The Big Picture

The beginning

The tower cut a black line through the undisrupted white. The column of graphite rose, slowly spiraling and spinning, weaving it’s way through the pearly mist. The contours blossomed all over the page. The faint hiss of the pneumatic door was like a gunshot in Reuben’s head. The sketchbook disappeared into the folds of his coat, just as the Hunter entered the train car. It floated, as if made of cloud, down the aisle, and stopped next to him. Reuben was the only one in the carriage. It was a Hunter-type Robotic Artificially Intelligent Droid, or RAID, designed and operated by the government to control the population. Not that it needed controlling. Ever since the revolution, the destruction, and when the city was rebuilt, the people hadn’t needed anything. Everything was provided for them.  Shelter, clothes, food, entertainment, they were all instantly and eternally available in every home in the city. The people were docile, as if every one of them had been injected with a permanent sedative. They just followed their routines, and wore the same identical clothes, and lived in the same identical houses. People only leaved their houses to do stuff they couldn’t do at home. The black orb hung in the air in front of him. It’s photoreceptor turned to him, an endless pit of hazy amber. “Name” the orb emitted. “Reuben Eddie, 23, 104 North”. This was his address. “Destination” asked the Hunter. “68, 55 West” replied Reuben. Marco’s address. The Hunter floated away through the empty carriage, and disappeared through the door.

Marco

Marco Talbot’s aging face gazed out of the window of his two-bedroom bungalow. Over the tops of the identical houses that surrounded his, he could just make out the towering grey form of the city center. His mind drifted to the future. He imagined a different world, where the city was beautiful and clean, and not shrouded in the permanent smog of pollution. Where the buildings were elegant and different, and people had their own point of view, not just what the government wanted them to think. Most of all, he dreamed of colour. There was no ` in the world. The city was all black and grey. Art, colour, freedom of speech and expression were all forbidden. He tilted his head down to notice the man walking up his lawn. The brown curly hair and green eyes of Reuben Eddie. Marco smiled at the sight of the almost child-like face bobbing up to his front door. He left the window to open the door, but stopped when he saw Reuben emerging through the doorway. “Morning Marco” said the figure in front of him. “ Morning Reuben. I forgot I gave you my code”. Marco strode into the kitchen and turned to haul himself up onto the counter. “Any progress?” he asked. “Yes, the twins are on their way now, and ready to lay the charges at noon” Reuben replied. “Excellent. It’s a damn risky job they’re doing, but they’re doing it for a good cause. It’s going to be pandemonium when it goes up” Marco stood up and led Reuben into the living room. The walls were bare. A grey sofa and a small table were all that occupied the vast room.  There was a thermostat on the wall. Marco twisted the knob to the highest setting. There was a muffled click, and a panel of the wall swung away, as if it had melted into nothing. It was like someone had opened a chest full of jewels. Reuben’s eyes dilated and then adjusted to the bright colours. The plain white wall had revealed a cacophony of greens, reds, yellows and many other colours. “You’ve made more” Reuben pointed out. And Marco had. The last time they had met, Marco’s portfolio consisted of nothing more a few canvases, but now there was a whole multitude of paintings, drawings and pastel sketches, lining all three walls of the small hidden room. “They’re incredible” Reuben gasped in awe. “How many are there?. “Nearly fifty” Marco replied. Reuben remembered the drawing in his pocket. “Oh, and I made some sketches” he said. He showed Marco the building. “It’s good. It’s very good. If we live through all this, and our plan works, it may even be able to exist”, Marco remarked. “We’d better get going, or it’ll never get done”. The pair walked out, closed the door to the concealed artworks, left the house, and headed for the train station.

The Town Hall

Max and Clare trotted down the steps of the town hall and hurried into an alley on the side of the circle. They turned back to look at the building they had just left. It was a large concrete stack, with square windows here and there, much like a taller version of the thousands of simple grey buildings that made up the city. It was not extraordinary, but it was the heart of the government, the corrupt elites who had founded the city purely to make money from the people. Max and Clare had grown to hate the government for years. When they were young, they ran across an old man in the street. He grabbed them violently, and screamed at them about how he had hated his life, and how he was so crazy from living in a boring, repetitive world. A Hunter then appeared, and silenced the man. The twin children then carried on, but the event stayed with them for years, coming back to haunt them. They began to build up a hatred for the government, and the systems that they lived by. Clare especially. She once attacked and destroyed a Hunter, and she had her tongue cut off by the government. Now, they were two of over a hundred people throughout the city who felt this way, and were actively taking part in the destruction of the town hall, which they hoped would start an end to the tyrannous regime.  Two silhouettes appeared at the end of the alley.  “Hello Reuben, hello Marco. It’s all set”, Max said to the approaching figures. “Good”, was the reply of Marco, emerging from the darkness. “Well, let’s do it. If we don’t survive, hopefully our deaths can spark the people to rebel”. The three of them walked up to the town hall and stood on the steps. Max ran out into the circle and stood in front of the town hall, a large, homemade camera over his shoulder. It would stream live the following events to the entire population. The sky was it’s usual smog grey, from the pollution produced by the factories on the borders of the city. The usually empty circle contained a few people, wondering around or sitting on benches. Marco looked around at the grey buildings that lined the circle, to the grey sky, to the grey paving stones and benches. “We have a message we need to send,” he shouted. The people in the circle turned their heads to gaze at him. “I have a dream. We live in a world that is intolerant to colour. The people in this city are so obsessed by what they do and what they think they know to be true, that they never pause to look up and think about other possibilities”. He definitely had everyone in the circle’s attention now. They were staring avidly. “Have any of you ever wondered what’s outside the city walls? Behind your TV screens? Behind this door?” he asked the audience, indicating the town hall behind him. “Well, open your minds!” As he spoke, a huge waterfall of colour cascaded down the face of the town hall. It depicted a utopia, a beautiful environment of light and happiness. “You don’t know what you’re missing!” Marco shouted to the camera. “You are all under the oppression of a government who make their money from your labour, and live by the concept of ruling your minds. You are the mindless slaves of their oppression! Break free!” The doors to the town hall burst open, and a ball of black erupted from within, like an ominous cloud under the gigantic poster of light. The camera could not see the Hunter, as Marco was blocking it from view, but Max gasped when Marco’s knees buckled, and his limp body rolled down the steps, with a bullet in the back of his head. Reuben was the first one to react. He dashed forward and shouted at the Hunter, with a small box in his hand. “If I press this button”, revealing a small button on the remote, “The town hall will explode”. The Hunter was programmed to be smart. It stayed still. Suddenly, all over the circle, people began to stand up. They were taking off their clothes. They peeled off their identical coats and jumpers, but underneath…They all wore brightly coloured shirts. Every one of them was wearing colour. It seemed the whole population was rebelling in a self-organized, peaceful revolt. “How did we not know about this?” Reuben murmured. He half expected them to all fall dead at the hands of the Hunter. But the Hunter, unknown to everyone else, was going through all possible ways out of the situation. The events unfolding in front of it were overloading it’s system. It decided on one solution, as it saw the sudden burst of colour as a huge violation of the law. It sent out an ultra-sonic pulse. Hidden in the town hall, Max and Clare’s bombs went off.

Let there be light

His wrist was cocooned in plaster. Half his face was red, the painfully peeling skin starting to beg to be itched. Reuben’s eyes beamed around the train car, full of passengers. They all looked different, wore different clothes, carried different things, different colours. He strolled out of the car and onto the platform. He stepped into the elevator and whooshed up out of the earth. As he stepped out onto the street, cradling his plastered wrist, he looked up, and gazed at the huge tower of coloured glass, erupting out of the ground in front of him. It had been a hard battle to win. He looked down to see a column of stone in front of his creation, with the names of the fallen inscribed on it. Fallen in the battle for freedom. And now colourful shops, restaurants and bars surrounded the circle. Reuben walked into the entrance hall of the huge tower. He strode up to the elevators to rise up to his penthouse office, and gazed at the plaque that hung over the four doors. It read; “Designed by Reuben Eddie. In honor of Marco Talbot”. And sure enough, the walls of the lobby were covered in beautiful canvases.

Lord of the Flies: A story of controversy

What is 'Lord of the Flies' about?

Lord of the Flies was written in 1954 by William Golding, about a group of school boys whose plane crashes on a desert island in the midst of a raging war. The boys are alone without adults, and their quickly formed society falls into ruins when a number of the boys imagine a 'beast' living on the island, and the whole group falls into an animalistic, tribal, homicidal insanity. They are driven to murder and violence, which did not go down well in public opinion. According to the American Library Association, it is one of the most frequently challenged books in circulation.

Who started the controversy around 'Lord of the Flies', who else wanted to ban it, and what were their reasons?

Lord of the Flies was first challenged by a school in Dallas in 1974. It was constantly challenged throughout the 1980’s, mainly by schools in the United States, being flagged with alleged themes of violence, animalism, bad language, racism and profanity. Generally, these schools found the book inappropriate for the age of their students, and therefore removed it from their reading lists and libraries. But it was also, challenged by black parents, because of racist, defamatory and demoralizing content. 

The church challenged it too, because it depicted religion as a non-civilizing factor, as the boys were religious, and violence was determined by superstition and rightness.

How successful were people in banning ‘Lord of the Flies’?

The majority of the public challenging the book were schools or educational organizations, so the necessary actions they needed to take to stop their students reading them did not need a legal ban. But they still challenged the books, but it was not officially banned. All other challengers, although providing reasonably strong cases, got close to banning the book in the United States, but the book was kept on the Bloomfield reading list.

Are there any censorships or bans still in place today?

Currently, there are not any direct bans or censorships of the novel, but the original film was initially rated an 18, because of violence, nudity and punishment scenes, which were cut out in many countries. The irony of this was, the actors in the film were not actually 18 when they made the film, so they could not watch the film they just made. The film has been censored more widely, because it is a visual interpretation of a book that is one of the most frequently challenged there is. The themes in the book are controversial to start with, so to put them in a form where they are much easier to interpret and visualize, there will be a much higher risk of censorship, bans, and public disapproval.

Do I agree with any of these attempted bans?

No I don’t. I have studied Lord of the Flies at school, which is now part of the Common Entrance English syllabus, and I think that it contains many moral lessons that should be taught to students from the appropriate age. It contains lessons about human nature, the fragility of civilization, and how easily it can be corrupted. It also proves the capability of the human mind and body, it proves how ideas and images can drive even young boys to cruelty and murder. I think these concepts are portrayed in an excellent style of literature and language, and I believe it is an essential book to read, as it is really a revelation to literature.

An Investigation into Guy Montag (Fahrenheit 451)

In the start of the novel Fahrenheit 451, the main character Guy Montag is described by many different concepts, metaphors and conflicting ideas. The first line, "It was a pleasure to burn", is only a very short, simple sentence, but conceals a powerful and explanitive description of Montag's character. It evokes that he is destructive, which perhaps is driven by a metaphorical fire inside of him, but also that he is different from regular modern, civilised people, as he is purposefully burning something, and if you read on a few lines, you will find that this something is a house, which of course is a thing that would definitely be frowned upon to burn in todays culture, especially for someone to take pleasure from doing so. You would also find signs indicating that he may be authoritative, due to his role of burning, and that he is dignified and proud in this role, i.e; "significant number" and "brass nozzle in his fists". Turn the page, and you would find constant references to happiness, emphasising the smile left on his face by the fire, and adding how he whistled while he walked. " Minstrel man" is a quote that leaves Montag shrouded in the soot of evil, but the fact that the Minstrels were in fact white people, perhaps implies that there is some good, kindness and difference behind his cloak of black. Overall, in only the first two pages of the book, the author has already provided an in depth description of the central character, if thorough investigation of the text is carried out.

What are the concepts portrayed in the song "Hotel California", and what do metaphors do to help describe them?

With 'Hotel California', there are constant phrases which sound good in the song, but do not strike an instant meaning in your mind. This is due to the use of metaphors. As it turns out, many of these phrases have links to drugs, drug addiction, the cons of California and the modern hotel industry. In the beginning of the song, drugs are evident, with use of metaphors like "cool wind in my hair" to idolise the happiness and carefreeness that drugs often provide. "Warm smell of colitas" has a complicated origin but in fact, refers to the tip of the marijuana branch, which is rich in sap. When he gets to 'Hotel California' the narrator says "This could be heaven or this could be hell", which I believe is the start of his addiction, and he is asking himself where it might lead him. He could also be making a gamble on staying at the hotel, since he doesn't know what level of quality it may offer. 'Welcome to the Hotel California' is a welcoming to either the hotel (if being a realist), or to drug addiction (if interpreting the metaphors). 'Anytime of year' refers to how drugs are always constant, and if you ever need a sanctuary , drugs will provide it. The second verse of the song refers to an old woman, who is (or was) bound to a life of luxury, as 'Tiffany-twisted' refers to Tiffany&Co. 'Voices are calling from far away' means that when he tries to stray away from drugs, the people at the hotel call him back to addiction. 'Bring your alibis', 'mirrors on the ceiling' and 'prisoners here of our own device' all refer to the dark sides of California, Hollywood and the rock and roll industry. They relate to how you must be careful in the Music business, its a dog eat dog world, and you mustn't fall into depression, drug addiction or self-destruction. I think that 'they stab it with their steely knives' describes how they try to break away and kill the drug addict inside themselves. 'You can check-out anytime you like, but you can never leave!' sums up the song by saying you can try, but once you have started an addiction, it is near impossible to stop. Overall, the song provides strong moral lessons in drug addiction and the rock and roll industry, relying heavily on metaphors to support the concepts literally.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0G1Ucw5HDg

"Hotel California"

On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair
Warm smell of colitas, rising up through the air
Up ahead in the distance, I saw a shimmering light
My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim
I had to stop for the night
There she stood in the doorway;
I heard the mission bell
And I was thinking to myself,
"This could be Heaven or this could be Hell"
Then she lit up a candle and she showed me the way
There were voices down the corridor,
I thought I heard them say...

Welcome to the Hotel California
Such a lovely place (Such a lovely place)
Such a lovely face
Plenty of room at the Hotel California
Any time of year (Any time of year)
You can find it here

Her mind is Tiffany-twisted, she got the Mercedes bends
She got a lot of pretty, pretty boys she calls friends
How they dance in the courtyard, sweet summer sweat.
Some dance to remember, some dance to forget

So I called up the Captain,
"Please bring me my wine"
He said, "We haven't had that spirit here since nineteen sixty nine"
And still those voices are calling from far away,
Wake you up in the middle of the night
Just to hear them say...

Welcome to the Hotel California
Such a lovely place (Such a lovely place)
Such a lovely face
They livin' it up at the Hotel California
What a nice surprise (what a nice surprise)
Bring your alibis

Mirrors on the ceiling,
The pink champagne on ice
And she said "We are all just prisoners here, of our own device"
And in the master's chambers,
They gathered for the feast
They stab it with their steely knives,
But they just can't kill the beast

Last thing I remember, I was
Running for the door
I had to find the passage back
To the place I was before
"Relax, " said the night man,
"We are programmed to receive.
You can check-out any time you like,
But you can never leave! "

Water

My bare foot touches the snow.

The moist crystals shatter like tears,

They scream but no one hears.

My bare legs follow the trail.

The vail cascades like a white waterfall,

It pulls me down in its frigid flow.

My bare shoulders feel the cold.

The snowflakes fall like a torrent of feathers,

They freeze me to the bone.

My bare face emerges onto the lake.

The forest recedes behind me like a wave of flanking soldiers,

It abandons me in the vast open.

My bare feet feel the waves.

The ripples lick my toes like the tongues of hounds,

They swamp and saturate my foundations.

My bare legs embrace the water.

The lake engulfs me like a pelicans mouth,

It lures me into it's vast blue beauty.

My bare face breaks the surface.

The sea of life swallows me like Mother Nature herself.

I toss and turn under the surface.

And I am finally reborn into the lifeline that has surrounded me for ever.

Five Minutes' Advice on the Bath Waters

Five Minutes' Advice was a book published in 1843 by Sims & Sons. The general idea was to promote the well-being the roman baths and spas in the city of Bath could provide. It goes into depth about how rejuvenating and revitalising the actual Baths, waters, products and overall experience were, explaining reasons, and giving examples. The book also advertises how the Bath experience can be brought to the home, if the right products are purchased. It also includes actual advertisements, which advertise various pills and potions.

From the image, I would suppose that this is definitely not a modern piece of text, due to the layout (i.e; the big fancy 'D'), and the rather proper use of language e.g; 'and to their successful employment...', 'advantages which are daily experienced'. This differs from modern health, well-being and medical scripts, as the author's use of explanations are very vague, and although it gives 'explanations' to support what 'facts' it contains, these are still very vague, and are probably the result of guesswork. Modern equivalents of Five Minutes' Advice are all facts, that are simple and very clearly understandable, so anyone can read them for medical advice, and they are all backed up by scientific experiments and discoveries, with references. People have taken this essentiality of easy-access to such a high level, that today, most of what you would find in a book is on the internet, so you can find out what you need to, straight away. Five Minutes' Advice does have some sense in what its purpose was, to advertise the roman Baths. And in its day, when medical science was nearly non-existent, it's content was easily believed by the unknowing public. Therefore, Five Minutes' Advice was altogether rather smart, as it lured people to the Baths and to their products even when nobody knew what was true or false.

An Introduction to English

English is a germanic language. It and many other Germanic languages share common words, such as cheese and boat. Fresian is one of these languages, and is till used in the Netherlands and Northern Europe.. The languages originated from Germanic invaders. The tribes invaded England, and the languages carried on. They also merged with the native tongues of the Celts and Britons, forming new languages altogether. Anglo-Saxon was the most prominent language that emerged. Welsh is the closest language currently being spoken to Celtic.  Many common words have carried on into modern English, such as 'and', 'is', 'the' and 'am'. 

The English language derives its roots from more than just two languages, however. Christian missionaries arriving in England as early as the 7th Century, did not only bring with them the ways of Christianity, but also the International language of the Christian church, Latin. English derives many of its nouns and verbs from Latin, and Latin and many other source languages contributed to the layering of words that is a main part of English still today. 

English also derives its letters and script from Latin, which of course, is a very major part of the language, allowing it to be written and read. If it were't for this introduction of written letters, I might well be writing this in an runes, which would appear very different to English as we know it. Latin also introduced grammar, verbs, literature and books. 

With this new formed language, poems and books were written, with both fictional and historical content. Around this time the first records of prayers, songs, battles and happenings were produced. In battles between the Vikings and Danes, English absorbed more of its content from the languages of invaders. 

English gained compound words as different tribes intermarried and traded. Many common names for people, places and things were formed from the intermingling of the various tongues. Many original words are still spoken everyday in the north of England. Old Norse is thought to be the biggest contributor to English. 

Overall, English's early roots have many origins, ranging from old native languages, such as Celtic, to more modern languages which have over time, made up the layering of English, such as Latin and Norse. English may be very different now to how it was 1000 years ago, but the languages are all connected, and we can see similarities between the source languages and modern English. 

Bibliography - The Adventure of English (BBC) - (1) Birth of a Language - YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGYiM_ZnjAc

Charles Dickens quotes-

-Have a heart that never hardens, a temper that never tires, and a touch that never hurts.

-A loving heart is the truest wisdom.

-Electric communication will never be the face of someone, who with their soul, encourages another person to be brave and true.

- The whole difference between construction and creation is exactly this: that a thing constructed can only be loved after it is constructed; but a thing created is loved before it exists.

-To conceal anything from those to whom I am attached, is not in my nature. I can never close my lips when I have opened my heart.

- The pain of parting is nothing compared with the joy of meeting again.

The Legacy of Dickens-A contrary argument

In 1925, Virginia Woolf said "There is perhaps no person living who can remember reading David Copperfield for the first time." This was at a time when Charles Dickens was more than a national monument, it was during the Victorian era, when it was common practice for everyone able to afford it, to read Dickens at all family gatherings, formal events, and every evening after dinner in all households that could around the country.

But in the modern day, however, you may be hard pressed to find someone who has read David Copperfield. Most Dickens read today, is in the form of small works, easy for students to finish in a matter of weeks. A Tale Of Two Cities is still the best selling novel in the world, although the legend of Dickens may not live much longer. Young people, although they may have heard of Dickens, don't really read such literature. They are written in an elegant style of Old English, that is very contrary to the style of writing today. People may not be interested, as well, in the occasionally action-lacking plots. It is also because of technology, that people may not be reading. Books are being replaced by e-books, television and the internet. Books must be understandable and hooking, in order to entice a reader. Dickens no longer presents this, as people and the English language has changed so much over the past century.

Who was Charles Dickens?

Charles Dickens was, and still is, one of the most notable and iconic figures ever in English literature. He was also known in his time for being the greatest writer of the Victorian period. Although many of his books are over 150 years old, they still sell as many copies as many modern bestsellers. Some of his more notable works include; The Pickwick Papers, Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, Great Expectations and A Christmas Carol, many of which have been adapted for films or plays. A Tale of Two Cities has sold over 200 million copies, making the best-selling single volume book ever written. I think that it is this, and the everlasting legacy of Dickens, that has made him great, and propelled his name through hundreds of years of literature history.

Charles Dickens

Facts

Born: 7 February 1812

Died: 9 June 1870

From: Landport, Portsmouth, Hampshire, England

Known as/for: The greatest writer of the Victorian period

Notable works: The Pickwick Papers, Great Expectations, Oliver Twist, A tale of Two Cities.

Books

What are books for?
Books are where we escape to.
They open, they absorb us.
Time and time over.
They are stories to live in.
But where would we be without books?

That question brings the closing;
Of doors, and stores,
Of pen lids and typewriters,
and of minds, society, and the world as we know it.