Character Studies in the Ruby in the Smoke
In the novel Ruby in the Smoke, Phillip Pullman has created sleazy, nasty villains and wholesome, trustworthy, kind-hearted heroes and heroines. This character study looks at the behaviour of these important heroes and heroines in vital events in the novel. It also includes details about their appearance, personality and lifestyles. . Sally Lockhart Set in 1872, the Ruby in the Smoke involves sixteen year old Sally Lockhart. Sally is uncommonly pretty at the time; the quotation at the start of Chapter 1 shows us this: 'She was slender and pale, and dressed in mourning, with a black bonnet under which she tucked in a straying twist of blonde hair that the wind had teased loose. She had unusually dark brown eyes for one so fair.' Sally Lockhart is a serious middle-class orphan whose late 'father' taught her a variety of useful things; accounting, Hindustani, marksmanship, finance and shooting: 'As a result, her knowledge of English literature, French, History, Art and Music was non-existent.' Sally's lack of insight in these quarters caused trouble with her guardian Mrs Rees and so her stay there ended. Sally Lockhart shows sensitivity throughout the novel: 'What are you scowling for?' he said at one point ... 'I wasn't scowling,' she said, sounding petulant and childish' Sally's sensitiveness also links in with her willingness to let Frederick Garland take
A slave's diary.
A slave's Diary Day 1 The worst possible has happened I have had my home stricken from me by a white skinned demon and am now delimited to a water bound hell. Each lapping wave from the tempestuous sea that carries us to our unknown destination takes a small part of my resolve in its wake. I am fettered to a long pole and my movements are restricted by a chain which runs through the various binds of my neighbours. Once the white men took one of our number out of this place, although I think that it is not out of any form of kindness as he came back pained the smell of burning flesh following close behind. I sit here next to members of the mugimbi tribe and as such there is not much for conversation; the chafing of my binds burns me just as many a question burns my mind. What is this place? Why are we here? Is this hell? Am I dead? I hope that the answers will come to me before long because I sense that I will not be leaving this place soon. Day 12 I am still locked in this place. It has become difficult to distinguish night from day, to distinguish the smell of decay emitting from the first of our number to pass away, mostly children, and the smell of our own excrement. But it is not the smell that bothers me it is the cacophony of children's screams and women's cries, this is inhuman! These white men must come from hell. It has become unbearable. If I do not leave this
Not an Egselent day for eggs. Appalling revelations of animal battery farming.
Not an Egselent day for eggs! Appalling revelations of animal battery farming. Last night at approximately 3am, the police alongside animal welfare organisations raided 'Egg-sellent Eggs Limited' in the east of Sussex after a four month investigation of the cruelty and welfare of animals. Nicholas Thrushball, aged 44, founder and director of the company was arrested under the 'animal welfare act 2006' in which it cogently enforces that animals should live in a suitable and humane environment. Owner of this nationally known company was allegedly beating, hitting and mistreating the chickens in his welfare as well as storing them in shocking, suffocating conditions. The four month investigation consisted of hiding and monitoring cameras placed around the site as well as taking hygienic tests within and around the premises. The cameras revealed disturbing videos of the hens being electrocuted resulting in to the bone melting to form the shell of eggs. Also it was recorded that the hens were laying five eggs per week, thats 300 per year. A hen living in the wild is expected to lay 20 in a year and 240 in their life time of an approximate 12 years. Miss S. Ellis, Director of the 'Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals' stated after the raid "Its horrific think that the most reputable egg company in the Midlands treats its hens in a way that literally make me
Lord of the Flies - Letter from Ralph
Lord of the Flies Letter to Ralph parents Dear Mom and Dad, I am writing you to inform you that I am very well, I hope you are fine too. I have spent the last few days on a deserted tropical island where our plane was evacuate and shot down. I am now being rescued by a navy officer. I just wanted to let you know about my experiences that I had on the island. Well when I first reached the island I found it really surreal and beautiful. The atmosphere was so calm, quiet and peaceful. Then I met a boy called Piggy. He was very fat, he had very thick spectacles. He also told me that he had asthma. He always used to say my aunty told me not to do this/that. After a few minutes Piggy found a conch shell and showed me how to make a noise with it. I used the conch to call the other boys from across the island then suddenly a party of choirboys came. Jack was the leader of choir; he was an arrogant and unpleasant fellow. Then we had a meeting and I was declared as the ruler and Jack and the other choir boys went hunting for something to eat. While the other boys were hunting I was trying to maintain some remnants of civilization. Later on some of the younger boys believed that they saw a "beastie" on the island. This beast scared all of us. We had many fears on that island, but needed to remember that they could not let us get in the way of what was important to us. We all
Creative Writing - Gothic Horror
Gothic Horror. I walked cautiously up towards the grand old house, where I read the name aloud 'Hollow Manor.' It had the look of a gothic church with the arched stained glass windows. The doors and windows reminded me of the ancient gothic houses that were so popular in London at the moment. I breathed in deeply smelling wet oak wood reminding me of winter fires and roasting chestnuts. The area was in an old abandoned town by the forest and the old lake, as I went into the house the door creaked open suddenly as if swept by some unseen shadow of a figure. As I ascended through the main archway into the main house, I was me by the sweet smell of fresh baking but, at the same time something deeper like rotting flesh was hidden under the pleasant aroma as if the house itself was human. I soon forgot the smells of the house, when I saw the three gigantic chandeliers and the vast amount of doors all facing into the main hall all made out of willow wood, of which I was fond. As I walked up the stairs they started to creak as if the life was being pulled out of them. There were about a hundred old photographs and ancient portraits hanging on the dully coloured walls, clearly someone with very little imagination decorated this house. As I lit the chandeliers the whole room gleamed with life and I saw that the ceiling was of marble with strange but wonderful pictures and patters
Creative writing.
GCSE English Coursework Creative writing As a child I would come here all the time, but as time went by I didn't go as often, until eventually I stopped going. Some of my best memories were here with my brothers and friends. I particularly liked the playing fields, where we would play football. Sometimes I would visualise myself playing for Manchester United. On a cold and dark evening, I came back and I looked around; a lot of things had changed. It was as if time was running out: the sand glass having only a few grains of sand left, before time ran out. Nature was dying. The insects and other bugs had died out and all that was left was a barren wasteland. Only the man-made structures stood. The trees and bushes had lost their leaves and all that was left something that looked as though it had been dried up in a desert. The branches had become arms with clawed fingers: sometimes they would deliberately scare the children. The old tree was still there, but it wasn't the way I remembered it. The bark had come off to reveal a sinister smile. A strong gale blew through, brushing my face. It sent a chill down my body. It made and eerie noise like a wolf howling under the midnight moon. Noisily it explored, picking up rubbish and hurling amber leaves around. I sat down on one of the old swings, remembering of the times I had as child. They were moving by
'The best holiday I ever had'
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Narrative essay 1
Tanvi Dattani 0C Narrative Essay - Life changing fire The well sparkled in the moonlight. The bucket was heavy, but that compensated for the hard and tiring work I had done in the factory. The water was cool on my lips which was contradicted the heat in the shack. I closed my eyes, and heaved a sigh. Sheila once told me how she dreamed of one day going to Mumbai to go to study and making her parents proud. She always wondered if her parents were alive, they would be proud of her or not. This thought never left my mind. At the end of the bucket, the magical moment of freedom will be lost and back in the shack again. 'BOOOOOOMM!' the peace of the night was broken, pandemonium, pieces flying everywhere. The grandiose flames rose up, lay a beast within the earth, accompanied by an aura of smoke. Before I knew it the smoke encompassed me, like a tornado. I couldn't see, I couldn't breathe, I ran, ran far away, ran away from this lunacy. Running, running for my life but then I stopped. Sheila! My fear had vanished. I lost all sensation. I froze. I turned and ran towards the scorching conflagration. I ran towards the ferocious beast of fire and grime. Sheila, Sheila, Sheila. That was the only thought in my mind. The deafening noise of crackers, which was the only thing I could hear, seemed to roar in my ear. The fire stood like an unbreakable wall between Sheila and me. I
