history books show it has always been against the new enemy. The truth is what the government determines it to and it is accepted as a core value of the Oceanic people. We also live under the rule of a government and most of our news is filtered down and twisted, what we receive is not always the whole truth. In an age where news can be published and viewed in seconds with minimal discretion masses of creates a swarm of fake news, manipulated media and a distorted cycle of information. Personally, current events of the larger world and societal changes interests me yet I have been discouraged by the less than legitimate news sources. ‘1984’ provides an insight into the extent which a society will go to alter the media in order to combat rebellion. This leaves me in a position of uncertainty towards media in the present day and has encouraged me to engage further with the facts and highlight the lies within in my own life.

Crash

First Thoughts.

  • Parallels and contrasts.
  • Talking about the racist whites of hollywood about the coffee and then the woman getting scared and then the proceed to steal the car.
  • Anthony always talking about stereotypes of blacks and then follows in his fellow footsteps.
  • Car headlights at the start. Car headlights in the middle indicating movement and fast pace.
  • Snow at the end, symbolism of peace and calm yet everyone’s lives turns upside.

Chris Haggis Interview.

  • The effect you can have on someone else life. Butterfly Effect. Directors Intention.
  • “We like to judge people” Paul Haggis
  • His aim was to polarize people, because when you polarize people you get them talking, and when they get talking it sparks a change.

Analyse how the use of language features shaped your response to one or more ideas in the visual or oral text. 

Idea of the butterfly effect showing the extensive effects of our actions through the use of Symbolism, Lighting, and Sound.

Quote Bank.

TKAM

“Hey, Mr. Cunningham. don’t you remember me, Mr. Cunningham? I’m Jean Louise Finch. You brought us some hickory nuts one early morning, remember? We had a talk. I went and got my daddy to come out and thank you. I go to school with your boy. I go to school with Walter. He’s a nice boy. Tell him ‘hey’ for me, won’t you?” Scout, Outside the Jail. 

“Miss Jean Louise, stand up. Your father’s passin’.” Sykes, Courtroom.

“Atticus was right. One time he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them. Just standing on the Radley porch was enough.” Scout, Radley Porch.

“Atticus Finch is the same in his house as he is on the public streets.” Miss Maudie, Maudie’s porch.

“Negroes worshipped in it on Sundays, and white men gambled in it on weekdays.” Author.

“Naw, Jem, I think there’s just one kind of folks. Folks.” Scout, Jem’s Bedroom. 

“Don’t be silly, Jean Louise. The thing is, you can scrub Walter Cunningham till he shines, you can put him in shoes and new suit, but he’ll never be like Jem. Besides, there’s a drinking streak in that family a mile wide. Finch women aren’t interested in that sort of people.” Aunt Alexander, Finch’s home. 

“Maycomb was an old town, but it was a tired old town when I first knew it…  There was no hurry, for there was nowhere to go, nothing to buy and no money to buy it with, nothing to see outside the boundaries of Maycomb County. But it was a time of vague optimism for some of the people: Maycomb County had recently been told that it had nothing to fear but fear itself.” Scout.

“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view . . . until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” Atticus.

Atticus, he was real nice. . . .” His hands were under my chin, pulling up the cover, tucking it around me. “Most people are, Scout, when you finally see them. Scout – Atticus.

“Cry about the simple hell people give other people—without even thinking. Cry about the hell white people give coloured folks, without even stopping to think that they’re people, too.” Dolphus Raymond. 

“People generally see what they look for, and hear what they listen for, and they have the right to subject their children to it.” Judge Taylor.

Crash.

“Look at me. You embarrass me. You embarrass yourself.” Cameron Thayer.

“You weren’t afraid that all your good friends at the studio were gonna read about you in the morning and realise he’s actually black?” Christine Thayer.

“I am angry all the time… and I don’t know why.” Jean Cabot.

“Wait ’till you’ve been on the job a few more years. Look at me […] Look at me. Wait ’till you’ve been doing it a little longer.” Officer Ryan.

“Yo, Osama, plan a jihad on your own time. What do you want?” Gun store owner.